Lisa Eitel

 This issue of Design World (the 2025 Casebook) details how smart motion is redefining manufacturing. For example, hydraulics retrofits recently doubled throughput in one Canadian operation. Another operation’s robotics are now scalable through advanced embedded control. Across applications, mechanical precision is meeting digital intelligence to transform decades-old equipment as well as new installations. Whether…

New innovations are helping industrial plant engineers minimize their energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions. Robert Chin • Global R&D manager | ABB IEC LV Motors In 2025, the Swiss-based Energy Efficiency Movement Association published a report called Efficiency Now. It concludes that enhancing efficiency in energy use is an essential strategy for sustainable development.…

Recent years have seen significant growth in industrial automation. Demand for high productivity and uptime means machines must be turn on more quickly and stay on for longer. Scaling operations must be faster than ever, too. All of this requires smart forms of industrial automation. Connor Doherty | Director of industrial automation • DigiKey New…

It often happens than new technologies enable new forms of automation — or makes them more practical. One new electric-motor design recognized by this year’s R&D 100 Awards could prove one such technology. Lisa Eitel | Executive editor Most electric vehicle or EV motors use permanent-magnet synchronous motors or PMSMs with the magnets on their rotors, and […]

A lot of new announcements at this year’s Pack Expo relate to the intersection of packaging and material handling. This is the overlap of material handling and packaging for moving and then storing discrete items while protecting them. Anytime the transport of discrete items are involved, there will be motion control … so no wonder…

Industrial automation-solutions provider Altech Corp. now offers high-amperage 200-A and 400-A UL 98 disconnect switches. These industrial-grade switches set new standards for sustainability, safety, and performance in high-amperage switching applications. An industry first, these high-amperage disconnect switches are made from 100% recyclable plastic materials, reflecting Altech’s commitment to environmental responsibility without compromising performance. Built for…

Industrial automation-solutions supplier Altech Corp. now offers ATEX-IECEx-approved terminal blocks. These blocks provide safety and reliability in potentially explosive atmospheres in versions with multiple connection technologies to satisfy diverse industrial applications. The ATEX-IECEx directive considers both electrical sources of explosion and potentially explosive concentrations of gas, vapor, mist and dust in the air. Altech’s ATEX-IECEx…

At Automate 2025, the Design World staff also chatted with engineers at several booths about connectivity, robotics, and material-handling topics. Innovations reflect the industry’s evolution toward more powerful actuation, modularity for reconfigurability, and integrated safety support. Read about it here … Day 1: New technologies at Automate 2025. In one of our first stops on…

Karolyn Ellingson, Head of Industrial Workforce Development, will demonstrate Festo Didactic’s learning systems at the organization’s Automate 2025 booth. “Festo Didactic offers unmatched hands-on training across a variety of automation fields,” Ellingson said. “Our learning materials and equipment are developed by automation experts to create safe, efficient, and realistic Industry 4.0 working environments, ensuring that…

Automate 2025 is here — back in Detroit from May 12 to 15, 2025. Design World has covered this show for many years … and here are some of the announcements from last week: ECM unveils ultra-compact servomotor with integrated strain-wave gearing ahead of Automate 2025 Renishaw RCS products and rugged encoders featured at Automate…

DigiKey invites attendees of Automate 2025 to visit its booth 6218 in Detroit. Visitors to DigiKey’s booth can learn about the latest automation innovations, including its vast product breadth, innovative new product introductions (NPIs), industry-leading manufacturers and value-added services, as well as view technical demonstrations and participate in prize giveaways. Show attendees can view demonstrations at…

Data drives decisions. The modern warehouse depends on the seamless data flow across various systems — from inventory tracking to AGV route optimization and supply chain visibility. This data is more than a nice to have … it gives design engineers valuable insights across the manufacturing operations — helping identify bottlenecks, prevent system shutdowns, and boost…

