If you deal with electrical components, including electrical enclosures such as control cabinets, you’re probably familiar with IP (International Protection) ratings, which specify the enclosure’s ability to prevent the ingress of solid objects and liquids. But you may be less familiar with the IK rating system, which defines the enclosure’s ability to protect its components from […]
FAQs + basics
3 things to consider when choosing a linear servo motor
Direct drive linear servo motors have seen a measurable increase in adoption over the past several years, thanks in part to end users’ demands for higher throughput and better precision. And although linear motors are most often recognized for their ability to provide a combination of high speeds, long strokes, and excellent positioning accuracy that […]
What are proximity sensors?
Proximity sensors are used across a broad range of industrial and manufacturing applications. They’re used to sense the presence of objects or materials and then either initiate some action or simply flag their presence or absence. Key to their operation is that they don’t require physical contact with the target or object being sensed. This […]
What are magnetoelastic sensors for torque measurement?
When a ferromagnetic material is subjected to a mechanical stress — caused by an applied force or torque — it experiences a change in magnetic flux. This phenomenon is known as the magnetoelastic effect, also referred to as the Villari effect, for the Italian physicist who discovered it in the late 1800’s. In motion control […]
How do gearmotors impact reflected mass inertia from the load?
In any drive system (that is, a motor driving a load), there is going to be inertia. Specifically, the motor will have inertia as will the load. For a direct drive system (a direct motor-to-load connection) the individual inertias can just be added together in a straightforward way. However, for any other type of setup involving […]
Why is viscosity important for bearing lubrication?
Lubrication — or, more correctly, improper or insufficient lubrication — is one of the leading causes of equipment failures in industrial applications. Without it, sliding, rolling, or meshing surfaces experience significant friction, heat, and wear, leading to increased noise, loss of accuracy, and reduced equipment life. One of the most important characteristics of a lubricant […]
Why is static friction greater than kinetic friction?
Solid surfaces are subjected to two types of friction: static friction and kinetic friction. Static friction acts when the surfaces are stationary — think of a box on the floor. Static friction is what keeps the box from moving without being pushed, and it must be overcome with a sufficient opposing force before the box […]
What is current decay (aka recirculating current) in a stepper drive?
A common type of stepper drive is the chopper drive, so named because it rapidly switches the output voltage from the drive on and off — “chopping” it — to provide constant current to the motor. Chopper drives use one H-bridge per motor phase to drive voltage to the motor windings. A sense resistor at […]
Electric slip rings: 5 things to know about brushes, voltage drops, and noise mitigation
Here we outline five things to know about electrical slip rings and their brushes, voltage drops, and noise mitigation. Also be sure to check out the FAQs: What are slip rings and why do some motors use them? and What’s the difference between electromechanical and fiber-optic slip rings? 1. The three main brush technologies in electric […]
Standard versus custom slip rings — and inductive, capacitive, wetted mercury variations
Slip-ring variations abound — and the advanced components come in bore sizes from half an inch to many feet in diameter — for medical-imaging machines designed to service livestock, for example. But options go beyond mere scale. So how do OEMs and design engineers choose between standard and custom options … and what are other […]