Setting Up The Pneumatic Counterbalance; Figure 2-7: Counterbalance Pressure Vs. External Payload - Aerotech ABL1500Z Hardware Manual

Mechanical Specifications and Installation

2.5. Setting Up the Pneumatic Counterbalance

W A R N I N G : Failure to adjust the counterbalance per the following instructions could result in
bodily injury as well as stage and payload damage.
W A R N I N G : Sudden loss of pressure to the pneumatic counterbalance will cause the
carriage to drop rapidly. This could result in bodily injury as well as stage and payload damage.
By default, the ABL1500Z pneumatic counterbalances are factory set to operate in the as-shipped condition.
For stages that ship without a payload, the counterbalance is set for the mass of the carriage only. For
stages that ship with payloads or other axes attached, the counterbalance is set for the mass of the carriage
plus the additional mass. If there is an adjustment to the mass that is carried by the counterbalance
cylinders, either adding or subtracting payload, there also needs to be an adjustment to the counterbalance
pressure supplied to the pneumatic cylinders.
Standard ABL1500Z stages have two counterbalance cylinders with a combined piston area of 3.79x10
2
m . The moving mass of a standard ABL1500Z carriage assembly is 5.9 kg (13.1 lb). An estimate of the
counterbalance pressure required to support additional load is given by the following:
where
Pc = Required counterbalance pressure in MPa (maximum 0.6 MPa allowed)
mp = mass of external payload in kg.
This relationship is shown graphically in
Figure 2-7:
24
Pc = ((mp + 5.9) * 9.81) / (3.79x10
Figure 2-7.
Counterbalance Pressure vs. External Payload
Chapter 2
ABL1500Z Hardware Manual
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) / 1x10 {MPa}
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