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Product ReleaseSPK+ from alpha Combines the Best of Two alpha Product Families
 In today’s world where the intensity of economic change is greater than ever, innovation has become not so much a sought-after key to exclusivity as a simple precondition of a company’s survival. Globalization, copying, volatile raw materials markets and added financial pressures are just a few of the factors which pose a multitude of risks. At the same time, the rapid pace of development in industry and science generates a steady stream of new innovation opportunities. For the machine building sector this means new challenges with regard to productivity, end product quality, plant availability and engineering flexibility. The urgent need for innovation remains unbroken in all these areas, with the design of the machine’s drive train frequently playing a vital role. Since precision and productivity are often constrained by the selected gearhead and motor, improvements to these and other drive components have a significant impact on the machine as a whole – and consequently on their value for users. SPK+, a new right-angle gearhead for applications with high reduction ratios and torques, is alpha’s response to the above-mentioned trend. SPK+ combines the best of two alpha product families: the top selling SP+ planetary gearhead (“The New Generation”) and the SK+ right-angle gearhead unveiled last year. This alliance promises unprecedented performance in an integrated package crammed with practical new features – benefits for machine builders everywhere: SPK+ is more compact, lighter and more economical than conventional bevel planetary gearboxes, which were never well suited for many important applications. One gearhead stage less for the majority of reduction ratios: SPK+ achieves higher reduction ratios than other right-angle gearheads with the same number of stages. Not only is it more powerful, it is also more economical. In particular, handling tasks – often necessitating a reduction ratio of i=30 to i=40 – now profit from the superior performance of a planetary gearhead from alpha. Compared to low-backlash worm gearheads, the next smaller size usually suffices. The SP+ in the output stage assures impeccable positioning accuracy and perfect synchronism – both lasting a lifetime thanks to the fatigue-resisting design of the alpha hypoid and planetary gearsets. Only a third of the weight of low-backlash worm gearheads with similar power transmission – an immense advantage for handling robots and loading/unloading machines with moving drives. Low noise level, courtesy of the smooth-running hypoid gearset on the input and the optimized helical teeth in the SP+. On the output side, SPK+ is characterized by significantly lower noise emissions than conventional designs. Option of i=16 and i=32 for applications like endless positioning, where binary reduction ratios are a must. A host of solutions featuring SPK+, the SK+ right-angle gearhead, alpha’s high-precision rack-and-pinion system, TK+ and several further products can be implemented for the seventh axis of industrial robots or other additional axes in robotics applications. cymex 3®, the sizing software developed by alpha, calculates the complete drive unit. cymex 3®, the most advanced servo gear sizing software in the world, has now been extended to include the new SPK+. It works out all possible solutions to specific drive problems and allows the design to be varied by choosing from thousands of parameter settings. This enormous versatility is attributable partly to the diversity of the gearhead and accessory solutions (pinions, racks, etc.) and partly to the fact that cymex 3® also optimizes the motor selection process. The outcome: greatly appreciated advantages for machine builders. SPK+ comes in four sizes with acceleration torques from 80 to 1100 Nm (with 1000 cycles per hour) and 11 reduction ratios from i=12 to i=100. The torsional backlash is between 2 and 6 arcminutes, depending on the version (with a deflecting torque equivalent to 2% of T2B). Thanks to the universal alpha motor mounting system, all popular servo motor types can be easily mounted. The gearhead output is compatible with SP+, the de facto industry standard. SPK+ is usually dispatched within one to two weeks. Technical support and customer service are available worldwide through alpha’s own sales companies and agents. |
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Knowing the differences between keyless and keyed-shafted connections is vital in distinguishing the advantages and disadvantages of both types of specifications when choosing a gearbox for your motor. In today’s marketplace, the need for speed, precision and small size are not only dictating the standard for shaft locking devices but also challenging motion component manufacturers to evaluate methods of keyless shaft locking for dynamic loads. Motor and drive manufacturers are making products in smaller and smaller packages which are increasingly capable of rapid acceleration and rotary positioning accuracy. These industry changes are causing backlash, stress distribution and balance to all be addressed in shaft locking devises, in many cases rending the shaft key obsolete...
Ternary is an all-in-one linear system that merges mechanics with intelligence, integrating several separate components: electronics, precision mechanics, feedback, control and software. Ternary is ideal in all situations where a pneumatic cylinder isn’t enough and a servo is too expensive and too complicated. alpha’s linear system allows multiple positions to be controlled with utmost precision, yet costs very little. Compactness, strength, intelligence and precision are the hallmarks of the linear actuator. All linear actuators can be used on a Profibus DP, CanOpen or DeviceNet fieldbus, whereby both parallel and serial control facilitate simultaneous starting.
Always striving to offer the ideal gear reducer solution for customer application requirements, alpha is proud of its LP+/LPB+ Value Line series of gearheads. Its economic precision products are reliable and – thanks to a unique lubrication concept – maintenance-free for their entire service life. Focused on less demanding applications, these gear reducers offer outstanding efficiency with low tortional backlash. The LPB+ offers the option of adding an integrated geared pulley drive system. The belt pulley eliminates the need for a right angle gearbox, couplings and/or additional bearings - in turn, reducing cost, increasing performance, and reducing parts and engineering time for the system.
The alpha actuator system - an innovative alternative The alpha actuator system is based on a combination of several innovative elements, which only have the desired effect when united in this way: - Production and test engineering for rack-and-pinion units facilitate an unprecedented degree of precision - Innovative servo motor and transmission technology - Calculation, simulation, etc. of the complete system in tandem with other innovations (e.g. the type of connection between various system elements) The actuator system consists of a high-precision rack-and-pinion unit (positioning accuracy: < 12 microns) and a rotary actuator which moves the load on this unit.
As the first manufacturer to develop a hollow-shaft gearhead for maximum speeds, alpha now can supply the optimum right-angle gearhead for every application – be it worm, bevel or hypoid. The HG+ hollow-shaft gearhead made alpha the first manufacturer ever to develop a gearhead of this type capable of mastering even the most challenging servo applications. The HG+ is a low-backlash hypoid gearhead with a hollow-shaft, right angle design. Its numerous advantages include high torque and speed, gear ratios in a single stage, low noise combined with high efficiency and freedom from wear. The HG+ consequently offers a constant torsional backlash as well as perfect reversibility with all ratios. With innovative performance characteristics, a novel hollow-shaft flange output and impressive application flexibility, TK+ is a high-precision, multi-purpose product.
