Pallet conveyors — conveyors that move products on individual carriers, or pallets — offer significant flexibility for assembly, automation, and inspection processes, with the ability to move products asynchronously in virtually any configuration imaginable, including curves, turns, and small elevation changes. And beyond these basic movements, special modules for pallet conveyors can transfer products horizontally […]
AS-Interface: What is it and when is it used?
Sensors and actuators have traditionally been connected to PLCs or other controllers via discrete wires and cable harnesses. But the introduction of actuator-sensor interface, also known as AS-Interface, or AS-I, in the 1990’s offered users and integrators a reliable, cost-effective replacement for the bulky, time-consuming method of parallel wiring. A new version of actuator-sensor interface, […]
Automation putting faster in the fast-food industry
To the relief of those who are indecisive at the drive through, McDonald’s Corp. will soon be ramping up its use of voice-activated order taking. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal report last year — which also details how designs coming to the restaurant also include automatic systems to operate the deep fryers for […]
Types of industrial springs: compression, extension, and torsion
Typically mounted deep inside an assembly of moving parts, industrial springs often go unnoticed, despite their importance to motion control and industrial equipment. In fact, they’re found in everything from door closing mechanisms on machine tools to mechanical seals in rotary unions. While springs are readily available in custom designs and variations, there are three primary types […]
What are current and future MEPS for electric motors?
Minimum efficiency performance standards, or MEPS, specify the required efficiency levels for electric motors used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The goals of implementing MEPS are to increase energy efficiency, promote energy savings, and reduce operating costs for electric motors. And although work is being done to harmonize electric motor efficiency classifications, MEPS vary […]
What are international efficiency (IE) standards for motors and gearmotors?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), electric motors are responsible for half the energy use in the U.S. manufacturing sector, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that electric motor-driven system account for more than 40 percent of global electricity consumption. To promote energy savings, increase efficiency, and reduce operating costs for manufacturing […]
What are EtherCAT G and G10 and when are they used in motion control applications?
Since its launch in 2003, the EtherCAT protocol, with “processing on the fly” and data transmission speeds up to 100 Mbit/s, has been widely adopted for automation and process control applications. In 2018, Beckhoff (the developer of EtherCAT), introduced a major performance boost to EtherCAT, in the form of EtherCAT G and EtherCAT G10 — […]
What function do thermistors and KTY sensors serve in motors and gearmotors?
One of the most important operating parameters of motor and gearmotor operation is the temperature of the motor windings. Motor heating is caused by mechanical, electrical, and copper losses, as well as heat transferred to the motor from external sources, including the ambient temperature and surrounding equipment. If the temperature of the motor windings surpasses the […]
Heads or tails? A look at conveyor drive options
Conveyors are extremely versatile systems used for delivering bulk or discrete materials through processing operations or along assembly lines. One of the attributes that makes them so versatile is their ability to be configured in almost any layout imaginable, with curves, inclines or declines, and 90° or 180° turns to form complex travel paths. Another […]
What is an equivalent circuit and how is it used?
When analyzing electrical circuits — including those for AC induction motors and DC motors — if the circuit contains two or more of the same passive elements (such as resistors) and is wired exclusively in series or exclusively in parallel, the circuit can be drawn with a simpler representation that contains the voltage source and a […]
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