Enhancing Robotics Applications with Rotary Unions and Slip Rings

Nov. 20, 2023

Moog GAT’s combinations of rotary unions and electrical slip rings provides for rotation at the joint of the tool interface.

Sharon Spielman

Related To: Moog, Inc.

Seamless and continuous rotation at the joint of a tool interface is important in robotics. Moog GAT blends rotary unions and electrical slip rings to enhance these capabilities.

A key area where this technology excels is with cobots, which are designed to work alongside humans, especially in assembly tasks, facilitating human-robot collaboration (HRC). Moog GAT’s combination streamlines robot-guided, automated screwdriving processes specifically suited for plastic screws, including real-time torque monitoring.

The screw is guided and positioned using a vacuum, and a calibrated control loop automatically halts the tightening process upon reaching the maximum torque, providing precision and control to the process. The steel shaft in this combination can absorb the resultant forces and torques while optimized for weight, making it a good fit for robots with lower load capacities.

PROFINET Transmission

The company also offers reliable transmission of PROFINET. By integrating an electrical slip ring for communication—specifically industrial Ethernet—alongside eight pneumatic channels, the technology provides seamless rotations the exceed 360 deg. while enabling multiple clamping processes. Continuous monitoring and communication capabilities make this setup suitable for a range of applications. The device can accommodate torques corresponding to the size, and the eight pneumatic channels enable flexible use in changing tasks or a later production system upgrade.

About the Author

Sharon Spielman | Technical Editor, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s technical editor, Sharon Spielman produces content for the brand’s focus audience—design and multidisciplinary engineers. Her beat includes 3D printing/CAD; mechanical and motion systems, with an emphasis on pneumatics and linear motion; automation; robotics; and CNC machining.

Spielman has more than three decades of experience as a writer and editor for a range of B2B brands, including those that cover machine design; electrical design and manufacturing; interconnection technology; food and beverage manufacturing; process heating and cooling; finishing; and package converting.

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