Motion control for farm automation: Heason Technology motion system automates Pharmweigh’s new weigh crate
01/11/2021 Heason Technology Ltd
Pharmweigh, based near Bury St Edmunds -UK, is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality livestock and agricultural weighing equipment. Its load bars - portable weighing systems for all types of livestock, as well as feed mills and bagging etc. - are highly regarded for their exceptionally long life and high reliability. The same highly robust load-cell technology is widely adapted across many of Pharmweigh’s products which include drafting crates and platforms equipped with weighing scales, indicators, electronic ID and livestock auto markers. Pharmweigh’s latest innovation, the Draft Master Auto Drafter, is a sheep and pig weighing and drafting (sorting) crate that includes a 4-axis motion control system from Heason Technology to enable automated 3-way gate operation. With successful project funding through the UK DTI/EEDA SMART and Micro Project Development Award schemes, the portable and compact Draft Master is DC powered from electric bike-style batteries - and with autonomous operation can weigh, identify, and draft up to 600 lambs per hour by weight, daily liveweight gains or EID look up, as well as transmit recorded information to third party management apps.
The essential specifications for the development of the Draft Master called for a motion control system that maintained the long working life and high reliability reputation that Pharmweigh has cultivated over several decades. As well the efficiency under battery operation and quiet operation, safety features to ensure that the gates would retract under any resistance caused by jamming were also significant requirements. Pharmweigh’s own expertise in electronic controls for load cell-based weighing, RFID identification, grading and data export would stand them in good stead for the overall control system and Heason’s proficiency in motion control would provide the essential technology and programming skills for a standalone motion control sub-system for gate operation.
Consideration for the most economical, portable, and robust motor technology centred on Lexium MDrive integrated stepper motors from Heason’s distribution partner Schneider Electric Motion. Bringing together stepper motors and integral microstepping drives plus an on-board programmable motion controller in a single package, the compact all-in-one MDrive was specified with options including an incremental magnetic encoder and packaging in an environmentally sealed housing with IP65 rated protection.
Print this articleFor more information, please contact:
Heason Technology Ltd
Motion Solutions Centre
Spring Copse Business Park
Slinfold
West Sussex
RH13 0SZ
Tel: +44 (0)1403 792300
Email: sales@heason.com
Web: https://www.heason.com
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