Applimotion’s custom direct-drive motor assemblies use its UTS frameless motor kits and MicroE encoders. For years OEM customers have routinely designed Applimotion motor kits into direct drive systems unique to their process. MicroE has a long history of supplying precision encoders to the same customer set offering both high accuracy and high resolution in one […]
Shining a light on our nation’s infrastructure
This week, May 11th through the 15th, is Infrastructure Week. Now in its 3rd year, the aim is to raise awareness of the critical importance of infrastructure to America’s economic well-being. Events during the week aim to bring together business, labor, and public officials, centered on Washington DC but including the rest of the country, […]
New brushless motor IDEA drive from Haydon Kerk
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions’ newest addition to its IDEA drive line of motor controllers is the PBL4850E programmable 3-phase brushless motor drive. With the PBL 4850E, Haydon Kerk replicates the functionality of stepper-based drives for its brushless counterparts as the two drive types now share a common graphical user interface. Among the unique features of […]
Semiconductor trends: new materials, extreme precision — It’s a truism
by Miles Budimir, Senior Editor for Design World— It’s a truism that we live in the digital age characterized by easy electronic communication, both in our personal and professional lives. Cell phones, tablets, slim laptops and so many more consumer and business products all take advantage of the steady march of Moore’s Law which has […]
Machine Tool Trends: more safety and distributed control
by Miles Budimir, Senior Editor for Design World— Machine tools almost naturally keep pace with advances in motion control, because they’re basically highly precise motion control systems involving accurate and precise positioning. Advances in networking and computing power of controllers have led to better machine tool performance and added functionality in areas such as safety, […]
Sercos: 25 years and no slowing down
2015 is an anniversary year for Sercos the industrial automation bus, celebrating 25 years since the founding of Sercos and 10 years since the launch of the first Sercos III devices. The first generation of Sercos supported 2 and 4 Mbit/sec transmission rates and initially was used mainly in demanding machine tool applications. About a […]
Technology Tuesdays: Todd Walker on Trends in Motors and Speed Control
For this week’s Design World Technology Tuesdays Podcast, I spoke with Todd Walker from Oriental Motor USA. We spoke about some trends in motion control including advances in brushless DC motor technology and speed control techniques. Technological advances combined with decreasing costs mean designers can get more functions packed into smaller spaces. Click below to […]
New motor series fulfills IE3 requirements
Two new motor series from Bonfiglioli fulfill IE3 class requirements and are available in the 7.5 to 22kW range. The BX/MX motors fulfill several requirements and environmental norms. The motors meet standards of IE3 efficiency class, according to the international standard IEC 60034-30. In addition to meeting IE3 standards, the BX/MX motors are also compliant […]
Dual-armed robots help humans with assembly tasks
Earlier this week at the big industrial technology show Hannover Fair in Hannover, Germany, ABB Robotics officially launched YuMi, the dual-armed robot designed to work side-by-side with human workers. (I wrote about this robot’s development last year during ABB’s Technology Days in Michigan.) YuMi joins a growing number of robots designed to work alongside human […]
New line of stepper motors from Nook Industries
Nook Industries has introduced a line of new stepper motors designed to provide a total, single source for linear motion solutions. The new line can power ball screws, actuators, jacks and linear modules with a variety of load, speed and power supply options, in two basic configurations: Stepper motors and integrated stepper motors. A wide […]