THE MAGAZINE WITH DRIVE

Winner 2018 in the category:Excellent Small Series Assembly

01.2019

motionI N H A LT

05
NEW

05 Powerful stepper motors
Enormous acceleration withdisc magnet technology

AWARD / INTERVIEW

06 Factory of the Year

FAULHABER convinces in category“Excellent Small Series Assembly”

06
14

MEDICAL SCIENCES

10

10 Through a storm of ionsin the service of medicine
PiezoMotor drives in the
GENtrace cyclotrons from GE Healthcare
FA C T O RY A U T O M AT I O N

14 High-tech in the starring role

FAULHABER drives in the textile industry
OPTICS AND PHOTONICS

22

18 GPS for the Milky Way

18

Drive technology from the FAULHABER Grouppositions 1001 optical fibres of the
MOONS spectrograph
CONSUMER

22 E-motion on the bike

The drive technology in e-bikes

26

SPONSORING

26 From Schönaich
for Tokio 2020

Elisabeth Brandau, two-time German
cyclo-cross champion and mother of two

02

01.2019

EDITORIAL

IMPRINT

Issue 01.2019

Dear readers,
The value of clothing sold worldwide in 2017 exceeded 1.4 trillion dollars. Can
you imagine the amount of yarn contained in this mountain of clothing? Neither
can we – but it must have been millions of miles. All of this yarn was wound andPublisher / Editor:
DR. FRITZ FAULHABER
GMBH & CO. KG
Schönaich · Germany
Phone: +49 (0)70 31/638-0+49 (0)70 31/638-100
Fax:
Email: info@faulhaber.de
www.faulhaber.com

unwound multiple times during processing. This is just one process step in the
textile industry in which the compact and long-lasting drives from FAULHABER
prove themselves daily.

Layout:Werbeagentur Regelmann
Pforzheim · Germany
www.regelmann.de

FAULHABER also proved itself in the "Factory of the Year" competition andclaimed the top prize in the "Excellent Small Series Assembly" category. I am
tremendously pleased with this honour for our company. Together – and that isvery important to me personally – we have succeeded in bringing FAULHABER
to the the forefront in terms of production as well. With our constant pursuit
to improve processes, our synchronisation across locations and the high level ofautomation, we were able to convince the jury of the most traditional and mostPicture credits & copyright:
All rights reserved. The rights forthe graphics and pictures used as well asbrand names mentioned are held by therespective owner. The copyright for thearticles is held by the editor. Reproduction
or electronic processing of content, evensections thereof, is only permitted with theexplicit written consent of the editor.

competitive benchmark competition.
Let’s take a look at the stars: what’s happening in the Milky Way? We know
surprisingly little about this, because we literally have a hard time seeing thewood for the trees. But the MOONS project initiated by British astronomers aims
to change this. Technology from FAULHABER will play an important role.

Publication frequency & subscription:
FAULHABER motion is published twice ayear and is delivered to customers, interested parties and employees of FAULHABER
free of charge.
FAULHABER motion is also available as
an app.

Learn more about these and other exciting topics in this issue of FAULHABER
motion – the magazine with drive.
www.faulhaber.com/motion

I hope you enjoy reading this issue!
Sincerely

Dr. Thomas Bertolini
Managing Director

FAULHABER motion

03

SHORT MESSAGESCERT IF I ED ECO POW ERAT FAU L H A BE R

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/
environmental-policy/enEnvironmental protection is one of the core values of Dr.
Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG. This is why the company from
Schönaich is using environmentally friendly technologies that
help save raw materials, energy and water. In addition to a
combined heat and power unit, a photovoltaic system is usedwhich has been producing about 336 megawatt hours of electricity since its commissioning in 2015/2017 and has thus saved
over 201 tonnes of CO2. Any additional power that we needis also derived from 100% regenerative sources: FAULHABER
uses "regio natur", a green electricity product from the Tübingen public utility company, certified by TÜV NORD as "certified
green electricity".

FAU L H A B E R W I T H OW N
S A L E S C OM PA N Y I N I TA LY

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/
opening-fit/en04

01.2019

Since 1 January 2019, FAULHABER Italia S.r.l. is
responsible for the sales and service of FAULHABER
products in Italy. The wholly-owned subsidiary, located in Lomazzo north of Milan, has taken over thesales and service of FAULHABER products from its
long-standing distributor, Servotecnica S.p.A. "Italy
is a significant market for us, one in which we would
like to be present throughout," emphasises Marcus
Remmel, General Sales Manager at FAULHABER
Drive Systems and Managing Director of FAULHABER
Italia S.r.l. "There are many very interesting companies in the country, in, among others, the areas ofhand tools as well as medical and automation technology, some of which are already our customers.
And we'd like to win over the others." With the
new subsidiary, customers profit from FAULHABER
know-how even more than before. "For example,
direct contact can offer great advantages, particularly when selecting the optimum drive for a specific use or for the customer-specific development ofapplications." FAULHABER Italy will also be present
at trade fairs. For example, at sps ipc drives Italia inHall 5, Booth A051. The FAULHABER team is looking
forward to seeing you!

