Festo’s new EHMH cantilever axis can move large payloads safely

Festo’s EHMH heavy duty axis, shown here as the vertical (Z) axis in a high performance handling solution, is rated for payloads up to 200 kg and can be configured for enhanced safety protection up to Performance Level d (PL-d).

Produced with rack and pinion technology that handles payloads of up to 200 kilograms with high repeatability, the new EHMH cantilever axis from Festo Canada is perfect for stacking or palletizing heavy loads. This device needs a smaller working envelope than an articulated robot does, to use available floor space optimally.

The EHMH is typically more cost-efficient than a six-axis articulated robot performing the heavy loading/unloading tasks found in packaging, automotive operations, or handling machine tools.

Better cost and value

As a Z axis, the EHMH can form the backbone of a total, application-optimized handling system with a lineup of complementary Festo components, like the EGC-HD heavy-duty toothed belt or ball screw model as the X axis, the CPX-E control system, the CMMT-AS AC servo drive, the EMMT-AS servo motors, and other accessories.

Available in two sizes, this cantilever axis blends a solid steel profile and high-quality recirculating bearing guide for top rigidity and repeatability across all available stroke lengths (250 to 2,500 millimetres) with high feed force and speeds of up to 1½ metres per second. Users can configure the EHMH for better safety protection, and many optional safety add-ons are available – a pneumatic locking unit for a positive, hard mechanical lock during maintenance or commissioning, a frictionally engaged clamping unit that acts as an emergency brake, or an external displacement encoder for extra position detection and a second channel in safety applications. Other protection options include scrapers on both sides to guard the unit from dust, dirt, particles, or fluid, and the easy lubrication features prolong the device’s service life while decreasing wear and tear.

Much of the time, Festo gantries based on a cantilever axis like the EHMH offer a better cost and general value proposition with simple commissioning for extra labour savings and shorter project timelines than alternatives do. A single CPX-E motion controller can control the interpolation that multiple EHMH-based gantries, and their connected servo drives running in parallel, perform. This controller is a highly compact alternative to the larger controllers typically needed to manage multiple articulated robots.

For more information, contact Festo.

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