Solutions from Ruland: Beam Couplings for Robotics

Ruland Manufacturing Co., Inc.
March 2023

Ruland six-beam couplings have
higher torque and torsional stiffness
than four-beam couplings, making
them ideal for coupling a servo
motor to a lead screw in a robotic
system. Four-beam couplings allow
for increased flexibility in a more
compact size than six-beam couplings.

Marlborough, MA - Ruland beam couplings are ideal for surgical, warehouse, and industrial robotics due to their increased torque and torsional stiffness and ability to accommodate all forms of misalignment. Ruland manufactures four-beam couplings for encoders and six-beam couplings for light-duty power transmission, such as connecting a stepper or servo motor to a lead screw. This allows robotic designers to design a standard beam coupling into most systems. 

Ruland machines beam couplings from a single piece of aluminum or stainless steel for a zero-backlash design and maintenance-free service life. Multiple sets of spiral cuts enable Ruland beam couplings to handle all forms of misalignment— angular, parallel, axial motion, and complex—through frequent starts and stops. The multiple-beam design also allows for higher torque and torsional stiffness than commodity-style single-beam couplings. Ruland manufactures beam couplings in 7075 aluminum for low inertia and 303 stainless steel for increased torque capacity.

Ruland F-Series six-beam couplings have two sets of three beams allowing them to maintain accuracy, repeatability, and reliability in robotic systems. They have larger body sizes than comparable four-beam couplings for increased torque and torsional stiffness. F-series clamp-style beam couplings are supplied with Ruland’s proprietary Nypatch® anti-vibration hardware to prevent screws from loosening during operation

Ruland P- and MW-Series four-beam couplings have two sets of two beams for increased flexibility and reduced bearing loads compared to the six-beam style. They also have shorter lengths, making them suitable for space-restricted applications commonly found in encoders. MW-Series couplings have nominal metric dimensions to better fit with systems with metric components.

Ruland offers beam couplings with a clamp or set screw hub attachment with inch, metric, and inch-to-metric combinations ranging from 1/8” to 3/4” and 3mm to 20mm. They are manufactured in our Marlborough, Massachusetts factory under strict controls using proprietary processes. Non-standard designs such as anodizing, non-standard bore sizes, and special tolerances are available upon request.

All Ruland zero-backlash beam couplings are manufactured from select North American bar stock in our Marlborough, MA factory under strict controls using proprietary processes. Full product information, 2D and 3D CAD files, installation videos, and more are available on www.ruland.com.

Why Ruland Beam Couplings for Robotics?

• Zero-backlash for precise motion control.
• Six-beam and four-beam couplings available in aluminum or stainless steel.
• Increased torque and torsional stiffness when compared to single beam couplings.
• RoHS3 REACH, and Conflict Minerals compliant.
• Manufactured and inventoried in our Marlborough, Massachusetts factory.

Product Link: Beam couplings

Ruland Company Information

Ruland Manufacturing Co., Inc. is a privately owned family company founded in 1937. We have carefully and responsibly manufactured high performing shaft collars, rigid couplings, and motion control couplings for the past 40 years. Our product line was recently expanded to include a variety of machine components from select manufacturers we have worked with that align with our performance and quality standards.

Contact:
Ruland Manufacturing Co., Inc.
E-Mail: marketing@ruland.com

PR Contact:
TPR International
Internet: www.tradepressrelations.com