NEW

E NOR MOUS ACC E L ER AT ION W IT H
DISC M AGN ET T ECH NOLOGY
Schönaich/La Chaux-de-Fonds – Following theacquisition of Dimatech, a Swiss manufacturer ofhigh-performance stepper motors, FAULHABER
now also offers this motor type with higher powerand greater dynamics. The primary difference
between disc magnet motors and conventional
motors is the disc magnet motor's extremely lightrotor. It consists of a multi-pole magnet in the sha-pe of a disc mounted on the motor shaft. Its low
weight minimises the rotor inertia and enables anaccel­eration that is unattainable for these dimen­
sions by any other technology. With their specificproperties, these stepper motors are particularly suitable for applications in which the speed
or direction change frequently and quickly andin which small loads have to be moved flexibly.

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/
dimatech/en

NEW

16 4 5 S E R I E S – T H E S H O R T
V ER SION OF THE BH X SER IE S

With respect to installation space and weight,
the brushless DC-servomotors of the BHx seriesdeliver high speed with low noise, vibration andheat development – inconceivable values until
recently. The drives of this series are thereby
predestined for medical handpieces, electricalgrippers and robotic systems with high power
require­m ents in applications with limited installation space. The new 1645 … BHS series expands
the product family by an even more compact ver­sion which is only 45 mm long. At 100.000 min-1, itreaches a significantly higher speed compared tosimilar-size motors on the market. It also achieves
top values at maximum radial load (18 N), power
density (58.5 W) and torque (8 mNm). In combination with a suitable planetary gearhead, themotor is capable of delivering a very high torqueof 800 nNm at just 12.000 min-1. At 90% efficiency
and minimal heat development and vibration, themotor is very energy efficient.

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/
1645bhx/en

FAULHABER motion

05

AWARD / INTERVIEW

Factory
OF THEYEAR

In the "Factory of the Year" competition, FAULHABER claimed the top prize in the "Excellent
Small Series Assembly" category for 2018. The jury was convinced above all by the continuous
quest to improve processes, the strong automation and the synchronisation across all production
locations. The festive awards ceremony took place on 21 March 2019 during the 27th "Factory of
the Year" conference in Ludwigsburg/Germany.

With the "Factory of the Year" conference, heldfrom 21 to 22 March 2019 by SV VeranstaltungenGmbH together with the consulting firm A.T. Kearney and trade publication Produktion, the 27thround of the annual benchmark competition came
to its conclusion. During the two-day event, thedirectors of the winning plants presented their solutions. For FAULHABER, Head of Production Hubert
Renner discussed the topic "Production on demand– order-based production in the context of locationsynchronised production and high variant diversity."
Emotional highlight of the two days in Ludwigsburg
was the festive awards ceremony on the evening of
21 March 2019.

Outstanding small-batch production
In the competition audit, A.T. Kearney certified
that FAULHABER has a commendable process-oriented organisation structure in which the synchronisation and automation are operative value drivers of theplant. This also impressed the jury of experts, which
awarded FAULHABER the Factory of the Year in the
Excellent Small Series Assembly category.
Production manager Hubert Renner accepted
the award on behalf of the whole company. In
addition to the “Excellent Small Series Assembly”,
FAULHABER’s social commitment was also appreciated on stage. "Your support of Schönaich’s voluntary

06

01.2019

fire brigade by letting employees leave their workplace to answer a call is a great service to the public.
Outstanding! Please express our gratitude for thisservice to the rest of your team.”
For FAULHABER, the category win is confirmationof the special production capability with respect tothe complexity and wide variety of customer orders
and the corresponding necessary volume flexibility inproduction. “It is our philosophy to always be technologically ahead by a nose length. We are pioneers,
we design drive solutions that are unique with regard
to their precision and reliability in the smallest spaces
and move us to the limits of what is micromechanically possible,” emphasises CEO Dr. Thomas Bertolini, “and to do so on a customer-specific basis with abatch size as small as 1.”

Competition rich in tradition"Factory of the Year is the toughest competitionand hardest benchmark for manufacturing companies," said Dr. Martin Eisenhut, Partner and Managing Director A.T. Kearney Central Europe prior to
the award ceremony on March 21, 2019 in Ludwigsburg (State of Baden-Wuerttemberg,Germany). "Thecompanies awarded today should be an example
and incentive for others to think about innovationsin their field. Innovations are crucial to increase theoverall competitiveness of Germany’s economy.”

Production capability and innovative strength
Ten to twelve new products daily
For the optimum drive solution comprising motor,
gearhead, encoder, electronics and accessories, customers have more than 25 million possible variations
available with FAULHABER. "Ten to twelve new products that have never been produced in their given
form are created every day," says Hubert Renner,
Head of Production. Nevertheless, all orders arehandled with the goal of shipping within two weeks.
"For this to happen, we employ a site-synchronous
production method in which the drive components
are manufactured for specific orders in parallel atfive different locations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland and then mounted," reveals Production Manager Jan Patrick Schindler.

In addition, nearly all employees are involved in
the continuous improvement process: more than
2,000 improvement suggestions made by staff are
implemented every year. "We first set goals thatappear to be unachievable and work hard to determine how we can realise them," explains Hubert Renner. The production capability verified by the award
meets a great innovative strength, which is reflected
not least of all by again being named a "TOP 100
Innovator". The headquarters in Schönaich can, forthe third time, again count itself among the innovative elite of small and mid-size German enterprises. In the independent selection process under the
direction of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke, the company
convinced the jury, in particular, in the "Innovation
success" category.

