Recently, I got the chance to talk with Ross Rivard, the new president of Ringfeder Power Transmission USA, the North American arm of the global manufacturer of couplings, shock-absorbing, and keyless connection technologies. We expect more coupling news from Ringfeder in 2015 as the company leverages new synergies within a range of power-transmission components. In […]
Looking back at some origins of gear customization
Updated January 2020 ⚙️ Power-transmission devices are increasingly customized, and gearsets and gearmotors are no exception. However, today’s custom and standard gear products aren’t mutually exclusive, according to Heinz Gert Hagedorn, who leads sales and development for planetary transmissions at IMS Gear. His company makes modular planetary transmissions and other modular drives based on parts […]
Growing trend: More application-specific clutches and brakes
Clutches and brakes are a mainstay in motion designs that need to stop, hold, or index loads. Especially over the last five years, a technology trend towards application-specific designs has quickened as several industries are pushing the performance envelope of stock components. So, we recently asked six industry experts for comments on this and other […]
Trends in chains and sprockets
Modern chains and sprockets have driven machinery for more than 100 years, but recent innovations have taken the technology into the 21st century. Recently, we asked two industry experts—Michael Hogan, senior design and applications engineer at U.S. Tsubaki’s Roller Chain Division, and Derek Glugosh, sprocket product manager at Tsubaki—for their input on what the future […]
Interview: Van den Avont on modern gear technology
In this exclusive interview with GAM Gear, Craig Van den Avont shares his views of modern gear technology. In preparation for a Motion Trends article about changes in the gear industry, I recently spoke with Craig Van den Avont, President of GAM Gear, about general advances that have changed the design process for engineers that use gearboxes. […]
Intelligent amplifier works as a servo-drive/controller
Parker’s Electromechanical Automation Division now sells Intelligent Parker Amplifiers or IPAs—1.5-axis servo-drive/controller combinations based on the ACR control platform. Available in two power levels—400W and 1,500W—the IPA can drive myriad rotary and linear motors and accepts feedback from industry-standard protocols. A dual-port Ethernet interface lets users connect several machine controls; Ethernet implementation is suitable for HMI, PC, and PLC-based applications. The IPA supports […]
Now get motorized linear rail at 24-hour online store
Now, engineers can buy three new sizes of BGS motorized linear rail on a 24-hour Express Store. These off-the-shelf motion-control components, from Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions of AMETEK Precision Motion Control, are suitable for prototype work. There are a total of 24 different products now in stock in myriad motor sizes, rail sizes, and stroke lengths […]
Saw it at MD&M: Functional integration in ultrasonic welding
Last week at MD&M WEST 2015, I got to visit the Herrmann Ultrasonics booth. (Thank you to my esteemed colleague Neel Gleason for the reminder.) There at the booth, Christina Van De Walker and Udo Skarke, Plastics Division vice president, showed me an automated setup for welding toy elephants … … and showcasing how their welders can […]
DTi seals and trim meet rigorous UL50E standard
Underwriters Labs (UL) recently confirmed that Seal-Fast Door Seals and Trim-Fast Edge Trim meet the stringent UL50E standard for EPDM gasketing materials. The Recognized Component UL50E designation for the seals and trim — from Device Technologies, Inc. (DTi) — is especially important to designers that need performance materials that comply with NEMA standards to protect critical equipment such as Telco switches, data […]
Rugged drive controls speed on ac motors to one horsepower
A new variable-speed ac motor speed control is simple to setup and operate. The rugged drive — Model 2999 Pacesetter AC speed control from Bodine Electric Co. — also features a NEMA-4X / IP-65 enclosure. It’s suitable for stand-alone ac-gearmotor applications that need controlled acceleration, adjustable operating speed, or reversing. Typical applications include conveyor systems, packaging machines, food-processing equipment, medical or lab equipment […]