maxon motor Launches New CANopen Positioning Module

As an addition to the digital positioning controllers of the EPOS family, maxon motor now presents an OEM version. The miniaturized EPOS2 Module 36/2 is designed to control brush DC motors as well as brushless EC motors. This plug-in module offers full motion control functionalities and suits single-axis and multiple-axis applications of miniature size.... [Read more]

Watertight Integrated AC Servo Motors

JVL’s large MAC800 motor (750W) is now available in a model that offers IP65 protection. This makes the MAC800 well-suited for applications in more demanding environments common in the food processing industries.The IP65 protection of the motor has been achieved by replacing the ventilator built into the cooling fins with large fins. In addition,... [Read more]

Small Integrated Servo Breaks 1HP Barrier

Santa Clara, CA – Animatics Corporation announces the latest release in their OEM Series of SmartMotors™, the new SM3416DT-PLS2™. The SM3416DT-PLS2 features an innovative new 8-pole, segmented stator design with higher copper filling factor compared to conventional techniques and the new design achieves a higher energy density as well as better... [Read more]

PBC Linear Actuator Gives Green Energy a Lift

In an economy that is gearing more towards green energy, PBC Linear is helping lay down the initial framework. Utilizing the high-accuracy PLA linear actuator, a cutting edge US company that manufactures silicon ingots from solar furnaces is able to sustain smooth, quiet and long-lasting operation for the their specially designed furnace damper that... [Read more]

Tritex™ II Series Electric Actuators

Chanhassen, MN—Exlar announces the Tritex™ II Series electric actuators, offering 1500 Watt, AC powered operation and digital position control within a single, space-saving housing. These actuators combine a brushless servomotor with either rotary or linear (output) actuation, assembling all elements into a compact, sealed housing for demanding... [Read more]

AutomationDirect Adds More NEMA Premium Efficiency Motors

AutomationDirect now offers 1 to 10 HP Marathon NEMA premium efficiency XRI® inverter duty motors.These TEFC motors meet or exceed NEMA Premium efficiencies for optimized motor system efficiency, reduced electrical power consumption and improved system reliability. When used on high cycle or long run time applications, NEMA Premium efficiency motors... [Read more]

Multi-axis Machine Control

Eden Prarie, MN – ACS Motion Control has developed a low-cost, small-footprint approach to complete machine control. Designated the SPiiPlus LF-CM, the machine controller provides multi-axis integrated control and up to 64 additional nodes (axes or I/O) via CANOpen network extension in a fraction of the footprint size of similar products. The... [Read more]

RFID Slices for Turck’s Modular I/O System

Minneapolis, MN— Turck has expanded its BL ident RFID product with the release of a Simple RFID (RFID-S) slice for its BL20 modular I/O system. Each RFID-S slice contains two channels of RFID. Additional RFID slices, as well as traditional discrete and analog I/O slices, may be added to the system, making it the only product on the market that... [Read more]

Third Generation Checker Vision Sensor from Cognex

Cognex Corporation has added the Checker® 3G series to its Checker vision sensor product line. With simple setup, integrated part detection, lighting, I/O and job change all in a rugged IP67 housing, Checker 3G is the easy, reliable and affordable way to verify all products or parts on a line. With Checker 3G, the user chooses whether to configure... [Read more]

Bishop-Wisecarver Sponsors CA High School’s Entrance in Robotics Competition

Pittsburg, CA – -  Always looking for new ways to spark students’ interest in engineering and science, Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation is sponsoring Heritage High School’s participation in the 2009-10 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge. This is the first time the Brentwood, CA high school,... [Read more]

22 Series Planetary Gear Line

IMS Gear has enhanced its product offering with an all New PK/PM 22 planetary gear series to bring it in line with state-of-the-art engineering. The essential features include a revised gear design with optimized noise behavior, improved efficiency and a new rigid flange design. An all-plastic planetary gear unit has also been included in the line-up.All-plastic... [Read more]

