Powerful new simulation software from PI (Physik Instrumente) determines if a hexapod is suitable for a specific positioning task, in terms of workspace, load, center of mass, and operating orientation. The tool helps in making the correct choice for the application at hand. A hexapod, also known as a Stewart Platform, offers motion in 6 […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Piezo motors for liquid handling robots
Piezo motors and actuators are used in a variety of medical applications, including liquid handling robots for laboratory testing and diagnostics, drug discovery, and biotechnology. Liquid handling functions in the medical industry have traditionally been done manually by laboratory personnel. But consistency and accuracy are difficult to ensure with manual methods, since variations between technicians […]
New 20-mm linear stepper motors from Nippon Pulse
Nippon Pulse has introduced its smallest linear stepper motor yet, the PFL20 Linearstep. The PFL20 is a highly efficient, high thrust tin-can linear actuator with a 20-mm diameter and a bipolar winding. The PFL20 is RoHS-compliant, has a 30/60 mm effective stroke, and can reach 6 N of force at 200 pps. With 24 steps […]
Linear guides with more rollers feature high load capacities
NB Corporation’s EXRAIL linear guide has more rollers in less space than other linear bearings, which increases load capacity and disperses the load more evenly. It has longer rollers for greater contact surface and less contact pressure. In comparison to presently available linear guides, the EXRAIL slide guide provides smoother movement. It uses multiple small […]
Things to do this summer: Become a citizen scientist
As cities, states, and countries begin to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us will still face restrictions for some time regarding what businesses and facilities we can access and where we can travel. This “new normal” means that most of us will still spend more time at home, or nearby, […]
Motion basics: How to define roll, pitch, and yaw for linear systems
Linear guides and systems — including Cartesian robots, gantry systems, and XY tables — are typically subjected to both linear forces due to downward, upward, and side loads and rotational forces due to overhung loads. Rotational forces — also referred to as moment forces — are typically defined as roll, pitch, and yaw, based on […]
Industry first: XY stage with 800 x 800 mm open center
Intellidrives now offers open-center XY stages with travel of 600 x 600 mm and open center dimensions of 800 x 800 mm. The demand for a high accuracy, robust, open-frame stages is met with Intellidrives dual-axis, large aperture stages, which address the unique needs of scanning microscopy, wafer and printed circuit board inspection, automated assembly, […]
Industrial Ethernet basics for mechanical engineers
Ethernet networks are ubiquitous in our daily lives — allowing computers in office, school, and commercial environments to connect to the internet, share files, and access printers and other hardware connected to the network. And there’s a reason Ethernet is so popular — it’s a simple, flexible network protocol that facilitates high-speed data transmission. But despite […]
How to account for shock and vibration loads in ball screw drives
Calculations of ball screw service life and permissible static load take into account loads and forces that are predictable and quantifiable — thrust loads due to acceleration, process forces, and forces generated when holding a load in place, for example. But some applications are also susceptible to loads caused by shock and vibration — loads […]
Tolomatic expands hydraulic-class electric actuator force range to 50,000 lbf
Tolomatic’s expanded extreme-force electric actuator family now includes the RSX128 actuator, rated up to 50,000 pounds of force (222.4 kN). Ideal for replacing hydraulic cylinders and designed for 100 percent duty cycle, the RSX actuator features Tolomatic’s precision-ground planetary roller screws for long, consistent operating life in challenging environments. Applications include assembly, metal fabrication (pressing, […]
PHD Inc. now sells Series ESU-RB ballscrew linear actuators
PHD Inc. now sells a new Series ESU electric actuator — the ESU-RB. This linear actuator incorporates a ballscrew and features a robust enclosed design with a high capacity rail-bearing system. These features let the actuator deliver exceptional moment and load capability. The ESU-RB electric actuator is available in three sizes with travels lengths up […]
When do you need to consider thermal expansion in linear guide systems?