FAULHABER motion

07

"Amazonizing of the world"
In a discussion following the award ceremony,
Hubert Renner, Head of Production at FAULHABER,
explained exactly how FAULHABER, motivated by
the two awards, will continue to focus on the active
involvement of staff, the optimization of procedures,processes and structures as well as on customer satisfaction in the future.

What does the award mean for FAULHABER?
The "Factory of the Year" competition is thetoughest benchmark for manufacturing companies.
For FAULHABER, the victory in the "Excellent Small
Series Assembly" category is confirmation of ourprevious activities and motivation for what we areplanning.

Why is FAULHABER distinguished inthis category in particular?
Production at FAULHABER is characterized by ahigh variance. 25 million variants are possible; every
day we produce up to 10 products that were never08

01.2019

AWARD / INTERVIEW

before built in a given form. Because we produce
all orders in the quantity ordered by the customer(production on demand), our batch sizes are also
becoming smaller and smaller. On top of this is thatfact that we realize >80% of sales with products that
contain components from multiple locations. Given
this complexity, we have – with location-synchronizedproduction and with a very high level of automation
at FAULHABER in Schönaich – succeeded in significantly reducing delivery times for the combinations.

How important are successes such as the Top 100
and Factory of the Year for FAULHABER?
These awards are an important form of feedback
with regard to our performance. It allows us to see
exactly where we stand on the market compared tothe competition. These benchmarks provide a basis
for reviewing our strategy. Communicating theseawards with the staff sends an internal signal of
appreciation and motivation. Externally, the communication provides a valuable impulse for the marketing of our products.

What are you planning in order to remain astep ahead?
At FAULHABER, nearly all production employees
have for years been included in the continuous
improvement process (CIP). We are grateful for thisand would like to further increase this involvement.
In order processing, we are working on leveraging
valuable potential. We want to continue to use thelocation-synchronised production network to achieve
a competitive cost structure. We aim to remain true
to the path that was now confirmed with the 2018
Factory of the Year award – first place in the "Excellent Small Series Assembly" category.

What measures is FAULHABER taking to remain at
the forefront of innovation?
Hubert Renner, Head of Production at FAULHABER

What do you take from the competition
into day-to-day work?
The detailed feedback report from A.T. Kearneyprovides us a number of thought-provoking ideas on
our performance. It shows us, for example, where welie above – as well as below – the average of industrial companies. The report provides us with information on potential improvements and is, thus, important
for reviewing our strategy.

We were able to implement an increased frequency in the development capacity of new products.
What will remain essential for us in the future in thisregard is the absolute focus on the satisfaction of ourcustomers. We want to optimise production processes
to the point that we can realise the shortest delivery
time for our customers. We will continue to set goals
for ourself in the future that may appear unrealistic
to us at first glance and then systematically work on
implementing them.

What expectations do you have on
the competition – with respect to theexternal effect as a winning factory?
We feel that the high level of awareness of the"Factory of the Year" benchmark and the high significance of having won one of the first places will
strengthen the trust of our customers in FAULHABER.
The placing shows that we are on the right path.

What challenges do you foresee?
The greatest challenges for FAULHABER are theincreasing complexity through the customer-specific drive technology as well as the handling of thedecreasing batch sizes in production. Future businesssuccess is dependent not only on the price of a product but increasingly on the shortest delivery times.
"Amazonizing of the world" is diffusing into all areasand consequently results in production on demand.

Dr. Thomas Bertolini, Hubert Renner and Jan-Patrick Schindler

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/factory-of-the-year/en

FAULHABER motion

09

MEDICAL SCIENCES

10

01.2019

THROUGH A

STORM OF IONS

in the service

OF MEDICINE

The more one knows about a tumour, the better it can be fought. With positronemission tomography (PET), it is possible to very accurately distinguish cancer cells
from the surrounding tissue. The highly detailed images are created with the help of
low-level radioactive isotopes, which are produced in particle accelerators. In the GENtrace
cyclotrons from GE Healthcare, drives from PiezoMotor help. The inhospitable conditions
in such machines do not affect them at all.

FAULHABER motion

11
Finding the head of a pin"Discovering the mother tumor is normally quite
easy and possible through many techniques. But todiscover all the metastases, where many are the sizeof a pinhead, is very difficult," explains Dr. Martin
Pärnaste, head engineer in the Cyclotron Systems
division of GE Healthcare in the Swedish city of Uppsala. PET helps to detect such metastases. This can beof decisive importance for subsequent therapy.
Like X-ray and computer tomography (CT), PET
generates its images with the help of a small dose ofradioactive radiation. The radiation is not emitted bya device that directs it at the body from the outside
in this case, however. Instead, it comes from radioactive particles that are previously administered tothe patient. They are generally mixed with glucose
in a so-called radiodiagnostic agent or “tracer” andinjected into the bloodstream.

Short half-life
Relatively harmless, low-radiation substances areused for the PET diagnostic agent. They decay rapidly
and leave no critical residues. In about 90% of cases,
isotope 18F of the halogen Fluorine is used. It has
short half-life of approximately 110 minutes, whichmeans that it has lost nearly all of its radioactivity
after one day. Other isotopes with a similarly shorthalf-life are used as well.
Because the PET tracers decay so quickly, theycannot be kept in supply like other materials. They
must be produced fresh in a particle accelerator – thecyclotron – shortly before they are used. This mustnot be located too far away from the place of use as
every minute counts, even during transport.