2-bit Quadrature High Quality Encoder

CUI Inc introduces a new panel mount optical encoder that has a 2-bit quadrature resolution and can be used in a wide variety of applications. The C14 series is of high quality with a clean, crisp square wave output and no plastic components. Possible applications include audio, aircraft, medical and test equipment, or as a replacement for a panel mount... [Read more]

Siemens PCS 7 Enhancements for Process Automation

Atlanta, GA – Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. has enhanced its Simatic® PCS 7 Process Automation System with new features designed to reduce engineering and lifecycle costs.Version 7.1 of Simatic PCS 7 includes a new Advanced Process Library that offers pre-engineered function blocks, faceplates and human machine interface symbols.... [Read more]

RIO-47200 Pocket PLC from Galil

Rocklin, CA — The new RIO-47200 Pocket PLC from Galil Motion Control provides intelligent and cost-effective I/O handling with DIN rail mounting and screw-terminals. Ideal for designers who are prototyping or want to connect discrete wires to the RIO via screw terminals, each RIO unit contains eight analog inputs, 16 optically isolated inputs... [Read more]

netTAP 100 Gateway for Industrial Communication Connectivity from Hilscher

The netTAP 100 from Hilscher North America Inc. is a flexible and cost-effective gateway designed to bridge the gaps between traditional fieldbus, Real-Time Ethernet-based systems and serial protocols. Based on Hilscher’s netX chip, up to 1,000 protocol combinations are possible in a modular compact DIN-rail mounted housing. Master and Slave protocols... [Read more]

Applimotion’s ULT Outside Rotating Direct-Drive Frameless Motors

Loomis, CA – The latest in Applimotion’s ULT family is the ULT-O Outside Rotating frameless motor kits. These motors allow the flexibility of a large through hole and low profile, with the rotor being external to the stator. This allows for the integration of the rotor ring into an outside rotating hub. Similar to all ULT motors, the ULT-O series... [Read more]

Gearmotor Withstands Aggressive Cleaning

ASEPTICplus gearmotor features an IP 69K-rated DAS motor with a smooth-bodied, hygienic design to perform reliably in high pressure, high temperature washdown conditions found in the food processing industry. The motor has a smooth surface without recesses.Since there is no place for bacteria or contaminants to hide, this allows thorough and efficient... [Read more]

Motors have Big Power in Small Frame Sizes

RPM ac motors offer compact, square steel frames for inverter duty and vector duty applications. They are available from stock in totally enclosed fan or blower cooled and drip proof designs from 3 through 1,000 hp.They handle the most demanding industrial applications in frame sizes that are up to three times smaller than traditional NEMA or IEC... [Read more]

VLT® Micro Variable Frequency Drives

LOVES PARK, IL – Danfoss Drives’ VLT® Micro Drive is now available in an M4 frame size covering the three-phase 380 – 480 VAC, 15 – 20 HP range. The M4 is just 250mm tall (292mm with flange) x 125mm wide x 241mm deep. They feature conformal coated PCBs per IEC 60721-3-3, class 3C3, and provide serial communication via RS 485 Modbus RTU... [Read more]

Balluff’s Robot Zone Limit Systems Help Recapture Lost Productivity

Florence, KY – Whenever a human operator must share workspace with a robot, there is no question that safety is the highest priority. When an operator enters the robot cell, the robot must be safely idled, which results in lost productivity. However, Balluff now offers pre-engineered hardware kits that provide diverse, complementary and redundant... [Read more]

Balluff Introduces IO-Link™ PROFIBUS/PROFINET Modular Expansion System

Florence, KY – Balluff’s IO-Link™ system enables quick and easy expansion or simplification of Profibus and Profinet networks. Users and OEM equipment builders can now achieve a higher level of flexibility and easier system modification for their networks at significantly lower costs. A Balluff IO-Link Expansion module attaches directly... [Read more]

Stafford Large Bore Shaft Collars and Rigid Couplings

Large bore shaft collars and couplings that can be custom engineered for drive train applications in wind power generation systems are available from Stafford Manufacturing Corp. of Wilmington, Massachusetts.Stafford Large Bore Shaft Collars and Rigid Couplings are custom engineered for applications up to 16” and 8” I.D., respectively, and come... [Read more]

