Washdown processes are common in the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries, where cleanliness of the manufacturing and handling equipment plays an important role in the quality and safety of the product. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG), along with other government and industry-specific agencies, provide […]
FAQs + basics
Wave spring basics video: Spring force, work height, materials, and installations
Within mechanical designs, tension, compression, and torsion springs take numerous forms to store and release energy. A wave spring is a type of compression springs made of flat wire. They are called wave springs because they have multiple waves per turn. The flat wire, along with the multiple waves per turn, combine to create the […]
Retaining rings basics video: Stamped, eared, e-clip, and constant section
As with other joining hardware (such as cotter pins, screws, and bolts) retaining rings prevent mating components from excessive moving. In short, they create a removable shoulder preventing components from migrating out of proper position during operation. Retaining rings are thin, circular, metal components that can be either stamped from a sheet or coiled from […]
What is modulo positioning?
In motion control, there are typically two types of positioning that can be used for a linear or rotary axis: relative, in which each position is based on a previous position, regardless of the actual position of the axis; or absolute, in which each position is referenced to a home, or zero, point. Axes that […]
What is a linear rotary servomotor?
While it may sound like a contradiction (or someone not knowing what they’re talking about), the linear rotary motor is in fact a real product. Basically, a linear rotary servomotor is a unique type of motor that offers motion in more than one direction or axis. So they can offer rotational motion like a traditional […]
Three piezo motor designs for rotary motion
One of the best technologies for achieving extremely small, precise movements is the piezo motor. Based on the piezo actuator – layers or stacks of piezo elements that produce motion through the reverse piezoelectric effect – the piezo motor incorporates mechanical elements to produce strokes of several hundred millimeters or more. And while most piezo motors […]
How do I determine what gear ratio I need for my servo system?
The load-to-motor inertia ratio is a critical parameter in servo motor sizing and performance. As we discussed in a previous article, one of the most significant effects of using a gearbox in a servo system is its ability to help optimize the inertia ratio. Why inertia ratio is important If the motor inertia is too […]
The top 5 stories on Motion Control Tips in 2017
Here we are at the end of another year. And, like every other media organization, we love to look back over the past year to see what you, our readers, found most interesting on our sites. Think of it as a kind of year-end reckoning. With that in mind, here is a short list of the […]
Servomotor basics video: Common motor types for closed-loop operation and motion applications
Servomotors are electric motors that output motion under closed-loop control — so they rely on feedback from encoders or sensors … as well as a controller to process those signals for shaping the commands and corrections back to the motor. Usually these are rotary servomotors to output precise torque and speed — often for positioning. […]
What’s the best type of gearbox for servo applications?
Updated 2020 ⚙️ Gearboxes provide torque multiplication, speed reduction, and inertia matching for motor-driven systems. Servo systems, specifically, require gearboxes that can supply not only high torque with low added inertia, but also high precision and stiffness. One type of gearbox meets all these criteria while providing relatively long operating life with low maintenance requirements […]