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Project Help and Ideas » Motor with constant force
April 15, 2012 by mcgroover |
Hi, I am looking to create a project that pushes an arm against another object with a constant force. I originally thought I could just use a DC motor and have the gear held steady against something and vary the force by varying the current to the motor. However, I think the motor might overheat if I do it this way. Is this correct and if so, does anyone have any ideas of how this can be accomplished? Thanks for your help! |
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April 15, 2012 by mcgroover |
Just realized I probably should have put this in the robotics forum. |
April 15, 2012 by Ralphxyz |
Well how much force? You might use an air compressor and piston. The piston could be as simple as a syringe. I just got the vacuum air pump from all electronics to play around with. I figure with some sort of receiver I should be able to get a lot of work done on both the pressure and vacuum side. Ralph |
April 15, 2012 by mcgroover |
Hi Ralph, Thanks for replying! The maximum force I need is about 70 Newtons on the pressures side and no pull force needed. Would that jive with the vacuum air pump? I couldn't tell from the product description on that website. What do you mean by 'receiver'? Is that the part that physically connects to the part you are trying to move? I am not sure if my application is different since I don't really need the device to move, I more need it to apply a force against the object (there might be some movement to a small amount of elasticity of the materials). I am assuming the solution is the same for both applications though? Cheers! |
April 16, 2012 by Ralphxyz |
I believe the little commpressor I referencesd will put out 40psi! Have to look up Newtons to psi :-) A receiver is a tank to hold your air or vacuum. It helps maintain a steady pressure especially with a small volume pump like this. If all you need is to just apply a "force against the object" could you use a weight? You could mount the weight on a servo to move it on and off the object. Darn I could'nt wait for Newton to psi conversions, so 70 Newtons is 15.736625971010001 lbs. So this would be doable with a air pump you could apply the force by hand even. Ralph |
April 16, 2012 by mcgroover |
Thanks for this. I will look into getting a pump! |
April 17, 2012 by mcgroover |
Hey Ralph, What kind of power supply are you planning for that air pump? |
April 18, 2012 by Ralphxyz |
That is a 12v dc pump, oh I see the price has gone up. The label is in German so I can not see if there is any load rating. I have 12v 15 amp power supply off ebay that I might start with. Ralph |
April 18, 2012 by mcgroover |
Would using two 9V batteries work as well? |
April 19, 2012 by Ralphxyz |
You would have to use a regulator to get to 12 volts but yes you can use any source. The biggest concern might be amperage, how fast the/a battery gets consumed. What is the object that you want to apply pressure to? Ralph |
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