by Todd Shudarek, Principal Engineer, MTE Corporation A new filter for adjustable speed drives handles both differential and common mode problems. Most users of pulse width modulation (PWM) ac drives are familiar with the elevated differential mode motor voltages due to the reflected wave phenomenon, fast rise times and peak voltages they can produce. However, […]
Centralized or decentralized: Which motion architecture is best?
Decentralizing servo technology can lower costs in packaging and food and beverage applications. But centralized motion control has its advantages too. Sometimes the answer to which is better is neither one … but both. By Dr. Arne Linder | Product Management • Kollmorgen Decentralizing servo technology can bring machine and plant construction savings during installation. […]
Bearings help industry roll along
By Michael Jermann, Assistant Editor With gas prices and global temperatures rising, people are starting to take a closer look at harnessing the renewable energy of Mother Nature. Wind power is one of the fastest growing methods of energy generation. But in order to generate power efficiently, wind turbines must operate as smoothly and reliably […]
High-Acceleration Servomotors Create Cabling Challenges
by Lucas Kehl, Lapp Group Accelerations of 5 g or more can shorten the life of servo cables. But new cable designs are coming with greater tolerance for these higher accelerations. In automated production machines, faster acceleration and deceleration of motion axes can lead to productivity gains. It’s no wonder that machine builders have started […]
Are Bearings Making You Spin Your Wheels?
By Ian A. Rubin, Director of Marketing, Emerson Power Transmission Solutions The wheels of industry turn on bearings, so why do the wheels often vibrate, clatter, squeak, drag and overheat? Bearings do fail for lots of reasons. Most failures are related to lubrication and contamination, but myths and misconceptions handed from one generation of maintenance […]
Tips for Easy Machine Designs
by Hurley Gill, Senior Systems/Application Engineer, Kollmorgen What you need to know about simplifying your machine design approach for optimal servomotor control. An often-asked question from industrial machine builders or integrators is how can they effectively design or implement the conversion of a machine with servo technology to meet performance expectations. This is a specialized […]
Building vs. Buying Stepper Motor Controllers
By Joe Kimbrell, Product Manager for Motors and Drives, AutomationDirect When deciding whether to build or buy, OEMs need to consider a myriad of factors including required design efforts, up-front costs and ongoing support. Stepper motors are popular due to their low cost, especially in low power motor applications. Used in a range of industrial […]
Electric Vehicle Motors go Head to Head
By: Jay Schultz, Industry Market Manager and Steve Huard, PhD, Principal Engineer, Parker Hannifin Corporation The case for either the permanent magnet or the induction motor design is unclear, so how do hybrid vehicle OEMs decide which is best? Over the last several years, higher fuel prices, consumer demands for better fuel economy, and government […]
Piezoelectric Positioners offer Precise Control in Nanopositioning Applications
By Stefan Vorndran and Scott Jordan, PI, Physik Instrumente L.P. Ever-increasing requirements for more precise motion control has forced manufacturers of piezoelectric positioners to find ways to overcome their limitations, such as travel range and linearity, while preserving the unmatched speed, reliability and resolution capabilities of piezoelectric devices. Precision motion control in general, and nanopositioning […]
New High Accuracy Magnetic Encoder
Novotechnik U.S. introduces the Vert-X 51 Series of rotary magnetic encoders which feature 12-, 14- or 16-bit resolution and repeatability to 0.36° or ±0.1° – depending on model. Measurement range of the Vert-X 51 is 0 to 360° and physical measurements of the housing are 30 mm x 50 mm. Vert-X 51 Series encoders are […]
