DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, today unveiled an update to its brand system including a refreshed logo, updated color palette and typeface, tagline, simplified name and updated brand voice. The new look was debuted at the EDS Leadership Summit…

The two types of ballscrew splines from NB Corp. are the SPBR and the SPBF. The SPBR type has a rotary ballscrew nut and rotary ball spline nut. The rotary ballscrew nut is an integration of ballscrew nut and angular contact bearings. The rotary ball spline nut is an integration of ball spline nut and […]

Gates just released a mobile version of Gates Design Power — a digital design tool to support the engineering of belt drive systems on customers’ mobile devices. “With the launch of Design Power Mobile, we’re demonstrating our ongoing commitment to accelerate our Chain to Belt initiative, driving the conversion of legacy drive technologies to clean, […]

Delta Line now offers an additional option to their popular GP42-S and GP56-T planetary gearboxes.  Both of these gearboxes are now available with a 3-Stage option. Planetary gearboxes have the advantage of being compact with high efficiency, low backlash and provide a high torque-to-weight ratio, especially when compared to other types of gearboxes. The Delta […]

MassRobotics and maxon announce a partnership to support the robotics innovation ecosystem through collaboration and exploration of motion control technologies around automation and manufacturing-related applications. With maxon’s extensive expertise and knowledge of electric drives, this partnership will support and advance the latest innovations and technologies in motion control with automation-focused companies in the robotics sector. […]

Doosan Robotics Americas, a global leader in industrial and collaborative robotics, has announced an exclusive partnership with Everysys, a Swiss manufacturer of professional coffee machines. The Eversys Cameo coffee machine will now be featured in DR. Presso, Doosan’s robot café module. PRESSO can prepare 15 types of hot and cold coffee, now with the same…

For the annual Design World Trends issue, dozens of industry experts shared their insights. Here is additional information from some of those experts on the design, manufacture, and distribution of consumer products. Especially since COVID, the manufacture and distribution of home appliances, consumer electronics, and have evolved with advanced automation technologies. MEET THE EXPERTS Abdullah […]

In recent years, industrial electronics suppliers have supported efforts to simplify control-cabinet setup with Actuator-Sensor or AS-Interface connections. These solutions can often replace messes of wires with clean and uncluttered cabling. Well-established in Europe, the U.S. automation industry (especially for packaging) is now adopting AS-Interface for its cost-effective high-speed performance. That’s especially true for actuators […]

Bosch Rexroth now offers a new lineup of BSCL linear guides. The new BSCL ball rails address applications requiring linear bearings in the mid-performance range, and the new structural design delivers an optimum price to performance ratio. BSCL ball rails are available in five sizes, six runner block types, three preload classes and three accuracy classes. […]

AutomationDirect has added frequency signal conditioners from ProSense.  These new signal conditioners are extremely versatile, affordable, and provide the flexibility to convert, transmit, scale, and isolate input signals from a wide variety of process sensors and controller I/O. The SCU-2200 universal analog-to-frequency converters accept milliamp, voltage, RTD, thermocouple, or potentiometer inputs and provide a scalable…

Rugged innovative gears and gearmotors along with other drive technologies rise to the challenge in demanding wood-processing applications. By Oscar Lopez • Service manager — industrial gearing | SEW Eurodrive Applications in the timber industry are varied and demanding — consisting of debarking, sawing, drilling, milling, and grinding operations. The machines used in these processes […]

ARRIS, the advanced manufacturer enabling high-performance thermoplastic composites at scale for mass-market products and industrial applications, now offers a new sustainable fiber material offering. Sustainability and innovative material development are at the core of ARRIS efforts as the team scales Additive Molding for a production capacity in the millions to meet demand. Additionally, ARRIS has…

Most businesses with warehousing functions can realize greater efficiency, safety, and productivity from autonomous mobile robotics. For those ready to make the leap but unsure where to start, following are key industry trends and considerations. By Kelly Schroder | Business Development Specialist — Americas • Conductix-Wampfler The autonomous mobile robot (AMR) market saw a massive…

ARRIS — manufacturer enabling high-performance composites at scale with new design latitudes for mass-market consumer products, transportation, and industrial applications — recently signed a contract manufacturing partner (CM) to further increase production part capacity. Additive Molding, a first-of-its-kind manufacturing, materials, and software technology developed by ARRIS, has been scaled from tens of thousands of parts in 2021…

In its wake, the COVID pandemic left lingering supply-chain issues that are still affecting manufacturing and other automated industries. Now some slowdowns at least have cleared. By Lisa Eitel | Executive editor The last few years’ supply-chain issues have featured container ships waiting weeks for cargo unloading; empty shelves at stores; year-long waits for appliances;…

Semiconductor products were more affected than any other by COVID-induced supply-chain issues felt around the world. International political tensions have only prolonged and exacerbated the problem. By Lisa Eitel | Executive editor Every modern gadget, vehicle, smart device, and appliance is peppered over with semiconductors galore — offering that singular function of processing power that…

Motion-solutions provider Bishop-Wisecarver recently awarded Luna Zarco from Pittsburg High School in California the 2022 Bishop-Wisecarver Innovation Award for her automated design submission for the agriculture industry. Maurice Straubhaar from another Bay-area school — Ygnacio Valley High School — also earned an Innovation Award for his design targeting the packaging industry. “Between Bishop-Wisecarver’s Manufacturing Day […]

In the first part of this Design World Trends series, we heard from industry experts about discrete automation’s edge devices; efforts to promote standards for increased system compatibilities and interoperabilities; and the rise of fog computing as well as industrial uses for wireless technologies such as 5G. In this follow-up piece, we detail the holistic…

Discrete automation’s edge devices include actuators, sensors, and connectivity components such as gateways and motor-mounted controllers. Many of these components feature computational capabilities to minimize data bandwidth and latency issues associated with legacy versions of centralized control. Their installation at the furthest reaches of automated equipment means their processing power is situated to filter and…

LINAK U.S. Inc., the largest subsidiary of the Danish and family-owned manufacturer, has acquired a new building in Louisville, KY, to expand operations at their North and South American headquarters. After 29 years, and multiple expansions in Louisville, LINAK, a worldwide leader in electric linear actuation solutions, is committed to adding more value for design […]

An automobile’s automatic transmission case is a very complex casting that includes a sophisticated valve body with many channels and passages. These features must be precisely connected to perform the necessary control functions. However, it’s not always possible to cast all interconnections. Some case features necessitate drilling through the casting’s outer shell (and one or…

Actom Signalling, a Southern African railway signal-equipment company, has found minimal wear in accelerated wear testing on Vesconite slides in its point machines. These machines control railway tracks and switch the tracks to which particular trains will be directed. Actom engineering projects and contracts development technician Wayne Meyer confirms the test results. Testing was executed […]

There’s an untapped automation potential for palletizing goods in production and other industries. Realizing this potential requires flexible, easy-to-use, and affordable cobot solutions that can adjust to different palletizing setups and generate rapid return on investment. To meet these demands, LINAK now offers the ELEVATE lifting column — a new product that extends the reach […]

Synchronous belt drives dominate motion control designs for positioning and other precision functions. Here we detail V belts and other belt types used in industrial, robotic, and consumer designs for both linear and rotary axes. Modern flat belts are either endless (welded or otherwise closed into a hoop by the manufacturer) or open. Common on […]

Belt drives have continued to evolve with new applications. Industrial belt drives in motion designs consist of rubber, engineered plastic, metal, or (most common) multi-material belts that wrap around drive pulleys — grooved or otherwise profiled wheels mounted on a shaft — in turn driven by electric motors. Powered by various motor types, belt drives run […]