Electro-magnetic Conveyor Systems for Material Handling and Assembly Automation.  The QuickStick™ LSM System is a transport and positioning solution designed for assembly automation and material handling. Easily adaptable to most manufacturing environments, the QuickStick LSM System serves as an alternative to belt, chain-based, and other conveyor systems, offering higher throughput and production capacity. Unique in the industry, it provides independent and bi-directional payload propulsion and control, moving payloads at varying speeds to positions along a guideway system.

Our QuickStick product line includes the following:

• QuickStick500 - MagneMotion’s baseline transport and positioning system.
• QuickStick500HT - High-thrust transport for loads over 1,000 pounds
• QuickStick100 - High throughput system handling small, high-volume products
• QuickStick100FP - Fine positioning for assembly and handling of smaller product lines

If you know your specific application requirements, please use the Application Requirements Form.

Placed between the rails of a guideway, the QuickStick LSM modules generate electro-magnetic force to move payloads to queuing and process stations, improving payload flow and the manufacturing process. Permanent magnets placed on the underside of each vehicle interact with the electro-magnetic force generated by the motors, propelling and positioning payloads to software-configured positions on the guideway. Wheeled vehicles can be used, or rollers can be placed on the guideway to support multiple pallets. MagneMotion’s QuickStick LSMs use a modular long stator design, which allows them to be daisy-chained together to create a transport solution of virtually any length.

QuickStick LSM modules handle the functions of many third-party systems, eliminating a level of industrial engineering, cost, and complexity in the automation process. Each module houses up to 10 linear motors, position sensors, and controls to coordinate pallet/vehicle movement, payload positioning, and module-to-module communication for traffic management. Software configured controls are accessed through an easy-to-use interface. With pre-programmed move profiles for different products, positioning and move sequences can be configured once, remaining automated for future production runs.

QuickStick-based systems are ideal for optimizing the factory automation and material handling process, increasing throughput, addressing bottleneck issues, and reducing maintenance and other costs in a myriad of manufacturing scenarios and environments. Single LSM modules provide linear actuation for pick-and-place systems and lateral motion for load/unload functions, while multiple LSM modules can serve as a more advanced and efficient alternative to AGVs or roller, belt, and chain-based conveyor systems. For a more exhaustive list of applications and benefits, please visit the QuickStick LSM Applications and Benefits page.

• Functionality of hard stops, switches, and position sensors built into the QuickStick modules and handled electro-magnetically
  
• Customizable thrust profiles ranging from low to high speeds (up to 5 meters per second)
  
• Easily integrated with existing systems to improve performance
  
• Direct drive feature reduces maintenance costs and energy usage
  
• High acceleration and individual control of vehicles decreases time spent at queuing and process stations
  
• Passive payload-bearing vehicles controlled without direct contact
  
• Because there are no power or communication cables connected to the moving frame that restrict the range of linear motion, QuickStick systems are well-suited to applications covering greater distances
  
  

MagneMotion’s QuickStick LSM modules are manufactured in one meter and half-meter lengths with T-slots for easy mounting. Designed to connect end-to-end, each motor block communicates with neighboring motor blocks using RS-422 serial communication lines, giving and receiving commands that coordinate vehicle movement along the linear synchronous motor array. Position sensors built into the QuickStick LSM modules interact with the permanent magnets on the underside of each vehicle, providing real-time communication of vehicle location – a valuable tool in factory process control, WIP tracking, and logistics management. Conventional chain- and belt-based conveyor systems typically need third-party position sensors and bar code readers for these functions, which require added design and implementation time, tooling, equipment cost, and maintenance.

Dependence on ancillary material handling equipment like hard stops, pneumatics, and other physical positioning components can be reduced by using QuickStick LSMs without a loss of functionality. Fewer moving parts results in a reduced need for maintenance, greater reliability, and availability, in addition to much faster changeovers.

Ideal for cleanrooms, the system’s direct drive and lack of mechanical actuation means it generates fewer particles, making for a cleaner environment where air filters don’t have to work as hard. The module’s attractive force is active with a wide enough gap for the motor to reside outside of a glove box while the permanent magnet array (attached to a wheeled vehicle) resides within the glove box. That means sterile filling systems, medical equipment manufacture, or hazardous materials can be handled with less human contact, protecting both product and person.

MagneMotion’s supervisory control system includes a node controller that handles merge/diverge points. For information on how to optimize vehicle and guideway solutions for QuickStick LSM Systems, please visit the MagneMover Reference Designs page.

For information on how the QuickStick LSM System can improve your manufacturing and material handling equipment systems, contact MagneMotion’s sales department at info@magnemotion.com.

QuickStick Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Solutions – Superior Transport and Positioning Leading to Improved Supply Chain Logistics Management.