Particle race on a spiral path
The first cyclotrons were constructed back in the
1930s by pioneers in particle physics. Their functional
principle has since then been modified and further
developed numerous times – including the world's
largest particle accelerator, CERN, located in Geneva.
The technology has also proven itself in medical technology as well, however. To produce isotopes for PET,
negatively charged hydrogen ions are accelerated ina vacuum chamber located within the cyclotron. The
ions are accelerated by electric fields and kept on a
spiral path by a strong magnetic field.
At the end of this path, they fly through a thingraphite foil, thereby losing their electrons and becoming positively charged protons. As a result of thischarge reversal, their trajectory changes from the12

01.2019

MEDICAL SCIENCES

previous spiral movement to a straight line. The orientation of the foil determines the direction of the
proton beam. It is directed towards a reaction chamber, the so-called target, in which the source material
for the isotope is located. There, the proton beam
triggers a nuclear reaction and produces the required
isotopes from the target content.
A number of years ago, Dr. Pärnaste and his team
were assigned the task of further improving the reaction as well as developing a machine that is as smalland economical as possible. It was to contribute to
making clinical access to PET isotopes simpler and thisimaging technique more widely available. The resultof the development was named GENtrace and waslaunched in 2017 with great success.

Magnet-free drive technology
To produce the largest possible quantity of isotopes or isotopes from various elements in a single
pass, the new cyclotron has three targets. The orientation of the beam must thus be variable so that it
can strike all three targets. To achieve this, the carrier
on which the graphite foil is affixed is moved using
motor power.
Inside of a cyclotron, however, are conditions
with which standard electric motors can hardly cope:magnetic fields, vacuum, electric fields and radiation interfere with their function or make them outright impossible. The motor for directing the beamis therefore normally located outside of the actual
cyclotron. Its movement is then transferred to the foil
carrier by means of a complex mechanical construction. This has considerable disadvantages, including
the mechanical play and the extensive sealing that isrequired where moving parts pass through the wallof the vacuum chamber.
These disadvantages disappear when using a piezo
motor. Its functional principle makes it immune tothe inhospitable conditions in the cyclotron. Because, unlike a classic electric motor, it requires neither
magnetic components nor rotating parts to convert
electric current into movement. Its operating principle is based on the fact that the shape of a piezoceramic element changes when a voltage is applied
to it.

© GE HEALTHCAREWith positron-emission tomography (PET), it is possible to very
accurately distinguish cancer cells from the surrounding tissue.
© GE HEALTHCARE

For these reasons, the piezo motor can be locateddirectly at the deflection point as neither the fields
nor the radiation or the vacuum affect its function.
Accommodation only needs to be made to allow thecables for the power supply and the control to enterthe vacuum chamber. Because they do not move,sealing is simple in this case.

Technology from the neighbour
The experts from GE Healthcare became aware of
the technology from PiezoMotor through an article in atechnical journal. Conveniently, it then turned out thatboth companies are based in Uppsala. "After testing
several micromotors and motion solutions, we finally
had a breakthrough in the development. In the finalP I E Z O MOT OR S
Rotary Motors∅ 23 mm, 50 mNm

Linear Motors
22 x 21 x 17.5 mm (L x H x D)

design, we use two drives from PiezoMotor – a 20N
linear motor to move the proton beam, and a nonmagnetic rotary motor with 50 mNm torque to adjust
the ion extraction," concludes Dr. Pärnaste.
This second drive located within the cyclotron is
responsible for positioning the ion source. To extract
as many ions as possible with the help of an electrode,the relative position of source and electrode must be
repeatedly adjusted. Thanks to the piezo motor, thisis now possible during running operation, which alsosignificantly shortens the maintenance time for calibrating the system.
"PiezoMotor offers a broad product range andmodular design. We have found many options for bothlinear and rotating motors with different features fromwhich we can select the appropriate models," Dr. Pärnaste explains. "Furthermore, PiezoMotor has a highly
competent team of engineers and they contributed alot during our product development process."F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
GE HEALTHCARE
www3.gehealthcare.se
PIEZOMOTOR
www.piezomotor.com
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/cyclotron/en

FAULHABER motion

13

FA C T O RY A U T O M AT I O N

1401.2019

HIGHTECHT H E STARRING ROLEIN

The value of clothing sold worldwide in 2017 exceeded 1.4 trillion dollars. Can you imagine theamount of yarn contained in this mountain of clothing? Neither can we – but it must have been
millions of miles. All of this yarn was wound and unwound multiple times during processing. Thisis just one process step in the textile industry in which the compact and long-lasting drives from
FAULHABER prove themselves daily.

Machine tradition
The industrial revolution did not begin with thesteam engine, as many believe. This was first used
only to drain coal mines. It was not until the steam
power was used for the mechanical weaving loom thatthe first mechanical production process was created,
there­by marking the start of modern mass production.
Textile machines thus benefit from a tradition thanspans more than two hundred years.
During this time, they have developed into enormously complex and often extremely large machinesthat supply the fabric for the seemingly endless selection of clothing from which we today select our outfits online and in chain stores. The dimension of themachines forms a striking contrast to the delicate

material that they process: feather-light fibres thatare first spun to yarn, sometimes as thin as a hair. Thisis used to weave textiles – from the Latin textilis = toweave – by the square mile. Countless rolls of yarn are
consumed during the process.

