Concepts such as “Industry 4.0”, “Internet of Things” and “Smart Factory” are no longer a vague promise. Companies are already benefitting from the use of intelligent systems and products. At EMO 2019, one of the world’s leading trade fairs scheduled for Sept. 16-21 in Hannover, Germany, igus will demonstrate how machine tool manufacturers and customers…
Conic Systems offers zero backlash harmonic gearing to replace planetary gear drives
Conic Systems has developed the new Lifetime (LT) Series, precision, zero backlash harmonic gearboxes designed for high performance direct replacement of traditional high ratio planetary gearheads. The LT Series is available in metric sizes and NEMA 17, 23, 34 and 42 frames. The LT Series is unique in that its zero backlash characteristic is maintained…
Motion control and motor market sees slight decline in Q1 2019 versus Q1 2018
The global motion control and motor market saw a 0.2% decline in shipments in the first quarter of 2019 versus the same period last year, down to $952.3 million. However, according to the Motion Control & Motor Association, part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), shipments were up 0.6% ($6 million) compared to the […]
Motion control market dips slightly in Q1 2019
The global motion control and motor market saw a 0.2% decline in shipments in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, down to $952.3 million. However, according to the Motion Control & Motor Association, part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), shipments were up 0.6% ($6 million) compared to…
Engineered fluid and motion control tech highlighted by ITT brands at Paris Air Show
ITT Inc.’s. Enidine and Aerospace Control brands are showcasing their diverse portfolio of aviation solutions at the 2019 International Paris Air Show, June 17-23, at the Exhibition Center of Le Bourget near Paris, France. ITT Enidine and Aerospace Controls offer the highest quality engineered products for both commercial aviation and critical aerospace applications. ITT’s diversified…
Manipulating Electron Spin Using Artificial Molecular Motors
In spintronics, the use of organic materials as a “spin transport material” has recently garnered significant attention as they exhibit long spin-relaxation times and long spin-diffusion lengths owing to the weak spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of light elements. Meanwhile, the weak SOI of organic materials become a drawback when they are used as a “spin filter”.…
Pistons Are Muscling Up
Since their invention in the late 1700s when French-born British physicist Denis Papin, the inventor of the pressure cooker, proposed the piston principle, pistons have been used to harness the power of fluids to perform work in numerous machines and devices. Conventional pistons are made of a rigid chamber and a piston inside, which can…
Festo displays innovations ranging from robots to adaptive grippers at Robotics Summit DeviceTalks Boston
If you’re attending the Robotics Summit/DeviceTalks Boston 2019, look for Festo solutions that reduce engineering effort for state-of-the-art robotic systems — including laboratory automation. Festo will also show a hands-on bionic learning kit at Booth #216 for middle and high school students. Topping off its display, Festo will fly its Bionic Learning Network flying insects…
Three trends changing motion control
By Megan Ray Nichols • STEM Writer | schooledbyscience.com Motion control is a vital part of equipment operation — and it plays a direct role in automation. Industrial users of assembly and material handling equipment have ever-longer lists of demands, ranging from application-specific equipment designs to smaller and lighter components. Below are three trends in […]
Kollmorgen to present advanced motion control for commercial robots at Robotics Summit & Expo
Tom Wood, a frameless motor product specialist at Kollmorgen, will be participating in a panel about motion control and robotics opportunities at the Robotics Summit & Expo. Kollmorgen will also be conducting demos of its motors.
