Before you specify a rotary ball spline, ask the question, “Should the rotary spline nut be riding on angular contact ball bearings or crossed roller bearings?” After ascertaining your application’s requirements – stroke length; velocity; applied load; mounting space; duty cycle; required life; dimensions; installation direction; environment and accuracy – you’re ready to factor in…

As the impact of climate change and land use continue to harm aquatic environments, it is becoming increasingly important to measure and monitor changes in water quality. When Dublin City University (DCU) Water Institute was developing its new mobile lab technology to help predict future changes in water quality, it turned to precision drive and…

Product Announcement: New groov RIO EMU (energy monitoring unit) Introducing the latest offering in the groov RIO product line: groov RIO EMU (energy monitoring unit), GRV-R7-I1VAPM-3. Edge I/O for Power The groov RIO series brings you a new kind of I/O product—edge I/O. It doesn’t require a PLC, PAC, or IPC to communicate data to other systems. Instead, this intelligent, distributed…

The Turkish megacity of Bursa has clean drinking water. There, Festo has completely modernized the Dobruca water treatment plant, from the operating and control level right up to the process valves in the field. It was possible to create an automation system from a single source, thanks to the perfectly matched components from Festo. This…

IIoT solutions bring machine data to life to streamline and secure performance If you’re a machine builder trying to differentiate your company from the competition, you may be considering investing in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. Today, there are numerous cloud-based manufacturing technologies that can dramatically improve production efficiency, reduce downtime, and streamline maintenance.…

Equipment and machinery OEMs worldwide are continually challenged to design cost-effective drivetrains that fit in ever-shrinking spaces. In the case of marine propulsion designers, reducing overall system weight is also a critically important consideration. Sourcing individual drivetrain couplings and clutches can be time consuming as marine engineers hold interface clarification meetings with elastic coupling and…

In cement, mining, fertilizer and industrial aggregate applications, chain bucket elevators are used to transport bulk materials vertically. Demanding environments like these often challenge system reliability and require unique, innovative chain solutions. Balancing adequate strength with features that effectively defend against corrosion and abrasion can often be a challenge but is certainly feasible and should…

Machine builders in any industrial application can now use Emerson’s PACSystems RXi HMI, a next-generation machine visualization solution designed to help set their systems apart for customers. The new system easily helps users overcome the limitations of lower budgets, fewer people, and higher productivity demands. This highly intuitive human-machine interface (HMI) addresses the needs of…

STEM, diversity, and today’s manufacturer At the recent Danfoss Distributor Meeting in Orlando, I caught up with Eric Alström, the company’s President. The company is a year removed from the purchase of Eaton’s hydraulic business, and I asked him about some current issues facing manufacturers. One area discussed at the meeting was the importance of…

UBITO, a member of the FRABA family of technology companies, has announced a development of Wiegand technology as an energy source for smart sensors.  After more than two years of effort at FRABA’s R&D center in Aachen (Germany), a research team has demonstrated a prototype of a wireless sensor powered by Wiegand technology that could […]