This issue of Design World (the 2025 Casebook) details how smart motion is redefining manufacturing. For example, hydraulics retrofits recently doubled throughput in one Canadian operation. Another operation’s robotics are now scalable through advanced embedded control. Across applications, mechanical precision is meeting digital intelligence to transform decades-old equipment as well as new installations. Whether through precision sensing, smarter drives, or cleanroom-ready design, these stories show that successful machine builds rely on thoughtful systems integration.
Highlights from the issue:
• Controls for more throughput — One supplier’s hydraulic controller revamps a fence-post drilling machine, turning an operator bottleneck into a one-person, high-speed production line.
• Robotics leverages motion development — OLogic engineers use another supplier’s embedded control ICs and drives to accelerate commercial robot development and manage real-world power, energy, and feedback challenges.
• New sensors enable precise measurement — The latest laser and confocal sensors deliver micron-level accuracy even in vibration-prone industrial settings.
• New 2025 cleanroom requirements — A technical breakdown of ISO 14644-5:2025 explains what new contamination-control rules mean for actuators, lubricants, and motion-component selection.
Special sections:
One section from this year’s Casebook delves into how some designers push beyond traditional screw-driven stages to direct-drive and hybrid solutions. Another section examines integrated servosystems and their role in modern connected machines. These specialty motion designs consolidate drives, motors, and sometimes gearboxes into compact units for simplified wiring, reduced panel heat, and decentralized topologies. For controls engineers, there are details on on coordinating integrated axes, managing synchronization, and setting motion profiles while respecting application constraints.
Filed Under: AUTOMATION, Industry regulations + certifications, DIGITAL ISSUES • DESIGN WORLD
