Helical Products, a precision metal components company of MW Industries, announced its appointment of HC Pacific as its master distribution partner for its standard HELI-CAL Flexure flexible coupling product line. Under the new partnership, HC Pacific will provide this state-of-the-art coupling solution to the domestic marketplace. This agreement, effective October 1, 2017, will expand HC […]
Remote connectivity among features of Mitsubishi Electric’s newest widescreen HMI
The latest human machine interface (HMI) from Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. is the GT25 Wide HMI, an interface that monitors and controls machine components with a graphical touchscreen that connects to equipment such as PLCs, VFDs and servos. Information is displayed on high-resolution screens – 7-in. wide video graphics array (WVGA) or 10-in. wide extended […]
AMK Spindasyn SEZ linear drive motor
The new Spindasyn SEZ electric cylinder from AMK Automation is a ready-to-install linear drive motor system in which the rotor is pressed directly onto the screw. Featuring high and constant force, high precision and position accuracy and high energy efficiency, the closed-loop positioning and force control of the SEZ make it an ideal alternative to other […]
Hybrid linear stepper motors: Operation and applications
Like servo motors, stepper motors are available in both rotary and linear designs. When an application requires force (rather than torque) output and can operate in open loop control, a linear stepper motor is often the preferred solution. Although linear stepper motors are available in both variable reluctance and hybrid designs, the more common version is […]
Pack Expo 2017 show daily: What we’re seeing in Vegas
Day One at this year’s Pack Expo has us running hard to get the big picture of the major trends in the industry — as well a thorough survey of new technologies making a splash or even overlooked here. Below is a summary of what’s hot. By the way, we just got news of another […]
Weintek adds touchscreen Windows PCs to remote access platform
Weintek USA Inc., the industrial HMI solution provider expands the capability of the cMT Remote Access line of Human Machine Interface devices with the addition of the cMT-iPC10 and cMT-iPC15 industrial touch screen flat panel PC’s with embedded Windows OS. In todays manufacturing environment of continuous improvement, the analysis of production or process data is an ongoing effort. […]
Schneider Electric IIoT-enabled smart machine setups at Pack Expo 2017
Schneider Electric is now showing its smart-machine setups for packaging at Pack Expo 2017 (America’s largest packaging trade show) this week in Las Vegas. Schneider Electric’s smart machine setups are built on its Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled open and interoperable EcoStruxure system architecture and platform that (according to the manufacturer) delivers innovation from connected products […]
Schneider Electric Modicon M251 PLC for safety, flexibility, and efficiency
Schneider Electric is currently showing its smart machine setups for packaging at Pack Expo 2017 in Las Vegas. Schneider Electric’s smart machine setups are built on its Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled open and interoperable EcoStruxure system architecture and platform that deliver Innovation At Every Level, from connected products via edge control to applications, analytics and […]
Schneider Electric’s PacDrive 3: Smart machine drive for safe and flexible machines
Schneider Electric, global specialist in energy management and automation, is showcasing its smart machine setups for packaging at Pack Expo 2017. Schneider Electric’s smart machine setups are built on its IIoT-enabled open and interoperable EcoStruxure system architecture and platform, which delivers “Innovation At Every Level” as the manufacturer touts — from connected products to edge […]
Compact Automation to showcase packaging industry setups at PACK EXPO Las Vegas
ITT Inc. and its Compact Automation brand will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of custom high-quality motion control setups for the packaging industry at the 2017 PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Sept. 25-27. The company will highlight these technologies at Booth S-7456. Engineered for the most demanding packaging and automation applications, Compact’s products are powerful, repairable and configurable, […]
For hybrid servomotors, does pole count matter?
For a given rotor diameter, the number of magnetic poles on the rotor directly affects the torque available, the top speed available, and the power needed to hold a load. Higher pole counts lead to higher torque, lower top speed, and a higher motor quality factor, which is defined as Kq = T / √ […]
New AC-powered STR stepper drives from Applied Motion Products
Applied Motion Products, Inc. now sells an expanded line of STR Stepper Drives with the release of new drives for use in AC powered applications. STR stepper drives are designed for smooth motion and high torque over a wide speed range, bringing high performance motion control to basic step and direction applications. Two new AC […]
Hybrid servos vs. standard servos: How do they stack up?
