Description
By combining linear and rotary movement in one single drive, the overall dynamics of machine axes can be enhanced, and the installation space can be reduced. Existing concepts for linear-rotary drives either have low power density or load capacity, and the installation space of the guideways are not sufficient for applications in machine tools. Thus, this paper presents a novel linear-rotary direct drive for machine tools. The electromagnetic coupling between the linear and rotary direction is analyzed, and the control performance is evaluated. The developed drive is characterized by stiffness of up to 205 N/µm, acceleration dynamics of 3,100 mm/s2 in linear and 24,100 °/s2 in rotary direction, and fine positioning in 0.2 µm and 3.6″ steps.
