Machine vibration is a normal, and typically unavoidable, result of moving and rotating parts, often caused by standard manufacturing and assembly tolerances that lead to clearances between mating parts or imbalances in rotating parts. And while routine machine wear can cause vibration to increase over time, when a machine experiences a significant or sudden increase or […]
What is a motion profile?
Servo applications require defined, controlled movements, often to move a part to a specified position at a precise velocity or along a predetermined path. A motion profile provides the physical motion information and graphically depicts how the motor should behave during the movement (often in terms of position, velocity, and acceleration) and is used by […]
Invitation from Schneeberger: Integration of Motion Control Solutions event
Schneeberger is pleased to invite you to join the global leaders Copley Controls, Oriental Motor, Renishaw, Schneeberger, and Tecnotion at a private event, Integration of Motion Control Solutions from Individual Components to Entire Systems at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Woburn, Massachusetts. Mechanical, design and specifying engineers can be overwhelmed by accumulating job responsibilities and bombarded […]
What happens when a multi-turn encoder reaches 4096 turns?
One of the first decisions when choosing a rotary encoder is whether it should provide incremental or absolute position feedback. That choice primarily depends on whether the encoder should be able to exactly detect its position upon startup. If so, then an absolute encoder is typically required. When considering an absolute encoder, the next decision […]
What is hunting in the context of motion control and how is it addressed?
When a linear or rotary axis must follow a predefined move profile to reach or maintain a precise position, speed, or torque, a closed-loop servo system is often the best choice. Feedback from an encoder — mounted on the motor or directly on the axis — provides information regarding the system’s actual state (position, speed, […]
What is safe motion monitoring?
Machines and equipment placed on the European market must conform with essential health and safety requirements of the Machinery Directive. The Directive specifies that manufacturers of machines and equipment must conduct a risk assessment and implement measures to eliminate or reduce hazards that pose a risk to people, equipment, product, or the environment. These hazards […]
What is the Machinery Directive and how does it relate to motion system safety?
Machines and equipment placed on the EU market must be CE-marked, indicating conformity with the essential safety and health requirements of the Machinery Directive. The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is a set of legal requirements for manufacturers and distributors of machines in or to the EU market that ensures the safety of operators, maintenance personnel, equipment, and […]
What are OSCAT files and how do they relate to CODESYS?
The IEC 61131-3 standard provides a vendor-independent, standardized programming interface for PLCs and automation controllers by defining five programming languages, along with rules for syntax and semantics. Using the languages and structure set out in IEC 61131-3, programmers and developers can more easily and efficiently define and build control software specific to their markets or applications. […]
What are program organization units (POUs) in PLC programming?
The software model for PLCs, as defined in the IEC 61131-3 standard, Programmable Controllers – Part 3: Programming Languages, consists of, at the top level, a configuration. The configuration defines the hardware structure and logic of the PLC system and contains resources (the PLC or PAC, for example), which are able to execute programs. These […]
What do Lissajous figures tell us about encoder output?
As an encoder detects a change in magnetism (for magnetic encoders) or light (for optical encoders), it produces two analog sinusoidal voltages, phase-shifted by 90 degrees. These analog signals are interpolated (divided into smaller increments by the encoder electronics) to increase the encoder’s resolution and then converted to digital output signals. If there are errors in the […]
