Experimental Research to Evaluate Thermal Behavior of a Brushless Driving Servomotor for Linear Motion NC Axis Experimental Stand

Abstract

This paper presents the works carried out by the authors in the field of structural and functional optimization of industrial robot's numerically controlled (NC) axes. The study includes the results obtained in the research stage of the experimental measurements performed to evaluate the electrical servomotor's thermal behavior using a thermal (infrared) imaging camera. The analyzed servomotor is a brushless servomotor integrated in an experimental stand for linear motion NC axis experimental research, existing in the MMS department from EMTS faculty. Supplementary to the driving servomotor, the experimental stand includes a belt drive transmission, a ball screw - bearings assembly and a driven element guided by ball rail system. This experimental research phase is part of the doctoral thesis of first author and was conducted in order to validate the mathematical models developed in the PhD thesis. Thus, experimental results presented in the paper have been used to validate first mathematical models for electric motor's preliminary selection and checking, (performed by determining the total reflected inertia of the mechanical system on motor shaft level) as well as the mathematical models for final selection and checking (by evaluating the servomotor's thermal energy dissipation, and servomotor's internal and external maximum operating temperature). Second, the experimental results have been used to validate the assisted simulation for structural and functional optimization of industrial robot's NC axes based on both servomotor and drive's thermal behavior analysis, performed in the thesis by means of a dedicated commercial software package.