Conveyor modules

The leading edge Middlesex conveyor technology is now available to independent system designers who wish to upgrade their own products, or become suppliers of conveyor systems to end users. Functioning modules may be purchased from Middlesex by all who wish to supply their own systems to customers in a non exclusive manner.

The modular design of the Middlesex technology is patented. It allows free configuration, and also re-configuration of a functional system by the use of integer modules. These modules allow the construction of a three dimensional network of conveyor transports, consisting of linear, branching, and vertical motion transport elements.

The designer has the option of employing a single conveyor element in a small application, or hundreds of elements for a transport network.

Conveyor modules

The leading edge Middlesex conveyor technology is now available to independent system designers who wish to upgrade their own products, or become suppliers of conveyor systems to end users. Functioning modules may be purchased from Middlesex by all who wish to supply their own systems to customers in a non exclusive manner.

The modular design of the Middlesex technology is patented. It allows free configuration, and also re-configuration of a functional system by the use of integer modules. These modules allow the construction of a three dimensional network of conveyor transports, consisting of linear, branching, and vertical motion transport elements.

The designer has the option of employing a single conveyor element in a small application, or hundreds of elements for a transport network.

Modules

Basic
modules

Linear drive sections (LD) of 0.5 - 2.0 [m] long

Corner or crossing elements (QS)

Vertical elevators (EL)

 

Details

Linear drive

The CLEAN-DRIVE® conveyor is an asynchronous transport system for FOUPs, cassettes and pallets in the semiconductor, disk drive and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. It is one of several versions of the ERECT-A-LINE® family of conveyors.
The CLEAN-DRIVE® system allows material movement within the factory that minimizes work in progress. Its inherent ability to create buffers and its constant availability to operators and process tools minimizes storage, cuts cycle time, and increases throughput like no other system.
Through the use of optional Auto-WIP/DS™ control software, autonomous carriers pursue available process tools based on real time dynamic tool, buffer, and system status.
This natural, statistically optimal, WIP flow throughout
the factory improves the fab operation curve of cycle time vs. tool utilization.
Elastomer covered driving wheels on one side of the drive element transport pallets or cassettes while they rest on load bearing idler wheels on both sides.
When a FOUP or cassette is stopped, the drive wheels underneath it also stop. When it is released, the drive wheels resume turning. While a FOUP or cassette is at rest, the constant forward force exerted on it by the driving wheels is ample to convey it forward when free,
but not sufficient to overcome a stop.
Forward motion of the FOUP or cassette can be stopped at any time by a hard stop mechanism creating a natural buffer of accumulated pallets or cassettes. SOFT BUFFERING™ can be achieved through the use of electronic sensors.
Because the drive wheels stop when a FOUP or cassette is at rest, there is no dynamic friction between them, making the CLEAN-DRIVE® unique, and eliminating the abundance of minute particles generated by friction based systems.

Rotary QS

The Rotary QS element is another building block of the ERECT-A-LINE^® family of conveyors. Its CLEAN-DRIVE^® version is intended for clean room manufacturing environments.

Inserting a QS element in a network of Linear Drives provides for the switching of the transport FOUPs, or carriers from one Linear Drive to another.  The Rotary QS element rotates the FOUP or carrier as it switches it such that the leading edge will remain the same when transferred onto the next Linear Drive.  The Rotary QS right angle rotation in combination with the bi-directional drives provides four possible switching directions for the pallet.

The Rotary QS element is essentially a short rotating section of the Linear Drive.  This short section is rotated using the same hysteresis drive mechanism that conveys pallets, cassettes or FOUPS.  The Rotary QS element is likewise equipped with the same hard or SOFT BUFFERING^® system as the linear drive sections.  A FOUP is stopped after entering the QS Rotary element, and continues on after the switching operation is complete.

Elevator

The CLEAN-DRIVE® Elevators are a standard element of the ERECT-A-LINE family of conveyors. They provide for the vertical movement of work in progress when Linear Drive sections of the conveyor are displaced in  height. Elevators may be of two kinds: linear (L) for the straight through connection of two vertically displaced Linear Drives, and right angel (R), for the corner connection of two vertically displaced Linear Drives that are at right angles to each other. Each are available in the CLEAN DRIVE I® and CLEAN-DRIVE II®.

Specifications

 

	Drive method magnetic hysteresis clutch Linear drive speed programmable: 0.1 - 1.0 [m/s] Linear drive acceleration programmable: 0.1 - 5.0 [m/s2] Buffering method non contact SOFT BUFFERING™ Payload options pallets, WIP carriers, custom Payload width range 50 - 900 [mm] Maximum load 25 [kg] Maximum operating ambient 35 [°C] Power input 22-40 [VDC], 110/220 [VAC] Controls options embedded (Ethernet) Surface finish antistatic powder coat with surface resistance < 1010 [Ohms/sq] Drive belt/wheel polyurethane based elastomer CLEAN-DRIVE I® ISO 3-4 Performance 109 [Ohms/sq]
Drive method magnetic hysteresis clutch Linear drive speed programmable: 0.1 - 1.0 [m/s] Linear drive acceleration programmable: 0.1 - 5.0 [m/s2] QS rotation time programmable down to 1.0 [s] for 90° rotation QS throughput 4300 carriers per hour straight, 720 carriers per hour turning Buffering method non contact SOFT BUFFERING™ Payload options pallets, WIP carriers, custom Payload width 50 - 900 [mm] Maximum load 25 [kg] Maximum operating ambient 35 [°C] Power input 22-40 [VDC], 110/220 [VAC] Controls options embedded (Ethernet) Surface finish antistatic powder coat with surface resistance < 1010 [Ohms/sq] Drive belt/wheel polyurethane based elastomer CLEAN-DRIVE I® ISO 3-4 Performance 109 [Ohms/sq]	line crossing
	Drive method magnetic hysteresis clutch Linear drive speed programmable: 0.1 - 1.0 [m/s] Linear drive acceleration programmable: 0.1 - 5.0 [m/s2] Elevator vertical speed programmable: 0.1 - 1.0 [m/s] Maximum elevator height 8 [m] Buffering method non contact SOFT BUFFERING™ Payload options pallets, WIP carriers, custom Payload width 50 - 900 [mm] Maximum load 25 [kg] Maximum operating ambient 35 [°C] Power input 22-40 [VDC], 110/220 [VAC] Controls options embedded Surface finish antistatic powder coat with surface resistance < 1010 [Ohms/sq] Drive belt/wheel polyurethane based elastomer CLEAN-DRIVE I® ISO 3-4 Performance 109 [Ohms/sq]