Bosch Rexroth Rolls Out Heavy-Duty Electromechanical Cylinders

Bosch Rexroth has released a new high-powered electromechanical cylinder that promises up to 250 kN of force. Electromechanical cylinders are useful in applications that require precise control and large linear forces. This device uses an electric motor and a planetary screw gear system to convert rotary motion into linear motion with great efficiency. The result is a linear axis that functions just like a pneumatic cylinder—only you have greater control of the tooling and more pushing and pulling power.

Bosch Rexroth’s EMC-HP electric cylinder features a force of up to 250 kN. Image used courtesy of Bosch Rexroth

The EMC-HP Electromechanical Cylinder

The EMC-HP electromechanical cylinder is designed for heavy-duty applications commonly found in industries such as battery production, sheet metal forming, and hydrogen fuel cell production. The cylinder is IP65-rated and comes in two frame sizes, 190 and 220. The larger size is capable of axial forces of up to 250 kN.

The EMC-HP is capable of these high forces because of its planetary screw assembly and a spur gear side drive that increases efficiency. The gear system also enables the EMC-HP system to reach travel speeds of up to 0.83 m/s with a max stroke of 1.5 m.

Cylinder Maintenance

Automation devices are becoming similar to vehicles, where you can order different option packages. The EMC-HP features an option that assists maintenance staff in determining the lubrication schedule via an LED light strip. The strip indicates when it is time to lubricate the EMC-HP and displays the oil temperature within the device. Additional sensors can also be ordered with the cylinder, which can have an overall benefit for predictive maintenance.

Users can utilize Bosch Rexroth’s LinSelect tool to configure the EMC-HP online before placing an order. Image used courtesy of Bosch Rexroth

Selection and Sizing

Ordering a device like the EMC-HP requires different configurations of stroke length, mounting options, and frame sizes. Bosch Rexroth aims to ease the selection process with its LinSelect tool. LinSelect is an online tool that allows users to configure their EMC-HP unit for their specific application. This tool also recommends the compatible motor, controller, and cabling for the configured device.

LinSelect takes the guesswork out of configuring a complex electromechanical device such as the EMC-HP, which can reduce commissioning and troubleshooting time. If all the components are purchased at the same time, the controller will come pre-configured with all the correct starting parameters, making the first startup easy and crash-free.

The EMC-HP cylinder is designed to bring precision and power to heavy-duty applications like metal forming. Image used courtesy of Unsplash

Electric vs Pneumatic Cylinders

With compressed air available in virtually every factory, why would you choose to use an electric cylinder over a compressed air cylinder? Compressed air does present some issues. If you are working in a dust-free environment, you don’t want to be exhausting compressed air, as that will blow dust around. Silicon chip production is very sensitive to dust, and because of this sensitivity, they mainly use servo motors and electric cylinders for their assembly lines.

Compact power is another reason to use an electric cylinder. Pneumatic cylinders need to increase the size of the piston to increase the force. Electric cylinders, on the other hand, can use the power of gears to increase force without increasing overall size.