Soon, you could see a new station called a Riveer TourSpin Club Washer cleaning dirty irons and hybrids at a golf course or country club near you — with the help of linear-motion actuators inside.
The TourSpin Club Washer works for self-service, semi-assisted, or full-service operation. It washes a full set of irons and hybrids in less than 60 seconds. Image courtesy of Riveer Co.
Golf games tend to improve when players use well-maintained equipment. In contrast, dirty equipment can degrade games — not to mention golf courses with the introduction of invasive species. 
Now, the TourSpin Club Washer made by Riveer Co. lets players clean an entire set of golf balls, clubs, and shoes in less than a minute.
Inside the TourSpin Club Washer, spinning Venturi nozzles (mounted on linear-motion actuators) blast the clubs with high-pressure water … which safely removes dirt from all the clubs’ grooves and soles. This is better than towels that can’t clean grooves and wire brushes that scratch.
The machine uses SIMO Series linear actuators from PBC Linear to move the Venturi nozzles back and forth over all the loaded clubs. The actuators can handle the repetitive washdowns inside the station — as well as the grass, dirt, and sand that splatters off the clubs inside during cleaning.
SIMO Series linear actuators move nozzles back and forth over clubs. Image courtesy of Riveer Co.
They also withstand both indoor and outdoor environments. Plus the actuators output high speed and quick direction changes — and more than 50 in. of travel. The designers at Riveer picked the actuators for these design features as well as the SIMO line’s wide array of bearing and drive types.
The SIMO Series in the Club Washer is part of the machine’s core. It uses a cam roller carriage as well as stainless-steel raceways and V rollers. Stainless extends life in the washdown environment, while V rollers help push contaminants off the raceway. A system cover helps protect the actuator from large or avoidable contaminant buildup.
Featured at the recent 2016 PGA Merchandise Show, the TourSpin Club Washer supplies a new revenue stream for golf courses and improves the golfing experience for players.
More about the Club Washer’s linear-motion actuators
The SIMO Series Linear Motion Platform is an affordable and flexible line of actuators to help design engineers meet multiple application demands with one actuator line. The flexibility of the series comes from consistent geometry for interchangeability.
SIMO Series options include myriad rail heights, bearing tribologies (including self-lubricating FrelonGOLD plain bearings, V-wheel roller bearings for high speed, and profile rail linear guideways with recirculating ball bearings for rigidity).
There are also three drive options — lead screw, belt drive, or ball screw. Being able to mix and match subcomponents within a given design envelope lets engineers test multiple configurations to meet design objectives for accuracy, environment, load, speed, and life.
At the core of the SIMO Series Linear Motion Platform is a SIMO qualified linear rail — rail that has tolerances with sixfold less bow, two times less twist, and twice the flatness of that from other options.
Learn how SIMO Series actuators can improve other applications and click here. Here’s a video of the TourSpin Club Washer in action:
The TourSpin Club Washer uses SIMO Series linear actuators. Shown here are a few variations based on many options in the SIMO Series.
Filed Under: Linear Motion Tips
