VITS International makes sheeting and finishing machines for packaging, printing, and converting. The OEM saw the digital-printing market needed finishing capable of commercial production speeds. So VITS designed and built the SPRINT Variable Data Finisher with a Bosch Rexroth drive and control platform to meet the demand. Digital inkjet printers can execute output comparable to […]
Motion Casebook
PC-based control on industrial sheet-metal presses — a Casebook example
Sheet-metal workcells can deliver higher-quality parts in greater quantities than traditional builds when designed with centralized PC-based control and EtherCAT connectivity. That’s especially true of deep-drawing press applications (shown below) where modular hardware and software from Beckhoff maximize throughput and minimize tolerances. To review, deep drawing is the process by which sheet metal is placed […]
Programmable encoder saves a tradeshow demo for a robotic-gripper manufacturer
Just before the recent Pack Expo 2018 in Chicago, Soft Robotics Inc., manufacturer of soft robotic gripping and automation solutions, had a brand-new show-demonstration workcell go down. That prompted one of the company’s engineers to reach out to Encoder Products Co. exhibiting in another McCormick Place hall to get the demo working again. “We had […]
Brushless dc motors for industrial power tools: Comparison of options including slotless motor variations
Industrial power tools have operating profiles that differ from those of most other motor-driven applications. That’s why motors that go into these tools need specialized designs. By Thomas Baile, Business Development Manager | Portescap Most electric-motor-driven designs demand torque for the entirety of their motion. In contrast, power tools for fastening, gripping, and cutting applications […]
Gearbox with near-full contact of meshing gears increases riveting rate for robotic fuselage assembly
The newest high-torque gearbox offering from WITTENSTEIN offers extreme torsional rigidity and the world’s first zero-backlash operation for applications that need superior precision in output motion. In contrast with other gear offerings that transmit power over lines of contact on gear teeth, meshing gears in the Galaxie make almost full-surface contact. This allows for tooth […]
Application example: HMI on medical-device manufacturing equipment
Most hospitalized patients receive an IV soon after admission … and sometimes insertion of the needle is painful. But once placed, discomfort subsides — as the plastic tubing that connects the IV bag to the arm is shaped to smoothly glide into veins and remain comfortable during use. Equipment made by Silverstone Automation — the manufacturer’s […]
9 considerations when picking servocouplings for servo applications — and 4 references from couplingtips.com
Couplings for servo applications usually connect precision drives to sensitive loads, so they cannot induce any error. That’s why servocouplings should be zero backlash — to prevent issues with timing and predictability (not to mention failures due to hammering on reversing axes). Couplings for servo applications must also have high torsional stiffness while imparting slight […]
Filament extrusion machine builder gets industrial-grade performance with custom gearing and a PWM drive
Filabot, a manufacturer of plastic-extrusion machines for the 3D printing market, has just released its new and improved EX6 filament extrusion machine. The Filabot EX6 improves overall extrusion process control and consistency compared to previous models, by adding features which are standard on industrial-scale extruders. The EX6 has a higher output compared to other systems […]
Controller-drivers steer stepper-motor-driven sample-transfer machine
Gatan Inc. makes specimen-preparation equipment and recently built an alpha prototype of a new machine. The iPrep prototype mounts to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and shuttles samples back and forth between a processing chamber and SEM receiving dock. Within the processing chamber, two broad-beam ion guns polish samples. The iPrep’s automated transfer mechanism allows […]
Application: Gearboxes drive an innovative PARKPLUS AGV-based automated parking garage
PARKPLUS is a designer and builder of both mechanical and fully automated high-density parking setups for North America. The manufacturer recently developed an advanced parking system based on free-roaming battery-operated AGVs with omnidirectional maneuverability. Drivers pull their cars into a vehicle-receiving area and onto a large waiting platform called a tray. Then an AGV goes […]