Preliminary product on rolls
The rolls must, of course, first be wound. This isperformed in a spinning mill, where the yarn is createdfrom the raw fibres. There, this preliminary product iswound onto large reels.
But these are too large for the weaving machine,
as many and often various reels of yarn are needed

FAULHABER motion

15

Rapid oscillation
there. The yarn is therefore usually rewound onto asmaller reel. Already during yarn production, individual fibres are often twisted together to form a twisted
yarn to give it added volume and stability. The yarn
is un­wound and rewound during nearly every process
step prior to its final processing. This also contributes
to a higher quality of the intermediate results.
Anyone who has sewed on a button or repaired
a seam is familiar with the regular squares that thethread forms on a spool. The reels of yarn in the textile industry are similar only larger, but other winding
patterns are possible as well. The mostly diamondshaped surface forms because the yarn is wound on
the reel using a highly precise pattern, usually at anangle. It generally runs from one end to the otherand back again. This ensures a uniform distribution of
the thread and allows it to be unwound later without
problem.

Mechanical winding is performed extremely
fast. During this process, the thread must be moved
both constantly as well as very quickly between thetwo ends of the reel. There must be no delay whenchang­ing direction. This is a technical feat, as theguide ­eyelet moves back and forth about 400 times
per minute, thereby processing some 1500 metres ofyarn. There are also passive-mechanical guides, but the
motorised yarn guide is far superior to this method.
It is the standard in modern yarn winding machines.
The motor that is responsible for the rapid oscilla­tion must above all be able to handle the quick changeof direction without delay while maintaining the same
speed and work trouble free for as long as possible.
Disc magnet motors, such as the DM52, have provento be an ideal solution for this task.
The rotor of this drive consists of a thin rare-earthmagnet disc, which was magnetised with 25 polepairs. This disc runs between two stators with thecorrespond­ingly arranged windings. Because it isextremely light, the rotor inertia is very close to theattainable minimum. This allows the motor to change
direction in about five milliseconds at full speed,­thereby making the lightning fast back-and-forth
movement possible during yarn guiding.

1

2
5

4
3
16

01.2019

FA C T O RY A U T O M AT I O NMotorised little finger
Also used for yarn infeed is the so-called feeder, through which the thread runs into a knittingma­chine. It is not responsible for the uniform winding,however, but rather the constant tension of the yarn.
In the mechanical knitting mill, the feeder performs
the function of the left little finger when knitting byhand. It is attached a short distance in front of theknitting systems of the knitting machine. A small
amount of yarn is wound on its roller, which serves
as the buffer. Its mechanics respond to fluctuations in
the yarn tension and compensate for them by various
motorised movements.
Movements do not need to be performed here as
fast as with the yarn winding. Important instead is the
rapid reaction of the drive and the fine dosing of the
motor power. The available space is, however, also very
limited and, of course, the motors must not determine
the maintenance cycles – like all machines, longevity
has top priority here as well. Depending on the user,
various motors from FAULHABER are used for this task,such as the DC motors with graphite commutation.

Knitting technology
Incidentally, modern knitting machines do morethan knit just socks and sweaters, they are also used
to produce technical fabrics. The new 3D knitting technology can even be used to create three-dimensional
structures. It is used to produce, e.g., technical components from fine metal wires or ceramic fibres. Criticalhere is the proper thread tension, as it is a determining
factor in the dimensions and quality of the products.
This manufacturing technology can also be used for
rapid prototyping. It uses the material very sparinglywith as much yarn as actually required. Different frommost other prototyping methods, there are no cuttingsor other material waste. How this fits with the overall
topic is unclear.
There are numerous other applications in the vari­
ous processes performed in the textile industry inwhich the high-quality micromotors are used. These

include, e.g., machines for sewing on buttons as wellas material testing devices for examining the quality ofyarns. FAULHABER's extensive range of products offers
an optimum drive solution for all of these applications.

1

STEPPER MOTORS, TWO PH A SESWITH D ISC MA G N ET
DM52100N series∅ 52 mm, length 32.6 mm
Torque 200 mNm

2

FA U LH A BER BX T
BRU SH LESS FLAT D C-SERV OMOTORS
4221 ... BXT R series∅ 42 mm, length 21.2 mm
Torque 134 mNm

3

FA U LH A BER CX R
D C-MICROMOTORS
1727 … CXR series∅ 17 mm, length 27.2 mm
Torque 4.9 mNm

4

FA U LH A BER CX R
D C-MICROMOTORS
2237 … CXR series∅ 22 mm, length 37 mm
Torque 12 mNm

5

FA U LH A BER CR
D C-MICROMOTORS
2342 … CR series∅ 23 mm, length 42 mm
Torque 19 mNm

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/yarn-winding-machine/en

FAULHABER motion

17

OPTICS & PHOTONICSGPS
FOR THE

M I L K Y WA Y
What is going on in the neighbourhood? We all want to know, whether we admit it or not.
Applied to the whole of humanity and Earth, the question is: What is going on in the Milky
Way? We know surprisingly little about this, because we literally have a hard time seeing
the wood for the trees. But the MOONS project initiated by British astronomers aims tochange this. Technology from FAULHABER will play an important role.


