Standard aluminium heavy duty beam guides nuclear robot

Citation

(2013), "Standard aluminium heavy duty beam guides nuclear robot", Industrial Robot, Vol. 40 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2013.04940caa.005

Standard aluminium heavy duty beam guides nuclear robot

Article Type: New products From: Industrial Robot: An International Journal, Volume 40, Issue 3

Lightweight for portability and easy handling, but rigid enough to be cantilevered, the HepcoMotion^® HDS2 Heavy Duty Slide range proved to be the ideal choice for an application for Sellafield. The robust components were specified by OC Robotics as a method of introducing its snake-arm robot into a confined environment to perform visual and radiological inspection, remote handling, loose material sampling and water-jetting.

OC Robotics snake-arm robots are characterised by their long, slender and flexible design. These systems can fit through small openings and around obstacles effortlessly with no prominent elbows to snag or cause damage to sensitive equipment. They are easily manoeuvred into position and retracted without disturbing their environment.

The HepcoMotion^® V principle has a proven track record in the nuclear industry and has been specified on previous OC Robotics projects. Low maintenance and system components that will not catastrophically fail are vital qualities in the “no-go” nuclear environment.

Indeed the Heavy Duty Slide Beam had been used in Sweden to form an X-Y gantry system where again the key criteria were low mass, high rigidity and ease of modification. And these factors in combination with HepcoMotion^®’s ability to machine the necessary components from stock made the HDS2 product the clear front runner.

Naturally other products were considered but ultimately it was the cost efficiency of the HepcoMotion^® system and the technical guidance provided by the company’s applications team that secured the order.

The HepcoMotion^® HDS2 product forms the spine of the system on which the rail is mounted, supporting the snake arm both vertically and horizontally. “The fact that HepcoMotion^® can precision machine 4 m long beams meant that the system could be made compatible with our frame very easily,” explained Tim François from OC Robotics. “The heavy duty system is also very easy to maintain, requiring minimal lubricant.”

Rather than being classified as special requirements, corrosion resistant components and stainless steel slides are both standard choices within the HDS2 range; indeed across the entire HepcoMotion^® linear motion product programme. As a result OC Robotics was able to specify a standard aluminium product to meet its low weight and corrosion resistant requirements for nuclear use. Furthermore, it needed minimal modification.

The Sellafield snake-arm weighs 70 kg and is mounted to a heavy duty carriage. “We required a positional accuracy of 0.1 mm but achieved much better, repeatable results in reality,” Tim François continued. Movement is slow and controlled, around 50 mm per second.

Now fully constructed, the bespoke snake arm was recently transported to Areva in France for pre-installation nuclear trials. Tim François added: “Because the HDS2 system was so easily mountable on any frame it made our trials very simple to accomplish”.