OMRON Corp., automation manufacturer and leader in sensing and control technology, and Adept Technology, Inc., a global provider of intelligent robots, autonomous mobile robot solutions and services, today announced that the two companies have entered into an agreement whereby OMRON will acquire Adept. OMRON plans to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Adept common stock […]
NORD Motor and AC Drive Combination Meets the Highest Level of Energy Efficiency Standards
As energy prices continue to rise and natural resources become scarcer, it is becoming more important and desirable to utilize highly efficient systems with low energy loss. Historically, in the power transmission industry, energy efficiency laws and regulations have pertained only to the motor. The new European standard EN 50598 expands energy efficiency requirements to […]
One to three-axis motion control for any servos + steppers
The Sonata series of motion controls from Optimal Engineering Systems (OES) is a standalone plug-and-play motion control. The systems in this series support up to three axes of motion, in any combination of steppers, DC servo and brushless servo motors, and voice coil motors. More after the jump. Each system includes the power supplies, the motion […]
New CANopen networking for brushless dc motors boost safety
Crouzet Motors now offers CANopen technology for its brushless dc motors. The new communications protocol lets design engineers connect multiple Crouzet brushless motors to the various components in their system, reducing wiring and installation costs while at the same time increasing system communications and integrity. More after the jump. Crouzet’s CANopen interface permits connection of up to 127 […]
Compact screw-slide carriage and screw for linear motion
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions now sells WGS Wide screw-slide Guide Screws. Made from the same quality components used in the RGS Linear Rail Series, the WGS Linear Slide utilizes a screw-driven carriage that offers reliable, continuous linear speed, while maintaining accurate positioning. Length and speed of the WGS are not limited by critical screw speed, allowing […]
B&R simplifies packaging automation for ladder-logic fans
North American packaging machinery users and OEMs benefit from familiar ladder-logic programming, but new packaging-automation software is easier. As machine functionalities become more sophisticated, ladder programs can become too complicated, even when supplemented by function blocks. Modular application (mapp) technology from B&R maintains familiar, IEC compliant ladder and function block programming – except with mapp components, […]
Rotary magnetic sensor delivers unsurpassed ruggedness
The new SIKO MSK320 ZM magnetic sensor has a durable metallic housing. Suitable for rotary measuring tasks (such as measuring the drive shaft speed on machine tools, woodworking machines and textile machines) it also works on large-scale outdoor applications (as on forestry or stone machinery). More after the jump. Engineers can get the new sensor is already available and test it for free by contacting SIKO. […]
Bishop-Wisecarver acquires Specialty Motions’ actuator lines
Bishop-Wisecarver Group, a WBENC-certified, woman-owned family of companies that offer guidance solutions, contract specialty manufacturing and mechatronic-based engineering services, today announced it has acquired the Specialty Motions Inc. (SMI) linear actuator product line. Complementing BWG’s existing line of high-end linear actuators, the addition of the SMI4Motion product offering will enable BWG to expand the markets it serves […]
Confession: Technical education is useless without context
Confession: While in college, I slogged all the way through that classic and dreaded engineering “weeder” course, Materials Science, without the slightest idea of why we were studying it. What’s worse, I wasn’t alone in my cluelessness. You see, the notoriously hard course had little context at our university — so we students sat through […]
New controllers for design of industrial internet of things (IIoT)
National Instruments now sells new embedded systems hardware based on the open, flexible LabVIEW reconfigurable I/O (RIO) architecture. This hardware includes the high-performance CompactRIO Controller for integrators with rugged, industrial applications, Controller for FlexRIO for designers with high-performance embedded applications and Single-Board RIO Controller for designers who require more flexibility in their embedded applications. These controllers integrate […]