LINEAR PRECISION MOTION PLATFORM
About LEVITAN
Levitan is a research-to-business (R2B) project funded by Business Finland and executed in collaboration with LUT University and LAB University of Applied Sciences. The Levitan project is founded on the basis of smart production technologies and automation solutions which are becoming the rule in modern manufacturing processes and logistics. Modern innovative technologies such as Levitan are much needed in order to ensure production quality and operational efficiency.
The main goal of this R2B project is to create a commercialization strategy to bring efficient motion platforms to the market. Throughout the project, LAB will evaluate potential market segments and explore different commercialization opportunities while LUT carries out the technical development of the solution and validates the Levitan concept.
Problem
The 4th industrial revolution has driven companies to aggressively adapt the latest IT technologies, such as smart sensors, efficient actuators, and system-level simulation and software solutions. Manufacturing high-tech and high-quality products creates a demand for fast, efficient, reliable, clean, ecological, and safe solutions, which creates unwanted increasing production and logistics costs.
With more fully automated smart factories emerging, production cleanness and precision are required which are currently not the standard in the market. Evolving environmental and technological needs in the industrial sector will demand oil-free and clean solutions. New solutions to efficiently manage manufacturing and transportation lines are greatly needed.
Solution
LEVITAN – linear precision motion platform is a modern response for emerging applications in smart factories, MAGLEV, and beyond. Its application potential is diverse and promising, as it is a scalable solution that helps to push the boundaries of automated processes and offers the customer data to optimize and make informed decisions without compromising the whole process flow.
The motion control market relies on mechanical transmission systems, mechanical energy conversion, and the necessary mechanical components. Traditional solutions require unwanted bearings, wheels, oil, wires, transmission belts, ropes, maintenance, and replacements of worn parts. Adopting LEVITAN removes most of these limitations.
Our benefits
LEVITAN solution provides several advantages compared to existing competing solutions:
Integration of application-specific affordable sensors and software
Accurate machine models
Significant cost and size advantage over existing LLMs
Less complex and more efficient mechanism
Smaller weight, shorter waiting times
Higher reliability with a smaller footprint
Lower investment and maintenance costs
More robust structure and better dynamics at higher speeds
PoC with LUT designed sensors integrates all cost-sensitive parts on the mover
Industrial segments
LEVITAN can be applied to several industries. Our solution is scalable and offers value in different use cases. Our main segments are:
Smart factory
LEVITAN provides a magnetic levitation solution that competes with the conventional mechanical suspension approach
Mass Mobility: Elevators
LEVITAN competes against cable-based technology that has been in use since the XIX century, bringing a modern solution and state-of-the-art levitating technology
Energy storage
LEVITAN enables gravity-based energy storage design that combines suspension and movement, which helps in harvesting the energy reducing friction and electro-resistive losses
We are open for cooperation and looking for partners to start testing the PoC
LEVITAN 