Automation of discrete motion and process tasks is essential to modern manufacturing and distribution. However, automation can pose numerous dangers to nearby human personnel as well as equipment. The threats of electrocutions, burns, amputations, crushed fingers and hands, and blindness are most acute near slicing and sawing operations; spinning, reciprocating, spooling, winding, pressing, and punching…
Design Guide on Encoders
Automation of discrete motion tasks is core to modern manufacturing. Encoder technologies in these designs use optical, capacitive, inductive, or magnetic operation to track speed and position. As we’ll detail in this Design Guide, the most suitable encoder type for a given machine function depends on the required accuracy, ruggedness, and signal type — as…
Design Guide on Electrical Connections
Power and signal connectivity components include terminal blocks, relays, motor contactors, and motor starters. Use of these components endures and complements burgeoning technologies that integrate various connectivity and control functionalities into systems on a chip (SoCs), embedded single-board computers, and smart components for distributed control. In this Design Guide, the editors of Design World detail…
Design Guide on Pulleys and Belt Drives
Belts and pulleys lift loads, use mechanical advantage to apply forces, and transmit power. They also form the basis of industrial conveyors big and small. In this Design Guide, the editors of Design World review both V and synchronous belt types — including the fundamentals of their operation. Topics on sizing and selection are also…
Design Guide on Ballscrews
In this Design Guide, the editors of Design World present information on ballscrew-based linear-motion drive types. Of course, determining the most suitable rotary-to-linear screw drive for a given machine axis depends on the loads it will move, travel speeds, duty cycles, cost constraints, and the environment in which the machine will run. That’s why in…
Design Guide on Motion Stages, Tables & Gantries
There are many ways to build linear systems for motion in the X, Y, and/or Z directions — also called Cartesian coordinates. Industry terms for these systems depend on how the axes are assembled, where the load is positioned, and (to some extent) the type of use for which the system was designed. In many…
Design Guide on DC & Servo Drives
Integrating servo drives into motion systems forces engineers to make decisions that will ultimately affect the entire machine build. Specification choices include picking between analog and digital servo drives; torque-mode or linear servo operation; PCB-mount or fully enclosed standalone construction; and partially to fully distributed drive topologies. In this Design Guide, the editors of Design…