Piezo actuators: Mini PowerHap actuators for haptic feedback
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) has extended its portfolio of PowerHap™ piezo actuators for haptic feedback with the new miniature rectangular 0904H014V060 and 1204H018V060 actuators. They have dimensions of only 9 x 3.75 x 1.4 mm and 12 x 4 x 1.8 mm, respectively. At the maximum operating voltage of 60 V, the new actuators can accelerate…
ADVANCED Motion Controls debuts FlexPro digital servo drives
The FE060-25-EM is the first servo drive of the new FlexPro digital drive family from ADVANCED Motion Controls (AMC). Designed with compact form and power density in mind, the micro-sized FE060-25-EM can outperform larger-sized digital servo drives and still be integrated into tight spaces. At just 1.5 x 1 x 0.6 in. (38 x 25…
More use of linear motors (+ complementary drives + linear bearings)
Sponsored content by William Fang • Engineer | Chieftek Precision USA Chieftek Precision USA sees six trends in automation that are changing which kinds of motion components get used in new installations. Leading technologies include linear stages, linear encoders, servo drives in flexible formats, linear slides, direct-drive rotary tables, and linear motors. Pre-integrated linear stages…
High-Speed Experiments Improve Hypersonic Flight Predictions
When traveling at five times the speed of sound or faster, the tiniest bit of turbulence is more than a bump in the road, said the Sandia National Laboratories aerospace engineer who for the first time characterized the vibrational effect of the pressure field beneath one of these tiny hypersonic turbulent spots. “The problem is…
EtherCAT compatible piezo motion controller for nano-scale automation and precision positioning
PI (Physik Instrumente) now offers a new EtherCat compatible version of its E-727 digital piezo controller family. The piezo controller can be easily integrated into complex automation environment systems and operated as an “intelligent driver” for two- or three-axis piezo-based nanopositioning systems. PI also offers ACS based EtherCat motion controllers for long travel precision positioning […]
‘Walk on Water’ with This Segway-Like Electric Craft
Japanese company Yanmar has posed a new idea that involves a Segway-like device riding on water. Called the Wheeebo, the floating disc is due to be released next year at a price that’s still unknown. In order to control the device, individuals riding the Wheeebo simply shift their body weight in the direction they want…
Motion control trends to learn about at Robotics Summit & Expo 2019
Motion control is among the enabling technologies for commercial robotics to be discussed at the 2019 Robotics Summit & Expo. Attendees can learn from sessions and workshops, meet component vendors, and learn now new developments can help them.
Motion Controllers and Positioners Increase Throughput in Laser Material Processing Applications
Lasers are being used in cutting, drilling, welding, marking, or structuring applications in many industrial sectors to optimize manufacturing processes and satisfy the need for an increasing the quality of components (Figure 1). This is especially true for the electronics and semiconductor industry, where requirements on accuracy and speed are higher than in most other…
Team Develops Robotic Machine Vision Solution for Shiny Objects
Southwest Research Institute and ROS-Industrial developed a solution that enables industrial robots to scan and manipulate metallic objects that had previously been too “shiny” for machine vision to process. The project integrates intelligent part reconstruction using the second generation of the Robot Operating System (ROS2) framework to improve 3-D image perception when robots autonomously sand…
Automate 2019 April 8 through 11: See Elmo Motion Control + future of motion control
Elmo Motion Control a leading provider of motion control technology, will be showcasing its latest innovation during the 2019 Automate tradeshow from April 8-11, 2019 in Chicago … booth #7729. Amongst Elmo’s state-of-the-art products, visitors will find the award-winning Double Gold Twitter servo drive, the Platinum Maestro multi-axis motion controller, and for the first time […]
Trinamic now sells TMC5160 SilentStepStick (for up to 256 microsteps per full step)
TRINAMIC Motion GmbH & Co. KG now sells a TMC5160 SilentStepStick. Outpowering all other StepSticks on the market, this tiny breakout board with the TMC5160 can drive motors up to 3A phase current at 35V. The TMC5160 SilentStepStick not only extends the product family by a more powerful solution, it’s also more advanced than the…
Energid to demonstrate Actin 5 SDK for robotic motion control at Automate
CHICAGO — At the Automate 2019 Show and Conference here next week, Energid Technologies Corp. plans to highlight extensive enhancements to its Actin 5 software development kit for real-time, adaptive motion control. In addition, the Cambridge, Mass.-based company, which is owned by Teradyne, will conduct demonstrations in Booth 8925. Meanwhile, Energid CEO Neil Tardella shares motion planning…
Record growth for global motion control and motors market recorded in 2018
The global motion control and motor market experienced record growth in 2018, with $3.827 billion in shipments, up 8% over 2017. According to the Motion Control & Motor Association, part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), shipments were up 3% in the last quarter of the year, at $946 million, contributing to the overall […]
Industrial motion control cables for a data-driven world
As automated machinery continues to change through the use of IoT-enabled technologies, with updated standards and the need for faster speeds and production, more pressure is put upon the cables that are used to control, power and carry these critical signals. Recently, Horst Messerer, data, network, and bus technology sales manager at Helukabel shared his […]
More EPOS4 motion controllers now available from maxon
The EPOS4 product family is now complete, announced maxon precision motors Inc. this week. With the EPOS4 series, maxon said it is offering a reliable and extremely versatile platform of high-performance motion controllers. It addresses the needs of system integrators and fulfills the requirements of a variety of applications, such as industrial automation, apparatus engineering, and…