Shimpo Drives Releases its New VRAS Product Line

Shimpo Drives has released its new VRAS product line, the last of five new servo gear reducer products for servo motors.VRAS is Shimpo’s highest performing reducer, designed to handle the most extreme applications. Standard backlash, an important spec in servo applications, is 3 arc-min. Standard environment protection is IP65, with IP67 available.... [Read more]

RENCO R28i Modular Encoder

GOLETA, CA – The new R28i Modular Encoder is perfectly suited for size 11 step motor applications, providing state-of-the-art performance in a 28mm package. The innovative design is self-aligning and self-gapping, and requires no special tooling for installation. Our custom OPTO-ASIC provides a wide range of available resolutions, and sets the standard... [Read more]

Capabilities Brochure from Matrix International

A new full-color brochure from Matrix International details the company’s product capabilities and a wide range of industrial applications using Matrix brakes, clutches, torque limiters and couplings.Product categories detailed in the new literature include off-highway vehicle brakes, forklift truck brakes, winch, crane and marine products,... [Read more]

Metals Industry White Paper Published by Altra Industrial Motion

BRAINTREE, MA – Altra Industrial Motion has published a white paper entitled “Making the Grade in Metals” which outlines the firm’s technology solutions in worldwide metal producing, forming and fabricating operations.“The multiple companies of Altra operate as the premier manufacturers of gear drives, clutches, brakes, couplings... [Read more]

PLC-Based Position Controllers from Omron

SCHAUMBURG, IL – New Position Controllers from Omron Electronics LLC use a high-speed motion network to provide high precision control of 2, 4 and 16 axes to meet the growing need for fast throughput with reduced waste. The position controllers pair efficiently with Omron’s GN-Series servo drives and G-Series motors, and are compatible with... [Read more]

Lubrication-free Polymer Ball Bearings

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® now offers lubrication-free polymer ball bearings due to increasing customer demand for maintenance-free solutions in this area. The company’s Xiros ball bearings are technically optimized, available from stock and have a predictable service life.They are designed to fill the gap where conventional ball bearing performance... [Read more]

NKE Supplies Bearings for Marine Current Turbines

Steyr, Austria – SeaGen, the world’s first commercial tidal current turbine in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough, runs with bearings from NKE Austria.The gearbox of SeaGen is equipped with nine types of NKE bearings. Tidal current turbines are among the latest developments in renewable energy. Installed undersea, the turbines are driven... [Read more]

FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus Developer Training Offered During May In Austin, Texas

Austin, TX – The Fieldbus Foundation will offer FOUNDATION™ fieldbus developer training during May 2009 at its headquarters in Austin, Texas. The vendor-neutral “Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus” and “Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus” courses cover all key aspects of open, non-proprietary FOUNDATION fieldbus technology. The... [Read more]

Marked Increase in Sales at Bosch Rexroth for 2008

Hoffman Estates, IL — Bosch Rexroth AG, parent company of Bosch Rexroth Corporation in North America, announces $8.3 billion (5.9 billion Euros) in sales for 2008 – up 9.8 percent from the previous year. Sales in the Americas were up nearly eight percent in U.S. dollars. The company, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, anticipates a significantly... [Read more]

Aurora Bearing Co’s LCOM Spherical Bearings

Like all Aurora Bearing spherical bearings, the LCOM series features a one piece steel raceway, swaged around the ball for a smooth, precise, close tolerance fit, along with the benefit of the strength and vibration resistance of steel. In addition, this series is optionally available with Aurora’s proprietary AT series PTFE liner, for a zero clearance,... [Read more]

Modular Bearing System for Planetary Wind Turbine Gearboxes

Most wind turbines use gearboxes to transform the relatively low rotational speed of the main shaft into the higher speeds required for power generation. Single or two stage planetary gears are often used to keep the overall size small. The bearings of the planetary gears tend to be highly loaded in this application.  Austrian bearing specialist NKE... [Read more]

