Help with quick push

[twistedminds]

Ok i know the subject was vague but its hard to describe my problem. Ive included picture i did in paint shop. First lets start with the box this will be enclosed in. It cant be more than 13" long. It cant be more the 2.5" wide. And it needs to be around 1" deep. What i need to do is move part B to the point marked C, pretty quickly. It will only weigh at most 1lb. It will sometime have to move vertically. Up or down, the box will move, but the weight will be the most problem vertically for whatever is used to do this. Parts labeled A are in there as RODS to guide the part B. However if its something like a belt driven linear actuator those parts can be eliminated. Basically i need to get Part B to point C pretty quick, and then back to where it started. But i need to be able to keep B at C and then bring it back when i want to. If this is to vague, let me know what else you need to know. Im new with this stuff.

 

[Roff]

Several questions come to mind:
Is this a homework problem?
Are there restrictions on your source of power (electrical, chemical, how much, etc.)?
Can there be external apparatus?
Why are there a maximum limits on the dimensions?
How much recovery time do you have before you might want the object to return to the other end?
Is the box a physical structure? Are there constraints on the material, thickness, etc?
Surely you can define the problem better. Try to look at this from our point of view. We know nothing about this problem

 

[JimB]

Hint.

Have a look inside an inkjet or old dot matrix printer. See how the print head is held in place and how it moves.
That may give you a few ideas.
By the way, the motor moving the print head is usually a stepper motor, and will hold the head firmly in any position along the carriage.

JimB

 

[Russlk]

if B is metal, electromagnetic repulsion will move it real fast. Put a solonoid coil with iron core at the end of the box. You would need another one at the other end to push it back. You will need to limit the current to 15 amps at 110VAC in order not to pop the circuit breaker.

 

[Roff]

if B is metal, electromagnetic repulsion will move it real fast. Put a solonoid coil with iron core at the end of the box. You would need another one at the other end to push it back. You will need to limit the current to 15 amps at 110VAC in order not to pop the circuit breaker.

Do you mean use a solenoid to push the object, or to make the object the core?
A solenoid attracts iron - it does not repel it unless it is magnetized. Does a solenod repel non-ferrous metals? I don't think so - at least not significantly.

 

[Russlk]

No, I was thinking of the object B as a shorted secondary of a transformer. The induced current will cause B to be repelled. I saw a demonstration where a washer was placed on the solonoid core; when the switch was closed, the washer flew about 3 feet up.

 

[Roff]

No, I was thinking of the object B as a shorted secondary of a transformer. The induced current will cause B to be repelled. I saw a demonstration where a washer was placed on the solonoid core; when the switch was closed, the washer flew about 3 feet up.

OK, I get it.
Sounds like you would need to dump a lot of charge from a big cap to move a one pound weight. The math would be interesting. :?