Abstract:
Magnetically levitated material transport systems are a preferable replacement for
regular material transport systems in clean room operations. The levitated machine
has no mechanical contacts between the stator and the mover, which leads to
frictionless movements. The absence of friction eliminates the need for lubrication
between the stator and the mover. Furthermore, mechanical machine components
with friction produce and propogate undesirable vibrations and noise. The friction
between the stator and the mover can break small particles from the machine and
these particles can contaminate a clean operating environment. Moreover, the
lubrication chemicals used between moving machine elements can release particles
to the operating environment. Initial investigations into a novel linear motor having
a soft magnetic steel mover in an Aluminum shell and circular driving coil pack
revealed possible thrust force while having near zero lateral forces. The mover can
be levitated using hybrid electromagnets (HEMs) and near zero power operation
can be realized for levitation. Nonlinear behaviour of HEMs are identified using
FEM methods and used to model system dynamics of the motor and to design
levitation and driving controller. The novel design offers flexibility for full 360-
degree rotation of the mover using a regular brushless motor as an attachment.
Therefore, it is expected to analyze the design further using 3D FEM methods to
investigate feasibility and possible improvements of the initial model.