Galactic lack of knowledge
When it comes to exploring our own disc-shaped
spiral galaxy, astronomers have a fundamental problem: While Earth is not right in the midst of it, it isstill located on the disc of the Milky Way. So if theywant to look at the centre from this vantage point,
or even beyond it to the other side, the view is obstructed by countless stars. And from our terrestrial
perspective it is very difficult or even impossible todetermine where on our mutual disc they are located.
One of the regions we know very little about – of allthings – is the dense part in the centre of the galaxy,where countless stars and gas clouds cluster arounda presumed black hole.

18

01.2019

But a major astronomy project is about to close
many knowledge gaps. Eight institutes from several
countries are involved in this undertaking. The project was commissioned by the European Southern
Observatory (ESO). This scientific organization is operating some of the world's most powerful telescopesin the Chilean Atacama Desert. This includes the Very
Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory witha mirror diameter of 8.2 metres.
The goal of the project is to equip the VLT with a
new instrument to capture the optical signals fromspace. The instrument in question is a spectrograph,
which is capable of simultaneously capturing a large

number of cosmic objects in the visible and infraredpart of the spectrum. Its abbreviated designation
gives the project its name: Multi-Object Optical and
Near-infrared Spectrograph, MOONS. It is coordinated by the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology
Centre (UK ATC) in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.

Spectrum instead of photo"With a high-quality photo camera you can change the lens. But with an astronomy telescope it is the
opposite – the VLT has an outstanding lens, and wewill simply replace the currently connected 'camera'

with our MOONS," explains Dr William Taylor, scientist at the UK ATC. With its new technology, MOONS
opens up entirely new possibilities in observing space,even though it does not produce large-sized images
in the traditional sense. Instead, it captures minutedetails.
This is how it works: The huge lens and mirror of
the VLT are pointed at the part of space that is to beobserved, similar to before. Now, the ends of exactly 1001 optical fibres in MOONS are aligned to individual objects within this cosmic region. Instead of
capturing the entire selected area like a camera, the
new instrument focuses the fibres on certain points

FAULHABER motion

19

in the Universe. And even these points are not justphotographed, but instead their light is separated byprisms into the individual components, i.e. different
wavelengths.
"Scientifically speaking, this method yields much
more information than an image," explains Dr Taylor.
"For example, we can learn about the chemical composition of the object. Furthermore, this allows us tocalculate its dynamics, i.e. the velocity and directionof movement. Because MOONS captures the near-infrared spectrum, we can precisely analyse the redshiftthat the light from distant objects travelling to us issubjected to." When a star moves away from Earth,
the wavelength of its light becomes longer. This is how
part of the visible light shifts to the invisible infrared
range, which is still close to the visible spectrum.

between FPU end tips, the drive system solution has
to be extremely precise. To ensure the required precisionand to avoid collisions between the FPU tips, the systems
must operate with high repeatability. The high-quality
stepper motors come from FAULHABER PRECISTEP; thezero backlash gearheads from FAULHABER Minimotor
contribute to the positioning accuracy. FAULHABER
subsidiary mps handles the mechanical design of themodules.

Fibre Positioning Unit (FPU)

Thousands of objects in view
Prior technology allowed for a maximum of about
one hundred objects to be observed individually,
and only in the range of visible light. MOONS not
only multiplies this number by ten, but the depth of
information also increases manifold. Within the MilkyWay, this will enable us to look much more precisely
between the trees and get a much clearer picture of
the entire proverbial forest.
"One of the objectives of the project is to create a
3D map of the Milky Way, which would allow some
sort of GPS navigation throughout our galaxy. The
MOONS technology with its unprecedented resolution also enables us to look very far, and thus also
very far back in time. We will be able to approximate the Big Bang to within a few hundred million years." This will give scientists insights into the
Universe's infancy. And while this is already possible
today to some degree, MOONS will give us a muchclearer and detailed picture, according to Dr Taylor.
"We will be able to map the Universe to an unprecedented depth."
The astronomers aim to target several million
objects over a period of about five years. To reachthat aim, the 1001 optical fibres of the spectographhave to be pointed at the cosmic targets quickly andmostly automatically. This is achieved with an equal
number of fibre positioning units (FPUs). Each FPU
has two stepper motor drive units fitted to reducedbacklash spur gearheads. The one in the back moves
the central axis (Alpha) of the FPU. Eccentricallymounted on this, the front motor-gearhead drive
unit (Beta) simultaneously moves the fibre tip. The
combination of the two axial movements allows each
FPU to cover a circular area, within which the fibre
can be randomly aligned. This area partially overlaps
the areas of adjacent FPUs. That means that every
point within the capture zone can be controlled. To
meet the challenging requirements in terms of positional repeatability, which is a must to avoid collisions

20

01.2019

OPTICS & PHOTONICS

Front motor-gearhead(Beta axis)

Rear motor-gearhead(Alpha axis)© eso.org

Focal plate equipped with
all FPUs (not the actual unit)MOONS after installation in the VLT (not the actual unit)© eso.org

