Please choose your delivery location

The selection of the country/region page can influence various factors such as price, shipping options and product availability.
My contact person
igus® (India) Pvt. Ltd.

#1, Survey No. 34,

Mandur-Devanahalli Road, Mandur Village, Bidarahalli Hobli,

Bangalore- 560049

+91 80 69116900
+91 80 68127802
IN(EN)
Motorised mirror ceiling
Exceptional installation
consisting of 120 mirrors
TWAXIS, a mirror installation was developed by the UK company – MACHINESHOP, to create a unique feature for MSC Cruises' advanced cruise fleet. An extraordinary, motorised mirrored ceiling was produced, to be admired by passengers and sitting at a height of three storeys.

MSC Cruises is known for its state-of-the-art ships with advanced, modern designs. Therefore, this project required a suitable, elegant solution with high reliability. MACHINESHOP developed a ceiling structure made of 120 mosaic-like, pentagonal mirrors that move almost silently. Their use of programming made it possible for the mirrors to move in a variety of patterns. Making it look as if the ship's ceiling is breathing or dancing.

You can find further information about MACHINESHOP here: www.machineshop.co.uk
You can find further information about the TWAXIS project here: www.twaxis.com

Profile

  • What was needed: Maintenance-free lead screw stepper motors including lead screw and nut for a motorised ceiling installation
  • Requirements: Motors for precise positioning that can be run quietly, have a long service life and require little maintenance.
  • Industry: Ship building
  • Success for the customer: A maintenance-free, quiet system with lubrication-free igus® parts that ensure a long service life.
More application examples
twaxis

Products

Special parts tailored to the application were used for the project. You can see the standard products on which these special parts are based.

Problem

For this project, MACHINESHOP was confronted with the challenge that a conventional gimbal drive consisting of two axes traditionally contains geared motors that not only generate a lot of noise, but also lead to more backlash. If using geared motors, very expensive anti-backlash parts would have had to be used. The system should also be of exceptionally high quality, for use in continuous operation of at least 10 years without failure.

Furthermore, the usual approach to engineering such movement is to use scissor lever elements. These consist of two rods laid crosswise and hinged in the middle. This connection allows the “scissors” to be opened and closed. This is seen for example in scissor lifts. In this case, a scissor lever element would require at least six bearing surfaces per axis, i.e. 12 per mirror! Each of these bearings would increase the backlash, creating 12 other points at which each mechanism could rattle, this is a major problem on a vibrating ship. The task could not be accomplished with gear motors and scissor lever elements, necessitating a completely new concept.

Solution

MACHINESHOP's solution was to invent a completely new gimbal system: TWAXIS (patent pending). Instead of a scissor mechanism, a compliant elastomeric band was used, reducing the number of bearing surfaces to one per axis and two per mirror. The band is contracted and expanded by the motor, creating the appropriate movement of the mirror. The resistance of the elastic band ensures that the mirror plates have very little backlash and move smoothly.

The company tested several options for the drive and then decided on a lead screw stepper motor from igus®. Specific nuts and lead screws were specified. The entire lead screw motor system requires no lubrication and is therefore maintenance-free. In addition, the lead screw motor enables precise positioning and the reduction of motor noise. 

Since the service life was an important factor for MACHINESHOP,  the company used the online tool from igus® to calculate the service life of the lead screw motors. This feature in combination with the reliability, simplicity and maintenance-free nature of the products ensured that the customer chose igus® products.

From planning to setup


More impressions


More application examples


Electric motor online shop

Motor shop Stepper motors, lead screw motors, DC and EC motors. Ready to ship from 24hrs.
Go to the online shop

Lead screw motor configurator

Lead screw motor configurator Configure your own lead screw motor: consisting of nut, lead screw and motor
Go to the configurator

Download whitepaper

Drive technology white paper Comprehensive information about lead screw motors. Get your free white paper now.
Download whitepaper


The terms "igus", "Apiro", "chainflex", "CFRIP", "conprotect", "CTD", "drylin", "dry-tech", "dryspin", "easy chain", "e-chain", "e-chain systems", "e-ketten", "e-kettensysteme", "e-skin", "e-spool", "flizz", "ibow", "igear", "iglidur", "igubal", "igutex", "kineKIT", "manus", "motion plastics", "pikchain", "readychain", "readycable", "ReBeL", "speedigus", "triflex", "robolink", "xirodur", and "xiros" are legally protected trademarks of the igus® GmbH/ Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany and where applicable in some foreign countries.

igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH