Motorised ceiling installation made of mirrors

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Stepper motors for mirror ceiling installation

Motorised mirror ceiling<br><font size="7">Exceptional installation<br>consisting of 120 mirrors</font>

Motorised mirrored ceiling
Installation of 120 mirrors

The TWAXIS mirror installation was developed by MACHINESHOP to create a unique decoration for the advanced cruise fleet of MSC Cruises. An extraordinary, motorised mirrored ceiling was created, which can be admired by passengers three storeys up.

MSC Cruises is known for its ultra-modern ships with a sleek, modern design. Therefore, this project required a matching, elegant solution with high reliability. MACHINESHOP developed a ceiling structure consisting of 120 mosaic-like, pentagonal mirrors that move almost silently. Programming makes it possible for the mirrors to move in different patterns. This makes it look as if the ship's ceiling is breathing or dancing.

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

Profile

What was needed: maintenance-free spindle-stepper motor including spindle and lead screw nut for a motorised ceiling installation
Requirements: Motors for precise positioning that run quietly, have a long service life and require little maintenance.
Industry: Shipbuilding industry
Success for the customer: A maintenance-free, quiet system with lubrication-free igus® parts that ensure a long service life.

More application examples

Products used

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

drylin® E lead screw stepper motor Nema 17

dryspin® lead screw nut with flange

High helix lead screw with machined end processing

dryspin® high helix lead screw

Problem

In this project, MACHINESHOP was faced with the challenge that a conventional gimbal drive consists of two axis geared motors, which not only generate a lot of noise, but also allow more backlash. If geared motors had been used, very expensive special parts would have had to be used to reduce the backlash. The system also had to have a particularly high-quality design and be used in continuous operation for at least 10 years without failures.

Furthermore, it turned out that the usual approach for the movement of such joints is to use scissor lever elements. These consist of two crossed rods that are hinged in the centre. This connection allows the "scissors" to be opened and closed. This is familiar from scissor lifts, for example. In this case, a scissor lever element would require at least 6 bearing surfaces per axis, i.e. 12 per mirror! Each of these bearings would increase the backlash and thus create another point at which the mechanism could rattle, which is a major problem on a vibrating ship. The task could not be accomplished with geared motors and scissor lever elements - a completely new concept was required.

Solution

MACHINESHOP's solution was to invent a completely new type of mirror system: TWAXIS (patent pending). Instead of a scissor mechanism, a flexible elastomer band was used, reducing the number of bearing surfaces to one per axis and two per plate. The band is contracted or expanded by the motor, resulting in the corresponding movement of the mirror. The resistance of the elastic band ensures that the mirror plates have little backlash and do not jerk.

The company tested several options for the drive and then opted for a customised spindle motor from igus®. A matching lead screw nut and spindle were used for this. The entire spindle motor system requires no lubrication and is therefore maintenance-free. The spindle motor also enables precise positioning and reduces motor noise.

As the service life played a special role for MACHINESHOP, the company used the online tool from igus® to calculate the service life of the spindle motors. This safety, combined with the reliability, simplicity and maintenance-free nature of the products, ensured that the customer opted for igus® products.

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