Servos Control Multiple Axes for “Surgical” Precision

Cim-Tech Corp. was commissioned to build a machine that automatically assembles four components of a surgical instrument. The axes of the XYZTheta had to orient one assembly consisting of a cylindrical surgical knife pressed into the end of a staple pusher, and place it inside another assembly consisting of a rod insert in an exterior shell. One challenge... [Read more]

New Software Targets Motion Control Industry

VisualSizer-Professional is a generic servo motor sizing and selection software. The internal motor database includes the data of 6000+ motor/drive/amplifier combinations provided by manufacturers such as Allen-Bradley, AMK Drives, AutomationDirect, Automation Intelligence, Baldor, Bayside Motion Group, Dynetic Systems, Festo, GE Fanuc, and others.... [Read more]

Coaxial-Drive Planetary Gearhead

The low noise coaxial-drive (Koaxdrive) KD 32 planetary gearhead from maxon motor is setting new standards in operating noise and torque levels. Measuring 32 mm in diameter and with a torque of 6.5 Nm, it is ideal for use in noise-sensitive, highly demanding applications. The new Koaxdrive KD 32 combines the best of two proven gearing technologies,... [Read more]

Lin Engineering’s New 4518 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors

Santa Clara, CA — Lin Engineering are pleased to introduce the new 4518 NEMA 17 stepper motors. The 4518 series, designed exclusively with Lin Engineering’s patent pending Signature Series technology, is the new and improved version of the 4118 motors delivering both super torque and smooth motion.The 4518 series is available in three different... [Read more]

Synchronous Plus Drives Provide High-Torque, Flexibility with Dual Sprocket Design

TB Wood’s Synchronous Plus™ synchronous drives offer the flexibility of a dual sprocket design that features both metric and standard-tapped holes coupled with a high-capacity Synchronous Plus belt. As a result, the Synchronous Plus drive delivers 50% more horsepower capacity than standard-construction, high-torque drives, according to the company.... [Read more]

Nanopositioning and Piezo Technology Catalog and Reference Guide

PI’s (Physik Instrumente) 2009 hardcover catalog “Piezo Nano Positioning Inspirations 2009″ covers nanopositioning and piezo technology. The 530-page publication is a comprehensive reference book on the fundamentals of nanopositioning, piezo systems and micropositioning technology. The catalog contains over 200 product families, 30%... [Read more]

MicroMo Brushless DC Servomotors

MicroMo’s introduction of the BX4 series of brushless DC servomotors emphasizes its position as an innovative market leader in highly integrated miniature drive systems. Using the latest production methods, some specially developed by MicroMo, the company has come up with a modular design that is limited to just a few components and entirely eliminates... [Read more]

NorthStar HDN and HDP Shaft-less Encoders

Gurnee, IL – Dynapar announces the introduction of the NorthStar HDN and HDP series of shaft-less encoders. The new encoders feature true non-contact sensing technology that eliminates encoder shafts, bearings, and seals. As a result, the encoder is highly reliable, compact, completely sealed, and easy to integrate into existing applications.Coupling... [Read more]

CANopen Servo Motor Controller

QuickSilver Controls, Inc. introduces a low cost CiA DSP 402 CANopen servo motor controller. The SilverDust IGK is a stand alone, single axis controller that includes serial communications (RS-232, RS-485), CANopen and 7 I/O. CANopen can be configured for peer-to-peer, master or slave which allows the controllers to share I/O with other CANopen controllers... [Read more]

ORMEC Goes International

ORMEC Systems Corp., traditionally a North American supplier of motion controllers, drives and motors for automating the most sophisticated converting, assembly and packaging machinery has branched out across the world. Over the past two years ORMEC has established authorized distributors covering the European countries of France, United Kingdom, Ireland,... [Read more]

Kerk Mini Series Lead Screw Assemblies from HaydonKerk

Kerk® Mini Series Lead Screw Assemblies, from HaydonKerk Motion Solutions, are ideal for demanding miniature applications, such as data storage drives, miniature pumps and dispensing systems, micro-actuators and laser/optical focusing mechanisms. Comprised of small diameter, precision rolled, lead screws and patented nuts, the Mini Series provides... [Read more]