Respond individually to customer requirements with the domiLINE adjustment unit

With the domiLINE adjustment unit, IEF-Werner offers a proven adjustment slide that can be used to manually adjust cameras, sensors, or dosing needles to any position.

The domiLINE adjustment unit can be used to meet very specific customer requirements. One particularly exciting project involved a manufacturer of high-security banknotes, identity documents, and securities who developed software to verify the authenticity of these documents using a conventional smartphone. This is of interest to department store employees and private individuals alike. For example, they can scan specific features such as the print image, position-dependent effects of special inks, or watermarks. To test whether this app works from all angles, he needed a precise, movable design that could be adjusted in all directions. IEF-Werner supplied its high-precision linear actuators from the domiLINE series for this purpose.

The manual adjustment unit, which has been tried and tested for many years, has a modular design and can be easily adapted to different requirements. With slide widths of 30, 50, 80, and 120 millimeters, the user has a great deal of flexibility. The smallest version, for example, is available from stock with four different strokes ranging from 5 to 20 millimeters, while the largest version offers strokes from 25 to 100 millimeters. However, other strokes can also be supplied on request. The spindle pitches for the individual sizes range from 0.5 to 2 millimeters. With the different slide widths, the user can travel any stroke and set any position. Based on this, a wide variety of axis configurations are possible – whether X-Y, X-Z or X-Y-Z. The slides can be easily combined – without any mechanical processing. With the clamping strips and connection sets from the standard range, many different mounting options are possible.

A stainless steel spindle with ball bearings in an end plate and a preloaded plastic nut ensures low-backlash drive of the domiLINE system. In the standard version, precise positioning is achieved via an adjustment knob with a 0.05-millimeter scale. A handwheel is often fitted instead of the adjustment knob. Comfort is further enhanced by the use of a mechanical or electronic position indicator.

With the domiLINE adjustment unit, IEF-Werner has a proven adjustment slide in its range that can be used to manually adjust cameras, sensors, or dosing needles to any position.

From simple to complex

IEF-Werner has continuously developed the unit with projects such as this. The domiLINE is not only used for complex applications, but also for simple ones. For example, IEF-Werner equipped the spindle between the adjustment unit and the slide of the domiLINE 80 with an extension for a customer. An electronic position indicator, a clamp on the spindle, and a handwheel were also added. A very special custom solution: A company wanted a measuring tape directly on the adjustment unit so that the position of the slide could be adjusted and read at any time. IEF-Werner developed a suitable solution and laser-etched a scale directly onto the slide.

Another customer application involved a vibrating machine. Screws of different sizes had to be fed into the machine for further processing via two narrow plates running parallel to each other. To achieve this, the experts installed two domiLINE slide units, which are arranged with a center distance of 575 millimeters and connected via a belt drive. In addition, it had to be possible to adjust the longitudinal guide centrally in width. Left/right spindles were used for both slides for this purpose. This application is also equipped with an electronic position display.

Typical applications in which domiLINE is increasingly being used include the manual adjustment of dosing needles or simple sensor technology, as well as the precise position detection of components using a camera. For these measuring tasks, companies usually use a combination of area cameras and telecentric lenses. To set the depth of field precisely, the operator must adjust it so that the working distance to the object being identified is maintained exactly. More and more companies are relying on the domiLINE for this purpose. The camera, including the lens, is mounted on the manual adjustment unit. It can be mounted flexibly in all positions. If there is a product change, the operator can simply readjust the image sensor. Without this solution, the specialist has to adjust the camera and then check the evaluations on the central panel. This is often not located near the camera, but on any side of the system, frequently in or next to the control cabinet. Several attempts are usually necessary until the camera is perfectly positioned. This costs a lot of time.

Mounted around the corner

But what if the adjustment unit is installed in the machine in such a way that the operator cannot reach it? IEF-Werner offers a useful feature for this: the flexible shaft, which transmits the movements of the manual adjuster around every corner over a distance of up to 1.5 meters. Solutions with flexible shafts are often the simpler and more cost-effective alternative to complicated, failure-prone designs consisting of rigid shafts and gears. They are maintenance-free, durable, and resistant to vibrations, dirt, and environmental influences.

Images: IEF-Werner GmbH

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