Innovative 40mm axial fan is mounted directly on the arm of the robot

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Innovative 40mm axial fan is mounted directly on the arm of the robot

Innovative 40mm fan is mounted directly on the arm of the robot

The fan and cooling specialist SEPA EUROPE has been a reliable partner of the automation industry for a long time. Previous areas of application were usually  located somewhat concealed in comfortably warm control cabinets far from dust, dirt and vibrations. In these perfect conditions the axial fans performed their duties reliably and kept the controls of the industrial robot within a permissible operating temperature range. With this type of electronics cooling it is primarily a question of a high service life of the entire system. The model with double-sealed ball bearings was largely selected for this very reason. Virtually all fans of the SEPA MFB series have even two of them.

New areas of application arise from the fact that more complex peripheries are found on robot arms and automated equipment. Gone are the times when only different types of hydraulic or pneumatic gripper systems were used. In modern production plants for example that are found in the automobile industry, significantly more complex applications are involved. Particularly worth mentioning in this respect are laser welding systems, measuring systems and optical control systems. This new complexity illustrates quite clearly that the cooling of electronic equipment is urgently needed if the performance of the periphery is to be fully exploited.

Consequently the fan suddenly moves from the stationary control cabinet to the mobile robotic arm. What are the new challenges that arise from the new environment? Firstly, the powerful acceleration of the fan in all degrees of freedom and secondly the fan should not have an unnecessary high mass. However, it should have a high flow rate despite its small size so that the entire system can be kept as compact as possible.

The axial fans of the LF series are predestined for this area of application. LF stands for laminated fan and describes the design of the motor with stator lamination. The fan can thus achieve a high performance and simultaneously save weight. The hub of the new 40 mm model has been deliberately kept as small as possible so that there is less “dead space” in the centre and the longer rotor blades can be aerodynamically optimized even better. This optimization has an immediate impact. The blades are elegantly curved and have a notch at the end. This notch prevents the following blade from being affected during rotation by the turbulences of the previous blade which in turn would prevent it from reaching its own output.

A point that is definitely worth mentioning is the shockproof Magfix® bearing. It has a longer service life, is both economical and temperature resistant. Thanks to the single sintered bearing it has a large reserve of lubricant and simultaneously prevents misalignment.

Our cooling experts at SEPA EUROPE look forward to helping you make the right choice and finding the required design.