In the factory of the future, manufactured products will move through the production halls quietly, cleanly, with low energy consumption and contact-free. Alongside other magnetic field-based levitation technology, superconductor technology is particularly well suited for this purpose. That is why we have been exploring this exciting technology for several years. During this time, a multitude of concepts have been developed that demonstrate the potential of superconductors in industrial automation. Here you will find a brief overview of the technology’s wide range of applications:
SupraJunction demonstrates the contactless transport of objects across enclosed surfaces and through air locks. Two carrier plates levitate above the superconductors thanks to magnetic rails attached to their underside. They transport small glass containers along a circuit by transferring them from one superconductor element on a transport system to the next element on another handling system.
During the contactless transfer from one cryostat to the other, an electromagnet attached to an electric axis pulls the carrier plate onto the next cryostat in the working direction of the magnetic rails. This system marks the first time that Festo has implemented the automated transfer from one system to another in the horizontal plane, thus enabling levitating transport along long process chains and across system boundaries.
Throughout the entire process, the plates levitate above a shallow basin of water. The carrier system and automation technology are thus completely separated from each other, which protects the components from contamination and makes cleaning extremely easy – perfect for an application in the packaging industry, laboratory automation, medical technology, food or pharmaceutical industry.
SupraChanger is the first application to transfer a rotary motion in a controlled and contact-free manner to magnets that levitate thanks to superconductivity. For this purpose, three different stations are mounted on a table, each demonstrating a rotary application: a centrifuge, a mixer and a rotary indexing table.
A superconductor module with a stepper motor is mounted under the table. The table automatically rotates 120 degrees so that one of the three applications is always positioned above the module. Each station has a magnetic disc that levitates at a specific distance locked into place above the actively cooled superconductor module. As soon as a station is positioned above the module again, the disc reacts to the superconductor and begins to levitate.
The stepper motor and a magnetic coupling under the base plate make the magnetic disc in the station – and thus the respective application – rotate in a specific manner. This means that the applications do not have to be controlled electrically or adjusted manually, which enables quick and easy tool changes.