The PushCorp SM1202 Servo Spindle targets the robotics market, for robots smaller than 20 kg, including collaborative robots. It can handle many applications, including sanding, grinding, drilling, buffing, routing and tapping. It can be run air-cooled with built-in water-cooling ports for higher duty cycle applications such as grinding.
The robotic spindle adds to PushCorp’s offering of dc servo spindles and force-compliant technology for industrial robots. The SM1202 servo spindle was designed to fill a void in the current offering in material options for small- to medium-sized robots. “The current market in this space is largely pneumatic tools that were adapted from hand tools,” says Max Falcone, vice president of sales engineering at PushCorp. “They generally weren’t designed or built for the rigors of automated process applications. These current pneumatic tools consume vast amounts of air and are very loud to operate, contributing to the noise pollution in plants. The SM1202 is a ground-up design that was executed with the small robot market in mind.”
The 4.1 kg (9 lb) air-cooled SM1202 spindle has a power rating of 2 hp and a maximum shaft speed of 12,000 rpm. The SM1202 spindle will initially be offered in two form factors, a random orbital version and an ER20 version. The former accepts PushCorp random orbit tools and can change tools with only an Allen wrench. It includes options for 3-, 5- and 6-inch sanding pads and built-in dust collection for orbital sanding. The initial release also includes an ER20 collet version. PushCorp will release a third version by the end of 2022 with automatic tool change capabilities and a maximum speed of 20,000 rpm. That version is designed for small robot lighter-duty applications. The high power-to-weight ratio is achieved with a frameless dc servo design.
The random orbital version is tailored for sanding applications with built-in dust collection. “This all-in-one solution will allow smaller robots to tackle applications, which have not been possible in the past because such a solution was not available from its pneumatic counterparts,” says Eddie Erlbacher, senior product manager at PushCorp.
Many customers are requesting the built-in dust collection, as they try to create safer and more comfortable working environments, explains Falcone. The dust collection is designed to connect directly to standard off-the-shelf vacuum tubing available from a number of different vendors. This makes the unit simple to support through its lifecycle, he says. The ER20 version will be able to accept any commercially available ER20 collet.
“With the optional liquid cooling, the SM1202 will be able to take on jobs usually reserved for larger spindles and robots such as grinding welds, removing small gates or flash from castings, or drilling and tapping holes,” says Falcone.
The SM1202 will come with standard mounting hardware and can be mounted directly to a robot or onto PushCorp’s AFD310 active compliance device. “This package will give any robot with a 10 kg or larger payload the tactile feedback and power to handle a multitude of grinding, sanding or buffing applications,” Falcone says.
Anna Townshend has been a writer and journalist for almost 20 years. Previously, she was the editor of Marina Dock Age and International Dredging Review, published by The Waterways Journal, until she joined Putman Media in June 2020. She is the managing editor of Control Design and Plant Services. Email her at [email protected].
