NEWS
INDUSTRY NEWSSupply chain flexibility. Are they vertically integrated so that they build most of their subcomponents from raw material, or will they be waiting for your parts to arrive on the next container boat?
Process. Can they give budgetary quotes right away? How long does it typically take to get a quote for a nonstandard product? Will there be a dedicated engineer? Can you build the prototype online? Can the vendor produce the product directly from a CAD model?
Engineering problem-solving. After all else is considered, perhaps the most important factor is the creativity of the vendor’s engineering team in terms of helping you reach an optimal solution. Will they take the time to understand your needs?
“In these days, in which machine designers are having to do more, faster and with fewer people, the more uncertainty they can drive out of the process, the greater their chance of sustained success.”
While it is common for machine builders to think of customization as an all-or-none situation, many needs can be met with a relatively simple modification of standard products, which, depending on the vendor’s experience, can often be delivered in days rather than weeks or months. Sometimes all that is needed are some special machined shafts, connectors or mounting ends. Here are some examples of linear motion customizations that have helped designers adapt to irregular spaces, improve ergonomics or reduce costs.
Adapting to Irregular Spaces
Usually, the need for customization often emerges after the project begins. For example, a company that specializes in customizing semi-trailers required several modifications to adapt actuators for use in ramps, stairs and movable floor assemblies. Fitting ramp lift actuators inside the trailer wall required rotating the motor 90 degrees. The ability to mount actuators within custom ramp frames while still connecting to the standard mounting points required extending the actuator tube by four inches. Simplifying future maintenance involved retrofitting the wiring connections with an easily detachable harness.
Custom Linear Motion AssembliesThomson Linear has created a handy chart to examine the myths versus the realities of linear motion product customization:  |
Lowering the Price Point
Even if the business relationship begins with a customization need, it can sometimes be met inexpensively by mixing and matching standard components. For example, a supplier of CNC tubing and pipe bending systems sought help in designing a new machine to meet market demand for a scaled-down system. Their high-end system used two linear slides bolted together in a cross configuration to control motion on an XZ axis, using stepper motors to drive a 2-foot ball screw on each axis. The long length of the screw required support bearings on both ends and a special coupling to the stepper.
The first thing the linear motion component manufacturer did to reduce the cost was shorten the shaft to an 11-inch lead screw with a 6-inch drive, which eliminated the need for support at both ends. Specifying a stepper motor with an integrated motorized lead screw (MLS), reduced the need for external support further because the MLS motor bearings could support the load themselves. And because the lead screw and MLS rotor are combined into one part, there was no longer a need for external coupling of the screw and the rotor.
