As we ring in the new year, the Design World staff would like to present our most-read articles of 2022. 1. Best free analog circuit simulators Blogs and online forums catering to engineers often mention all kinds of free packages and services aimed at circuit designers. Trouble is, a lot of these free resources are…

JW Winco has expanded its guide roller offering to include the standard part GN 753.1. With its entirely new design, these guide rollers have a special deep groove ball bearing of hardened roller-bearing steel. They are available in six sizes, from 0.866 to 1.969 in. (22 to 50 mm) in outer diameter. The bearing features…

LM76 has introduced the SPEED DEMON EL300 rail/roller bearing wheel system, their latest edition to the SPEED DEMON linear bearing family.  Featuring travel lengths of 400 mm to 3000 mm, the wide 90 mm base and 49 mm centerline to centerline of the parallel rails of the base and 100 mm centerline to centerline spacing…

If precise, quiet and dynamic linear movements are required, linear guide rail systems are indispensable. For special applications, JW Winco has now produced its modular system in stainless steel. Even if they might appear so at first glance, not all linear guide rail systems are the same. The differences reveal themselves upon a closer look…

The new LWLF2 features the same ultra-small 2.5-millimeter height dimension as its predecessor, the LWL1. It is also designed with tapped rails for bottom mounting and stability. As part of IKO’s LWL family of miniature rolling motion guides, the LWLF2 guide is structured with two rows of balls that make contact with the raceway at…

igus, a manufacturer of engineered motion plastics, has introduced a maintenance-free toothed belt axis specifically designed to improve sanitation in food manufacturing systems. The new drylin ZLW toothed belt axis is based on hygienic design principles and uses FDA-compliant materials. Cleaning complex machines and systems in food production leads to longer and therefore expensive downtime.…

Expanding its LWL family of miniature guides, IKO introduces its LWLF2 linear motion rolling guide, which addresses the demand for device miniaturization with a compact, lightweight design that makes mounting easy in tight spaces. The new LWLF2 features the same ultra-small 2.5-mm height dimension as its predecessor, the LWL1. It is also designed with tapped…

Rollon has upgraded its Telerace family of linear rails to help designers simplify projects and enhance the efficiency of automated systems. Two Telerace families of cold-drawn steel rails now feature induction hardened and ground raceways along with double-row ball bearings for greater load handling capability, longer life, and reduced maintenance requirements. The newly enhanced rail…

Five years ago, when Bend-Tech, a Wisconsin company specializing in CNC tube and pipe cutting machines, tubing, and pipe bending systems, noticed a spike in field-service calls, they quickly sought out the root of the issue. It turned out that the growing popularity of off-roading and other outdoor motorsports had boosted demand for metal tubing…

By Alex Marques, Associate Product Manager Griffith Textile Machine Ltd is a manufacturer of luxury carpets. The company uses its in-house machinery to produce over 250,000 square meters of carpet per year for hotels, museums, golf courses, restaurants, and public houses. Built for high duty cycles in a dusty operating environment, the company’s Griffith Projectile…

Applications for custom linear track can range from use in precision manufacturing cells such as wafer manufacturing or clinical lab testing to end products such as operating beds, tables and stages for MRI and CT scanners. Linear systems are ideal for any application that relies on precision alignment and positioning like diagnostic sample transport, food…

THK is celebrating 50 years of business, having introduced innovations in high-quality, precision motion components for the past five decades. In 1971, THK was established in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, under its first name, Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. In 1972, THK became the first company in the world to develop a method of linear motion with rolling…

In this article, we outline how to choose a linear guide for your application and environment. By Lindsey Brimage and Eric Schultz | Thomson Industries Ian Miller | Motion Industries Canada Designers of linear motion systems often find themselves weighing the pros and cons of round versus profile (also known as square) linear guides. Many […]

A camera-supported alignment and measuring system ensures precise, fast measurement of straightness and flatness in mechanical engineering. Straightness and alignment are essential for trouble-free plant operation, especially with large machine components and rail constructions. Even small discrepancies can lead to increased signs of wear and paralyze a complete system. A precise alignment or measurement of…

Sponsored content  | Chieftek Precision USA   Chieftek Precision USA supplies linear guides, direct-drive rotary tables, linear stages and motors, linear encoders, and servo drives to the industrial automation, machine tool, medical device, and laboratory industries. The original focus of the manufacturer was on the design and manufacture of miniature linear guides. Today these precision…

If you’re attending the Robotics Summit/DeviceTalks Boston 2019, look for Festo solutions that reduce engineering effort for state-of-the-art robotic systems — including laboratory automation. Festo will also show a hands-on bionic learning kit at Booth #216 for middle and high school students. Topping off its display, Festo will fly its Bionic Learning Network flying insects…

Rapid prototyping is often thought to be about building plastic parts for use inside your system, or perhaps as an enclosure or mounting component. But there are other ways to use rapid prototyping to advance your design engineering capabilities — in this case, linear motion design. We don’t have to cover the many benefits of…

Power transmission components — the mainstays of motion Motion designs continually evolve but will always rely on mechanical devices … particularly where the drive of an electric motor engages a load to execute machine tasks. In fact, as the technical features in this 2019 Power Transmission Reference Guide explain, applications for mechanical motion components continue…

By Sheila Campbell, Product Marketing Manager Machine designers often search out cylinder solutions that provide consistent and reliable performance, yet are simple to mount, operate and maintain. PA Series actuators are ideal for everyday pneumatic linear motion applications where versatility and modularity are valued. The PA Series is new to Bimba’s extensive NFPA product line…

ITT Inc. and its Bornemann, Compact Automation and Enidine brands are showcasing a wide portfolio of packaging industry solutions at the 2018 PACK EXPO International, this week through Wednesday, in Chicago. ITT’s highly engineered energy absorption, vibration isolation, motion control and processing solutions are designed to provide reliability and extended service life for the most…

Southco, Inc., a global leader in engineered access solutions has expanded its line of electronic access control solutions with a compact electronic slide bolt that simplifies the upgrade from mechanical to electromechanical latching. The lightweight EM-05 5 Series Electronic Slide Bolt is suitable for light load applications where space is limited, and the efficient gear…

Helix Linear Technologies launched an online product catalog of 3D CAD models for their popular configurable products, including lead screw technologies and PRA actuators. Built by CADENAS PARTsolutions, the configurator enables customers to instantly find, configure and download a digital 3D CAD model of the Helix product they need. A manufacturer of linear motion and…

More companies are developing apps for engineers to use with their smartphones. In some situations, these apps speed the engineering design process. One of the more recent app announcements comes from NB Corporation of America, which has launched NB Linear Mobile, a free app for its line of linear products. Available for iOS and Android devices, this app…

In a recent Youtube video by “Nat & Friends” on how Google built the Pixel 2 Camera, PI’s H-860 “shaker” hexapod is shown in a motion simulation application. Modern cameras use electronic image stabilization algorithms to reduce side effects from motion that otherwise would blur images and video. The better a designer can simulate real-world…

Southco, Inc., a global leader in engineered access solutions, has expanded its successful line of rotary latching solutions with the addition of a stainless steel version of its popular R4-30 series. Constructed of high-strength, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the R4-30 Two-Stage Rotary Latch features a two-stage design that prevents false latching conditions in heavy duty enclosure…