Maglev Conveying Systems: Flexible Production Lines with Movers Instead of Conveyor Belts
MagiFloater® replaces conventional conveyor belts and indexing tables with a modular combination of stators and movers. Movers levitate above the stator surface and are driven directly by electromagnetic force, with no mechanical transmission or contact wear, and no dust or lubricant contamination, making it suitable for cleanrooms and biomedical processes.
The difference from typical linear motor conveying systems lies in degrees of freedom: movers can perform 6D motion, translating along the X, Y and Z axes and rotating about all three, with ±0.02mm positioning accuracy. Small displacements, tilting and rotation can be completed during conveying itself, merging motions that previously required additional mechanisms into the conveying process. Each mover also acts as a 6-axis force sensor and can feed back the forces acting on it.
Stators are standard modules that can be freely combined into the required line layout. Stators are interconnected via Ethernet and support multiple industrial communication protocols, connecting directly to host computers, robots or other motion control mechanisms. Applications include clean production and filling/packaging in biopharmaceuticals, mixed-model production and labeling inspection in cosmetics and food, flexible conveying and precision assembly in 3C and lithium batteries, and precision displacement and vacuum handling in semiconductors and optics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a maglev conveyor system differ from a conventional conveyor belt or linear motor?
A conventional conveyor belt can only convey in one direction at a constant speed, and stopping at stations, indexing or turning all require additional mechanisms. Typical linear motor conveyor systems can control each carrier independently, but motion is still limited to the track direction. The MagiFloater® mover levitates over a planar stator and can perform 6D motion, translation along the X, Y and Z axes and rotation about three axes, with position accuracy of ±0.02mm, completing small displacements, tilting and turning directly while conveying and merging motions that previously required additional mechanisms into the conveying itself. In addition, there is no mechanical transmission or contact wear, and no dust or lubricant contamination.
How much payload can one maglev mover carry, and what is the levitation height?
The mover measures 104×104mm, with a maximum payload of 600g, levitation height of 0.5~5mm, maximum no-load acceleration of 1.5G, rotation angle of ±15° and tilt angle of ±2°. The stator measures 262×262mm, is liquid-cooled with an input voltage of DC24V ±10%, and is a standard module that can be freely tiled into the required line layout. The usable payload in practice is affected by acceleration and motion profile, so when planning we recommend providing the workpiece weight and cycle time requirements for evaluation.
Which industries is a maglev conveyor suited for?
Current applications focus on settings that require cleanliness, flexible changeovers or precision positioning: clean production, pipetting/sampling and filling/packaging in biopharmaceuticals; mixed-model production, filling/packaging and labeling/inspection in cosmetics and food; flexible conveying, precision assembly, dispensing and inspection in 3C electronics and lithium batteries; and precision motion, precision inspection and vacuum handling in semiconductors and optics. Because each mover also acts as a six-axis force sensor that can report the forces acting on it, it is also suitable for assembly and test stations that need force feedback.