Bandwidth is a mathematical concept. It is the band around a desired operating value. We can consider the bandwidth of control in a process or the bandwidth of error in statistics. The concept applies to all sorts of things. The speed bandwidth of your car might be described as zero to 100 miles per hour. […]
Bandwidth – Part 2
Bandwidth is a mathematical concept. It is the band around a desired operating value. We can consider the bandwidth of control in a process or the bandwidth of error in statistics. The concept applies to all sorts of things. The speed bandwidth of your car might be described as zero to 100 miles per hour. […]
Bandwidth – Part 2
Bandwidth is a mathematical concept. It is the band around a desired operating value. We can consider the bandwidth of control in a process or the bandwidth of error in statistics. The concept applies to all sorts of things. The speed bandwidth of your car might be described as zero to 100 miles per hour. […]
Critical Parts for Mission Critical Work
By Laura Carrabine, Senior Editor Many of the design requirements for NASA’s latest Mars explorer Curiosity are related to the Sample Acquisition and Sample Processing and Handling (SASPaH) subsystem that will gather soil samples from Mars’ surface. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) collaborated with Helical Products Company engineers to develop flexible couplings and machined springs…
It’s All About Bandwidth
In the field of motors and controls one of the key parameters of merit is Bandwidth. This parameter can be applied to a number of issues related to motors and controls. Manufacturers of variable frequency drives and servo amplifiers often refer to this parameter, but it’s real importance is often lost in the massive amount […]
It’s All About Bandwidth
In the field of motors and controls one of the key parameters of merit is Bandwidth. This parameter can be applied to a number of issues related to motors and controls. Manufacturers of variable frequency drives and servo amplifiers often refer to this parameter, but it’s real importance is often lost in the massive amount […]
It’s All About Bandwidth
In the field of motors and controls one of the key parameters of merit is Bandwidth. This parameter can be applied to a number of issues related to motors and controls. Manufacturers of variable frequency drives and servo amplifiers often refer to this parameter, but it’s real importance is often lost in the massive amount […]
Teaching Mechatronics
Teaching mechatronics, or motion control, is in itself a major mechatronics challenge. I have authored articles on the topic and given many classes. Any attempt to be comprehensive has mixed results. Is it the subject more clear, or more confused after a day of training? Part of the difficulty is that mechatronics is the […]
Teaching Mechatronics
Teaching mechatronics, or motion control, is in itself a major mechatronics challenge. I have authored articles on the topic and given many classes. Any attempt to be comprehensive has mixed results. Is it the subject more clear, or more confused after a day of training? Part of the difficulty is that mechatronics is the […]
Teaching Mechatronics
Teaching mechatronics, or motion control, is in itself a major mechatronics challenge. I have authored articles on the topic and given many classes. Any attempt to be comprehensive has mixed results. Is it the subject more clear, or more confused after a day of training? Part of the difficulty is that mechatronics is the […]
Inventing Myths
Who invented the steam engine? If you think it was James Watt, you would be wrong. It was actually Thomas Newcomen. But Newcomen’s version was very inefficient. Watt solved the efficiency problem making the steam engine the “workhorse” of the industrial revolution. In fact, what James Watt actually invented, in addition to the planetary gear, […]
Inventing International
Due to the extraordinary responses of our international readers, I think it is important to provide some context for my last post. Inventing in the United States is something of a national pastime. It’s a little like baseball. Many, many people are engaged in the process. In my years in industry, every company and shop […]
Inventing International
Due to the extraordinary responses of our international readers, I think it is important to provide some context for my last post. Inventing in the United States is something of a national pastime. It’s a little like baseball. Many, many people are engaged in the process. In my years in industry, every company and shop […]
Out of-the-box set-up and performance
