Area of expertise
Sizing of automation and drives
Fortius Data personally sizes the motors, gearboxes, drives and transmissions of every machine it designs or modifies: rated, peak and thermal torque, gearbox selection based on inertia, drive selection. For electronic cams — in particular knives synchronised with the material — we use in-house calculation tools, because those provided by drive manufacturers are simplified and not always accurate in particular applications.
- rated · peak · thermalthe three torques verified
- own toolsfor electronic cams and knives
- confirmedby real machine operation
Why sizing is the first design decision
Sizing the automation configuration decides the cost and efficiency of the machine before it is built. An oversized motor costs more and adds inertia; an undersized one hits its thermal limit after an hour of production. A gearbox chosen without considering the load-to-motor inertia ratio makes the axis unstable. That is why we always verify motors, drives and transmissions ourselves instead of accepting the component supplier’s proposal.
How we size an axis
For each axis we calculate the rated torque at steady state, the peak torque during acceleration and the equivalent thermal torque over the whole cycle; we select the gearbox according to the inertia ratio and input speed, and the drive according to peak and continuous current. The result is compared with the real machine cycle, not a typical one. In our experience, sizings performed this way have always been confirmed by actual operation.
Electronic cams and synchronised knives
The most demanding case is the knife — or applicator — that must follow moving material with an electronic-cam profile: speed varies along the revolution, accelerations are high and the allowed error is fractions of a millimetre. Drive manufacturers’ sizing tools treat these cases in a simplified way. We developed specific calculation tools for cam profiles, used from diaper applicators to cutting systems for cardboard and sheet metal.
Frequently asked questions
01Do you size for machines you did not design?
Yes, as a separate service: provide the duty cycle, masses and transmission geometry, and we return the motor, gearbox and drive selection with supporting calculations.
02What data do you need?
The duty cycle (speeds, accelerations, times), masses and inertias, transmission geometry, required accuracy and ambient conditions. If the machine exists, we prefer to measure them on site.
The technical content on this page describes interventions actually carried out by Fortius Data. Customer names appear only where authorised.