According to reports by Accurize Market Research, the global tubular linear motor market is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 6.4 percent by 2026. Major factors boosting the growth of this market include the tremendous growth across the packaging, construction and manufacturing industries. Tubular linear motors are gaining traction in industrial applications especially in the packaging and medical industries, since these motors have proven an ideal replacement for pneumatics, with a similar form factor but with much better efficiency and reliability. Hence, some of the biggest manufacturers in the tubular linear motor sector are expanding their product portfolio for packaging applications to offer flexibility in machinery used for sealing and discharge end-use cases.
Uniquely positioned in this segment is Melbourne headquartered ANCA Motion which provides LinX® range of Tubular Linear motors which provide improved performance at a competitive cost, compared to conventional flat linear motors and rotary motors. Attributes that make LinX® an ideal solution are its high speed and acceleration capabilities, modular design, reduced maintenance, standalone thermal stability, and ability to achieve higher IP protection.
ANCA mainly focuses on the food and beverage and packaging industries with its range of interfacing products such as LinX® Tubular linear motors and high-speed servo motors with low, medium, and high inertia applications. While these can be used in conveyor belts, a part of robotics with intelligent AMD series drives with inbuilt motion controllers, they come with required Ingress Protection (IP standards) for food and beverage packaging machines. Furthermore, these products have a smaller footprint to reduce the overall size of the machine and can manufacture materials that are compatible with industry requirements.
“The recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of manufacturers to remain adaptive to the changing needs of their market. Modifying needs, ensuring consistent higher quality, reducing unplanned breakdowns, and shortage of skilled labour are some of the key challenges faced by the industry.
Our LinX® range of tubular linear motors was designed keeping those challenges in mind. They are simple to control, adaptable to needs and have higher IP protection,” says Paul Bocchi, General Manager, ANCA Motion Pty. Ltd.
Replacing pneumatics in applications requiring complex motion profile
Owing to technological advancements, customers today are demanding products with higher speeds and better accuracy. ANCA Motion’s linear motor, LinX® M-Series motor replaces pneumatics in applications, which require a more complex motion profile. For instance, shifting between two or more set points is easily achieved with a linear motor as pneumatics is more suited for point-to-point applications and can introduce stiffness into the loop. But with LinX®, this stiffness can be easily overcome, owing to its servo control. Furthermore, a pneumatic solution typically doesn't have position feedback but the LinX® M-series has an integrated position sensor that provides feedback to the motor, which results in better positioning control.
By choosing LinX® Tubular Linear Motors, one can gain greater flexibility, speed, accuracy, and the ability to customize and future proof the manufacturing lines
Future-proofing the process
Businesses need to stay adaptive to cater to different market needs for different occasions and to stay ahead of their competitors. In instances where an existing production line is requires to modify to meet a different need, the settings of LinX® can be changed by simply editing parameters within the drive configuration by the operator, thereby saving valuable time and cost. LinX® improves flexibility to the system and is suitable for applications requiring smoother control or where motion is synchronized to the master shaft.
Minimizing environmental impacts
ANCA Motion aims to provide OEMs the ability to design and develop machines to encourage effective use of resources and minimize environmental impacts. “Our LinX® range of Tubular linear motors possesses beneficial features such as zero downforce, standalone thermal stability, simple installation, and strong magnetic flux. These features translate to benefits for customers such as shorter time to install, thereby providing quick turnarounds, efficient cooling mechanisms reducing energy consumption, longer machine life and durable products,” says Paul.
Offering Customized motors
ANCA recently helped one of its OEM customers within the food and beverage industry to successfully launch a custom tubular linear motor – LinX®. The OEM customer wanted to expand their market share through venturing into new market areas and found that their existing motor limited them due to higher IP ratings, wash down capability, and reduced maintenance. This is when the customer approached ANCA. ANCA Motion worked collaboratively with the customer to understand their requirements and developed a suitable motor from scratch. Apart from custom motors, ANCA Motion also provides off-the-shelf products such as LinX® S-Series, M-Series tubular linear motors, AMD 2000 Servo drives, Alpha & Gamma series of rotary motors as well as CNCs & motion controllers.
Speaking about the future plans of the company, Paul says, “By choosing LinX® Tubular Linear Motors, one can gain greater flexibility, speed, accuracy, and the ability to customize and future proof the manufacturing lines. In the future, we will be developing this core competency to further enhance our product offering and applications so that OEMs and the F&B industry are ahead of consumer trends”.
