Markforged announced it is supporting aerospace, defense and other manufacturers in highly regulated industries with Onyx FR-A and Carbon Fiber FR-A, aerospace-ready versions of its Onyx FR and Carbon Fiber FR materials. These two new materials are undergoing a qualification program conducted on the X7 industrial 3D printer by the National Center for Advanced Materials […]

Siemens Digital Industries Software announced that it has signed an agreement with Spain-based SENER, a leading multinational company in engineering and technology, to acquire its FORAN software business. FORAN is CAD/CAE/CAM software for the design, construction and engineering of vessels and marine structures. The addition of the FORAN product and team to Siemens, together with…

A new groov RIO module (MM2) has just been released that includes Ignition 8 software from Inductive Automation. As announced previously in the OptoBlog, Ignition 8 software is now part of the newest groov EPIC controller (GRV-EPIC-PR2). But, we didn’t stop there. The latest groov RIO MM2 model (GRV-R7-MM2001-10) also includes Ignition 8 and boasts increased memory and storage along with other important features.…

In any HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, dampers are used to regulate airflow inside the ducts. In some systems, manual dampers allow personnel to turn a handle on the outside of a duct. But if you have to regulate airflow on a constant basis, you’ll need automatic dampers with electric or pneumatic motors […]

Emerson has announced its new Branson MCX Series ultrasonic mold cleaning systems, which feature side-mounted immersible transducers and powerful immersion heaters that can provide more effective, fast and efficient cleaning than other systems on the market. Compared to manual cleaning of plastics injection molds, which may take up to three hours or more, the Branson…

Some developer tips for successfully moving your project from home to the plant floor. We know a lot of developers love to tinker and prototype projects on Raspberry Pi hardware. I do the same at my house with over 12 Raspberry Pi computers doing different things. It’s such an affordable and fun platform with a…

Announcing a second processor model for Opto 22’s groov EPIC system. We have a lot of exciting product news to share, and at the top of that list is the release of the GRV-EPIC-PR2. Yes, you now have two processor options when designing a groov EPIC system! Both GRV-EPIC-PR1 and GRV-EPIC-PR2 provide a powerful, open software and hardware ecosystem for…

Both negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors’ values change as a result of temperature but impact their use differently. For NTC thermistors, as temperature increases, the resistance drops from high to low and allows current to pass through. In a circuit, they can limit in-rush current by self-heating when current is […]

Power-off brakes are commonly used in motion control applications for stopping or holding a load (or both), especially on vertical axes or for emergency stop functionality in servo applications. Power-off brakes are so named because the brake is engaged when power is removed from the system — either intentionally or accidentally. (Power-off brakes are also […]

Oriental Motor is pleased to announce the latest addition to the AZ Series family of single axis stored data drivers, which now includes AC and DC input. Both input types are now available with PROFINET communication. The AlphaStep AZ Series stepper motors offers high efficiency, low vibration and incorporates our newly developed Mechanical Absolute Encoder…

The PMMI Foundation, a part of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, awards three $5,000 scholarships to students studying food and beverage processing, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering at four-year PMMI Education Partners. The recipients of these scholarships are: Mechanical Engineering Scholarship – Gaurav Aggarwal, Rutgers University Processing Scholarship – Suhayb Islam, Rutgers…

Helukabel recently announced that multiple TPE-jacketed control and motor cables have recently been tested and certified by ECOLAB for use during washdown processes found typically in the food and beverage industries. The products that were subjected to the 28-day test using cleaning/disinfecting substances Topactive 200, Topactive 500, P3-topax 66, P3-topactive OKTO, and P3-topax 990 along […]

  Recirculating Slide Guides Recirculating slide guides excel in three areas: applications needing longer strokes, designs with space constraints and configurations where cost is a primary concern. Because of the unique design, travels are only limited by the maximum rail length of each profile size.

According to 2019 figures from the UK Government, there are now just over a million women (1,019,400) in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce. This translates to an increase of more than 350,000 women (24%) entering these areas of work. While this may be encouraging to hear, there is still a long way…

Poseidon System’s FerroQ is a standalone device that analyzes a small sample of oil for ferrous debris. The rapid and simple operation accompanied by outstanding sensitivity makes the device a perfect complement to any laboratory oil analysis. The device can be used as a low-cost screening tool to identify samples requiring further analysis, or as a standalone wear debris…

Due to digitalization in Industry 4.0, internal logistics is subject to constant change. Internal traceability, i.e. the tracking of goods in the warehouse or production facility, is increasingly playing a key role. Manufacturers and consumers are placing more and more emphasis on the safety and quality of products. Costly and image-damaging complaints must therefore be […]

AutomationDirect has added new SureStep motors, now available in NEMA 42 frame sizes. Six new motor sizes are available with single or dual shafts. These twelve models extend the torque range of the SureStep line up to 4532 oz-in. The mating extension cables are available in 6, 10, and 20-ft. lengths and an encoder adapter…

Hyperion Metals Limited announced the execution of a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) for a technology partnership with EOS GmbH. The partnership aims to accelerate the deployment of Hyperion’s HAMR and GSD technologies for the potential production of low-cost, low-to-zero carbon titanium metal powders. The collaboration will focus on: ▪ Technical and economic evaluation of powders […]

Ordinary vapor-compression cooling is inefficient and un-green. Future-generations of air conditioning may instead use electrocaloric techniques with almost no moving parts. Leland Teschler • Executive Editor Here’s some bad news about our warming world, courtesy of the International Energy Agency: The use of air conditioners and electric fans already accounts for about a fifth of…

Celine Goberville is a multiple world champion and Olympic silver medalist in 10 m air pistol shooting. She will compete at the Tokyo Olympics with a custom, 3D printed pistol grip. Zortrax Apoller, a smart vapor-smoothing device, was used to achieve the smooth surface of the grip, meeting Celine’s requirements. The pistol grip was manufactured […]

Teschler on Topic Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler Clean energy is in the news thanks to a Federal budget proposal that would boost spending on clean-energy infrastructure by 27% as well as create both a federal standard and tax credits for clean electricity. To many people, clean energy is a…

The AsteRx SB3 receiver family, enclosed in an IP68 housing, offers superior availability of RTK high-accuracy positioning due to its ability to track a wide variety of signals from all currently operating Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including not only GPS and GLONASS but also the European Galileo and Chinese BeiDou. Even in dual antenna…

A line of connectors for flexible circuits that eliminates soldering and welding when attaching wires to foil and film substrates have been introduced by ETCO Incorporated of Bradenton, Florida. ETCO FWC Series Flex Circuit Connectors attach to lead wires using an “F” style crimp by automatic wire processing equipment and have features that securely embed […]

icotek offers the tried and tested KEL-SNAP frame now as a new splittable version of KEL-SNAP-S. The patented KEL-SNAP-S frames provide a quick and tool-free assembly for the KEL / KEL-U / KEL-QUICK / KEL-FG-A cable entry frames from icotek. Switch cabinets can be equipped with the KEL-SNAP frame in advance by the control manufacturer […]

A Panel Interface Connector (PIC) also known as a programming port is a device that typically mounts to the outside of a control panel housing a PLC, computer, or other typed of programmable device. Once in place, the PIC, which houses convenient pass-through connections, allows quick, easy, safe access to the controls inside the cabinet […]