Walking Beam Mechanism

[KB P]

I am working on designing a "walking beam" transport system similar to this.

https://youtu.be/SNd1xAoMlZM

From the sound of it, it seems this one is powered pneumatically. My application requires 15"of horizontal movement and no more than 2 inches of vertical movement. Speed is 20 inch/s. The "beam" will be no longer than 10 feet with no more than 50lbs total load. I can easily design this with a servo for the horizontal and a servo or pneumatics for the vertical but would like to drive this with a single servo if possible.

My first thought was a mechanical linkage but due to my vertical constraint I don't think it can be used. (

https://youtu.be/GF6SwaoHOKY)

Next thought was to use a chain drive with small sprockets and a pin in one of the links to drive the beam almost like a cam profile. This video shows something similar @ 1:48.

https://youtu.be/oS4VuXM0SGc

I found this example while search but I'm not quite sure how it's driven. I'm thinking it is some type of profile cam? Any ideas?

https://youtu.be/SzdkqTMGpfM

Any ideas that im overlooking?

Thanks in advance!
Cheers

 

[Jboggs]

Are you limited to 2" maximum vertical movement? If not, you could drive the whole thing with a single rotary motion, in which the walking beam travels through an arc from one position to the next. The whole thing could be driven by a pair of rotating arms, synchronized together, with lifting points at 7.5" radius from the center of rotation.

 

[handleman]

Also, do you really need 15" of horizontal movement? If not, you could move 2" at a time.

 

[BUGGAR]

I love the graphics you presented. I suggest separate slides on either side of your carriage. Your carriage would have pins out the sides at both ends engaging in slanted slots in the side slides which would lift and lower the carriage at the ends of travel. You would need something to keep it from reversing. You could power the side slides with a single cylinder or?

 

[EdStainless]

The first one is how you do it. but you have two sets of them.
One moves it forward 2" and while it is returning the other one moves it forward 2", and so on.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[Compositepro]

The beauty of walking beams is that they can be operated by very simple sinusoidal crank mechanisms from any rotary input, and they can have very high load capacity. If you do not utilize these features, why not just use a conveyor belt or chains?

 

[KB P]

I should have been more clear... I only need the walking beam in a single direction, not two sides like the first video. This simplifies it a bit.

I am limited to about 2" max vertical movement because the moving beam pieces cannot recede lower than the fixed pieces due to sanitary reasons. I don't want to make the fixed pieces very tall.

The goal of this walking beam is to advance containers in an indexed position. This can be done with a conveyor and feedscrews but with the range of containers this will need to handle the operators would need to change feedscrews every changeover. A walking beam design gets rid of the need for changeover parts. Based upon several conditions the horizontal movement must be 15".

 

[EdStainless]

Fine, but it will have to be in steps unless you want a more complicated mechanism.
I have seen single air cylinders doing a similar thing to what you want, but it takes a fair amount of linkage.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[MintJulep]

https://stelron.com/products/line/pick-place/bt/

I guess it's a self reversing ball screw in one axis.

The second might be a linkage or cam.

But apparently my guess is wrong.

https://stelron.com/files/Stelron-BT-10-30-Translator-Service-Manual.pdf

 

[chicopee]

Is KB P representing a Chinese manufacturing company whose sole purpose is to build the item and sell cheaply to the US market?

 

[BUGGAR]

I think the motion you are seeking is similar to the movement of the breach bolt in certain artillery pieces. It's linear, of similar stroke, and in some cases drops down on return motion (to permit ejection and reloading of the round). Do you have access to artillery designs? Kinda similar in motion to the M15 we had in Basic?

 

[BUGGAR]

Excuse me, I believe that was the M14. The M16 was the one that jammed with that spline lock thing.