Archive > 2010 > December 2010 > Development of an Actuator for Ambient to Cryo Application
Development of an Actuator for Ambient to Cryo Application - December 2010
Karen Menzel, Hans Jürgen Jung and Jörg Schmidt
The article "Development of an Actuator for Ambient to Cryo Application" appeared in the December 2010 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.
Summary
During the qualification campaign of the NIRSpec (near-infrared spectrometer) instrument mechanism, the actuator could not achieve the expected lifetime that had been extended during the development phase. The initial design could not be adapted to the requested number of revolutions during that phase. Consequently the actuator needed to be modified so that the function of the mechanism would not be endangered or, by extension, the overall function of the NIRSpec instrument. The modification included a change of the overall actuator designâ”internal dimensions, tolerances, materials, lubrication and assembly processâ”while keeping the interface to the mechanism, mass and function.
Keywords
space mechanisms, actuators, gears, motors, design
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