3 Wavelength Wave height Still water level Inspired by nature: the circular path of the water molecules in the sea … … serves as the model for the pneumatic conveyor belt Rolling it out: by expanding the bellows, the wave pushes the transported goods over the surface The principle of the natural wave If there were no tides or wind, the sea would be as smooth as glass. The movement of the wind over the smooth surface of the water produces small ripples that grow as they are pushed by the wind. However, what is being moved by the waves is energy, not water. The water molecules within a wave move up and down in a circular motion, but remain in roughly the same place. Yet the wave rolls over the surface of the sea. Targeted movement with pneumatic actuators The WaveHandling system behaves in a similar way: while each individual bellows only advances and retracts in place, a wave moves over the surface of the conveyor. The WaveHandling system starts out flat. The first crest forms when one or more bellows is pressurised. An object that was previously stationary starts to roll down the wave until it comes to a stop before the next crest. The system’s intelligent controller uses this principle to form a ridge that moves across the entire field and pushes the goods along. The actuators, comprising 216 connected pneumatic bellows modules, are attached underneath the covering that forms the surface of the conveyor. Each module consists of bellows kinematics on top, an integrated standard valve MHA1 from Festo and the appropriate electronics for actuating the valve. The bellows structure is pneumatically driven and can expand and contract by around 1 to 2 cm. The conveyor is supplied with power and control commands by a compressed air channel and an electrical cable running through all the modules. Flexible bellows structure based on a biological model The modules are manufactured using a selective laser sintering process. Wafer-thin layers of polyamide powder are applied one after the other. A laser fuses each new layer with the layer below, and hardens it only in those places specified by the control program. This generative production technology has already formed the basis for the resilient bellows structure of the Bionic Handling Assistant, which was modelled on an elephant’s trunk. Movement of the bellow modules Compressed air channel Wave crest
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