Most materials used in linear systems have a positive coefficient of linear thermal expansion — that is, when their temperature is increased, they expand in length, and when their temperature is decreased, they contract in length. One notable exception is Kevlar, the aramid from DuPont, which is sometimes used for tensile cords in toothed belts. […]
Slide ways for precise motion control
NB Slide Ways are non-recirculating linear motion bearings used primarily in optical and measurement equipment where high precision movement is required. The SV style consists of two roller cages with precision rollers in a cross arrangement and four rails with V-shaped raceways. The SVW has one rail with V-shaped grooves on both sides and two […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Linear actuators in patient lifts, beds, and tables
Moving a patient in a hospital or medical facility doesn’t always involve racing down a hallway with the patient in a wheelchair or on a gurney. Very often, a patient simply needs to be moved from a lying or sitting position to a standing position (or vice-versa). Even for patients who possess some degree of […]
Industry’s smallest slide with anti-cage creep technology
PM introduces the next generation of miniature slides: the MSR. This product has been developed according to the rising demand for smaller, compact linear slides for use in dynamic and accurate applications. The miniature slides are developed for increased output in micro-assembly machines and pick-and-place machines. The MSR miniature slide can also be used in […]
IMScompact: Guidance and measuring system requires no additional space
With its sensor system completely integrated in the ball runner block, Bosch Rexroth’s new IMScompact integrated measuring system determines the exact position with a high repetition accuracy of ±1 μm. IMScompact enhances the range of linear guides and is available in sizes 15, 20 and 25, making the measuring system for ball rail systems a […]
New flanged linear bushings available from Samick
Manufacturers are faced with the enormous challenge of minimizing risks in their manufacturing processes while at the same time lowering costs and improving product quality. Flanged linear bushings from SAMICK can meet these customer requirements. Whereas standard linear bushings must be used in combination with casings, flanged linear bushings are directly mounted onto the housing […]
Tolomatic develops open-source, low-cost ventilator actuation prototypes for COVID-19 patients
In an effort to support the global need for medical ventilators, Tolomatic has dedicated a team of engineers to the development of highly efficient emergency ventilator concept systems using electric linear actuators. Tolomatic’s solution is a new type of ventilator that operates using an electric linear actuator. These prototypes automate a non-invasive, positive-pressure resuscitator (also self-inflating […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Linear systems in automated RT-PCR testing
With near-constant updates on the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed globally, you’ve probably heard about various methods to screen for the virus that causes the disease. Although several, well-proven methods already exist to detect the virus, laboratories around the world are experimenting with new tests and methods to provide faster and even more reliable screening. […]
Linear actuators for medical ventilators and respirators available in OEM quantities
During the COVID-19 pandemic engineers and designers of medical devices are working 24/7 to design and manufacture critically needed life support and testing equipment. Moticont has a proud history of supplying precise, reliable voice coil linear actuators used in medical ventilators and respirators and will be especially quick to respond to the need for actuators […]
AutomationDirect adds linear position potentiometers and accessories
GEFRAN linear potentiometers and accessories are now available from AutomationDirect. Linear potentiometers are used to detect position a nd linear direction movement. A sliding contact moves along a linear resistive element acting as a variable resistor. The proportional change in resistance indicates the position and provides a distance measurement signal. A signal conditioner can be […]
Dual-axis pitch and roll stages precisely measure curvature and angles
The precise measurements of angles and the curvature of objects are easily determined using two new Pitch and Roll stages from OES (Optimal Engineering Systems, Inc.) The PR100-45-01 is driven by stepper motors and the PR100-45-02 is driven by brushless servo motors with quadrature incremental optical encoders. The pitch axis (lower stage) is a high-precision […]
Out with the oil, in with the screw
A new generation of electromechanical actuators is replacing hydraulic cylinders in demanding applications. Increasingly, that choice is being driven as much by cost advantages as by performance. Tarek Bugaighis Ewellix Traditionally, when engineers wanted to produce large forces or move heavy loads their first choice would be hydraulic actuation. Today, however, hydraulic systems have a […]
Linear motion in medical: Lead screw driven syringe pumps
When we think of syringes, we typically think about the single-use type that doctors and nurses use to administer vaccines or individual doses of medication. But some conditions necessitate frequent or constant doses of critical medication, making it undesirable or even unfeasible to administer via single-use syringes. And in other cases, medications that would normally […]
High load capacity actuator from NB Corporation
This compact single axis actuator from NB Corporation features a unique “U” shaped integrated slide guide and ball screw. The BG actuator’s highly rigid structure may be one-end supported. The 4 ball circuits contained in its slide block deliver high load capacity, accuracy and rigidity. The product catalog supplies all dimensions, drawings and ratings necessary […]