Motion Control Tips

Bosch Rexroth offers designers the option to quickly and easily obtain access to automation solutions or create apps themselves with ctrlX AUTOMATION. The open automation platform adopts an approach similar to that of smartphones. Customers can now purchase apps in the ctrlX Store, manage software licenses through the Bosch Rexroth Licensing Center and assign them […]

GAM’s newest GCL cycloidal gearboxes provide high precision and rigidity for horizontal and vertical robotic and motion control applications. The GCL is designed to withstand the frequent start-stop impact loads of industrial robots and other motion control applications with impact resistance five times nominal torque. The GCL series is available in a wide range of […]

The Hall effect is an outcome of the Lorentz force at work. When a thin conductor (or semiconductor) has a steady flow of current running through it and a magnet is placed so that its magnetic field runs perpendicular to this current, the magnetic field of the current reacts to the magnetic field of the […]

Controlled servo drives are used in many areas of automation technology, converting, printing, handling, and robotics, including production machines and machine tools. The selection of a rotary encoder or encoder technology for use within the system depends on the accuracy requirements of the application and whether the application will use position control, velocity control, or both. […]

Portescap is unveiling its latest motion innovations to come from its Voice of the Customer product development process. Voice of the Customer harnesses the company’s customers’ technical insights and turns them into innovative motion products that solve complex problems for their critical applications. Customer collaborations have sparked various different Portescap product platforms, and all of […]

Leading conveyor system designer and manufacturer, mk North America has introduced two new conveyor models to its VersaFlex flat top chain conveyor system. Both the A17 and A29 add length and width capabilities – so larger products or those requiring extra support, can easily make their way through the conveyor line. All while maintaining the […]

Haydon Kerk Pittman, a business unit of AMETEK’s Advanced Motion Solutions Division, announces that its size 8 21-mm hybrid stepper motor is now available with an integrated connector. Offered alone or with a harness assembly, the connector is RoHS-compliant and features a positive latch to allow high connection integrity. The connector is rated up to […]

Designed to fulfill two critical needs via a single component in high accuracy robots, HEIDENHAIN introduces the innovative KCI 12O Dplus rotary encoder.  This new unique absolute encoder provides both reliable feedback to a robot’s motor and accurate position measurement to its controller to enable safe and accurate motion. Extremely compact, the KCI 120 Dplus […]

The basic function of a servo drive is to convert, or amplify, low-power signals from the controller into higher-power signals to be delivered to the motor windings. Servo drives (also referred to as servo amplifiers) can be either linear or switching types, depending on how power is delivered to the motor from the switching devices […]

Dither is one of several terms used to describe small, rapid, back-and-forth movements of an object. Depending on the context, when the term “dither” is used in motion control systems, it can refer to purposeful, commanded movements or to unintended, unwanted motion. In some motion systems, dither is purposely induced to reduce the effects of […]

Bison Gear Engineering Corp., a leader in the power transmission industry, now offers a higher horsepower range Stainless Steel washdown motor. The motor’s clean and smooth Stainless Steel surface reduces contamination points for bacterial growth, while its ingress protection rating of IP69K keeps it completely sealed to all outside elements. The Stainless Steel 230/460 volt […]

JVL A/S has introduced a new addition to its ServoStep line of motors, a directly mountable motor for driving spindles. It’s perfect for replacing hand wheels in format change applications. ServoStep has everything built-in including motor, encoder, drive electronics, control electronics with ePLC and optional Ethernet or CAN bus integrated into one compact unit. All […]

A servo control loop uses sensor feedback to determine whether the system’s actual state (position, velocity, or torque) matches the commanded state. But sensors feedback isn’t perfect — even high-quality encoders and sensors can introduce noise, phase lag, and other errors in measurement. One way to improve the feedback of a servo control system is […]

To complement Optimal Engineering Systems’ (OES) expanding line of single and multi-axis motion control stages, OES has added the ADAGIO-X-STPR Series of Motion Control Systems. The ADAGIO-X-STPR Series of rack-mounted stand-alone stepper motor controllers are cost effective solutions for controlling and driving single and multi-axis stepper motor stages such as the AQ single and dual […]

Fast braking response in small, precision torque applications are the primary benefit of Miki Pulley Micro Brakes. Where high performance braking for small motion control applications are required, these Micro Brakes provide the solution. Miki Pulley’s ultra-compact brake design features a stator with integrated mounting flange, proprietary composite friction liner and armature complete with ring […]

POSITAL has upgraded the performance of the PROFINET communications interface for their IXARC series of absolute encoders. The speed of the interface has been increased, reducing cycle time by a factor of eight. In addition, new capabilities have been added, including acceleration monitoring and over-temperature warnings. Output from the encoders can be scaled (amplified or […]

Supporting up to 64 interpolated axes, the softMC 703 compact controller from Servotronix Motion Control delivers high-performance motion control capabilities to robots, drives, and motors via any major OEM programmable logic controller (PLC). When integrated with the stepIM integrated closed loop stepper, CDHD2 servo drive, and PRHD2 servo motor, the softMC 703 controller creates a […]

Encoders and resolvers are used to track the angular or linear position of an object, such as a motor shaft (angular measurement) or a linear actuator (linear measurement). And with the addition of a clock signal, encoders and resolvers can also be used to measure the speed of the object. A resolver uses a rotor with […]

A new enclosed drive system from Siemens, the SINAMICS G120XE, is designed specifically for the demands of industrial pump, fan and compressor applications in a wide variety of markets. Built around the company’s SINAMICS G120X infrastructure drive, this new enclosed system is ideal for fast design and commissioning in industries such as oil-and-gas/petrochemical, water/wastewater, power […]

By Travis Lake • Motor and Gear Motor Solutions | Power Electric Machine builders have a lot to consider when designing solutions for a specific application. One key consideration is to determine whether it is better to design around a standard, off-the-shelf motor, or to design a custom motor that precisely matches the application requirements. […]

AutomationDirect has added PS-AMC motion controllers designed to work seamlessly with select Productivity PLCs to provide accurate, coordinated, plug-and-play motion control. These controllers are capable of up to four coordinated axes of motion per controller (PS-AMC4) with differential encoder feedback for each axis and a maximum switching frequency of 1 MHz. Up to 24 general-purpose […]

A traditional rotary encoder measures the position or speed of a rotating shaft, with mounting via a coupling or a hollow bore that allows the encoder to fit over the shaft. But not all rotating components have a shaft to which the encoder can mount. For example, direct-drive rotary motors — also known as torque motors, […]

Originally named for Bruce Sawyer, who patented the design in 1968, Sawyer motors are a type of planar motor, and are sometimes referred to as “dual-axis linear stepper motors” since they use stepper motor technology and the moving part can travel in both the X and Y directions. Like other planar motor designs, Sawyer motors […]

KHK USA Inc. has launched an extensive line of metric spur gears. A large selection of off-the-shelf KHK spur gears are available in many materials, configurations, modules and numbers of teeth, and KHK quick customized products can be ready within 5 business days. Spur gears are cylindrical disks that have involute shaped teeth cut into […]

In 2011, the EU implemented minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for electric motors used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications with Commission Regulation (EC) 640/2009, which was implemented in three stages through 2017, and its amendment Regulation (EU) 4/2014. In October 2019, Regulation (EC) 640/2009 was replaced with Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1781, which outlines updated efficiency […]