Bell-Everman announces molded belt tray for linear actuators

Robot positioning motion control components provider Bell-Everman recently announced its latest generation of ServoBelt linear actuators feature a design enhancement that simplifies the assembly and installation of long-travel motion systems including gantry and linear robots.

The company said its new design, which includes a lower static toothed belt, also strengthens ServoBelt’s ability to non-destructively withstand high-force events, such as carriage crashes.

Design changes to simplify integration

In earlier designs, the belt adhered to its aluminum carrier using 3M’s VHB adhesive tape. While strong, the VHB complicated the assembly and installation process, requiring integrators to accurately apply the adhesive tape on site at the actuator’s end-use location.

This process also made it difficult to splice sections of ServoBelt together - which Bell-Everman said is essential when building systems with long travel axes - requiring higher attention to detail and cleanliness.

Improving on the earlier design, ServoBelt now has a “rack” of teeth molded directly into the actuator’s aluminum carrier. The rack offers precision tooth forms identical to the static belt it replaces and is molded from an equally rugged polyurethane - with a 50 Shore D hardness and minimum 4,500 psi tensile strength.

The design now allows integrators to splice ServoBelt sections just as they would with a traditional rack-and-pinion, using a simple tool similar to a tooth rack. Bell-Everman said it also offers significantly more resistance to tear-out forces than the earlier design.

The latest generation of ServoBelt includes the new molded belt trays, along with QR codes to take personnel directly to the splicing instructions on the Bell-Everman website.

Robot mountings for a variety of applications

Bell-Everman’s motion control technologies have been incorporated into a wide variety of automation and metrology systems, including those found in the aerospace, biomedical, semiconductor, electronics assembly, laser and water jet cutting, CNC machining and packaging industries.

The company’s product line comprises precision linear bearings, linear motion positioning devices, rotary stages and complete multi-axis robotic systems. All of Bell-Everman’s products are designed and built at its Southern Calif. facility.