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Design Industrial Automation Applications with the Enclosed Timing Belt Actuator

June 09, 2020 | Vivian Cheung

Easily design vertical, horizontal and overhanging robot range extenders with a single plug-and-play actuator. With our newly released enclosed timing belt actuator, your next robot cell will be easier than ever to deploy. It is mechanically compatible with 20+ cobot brands and equipped with software that’s plug & play for Universal Robots. With a fully enclosed linear bearing and sensors, this linear axis is built for dusty environments.

Two configurations of the enclosed timing belt actuator—standard and heavy duty—are available in various lengths. Keep reading to explore some of the possible applications.

Vention’s enclosed timing belt actuators are ideal for:

  • Increasing safety, with a no-pinch-point design
  • Dusty environments, with fully protected bearings and sensors
  • High-load applications, using the heavy-duty axis configuration

Components you need to design with an enclosed timing belt actuator

Vention’s new enclosed timing belt actuators are compatible with a wide variety of plug-and-play components already available on the Vention platform. From gearbox to brake, the enclosed linear axis can be configured in multiple ways.

Enclosed timing belt actuator


Technical specifications for enclosed timing belt actuators

Displacement ratio (mm/motor rotation) 208
Repeatability (mm) 0.025
Backdrive resistance Medium
Max lifting capacity (kg) 115
Available lengths (mm) 585, 855, 1530, 2295
Supported robots Universal Robots, FANUC, Yaskawa, Doosan, Epson, Franka Emika, Techman, Kinova, Aubo, Mecademic, Rethink Robotics

For a more detailed overview of the technical specifications, refer to the enclosed timing belt actuator technical document.


Applications you can build with an enclosed timing belt actuator

The enclosed timing belt actuator is robust and compact. Mount it in any direction, including horizontally, vertically, and at an angle, to accommodate many different applications.


Vertical Range Extender

Pair a Vention enclosed axis with a power-off brake and planetary gearbox to create a vertical range extender that can lift up to 115 kg. Often used for palletizing applications, vertical range extenders can easily interact with an infeed belt conveyor using Vention’s URCap for robot cell peripherals. Vertical range extenders can be configured for single or dual pallet operations.

Applications: palletizing

Social Distancing Conveyor Workstation


Full-size Range Extender

Combine a Vention enclosed linear axis with a simple base frame to create a full-size range extender with the height and length customized to your manufacturing process. Anchor your range extender to the floor right by existing manufacturing equipment for automated machine tending application.

Applications: Machine tending, pick & place, dispensing, inspection

Full-size range extender


Overhead Range Extender

Mount a Vention enclosed timing belt actuator to an overhang, and rigid extrusion frame. This configuration maximizes the robot’s reach around the entire workspace area. Add work-holding fixture(s) on the workspace for repeatable positioning of one or multiple parts to be worked on

Applications: Inspection, dispensing, surface finishing, assembly

Overhead range extender

Ready to build your next heavy-duty application? Start designing with the new enclosed timing belt actuators in MachineBuilder today.

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