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The HLR is a linear axis with a high load bearing capacity. It allows users to move heavy loads and extends the service life of the axis. Regular lubrication is required, but it is easy to access and maintain. The HLR uses a timing belt drive system, which offers advantages in terms of dynamic movement and low maintenance. Users need to check and adjust the belt tension regularly to ensure proper functioning. There are instructional videos available for maintenance and installation. The HLR is suitable for various industrial applications and can be configured to meet specific requirements. It comes in two sizes, 070 and 080, which refer to the width of the axis profile. The HLR can be used in multi-axis systems with features that simplify design and installation. Welcome to the Parker Hanifin Podcast. My name is Horst Windner and I am really looking forward to today's conversation with our guest Olaf Zeiss. Olaf works for the Electric Motion and Pneumatic Division at the Offenburg site and is responsible for electromechanical actuators. Olaf, what do you want to tell us about today? Hi Horst, I have brought along our latest linear axis, the HLR. The HLR has all the features you would associate with a modern linear axis. So let's all take a look at these. The axis is based on a four-row linear guide which ensures it can accommodate very high load for such a compact piece of equipment. The axis name is also influenced by this technical design principle. The acronym HLR stands for High Load Rodless and therefore describes an axis that boasts a very high load bearing capacity. So what benefits or advantage can the user really expect from this ability to cope with high loads? This technical characteristic offers the user a double benefit. For one thing, it enables the user to move heavy loads with the axis. This means the user, depending on the application, can use a smaller size HLR than would be possible with many competitor products. In addition, this high power density also helps extend the axis service life. We all know that machinery elements like linear guides only have a limited service life. The laws of physics dictate as much. If the HLR user chooses not to take full advantage of the axis load capacity, this will significantly extend the HLR's service life compared with an axis with a lower load capacity that is operated toward the upper end of its load bearing range. Olaf, so now you have raised the issue of service life. And both service life and maintenance are, of course, of great importance to the user. What does the HLR have to offer here? Service life and maintenance are aspects or variables that have a decisive influence on the TCO, or total cost of ownership, of the entire application that incorporates the HLR. We have already mentioned the HLR's outstanding service life. A linear axis that lasts longer will need to be replaced less often over the course of an application, or ideally not at all. The HLR has a linear guide. Remember, steel boards are rolling between a steel rail and a carriage that is also made of steel. To prevent this steel-on-steel contact causing erosion, the contact points need to be greased. A one-off lubrication to last throughout the HLR's entire service life, the kind we are used to with encapsulated roller bearings, is only possible with a linear guide in exceptional cases. This means the HLR requires top-up lubrication at regular intervals. To make this process as quick and easy as possible and keep access downtime to a minimum, the HLR has lubrication nibbles that can be accessed from the outside. These can be found at the side on the HLR carriage. Position the grease gun, apply a bit of grease, and it's good to go. Nibbles can be found at both sides of the HLR carriage. But you only need to apply grease at one side. The lubrication points on the opposite side are merely there as alternatives. So, if the carriage isn't directly accessible from one side, the HLR can simply be lubricated from the other side in a given application. Aside from the design phase for the HLR, we were keen to offer users maximum flexibility in this respect. So, as I understand it, very little maintenance is required for the HLR's linear guide, which accommodates the load placed on the HLR's carriage. And any maintenance involved is very customer-friendly. But what about the torque delivered by the motor? How is the feed force from the motor transferred to the carriage? A timing belt is used to drive the HLR's carriage. The timing belt enables highly dynamic movement of the HLR's carriage and also allows longer strokes with little fuss and at low cost. It therefore offers decisive advantages for linear access in many handling applications compared with alternative drive types such as spindles or linear motors. We use timing belt with an RPP profile that is ideally suited to use in a linear access. This timing belt further improves on the already quite operation typically associated with timing belts and further reduces the wear suffered by timing belt drives, which is fairly low in any case. By eliminating sliding during engagement with the pulley, the number of tensile strands in the belt has been increased to the maximum possible with a view to achieving maximum transferable feed force and minimum belt elongation under a load. The combination of plastic timing belt and an aluminum pulley requires no lubrication, making it a clean and practically maintenance-free form of drive technology. Olaf, I heard you say practically maintenance-free. So what actually does the user still have to do? It is important not to forget to check the belt is correctly tensioned. Settlement within the axis as well as temperature fluctuations may cause the timed belt to lose some of its pretension over time. If the pretension for the belt is too low, this may cause it to jump, so to speak. When this happens, the belt may jump one or, in extreme cases, several teeth along the driving tooth lock washer. This in turn means the position of the position encoder generally mounted on the motor shaft will no longer reflect the real position of the HLR's carriage. Consequently, the HLR's carriage will no longer be in the correct position and the application will no longer work correctly. To prevent this kind of worst-case scenario, the belt tension needs to be checked on a regular basis and adjusted