Design and Testing of a Magnetically Levitated Conveyor

In this paper, a conveyor device aimed at moving objects placed on a translating chain is studied. Losses, friction, and noise reduction are the main objectives, which are obtained by magnetically levitating the chain with the aid of a system of permanent magnets placed on the chain and on the beam. A stable vertical levitation was obtained, while the horizontal instability was managed reducing the allowed gap between the chain and the beam. A customized three-phase drive unit was also realized in order to reduce the size and the inertia of the conveyor. A prototype was built and tested in order to verify the outcomes of the design.