What you should take into consideration when selecting brakes for servomotors
Whether in industrial robots, vertical axes in machine tools or in servo axes in medical engineering – moved loads must not drop or crash in an uncontrolled manner after power switch-off or in case of power failure or emergency stop. Safety brakes, which hold the axes in their position reliably and safely, ensure that this does not happen. Incorrect selection or dimensioning of these brakes can lead to serious injuries and/or damage to property. Therefore, it is essential that you take a critical look at the technical product details and the performance spectrum of the provider when selecting brakes for servomotors.
Checklist for the procurement of servo brakes
- Please ensure that the safety brakes are also suitable for dynamic braking actions and have been tested under realistic conditions. Please also enquire here about the testing possibilities of the manufacturer.
- Make sure that the supplier implements a 100% final inspection, including the automated storage of all test data. For gapless traceability, the brakes must also be labelled with a unique serial number.
- Check the response times of the brake (attraction/drop-out). You can only achieve short, reliable stopping distances using a quick brake and constant switching times throughout the service lifetime.
- Please make sure that the supplier provides safety characteristic values for their brakes. You need these values for your safety review.
- Especially in the relatively young robotics sector, make sure to rely on manufacturers with experience in the development of lightweight brakes. Can the supplier demonstrate cooperation with renowned research institutes? Ask for a consultation to see the differences.
- Take the time to view the production facilities of the supplier, especially in case of important purchases. You can convince yourself what is really going on behind the scenes during a visit to the plant.
Johannes Liebl
