Equipois Inc., a technology company based
in Los Angeles provides ergonomic solutions, to reduce injury costs and
increase productivity in hand tool applications at major manufacturing
companies. Their product, the zeroG® arm, allows for heavy tools
(grinders, torque wrenches, drills) to be rendered weightless while
providing complete range of motion and completely eliminating
heavy-lifting! In one of their most recent applications,
Equipois approached PBC Linear for a complimentary linear guide system
to act as the mounting solution for the zeroG4 arm in a grinding
work-cell.
Successful linear guidance rested on two
factors: ease of movement and load handling. The application required a
linear system to support the wide working envelope in the grinding area.
Fitted with the grinding tool, the moment on the slide was 1500 in/lbs
and the zeroG® arm system weighed 30lbs. The linear guide system
successfully supported both the heavy moment load of the grinding arm
while smoothly traveling along the guide rail at the hands of the
operator.
Integral V™ Technology (IVT) was the
solution for Equipois’s mounting challenge. Introduced as the next
generation linear guide, IVT is designed for heavy load support, precise
guidance, and smooth travel. Each IVT linear guide aluminum extrusion
is precision-machined using PBC Linear’s patent pending SIMO™ process.
This creates a stronger, more rigid extrusion that matches the strength
of steel—allowing IVT to easily handle high static/dynamic loads. The
SIMO™ process machines all critical sides of an aluminum extrusion in
one pass, creating a remarkably straight surface (tolerances held within
± .001’’). This eliminates the need for fasteners, and drastically
reduces alignment/installation time while ensuring high accuracy.
Reduced costs and simplified assembly are
very attractive reasons to choose IVT, but the proof lies in the
performance. Equipois needed a guide system to support a high roll
moment load (the zeroG suspends tools using an extendable/moveable arm
attached to the linear guide). Once installed, the Integral V™ linear
guide system easily tolerated the required static/dynamic loads (IVT
Double Bolt-on tested for roll moment loads of 338 N-m static and 374
N-m dynamic). Gothic arch dual row bearings provided smooth,
hand-operated travel of the linear guide; allowing the zeroG™ to be
freely used throughout the grinding area.
Watch
how Equipois utilizes Integral-V Linear Guides >
Easily adapted into the Equipois system,
IVT worked great with the zeroG™. The grinding tool operator could bend,
pull, align and grind with ease, and IVT gave enhanced movement and
freedom to the tooling area.
For more information on Equipois zeroG® and
their cutting edge technology that reduces injury costs while improving
productivity, please visit their website at http://www.equipoisinc.com.