In the years leading up to his death in 1993, my father — a kind of eccentric mystic welder — journaled and wrote me philosophical little notes that I immensely treasure. One of his more contemplative letters concerns how much our identities are simply bits we’ve borrowed from elsewhere. So now anytime I interact with…

Recent warehouse-efficiency improvements leveraging sensors benefit manufacturers, distributors, and buyers. Kelsie McMillin • Senior technology specialist, IoT | DigiKey Supply chains have significantly transformed in the last decade with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital-transformation (DX) initiatives. Beyond tracking a package or product, the ability to monitor specific details has become…

Bishop-Wisecarver, a provider of innovative linear and rotary motion solutions, has acquired Symation, a leader in motion control system integration. This strategic acquisition aligns with Bishop-Wisecarver’s mission to deliver diversity in mechatronic solutions. The integration of Symation’s extensive capabilities into Bishop-Wisecarver’s portfolio introduces Wisecarver Automation — a new level of expertise in mechanical, electrical, controls, […]

The Lee Company has just released the tenth Edition Technical Fluid Control Handbook for Health & Science. This handbook contains detailed technical information about a wide variety of Lee products, including solenoid valves, pumps, manifolds, and other precision fluid control components used in medical and scientific instrumentation and diagnostic applications. It features more than 300 pages of…

Some high-volume production settings need to continuously move product — even when operators cross the conveyor stream. Depending on the path the conveyor needs to take through a production setting, that can be a challenge. In one such setting, the operator was conveying bottles of varying diameters, so also needed smooth products transitions and minimal…

Over the last six decades, automation and robotics have advanced how functional industrial coatings are applied and used. The results have included better precision of coating processes, lower costs, and improved product performance. By George Osterhout | Senior advisor and past president • Orion Industries Ltd. Functional coatings have been used in industrial applications since…

Nanopositioning, ultra-precision motion control and piezo technology leader Physik Instrumente (PI) has completed the construction of an additional manufacturing building at its Eschbach, Germany site. With investments of around $22M and 66,000 square feet of additional space, PI is strengthening its global development and production center and the economic development of the region. The expansion will enable…

Recently, Design World got the chance to interview Rüdiger Knevels, CEO of Rollon Group about the Rollon-Timken business and new brands that have joined the Rollon family. Though the conversation was primarily focused on the U.S. market, it also touched on Rollon’s global approach and capacity as a global brand. Rudi, what is Rollon showing…

Conveyor and automation-systems manufacturer mk North America has appointed Damon Neal as the new Regional Sales Manager for the Southwest I territory. This region encompasses Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Missouri. With more than 20 years of experience in industrial and factory automation, manufacturing process improvement, support, service, and project management, Damon Neal brings…

Design and software firm ECM has tapped executive Dan Lisowsky to head a new unit dedicated to serving leading manufacturers in the development of PCB Stator electric motors. Lisowsky will direct ECM’s Industrial OEM Products Division, which will offer engineering, software design, and client services to large electric motor equipment manufacturers. These services include electric motor development…

Pallet conveyors are hardly a new development, but the increasing speed and precision of these systems have made them the go-to conveyance option for a growing number of industries that are trying to boost throughput to keep up with demand. By Dave Giffels • Senior business development manager | Dorner Corp. Small electronics is one…

Design and software company ECM PCB Stator Tech and global engineering and manufacturing services firm East West Manufacturing have announced a strategic partnership to advance adoption of next-generation products incorporating PCB Stator electric motors. The arrangement enables ECM to leverage East West’s extensive production capabilities while allowing East West to extend the benefits of ECM’s […]

Leadscrews are essential to surgical robotics, patient-monitoring systems, diagnostic imaging devices, and rehabilitation equipment. Leadscrews are those spiral shafts that (upon application of torque) convert rotational motion into linear motion — axially advancing and receding a mating nut to deliver accurate positioning. They’re well suited to medical equipment as they come in a variety of […]