The Motor Control System (MSC) is a new generation of variable speed systems with servo performance. The units fit into NEMA56 standard ac or dc motor frames. The products reach 3 hp and are 8 in. long. The MSC operates from 115 Vac single phase or 230 Vac single/three phase. Interface is analog through 0-10…
Success in Industrial Robotics Seen Globally
According to Dr. Shinsuke Sakakibara, president of the International Federation of Robotics, 2011 was the most successful year for industrial robots in 50 years. At the AUTOMATICA in Munich, Germany, Sakakibara referenced the fact that 2.3 million have been sold all over the world since the first robotic installation in 1961. “In 2011, about 165,000…
Bionic Grippers use Natural Principles to Conserve Energy
Energy-efficient gripping principles found in nature can be applied to automation technology and deliver small, lightweight, and powerful grippers. While gripping, holding,and setting down objects are vital production processes, conventional grippers are not always energy efficient when it comes to their gripping force-to-weight ratio. Nature, on the other hand, abounds with perfect examples of principles…
Solar
Solar Power has been hyped for years as one of the key growth industries in American manufacturing. Current events suggest otherwise. Abound Solar announced its bankruptcy and ceased operation last week. Another in an incredible list of solar manufacturing failures. The Abound Solar plant closing will take 125 jobs out of the American economy. Germany’s […]
The Best Way to Implement Tools for Optimal Results
By Richard Vaughn, Senior Automation Engineer, Bosch Rexroth Corporation, www.boschrexroth-us.com Reprint Info >> Manufacturers implementing mechatronic and robotic handling systems constantly seek to do more with less. Creating systems faster and easier leads to systems that are less expensive to design, engineer, and bring online. Here are some practical implementation tips. Focusing to prevent overly…
Altra Holdings Inc. Ranked #3 on Boston Globe’s ‘100 Best Performing Public Companies in Massachusetts’
Altra Holdings Inc. was recently ranked No. 3 in Boston Globe’s “100 Best Performing Public Companies in Massachusetts”. Altra, headquartered in Braintree, Mass., was the top industrial company on the 2012 list. Altra Holdings’ growth in 2011 was spurred by its acquisition of Bauer Gear Motor, a leading European manufacturer of engineered gear drives. The…
Choosing the Right Sensor for Measuring High Pressure
High pressure sensing applications require a variety of design considerations to address the technical challenges that pressure of 500 psi and more can impose on the sensor. One of the main differentiating choices that a supplier has to consider is the technology used to detect pressure variations. However, this is just the start. By attending…
Inventing the Future
Do we decide to invent the future? Is the future of technology decided by a government program? Is necessity the mother of invention? Or is it just about tickling people’s fancies and making a buck? In an increasingly affluent and technologically driven society, is there a mechanism that helps us decide where we focus engineering […]
Solutions
Tesla and Edison were both right. The “war of the currents” was really not about whether alternating current was superior to direct current. It wasn’t really about Edison’s creation of the power utility as an enterprise to generate and sell electric power versus Tesla’s idea to make electricity free and transmit it through the air. It […]
Advanced Modeling & Simulation Techniques for Multibody Robotic Systems
This webinar introduces new techniques and case studies for efficiently increasing the fidelity of system models for multibody robotic system design. Using symbolic computation techniques, multibody models can be effectively preprocessed to select optimal coordinate frames, eliminate redundant calculations, simplify algebraic constraints, and generate computationally minimal code for real-time deployment. Furthermore, novel mathematical techniques can…
Gunning for Mechanical Precision
By Steve Meyer, Contributing Editor Reprint Info >> Mechatronic challenges come in all sizes, from giant 450-ft wind turbines to tiny piezoelectric actuators. Among the more unique and challenging applications is the technology needed to test gun sights. The military has a small challenge for you. Create a simulation that applies forces comparable to gunfire.…
Absolute Inductive Rotary Encoder from HEIDENHAIN
In robotics and automation technology, rotary encoders and resolvers serve on servo drives as feedback systems for position and speed control. An increasing number of applications require multiturn versions of absolute encoders that are low in cost and as sturdy as resolvers, but with features beyond what resolvers can provide. HEIDENHAIN’s new EBI 1135 absolute…