A new type of integrated hybrid servo motor is finding use in direct-drive applications where it offers lower cost, smaller size, and higher efficiency than conventional servo motors. Donald Labriola P.E. QuickSilver Controls, Inc. No single motor type has advantages in every application. Direct-drive applications favor so-called hybrid servos while high-speed geared-down applications tend to […]
Industrial Pack launches in Atlanta in April 2018
Industrial Pack — North America’s dedicated event for the industrial, transit and protective packaging industry — will be launched at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta Georgia on April 4-5, 2018. The event was created in response to industrial packaging engineers, technicians and purchasers wanting an exhibition dedicated purely to industrial, transit and protective packaging […]
Nippon Pulse PPCIe8443 controller board with PCI-Express bus interface
Nippon Pulse now sells its newest available controller board, the PPCIe8443. An upgrade from Nippon Pulse’s previous PPCI7443 controller board, the new “PCI Express” board uses an updated PCI-express bus interface that can control up to 4 axes of coordinated motion. PPCIe8443 comes equipped with Nippon Pulse’s PCL6046 large-scale integration chip, and can generate high-speed […]
Lenze’s new c250-S safety controller: System safety at the control level
Lenze, a global leader and manufacturer of electrical and mechanical drives, motion control and automation technologies, is pleased to announce the launch of the c250-S, a safety controller that enables engineers to program all of the machine’s safety needs using just one engineering tool based on the PLCopen standard. Integrating the c250-S into an automation […]
UniStream 5-in. compact and connected PLC+HMI+I/Os from Unitronics
Unitronics’ newly-released 5-in. UniStream is a multifunction programmable logic controller in a compact hardware profile to include a PLC+HMI+I/O built in a single unit. The all-in-one compact PLC+HMI with built-in I/Os fills a niche in the programmable controller market — serving OEMs and system integrators who need space-saving controllers delivering the functionality to control complex […]
Why is resonant frequency important in piezo applications?
Resonance occurs when the resonant frequency (also referred to as the natural frequency) of an object or system is equal or very close to the frequency at which it is being excited. This causes the object or system to vibrate strongly and can result in unexpected – and sometimes catastrophic – behavior. When one oscillating object or system (a […]
IIoT-enabling platforms for smart machine automation from Delta Group
Delta Group now offers three new platforms — the DIACloud platform, the EtherCAT machine control network platform, and the EtherNet/IP information connectivity network platform — to support the growing IIoT and Industry 4.0 initiatives of machine builders within the packaging industry. Demonstrations of the new platforms integrated with Delta’s wide lineup of industrial automation technologies and products […]
Weintek enhances HMI line with 15-in. wide screen
HMI provider, Weintek USA Inc. has enhanced the revolutionary remote access cMT line with the cMT3151 HMI containing not only the cMT built-in server providing universal remote access but also a 15-in. (1024 x 768) High Definition touch screen display with video capabilities that can support the most complex control systems. With all the features of a traditional […]
Application: AMTI MOBIUS treadmills blend innovation and performance
MOBIUS is AMTI’s new line of high-quality performance treadmills. It comes in two models — one fixed-tilt and one inclinable, capable of a 25% gradient. Both models have two independent, 8800N-capacity force platforms, and a newly-designed frame engineered to reach the highest possible natural frequency. The result: MOBIUS treadmills are capable of the most accurate […]
HMI5071L 7-in. HMIs offer lowest price ($550) and UL certification
Maple Systems HMI5071L HMIs offer a slim design, one Ethernet port, and are UL certified. The HMIs are programmed with easy-to-use EZwarePlus and users can program them to display in either landscape or portrait mode. The new 7-in. HMI5071L HMIs excel where OEMs need UL certification but also needs to keep overall design cost down. […]
Rexnord Corp. to build new aerospace facility in Downers Grove
The Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation (DGEDC) announced today that Rexnord Corp. will build a new manufacturing facility and Aerospace Headquarters in Downers Grove. Rexnord plans to redevelop its existing site at 2400 Curtiss in the Ellsworth Business Park. Downers Grove was selected for the project following a national search. “We are investing in a […]
HMI has WiFi connectivity for IIoT functionality — and security
WiFi is indispensable in today’s industrial controls marketplace — so control devices have evolved to include WiFi connectivity. One catch: Industrial control networks must function in realtime and be available, responsive, and secure — design objectives that often conflict with pressures to reduce costs while boosting connectivity and remote access. As a solution, Maple Systems HMI5103L […]
What is PC control for motion?
Motion controller architectures can be one of several types. Among the most common are stand-alone controllers and PC-based control. PC control for motion typically takes the form of so-called industrial PCs. These feature processors just like a typical PC but a lot of the other components are ruggedized and designed for operation in an industrial […]