Tailor-made aiming device"We received very valuable input from all threeparticipating companies of the FAULHABER Group,"
reports Dr Steve Watson, who is responsible for the
FPU development at UK ATC. "Without their uniqueknow-how, it would have been impossible for us todevelop this core module in this form, and above allin the kind of numbers we needed. In addition to
the alignment speed of the optical fibres, they mustalso be highly precise. We achieve an accuracy of 0.2
degrees and a reproducibility of the position down
to 20 microns. Given the length of the FPU and themodular design, these are excellent numbers. And theunits stay properly aligned to the focal plate on which
the modules are arranged throughout all positions."
The high precision and extreme reliability of thecomponents allows the control to be kept simple,
which is another requirement to operate the spectograph flawlessly. Complex electronics and control
logics would severely impede the quick and simultaneous control of 1001 units. Thanks to the high qualityof the components, precise alignment is achieved bymeans of simple open loop control. The technology
must also be very sturdy and virtually maintenancefree in order to perform its tasks without interruption
over the planned ten-year service life of the system.
Project manager Dr Alasdair Fairley is already looking beyond such technical concerns: "We are making
good progress with the MOONS. We expect to be able

to install the spectrograph in summer 2021. Commissioning will take about half a year, so that we can probably start mapping at the beginning of 2022. We areconfident that the FPU will remain fully operational
for ten years without maintenance."

STEPPER MOTORS
Series AM0820∅ 8 mm, length 13,8 mm
Torque 0.65 mNm

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
MOONShttps://vltmoons.org
European Southern Observatorywww.eso.org/public/germany/teles-instr/elt
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/spectrograph/en

FAULHABER motion

21

CONSUMER

E-Motion
ON THE

BIKE
It goes without saying that the bicycle is a partof locomotion culture in Germany. 97 percent
of people in Germany can ride a bike. They use
bicycles not only for bike tours in their freetime but also on a daily basis for shopping orcommuting to work. Due to rising petrol costs
and the constantly congested roads at peaktimes, residents of large cities in particular see
the bicycle as a true alternative to the automobile. FAULHABER drives are installed here invarious components.

Bike sharing gains ground.
One doesn't need to have a bike of his or her own
in order to use one. Especially in cities, a bicycle cantoday be hired quickly and easily. This saves the costof purchasing and maintaining a bike and minimises
the risk of theft. The rider also enjoys health benefits and helps to reduce CO2 emissions. Sustainability
is another advantage of bike sharing worth mentioning: the rate of use is approximately four times
higher than an individually used bike.

22

01.2019

FAULHABER motion

23

ELECTRONIC POWER SHIFTD C - MI C R O MOT OR S

1724 … SR series∅ 17 mm, length 24 mm
Torque 4.5 mNm

WHEEL DRIVEBRU SH LESS D C-SERV OMOTOR S
3274 ... BP4 series∅ 32 mm, length 74 mm
Torque 162 mNm

Locking systems by FAULHABER.
To organise the use of hire bikes, bike sharing
providers rely on drives from FAULHABER. For thelocking systems of hire bikes, small FAULHABER gear
motors are installed in the front fork. Depending on
the usage system, the bike sharers can then hire abicycle at fixed hire stations or even without a station
using a smartphone app. There are now various bikehire companies that offer bicycles as well as pedelecs
at their stations.

24

01.2019

CONSUMER

Riding with a tailwind.
A pedelec (pedal electric cycle) assists its riders
with an electric motor. The degree of assistance canbe set individually and is dependent on the pedal
force or cadence of the rider. A bicycle with electric
assist is legally equivalent to a regular bicycle. Riders
therefore require neither a license plate nor a driv­
ing license. The pedelec market has grown significantly in Europe since 2008: in 2016, 1.6 million suchbicycles were sold here. Germany leads the market
in this sector.

LOCKING SYSTEM
D C-MICROMOTORS

1624 … S series∅ 16 mm, length 23.8 mm
Torque 2 mNm

etary gearhead is integrated in the frame and thecorresponding battery "disguised"as a water bottle.
This variant of an electrically assisted bicycle achievesa peak of 330 watts for a duration of approximately
five minutes at a time.

Getting into gear.
DC-micromotors of the 1524/1724SR series also
ensure the right drive when shifting gears on thebicycle – both with standard bicycles as well as withpedelecs. Electronic shifting systems guarantee efficient riding and increase comfort and safety. At thesame time, they reduce wear on the shifting components. Gear shifting is performed with the help of thesmall servomotors.

Outlook.

Bicycle drive systems from Schönaich.
Basically, a pedelec functions like so: a sensor
registers that the rider is pedalling and passes thisinformation on to the controller. As a control unit,
the controller regulates the battery and ensures thatit sends the required current to the motor. As soon
as current flows, the pedal assistance of the pedelec
engages.
Used as the bicycle drive system for pedelecs,
FAULHABER motors ensure the optimum drive.
Because the motors from Schönaich are very small inspite of their high performance, they can be installedso cleverly that the pedelec cannot even be recognised as such from the outside. The 3274 … BP4
brushless DC-servomotor in combination with a plan­

The future of the bicycle remains exciting, as further electronic components will change cycling. Whatdirection that could take is demonstrated, for exam­
ple, by the SmartFaraday Pedal project, developedby a team of students in the Faculty of Engineering
at the University of Freiburg. The intelligent bicycle
pedal offers a number of functions that help cyclists
track their journeys – from performance and route
tracking to theft reporting and even an interface
for Internet and smartphone. The students won the
Cosima competition with this project in 2017. Oneof their main sponsors is the FAULHABER company.

