Carry is a wear-free ball screw drive for applications that need to move heavy loads with low energy consumption. The screw drive stands out for its robustness, precision, strength, efficiency and smooth running. The example of a robot glove called Ironhand® illustrates this Herculean achievement. More power in your hands thanks to cold-formed ball screws. With a passion for perfect movement, Eichenberger Gewinde AG breathes life into this magic hand.
How ball screws not only improve the chances of arm wrestling - a strong and persistent grip, ball screws make it possible.
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The ability to grasp objects with strength and endurance - that would be the wish of many heavy workers in plant construction or industry. After all, gripping weighty or delicate objects, carrying them for a long time or holding on to them for a long time requires muscle strength and tenacity. Unfavorable positions and postures at work place particular strain on the body. In addition, such physical strain can also have an impact on the psyche and overall well-being of those affected.
Unlimited power in the palm of your hand
Preventive work design is needed that offers employees the opportunity to relieve themselves of high physical demands and specifically reduces work-related stress. Together with Bioservo Technologies, an enthusiastic technology and development company from Sweden, Eichenberger Gewinde AG developed the perfect screw drive solution for Ironhand®. The robotic glove is the world's first active soft exoskeleton for the hand that improves the health of workers performing gripping, repetitive and static tasks. The Powerhand is based on Soft Extra Muscle technology and was launched in 2019.
In manual work, every movement is made possible by the interaction of the muscles in the forearm and hand. The muscles then move the phalanges of the fingers via tendons. In principle, the Ironhand glove works in the same way. Pressure-sensitive sensors in the fingertips of the glove detect which gripping movement the user wants to perform with the hand. The system control calculates the additional gripping force required. Miniature motors activate five very dynamic and precise ball screw drives, which pull thin cables in the phalanges of the glove. When the fingers are flexed during gripping, these filigree ball screw drives shorten the artificial tendons and give the Ironhand® enormous gripping force. The greater the pressure on the sensors, the more power the Ironhand® delivers. It can be individually adjusted to personal preferences and the type of work to be performed. All information is also logged in the control system. It is therefore possible to track who used how much force and when. This enables a digital risk assessment of the hand. Grip-intensive applications with a high ergonomic risk can be identified by analyzing the data in practice and countermeasures can be taken accordingly.
their lives. Muscles are relieved, productivity and well-being are improved.
at the end of a shift are improved.
Five rolled ball screws provide concentrated power
Drive technology finds itself in a field of tension. Increasing time and cost pressures stand in contrast to objectives such as precise processes, high load ratings and speeds, or long service life and reduced weight. Over the decades, Eichenberger has developed an impressive range of ball and lead screw drives. The Swiss thread experts always try to build on an existing product and adapt the screw drive to the application-specific requirements. This results in a decisive price advantage and makes the customer's product more competitive.
In many industries, advanced mechanization and digitalization mean that modern machines are often used to carry out physically demanding work or provide relief. This is also the case with the Ironhand®. Heavy workers in a wide range of industries owe their well-being and productivity to the Ironhand gripping force, whose dynamics and strength come from quiet, slim and extremely resilient ball screw drives. Servomotors are not usually stand-alone units; for most applications they need to be combined with gearboxes for speed transmission. It is the five cold-rolled, slim yet extremely robust Carry ball screw drives that convert the rotary motion of the small servomotors into a clean linear motion. Their impressive efficiency of over 94 % ensures an amazingly powerful drive performance.
Five Swiss heroes reduce physical strain
The glove is available in four different sizes and can be worn by left and right-handed users. The battery pack, which is worn like an ergonomic rucksack, contains both a computer unit and the ball screws with the motor that breathe life into the individual phalanges.
Small installation space often poses a challenge with high loads. Noiseless movements in the smallest of spaces are required. This is exactly how Eichenberger's partner describes the requirements for the ball screw drives, which embody the mechanical drive elements of the Ironhand fingers. High positioning accuracy with the smallest strokes and high dynamics in continuous operation must be mastered. Safety and reliability take center stage. Maintenance intervals, service life and, last but not least, costs play a key role.
At Eichenberger Gewinde AG, products that are comparable in terms of dimensions or quality perform better than expected. Through individual design or special manufacturing processes, the thread professional adapts its products to the application and makes the impossible possible. This results in products that bring customers' innovations to the forefront of the market. The cold-formed, induction-hardened Ironhand® ball screws in the dimension 5 x 2 mm (Ø 5 mm, pitch 2 mm) combine speed, precision and minimal space requirements. In addition, the ideal lead ratio of the screw increases the efficiency of the movement. The "five Swiss heroes", each with three ingenious single-gear feedback systems built into the nut, also impress with their low weight and increase the cost-effectiveness of the overall solution.
Ball screws make it easy
The cold-rolled, powerful ball screws ensure the Ironhand®'s endurance and gripping power. Intensive, highly repetitive and/or static work can be performed effortlessly. In the handling sector, there are a number of tasks where the hands are repeatedly exposed to high forces or have to press continuously. For example, when silicone strips have to be fitted manually to car doors. The glove reduces the effort required when unwieldy or heavy objects have to be held for long periods of time, for example during glass installations. It provides support when lifting, carrying and installing heavy parts. Concrete pouring and finishing on construction sites is a strenuous job, as holding and guiding the rake is very tiring. Ironhand® significantly reduces the effort involved in gripping and maneuvering the concrete rake. The Ironhand® also provides unique strength when operating power tools such as grinders, screwdrivers or even pneumatic hammers or ensures power in the hands when cutting metal with angle grinders - the fields of application are many and varied. Ironhand® distinguishes between the following combinations of movements: sensor sensitivity, force, finger symmetry and locking tendency. To change the profiles, simply press a button on the remote control attached to the chest area. These settings make it possible to react flexibly to different requirements over the course of a working day. For example, if you carry out lightly strenuous tasks in the morning and have activities that put a lot of strain on your muscles in the afternoon. This also allows different users to work with one system. The system can provide a maximum grip force of 80 N within milliseconds.
One step ahead with the right technology partner
Eichenberger Gewinde AG ventures into exotic materials, thread forms or dimensions that lie outside the norm. Unusual geometries, proprietary interfaces, special materials and hardening processes offer impressive extras. The company manufactures the necessary tools itself. In this way, the thread professional guarantees a short time-to-market for application-optimized products of the highest precision and cost-effectiveness.
Incidentally, we have also implemented this in the case of the Ironhand®. If you are also interested in working with us to find your ideal solution, then take a look at our Inspiration Check to.
Listening is the path to success
The competitive and successful innovation of customers and the inspiring discussions associated with it are Eichenberger's driving force for new developments. Mr. Martin Remning Wahlstedt, Development Director Bioservo Technologies, is enthusiastic about the thread professional from Switzerland: "At the heart of the Ironhand® kit are five electrically driven, cold-rolled ball screws. They convert the rotary motion of the small motors into a linear motion and ensure - for us - a surprisingly good drive performance. Thanks to these fine, lightweight yet very reliable and precise drive components, we were able to develop an efficient, easy-to-carry control unit that fits perfectly into the backpack.