as required. We recommend performing this check at least once a year. Is this checking and adjustment process particularly complicated? No, there is no need to remove the load or anything like that for this task. It is just a case of loosening the steel covering strip that keeps dirt out of the axis. The individual steps are, of course, described in the user manual for the linear axis. We have also made a short how-to video that shows the individual steps one at a time. And where can I find these how-to videos? You can find them on the Parker YouTube support channel. Simply grab your phone, search YouTube for Parker Hennepin and HLR and you will see the full range of videos. Now that's what you call user-friendly. That's right. And this is why we have made this kind of short videos for all maintenance and installation issues associated with the HLR. This range from topping up lubrication for the HLR to instructions on how to fit the gears on the axis and on the subject of installing the gears. I would like to point out that these can be installed at all four corners of the axis. So, when ordering the axis, there is no need to specify whether the drive is to be installed on the left or right side. So, there we have the design aspects of the axis. But what kinds of applications is the HLR suited to? The HLR is designed for indoor industrial applications. It covers a range of applications where loads need to be moved, which makes it a really versatile piece of equipment. So, we are talking about general automation applications and, of course, applications involving chain-based processing lines, as found, for example, in the implant automotive sector or those involving packaging processes at, say, the end of a production line in the pharmaceutical sector. But I wouldn't rule out applications associated with the food sector either, in its broadest sense. The HLR offers the user a range of configuration options to ensure it is optimally suited to the application's requirements. With two sizes available, the HLR-070 and the HLR-080, it is possible, roughly speaking, to move loads of up to 50 kg with the 80s and loads up to 25 kg with the smaller 70s. What do the 070 and 080 sizes stand for in the names? That's a good question, Rochus. As with all our electromechanical axes, these refer to the width of the axis profile. For example, the 70 axis is about 70 mm wide while the 80 axis is around 80 mm wide. In cross-section, the axis profile is practically the same In cross-section, the axis profile is practically square. This makes the HLR especially suitable for self-supporting structures, such as the upper Y-axis for XY portals. Okay, so now we're moving away from single-axis arrangements to complete multi-axis system solutions. That's how it is, Rochus. When developing the HLR axis range, we incorporated a number of features that make it possible to construct multi-axis systems without any extra effort in terms of design. This starts with the double-axis arrangement. The drive motor at the side makes it possible with a single connecting shaft to the second axis to create a double axis. As I already mentioned, there is the option to install a motor at all four corners of the axis, which also obviously simplifies installation of the connecting shaft too. It is installed on the hollow shaft at the drive station with a clamp connector. But we have also implemented some design measures inside of the axis for optimal double-axis arrangements. During manufacture of the axis, we align the internal linear guide with an external absolutely straight stoppage rather than with the surrounding aluminum extrusion profile. In doing so, we can be sure that the linear guide and therefore the HLS carriage travel in an absolutely straight line and do not, under any circumstances, follow the rather crooked outer extrusion profile. In terms of double-axis arrangements, this has the advantage of ensuring the axle spacing in relation to the linear guides is always constant throughout the entire stroke of the axis. This, in turn, prevents the axis being forced towards each other, which would apply an additional internal force to the linear guides and ultimately reduce the service life of the axis. Based on the double-axis arrangement, we have, as standard, fitted the HLS carriages with mounting holes to accommodate installation of Y-axis. The HLR has two carriage lengths. The short carriage has mounting holes to accommodate one Y-axis, while the longer carriage has mounting holes to accommodate two Y-axis. A third axis can then, in turn, be added to the Y-axis as a Z-axis. Here we have envisaged the option for fitting an ETH cylinder oar if the Z-stroke is meant to be a bit longer, an OSPE BV axis with an omega drive. As the HLR supports stroke lengths of up to 3.5 m, the axes in the HLR range are particularly suitable for large handling tasks. So, to summarize, with two sizes, two carriage lengths per size, and stroke lengths of up to 3.5 m, the HLR is ideal for creating Cartesian handling portals, which means including X-Y-Z-axis arrangements, both quickly and easily. But the linear axis only tells half the story in an application. What actually drives the HLR? Unsurprisingly, we take advantage of Packer Honeyfin's extensive range of servo motors and servo controllers. In order to fulfill the respective application requirements, HLR axes are prepared in different sizes for combination with our SMH servo motors. To make it as easy as possible for users to choose, we provide simple tables showing the order codes for the individual components required. Based on application data, such as the load to be moved, the maximum speed required, and the acceleration, starting with the order code for the HLR axis, through to the motor and servo controller. We have even thought about accessories, such as cables and, if necessary, braking resistors. So, Olaf, thank you very much for this fascinating insight into the world of HLR linear axes. I was particularly interested to see how the numerous design features make everything so user-friendly. Even setting up multi-axis systems seems like a child's play. And one last point. Anyone interested can find further information about the HLR on the Packer website packer.com. There is also a range of explanatory videos on the Packer YouTube support channel. Many thanks for your interest. We hope you join us soon for the next Packer podcast.