F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/bike/en

FAULHABER motion

25

SPONSORINGELISABETH BRANDAUF R O M SCHÖNAICH

FOR TOKIO 2020

Elisabeth Brandau is a standout in the world of cycling. And that's not just because of the orange teamcolours or the bright white jersey she will be wearing during the 2019 season as the incumbent German
Champion. The cyclo-cross and mountain bike specialist from Schönaich has been doing things her way
from the very beginning. Such as sleeping on the beach in a throw tent from the supermarket the night
before the race. And then winning the race. 2020 will be a special year for the mother of two: she will
be going to Tokyo to participate in the Olympics. FAULHABER will be right there with her.

Passion, motivation, technology – even cyclingneeds the right kind of drive. While hobbyists and leisure cyclists are increasingly enjoying electric bicycles– which require compact and powerful drives – they
are completely off limits for professionals like Elisabeth Brandau. But the two-time German Cyclo-crossChampion also has to find the right balance between
technology, fitness, talent and driving style for every

26

01.2019

race. "Cycling is only about a third of it, the rest isplanning as well as physical and mental fitness."
When she was a junior, Elisabeth Brandau was a
successful road cyclist, German mountain race champion, and took part in the Junior World Championships in Canada. Eventually she put an end to thispursuit to have more time for her refrigeration plantengineer training and master craftsman certificate.

She only cycled for fun at that time. Her first mountain bike was bought in 2006, she became German
Hobby Champion in the marathon category in 2007
and German Champion in the professional category
and subsequently joined the national squad for the
first time in 2008. In 2012 she became German Marathon and German Mountain Bike Sprint Champion.
In 2013 she founded her own team, the Radon
Elisabeth Brandau Energie Racing Team (Radon-EBERacing), for which she still rides today despite offersfrom other teams. "If I'm not 100% committed mentally, then its completely futile. So I'd rather do things
my way." Such was the case in a race in Spain. "Mybudget was pretty tight, and I didn't want to strain
it any more by staying at a hotel." She found a cheap throw tent at the supermarket, borrowed a blanket and slept on the beach of the camping grounds.
High-maintenance is not her thing, she prefers tokeep it down to earth. She won the race the nextday. "I compete against Olympians and World Cupparticipants in these races. Many have no idea that
I'm a mother of two, and they are quite surprised
when they find out,” Elisabeth Brandau grins.
Only very few active riders at the top level are also
mothers. Training camps with the national team arealmost like a vacation for her. "Good sleep for a couple of nights and regeneration, I love it." But when in
doubt, Elisabeth Brandau would rather forego a training session if it means that she is separated from herfamily again after a competition. Now that the children are at daycare and in kindergarten, she makes aconscious effort to train in the morning. Then she
picks up the children at noon, cooks, takes care of thehousehold, organises the next few races, talks to her
sponsors, holds lectures and much more.
Obviously, her Radon-EBE-Racing team has totake more direct responsibility as a result. The teamconsists of top athletes, junior athletes and amateurs
and competes in national and international races
such as World Cups, European and World Championships. In the end it was the team who convinced
the mother of two to have her comeback after hermaternity leave in 2017. "After my second son wasborn, I was completely out of touch with cycling. I
probably would have quit cycling if it wouldn't havebeen for the team meetings. They got me back in thesaddle and got me excited about the sport again. I
told myself: you gave birth to two children, you cando this too. And I owed it to my team."
The year of her comeback, 2018, became themost successful year of her career with two German
championship titles, the silver medal at the WorldChampionships with the relay and the qualification
for Olympia 2020 in Tokyo. At one point, she madeit all the way to 8th place in the world ranking from275th. On the side she was also completing her training as a naturopath.

Elisabeth Brandau also does it her way when she
is racing. At the World Cup in Albstadt 2018 she was
the only one to consistently ride the B-line. "It wasvery slippery and everyone but one rider slipped. I
wanted to avoid that, I'd rather lose 4 seconds andstay on a safe line. I have two kids who also want
to be picked up and held the day after the race." In
Albstadt she made it onto the podium of a World Cup
race for the first time. She aims to repeat this accomplishment in 2020. In addition to being successful at
the Olympics. Starting in 2019, Elisabeth Brandau andher entire team will be sponsored by FAULHABER.

Elisabeth Brandauborn 1985, married, mother of two
German Champion
2001 .............................. Road Cup (junior class)
2002, 2003 .................... Road/mountain (juniors)2007 .............................. Mountain bike marathon(amateurs)
2008, 2011, 2012........... Mountain bike marathon (elite)
2012 .............................. Mountain bike sprint
2016, 2018, 2019 .......... Cyclo-cross2018 .............................. Cross Country Olympic
Mountain bike
Runner-up world champion
2018 .............................. Cross Country Olympic
Mountain bike (relay)F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
FAULHABER
www.faulhaber.com/m/eberacingteam/en

FAULHABER motion27

VORSCHAU

EvolutionIN

MEDICINE

Maximum precision and speed as well as
untiring stamina: there are good reasons
why medical robotics is already used today
in minimally invasive surgery, in orthopaedic operations or in trauma surgery. It also
has great potential for other specialised
areas of use. Experts see the use of medical robotics as the next evolution in thetreatment of patients. In the next issue ofmotion, read how medical robotics applications can benefit from FAULHABER drive
solutions.

*000.9122.19*
Ident-Nr. 000.9122.19

Further information:
faulhaber.com
faulhaber.com/facebook
faulhaber.com/youtubeEN
faulhaber.com/linkedin

WE
28 CREATE MOTION

faulhaber.com/instagram

FAULHABER motion is
also available as an app.
You can get the freedownload with thisQR code.