Dust-free, dry and durable

Whether in the food and wood industry or in general in mechanical engineering: Electric drives transport and position workpieces reliably and have to meet high requirements - even more so when they are used in dusty or splash-prone environments. This is precisely why SMC has now expanded its well-known LE series to include the LEFSW series.

Thanks to protection class IP65, the electric drive in slide design has improved dust and splash-proof resistance, which above all extends the service life. It also impresses with increased rigidity, high performance indicators and quick installation including rapid restart using a battery-free absolute encoder on the stepper motor controller.

Users across all industries rely on electric drives to position or transport workpieces. When it comes to productivity, it is not just precision, speed and movable payload that count. High reliability and a long service life are also decisive factors - especially in demanding environments where dust, dirt and splash-proof water are present. SMC meets these comprehensive requirements with the new LEFSW series ball screw slide type electric actuator. Users benefit from IP65 protection, high speed and precision, as well as comprehensive communication capabilities and a battery-free absolute encoder thanks to the JXC series stepper motor controller. There is also an extensive selection of strokes and mounting options to cover a wide range of applications.

Well equipped and powerful

In addition to a newly developed, particularly wear-resistant sealing tape on the underside or between the slide and the housing, the metal connectors for the cable connection prevent the ingress of dust or water. This means that the LEFSW series meets IP65 protection. A durable aluminum housing also protects the motor of the ball screw slide type electric actuator. The result: a long service life for the product, which is ideal for outdoor applications, industrial environments and other demanding environments. In addition, there is an improved design with greater rigidity, which reduces vibration and thus optimizes stability. The resulting overall reduction in maintenance effort leads to lower costs and longer operating times.

The maximum speed of 850 mm/s with a maximum acceleration of 3000 mm/s2 ensures high productivity. A maximum payload of 65 kg can be moved horizontally with a positioning repeatability of ±0.02 mm and a reversal play of max. 0.1 mm. Available in sizes 16, 25, 32 and 40, users have a total of 22 different strokes from 50 to 1200 mm at their disposal. At the same time, gradients of 5 to 30 mm are possible depending on the size. Despite the high performance, the LEFSW series only requires 20 liters of regeneration air per minute - which not only benefits operating costs, but also the environment.

Quickly (again) ready for operation and flexible during assembly

The stepper motor controller (24 VDC) of the JXC# series from SMC is available in various versions for easy control. The step data input (parallel I/O) can be made via a PLC or direct input via the fieldbus protocols EtherCat, EtherNet/IPÔ, PROFINET, DeviceNetÒ, IO-Link or CC-Link in a maximum of 64 points. The controller also has a battery-free absolute encoder. This means that restarting after an emergency stop, for example, is possible immediately from the last position without a time-consuming reference run. The elimination of the battery not only saves time, storage requirements and costs, but also disposal - another plus point for the environment. A teaching box from SMC and the controller software for control via PC including the adapter and communication cables are also available as options.

While the carriage can be mounted from four sides, the entire electric drive can be mounted on the floor, wall and ceiling. There is a choice between screw mounting or DIN rail. Robotic cables with a length of up to 20 meters are available for the drive cable. Overall, the LEFSW series, which is suitable for an operating temperature range of 5 to 40 °C and a maximum humidity of 90% (no condensation), is the ideal solution for numerous applications: from beverage production and meat and poultry processing to operations in sawmills and pulp and paper manufacturing, as well as the automotive and aerospace industries and metal processing.