How are gantries tested?

igus® is notorious for testing! We test everything and never stop. But how are gantries tested? We are frequently asked this question. Especially when it comes to our gantries. The igus® gantries are tested as single-axis and multi-axis systems at our headquarters in Germany. The primary tests include: long linear stroke; linear technology underwater; coefficient of friction and wear. The standard igus® tests ensure the smooth incorporation of data into our free online tools which igus® employees and customers can use to find the appropriate solution for an application. These tools produce service life predictions and results according to wear, friction, required force, compressive strength and radial forces.

So, how are gantries tested?

We apply many extreme scenarios to the rigs in the test laboratory, in order to assess a wide range of properties which our customers might expect from our gantries. After testing is complete, results are displayed on a table or graph so that customers can easily observe the capabilities of the igus® gantries.

Firstly, to test pivoting wear rate, we use high speeds and varying angles for maximal evaluation of the parameters. This wear can occur on the linear bearings on many different areas of the gantry robots, from lead screws to end blocks and belt drives to aluminium rails. The wear can be expected to arise in a different area each time a new working area, speed or programme is employed, thus making our tests rigorous and highly varied.

The wear on these components, however, is minimal and an awful lot less profound than that found on metal bearings and joints where grease is heavily relied upon as a remedy. The polymers are long-life for a good reason and will not crash to a halt like a standard metal bearing, but instead will very gradually reduce in accuracy without breaking the entire system.

For testing the payload capacity, we use loads of up to 300N at different speeds. We apply surface speeds of up to 0.01m/s to identify wear and heat effects from speed – this can help to identify issues where the robot might be exposed to very repetitive tasks at a short cycle rate. Furthermore, these tests are practised in multiple directions: vertically, laterally, horizontally and inversely – these ensure that applications from any corner of industry can be solved. These applications can range from pressing and drilling, to picking and placing, or lifting and suspending. Each new and qualified application can produce new test rigs in our factory to ensure more comprehensive figures for our products.

It is important to note that while these tests are generally applied at room temperature, we can also perform them in our cold room to ensure bespoke results are achieved for specific customers. Heat is accounted for at the bearing level of our tests, which have been tested at up to 250°C.

how are gantries tested at igus
leadscrew gantry and energy chain testing

In addition to failure scenarios, we also pride ourselves in testing our gantries for function, which allows us and our customers to be confident that the solution suggested by the expert system and configurators will prove the best according to their solution requirements.

Secondary tests can be performed upon the request of a customer and are often based on the uniqueness and specificity of the tasks they use.

Visit the website to find out more about the igus® gantries and if you would like to know more about where igus® gantries are used visit https://blog.igus.co.uk/how-is-an-igus-gantry-made/

Alternatively, if you would like to learn more on the topic of how are gantries tested please contact our Product Manager Adam Sanjurgo: asanjurgo@igus.co.uk for any gantry enquiries.

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