Webinar Preview: Top Engineers Discuss Key Trends in Automation and Robotics
Jacob (Jake) Gelinas is a sales engineer for Parvalux by maxon, a manufacturer of fractional horsepower, geared, electric motors. In this video, he joins Machine Design’s editor-in-chief, Rehana Begg, in bringing attention to an upcoming webinar. Scheduled for May 20, “Speaking Robotics & Automation: Insights & Risks for Mechanical Design Professionals” invites a panel of mechanical, design and applications engineers to provide perspectives on how market dynamics impact their industries.
SWOT Analysis—Making Sense of the Benefits and Threats
Begg asks: “What are the opportunities? Bring me into your world? And as you look at it from a high level, what’s happening around you?”
Gelinas, a mechanical engineer and responsible for helping to grow maxon’s Parvalux brand in the U.S., responded that optimization by way of eliminating manual processes is top of mind and that manual-type jobs could be high risk based on the efficiencies that are introduced in areas ranging from warehouse automation to “robotization” of the manual installation processes or cleaning processes. “We’re seeing a lot of activity in the motorization of different processes,” Gelinas said.
Gelinas also pointed to developments in battery manufacturing as a key area of transformation. Beyond electric vehicles, “there are batteries in just about anything nowadays, and especially motorized applications,” Gelinas said. “Whether you're talking field robotics or even regular vehicle, your cell phone, everything has a battery in it nowadays.”
In general, he added, large-scale manufacturing is heading in the direction of employing robotics and automation in daily practice.
Where is maxon Placing an Emphasis?
Asked to comment on areas where maxon will take advantage of market trends to focus on high-value ROI, Gelinas said there is opportunity in the changeover from hydraulic motor applications to electric motor applications.
Maxon has had inquiries from the agricultural industry, he said. “For example, a seed planter application, where they used to drive everything, using a hydraulic motor that was really controlled by the speed of the engine itself,” explained Gelinas. “The engine turns a hydraulic pump, which then turns the seeder. You can get a lot more precise control using an electric motor. And, typically for those types of applications, it’s not a very high horsepower requirement. So instead, if you use an electric motor, you get benefits—like better control. It can be more efficient and a lot of times less expensive.
Similarly, truck ramp applications that historically used electric motors running a hydraulic pump, now can utilize fully electric system and eliminate the hydraulics along with potential risk of leaking fluid, he said.
"From our perspective, we try to offer more customization,” said Gelinas. “From a component standpoint, a lot of these customers are working in tight spaces or in harsh environments. They need a specific design implemented for their requirements. We can work with their design constraints and design maybe a gearbox, or some type of housing for the motors, where it’s not exactly a standard, off-the-shelf product. The more engineering involved, typically the more customization.
Register today, and get ready to explore the opportunities and risks in robotics and automation with a special panel of engineering experts.
