Balancing with lasers
Balancing process-safe and force-free
The applications for ACI's laser systems are virtually unlimited. For example, they can be successfully employed to balance rotating components by removing material using a laser beam without compromising the material's properties. Our associate PMB - Präzisionsmaschinenbau Bobertag has been able to capitalise on our technology in its CAROBA® Balancer Laser balancing machine in order to achieve extra high-precision balancing and excellent process reliability.
At speeds of up to 500,000 rpm, many rotating components such as rotors in electric motors, small fans, microturbines and dental turbines are subject to significant stress during operation. Consistently good balancing, even with a minimal permissible residual unbalance, is particularly important for these applications. Besides extra high-precision balancing and excellent process reliability, there are two considerations that are increasingly taking centre stage when it comes to balancing rotors or assemblies with mounted bearings:
- Eliminating the use of force: The impact on the properties of the bearings and component when they are balanced must be negligible.
- Eliminating swarf: It is crucial that swarf does not find its way into the bearings or electronics of PCBs that are already installed.
PMB - Präzisionsmaschinenbau Bobertag has discovered that a laser from ACI is exactly what is needed to solve these issues. By incorporating ACI's laser into its CAROBA® Balancer Laser, PMB's balancing machine benefits from a technology that is optimally suited to this challenging application.
The benefits of laser beams for balancing
Lasers are more than fit for the kind of high-precision that is required for the purpose of subtractive mass correction (correction by removing material).
The main benefits in brief:
- Precision and reproducibility
High-precision, reproducible material removal down to the most minuscule of residual unbalance masses - Zero force
No force or vibration is generated while material is being removed. - Zero swarf
The dust generated by the laser beam is extracted directly at the source and then filtered. This keeps bearings and other easily damaged components clean. - Unrestricted material removal site
Round, rectangular, triangular, oval, etc. – the shape of the area from which material is removed is not subject to any restrictions and can be configured as required, meaning that even complex workpieces can be catered for. - Automation
The balancing process is fully automated as standard. The machine is loaded and unloaded manually – these processes can be automated if required.