If one looks at factors such as ease of operation or networking connectivity, and particularly the ability to connect factory-floor activities to system-wide business functions, then PC-based control systems have traditionally made more sense. However, contemporary PLC designs have addressed these issues by offering more options for connectivity, particularly to enterprise-wide systems. And with the […]
FAQs + basics
FAQ: How do drives affect cogging in AC motors?
If you put two magnets in close proximity to each other, you know that they’ll experience an attractive force when opposite poles are near each other and a repulsive force when like poles are near. If you hold one magnet stationary and rotate the other, pole-over-pole, the rotating magnet will tend to stop when its […]
FAQ: Where and why are miniature hydraulic shock absorbers useful?
Recently, I sat down with our editorial director Paul Heney to explore how shock absorbers improve industrial and consumer designs for warehouse storage and retrieval; conveyor and steel-mill end stops; packaging and plastic-bottle machinery; and various robotic and crane setups. We reviewed three small hydraulic shock absorbers from ITT Enidine: Unlike vibration (those small oscillations from […]
FAQ: Where do wire-rope isolators work best?
It’s expensive to keep equipment perfectly balanced, and it’s often inefficient to add structural reinforcements. But adding wire-rope isolators is a cost-effective way to address vibration — and when done upfront, it can save machine structures from fatigue. In the video below, I join my colleague Mary Gannon to review several wire-rope isolators from ITT Enidine and where they […]
FAQ: When to pick ac gearmotors, and when to pick dc?
Gearmotors can be built around either an ac or dc electric motor. The choice of motor type depends on a number of factors. In general, dc gearmotors, particularly brushless dc motors, have really good speed regulation properties, so they’re usually preferred in applications requiring tight variable speed control. However, over the years, ac gearmotors have […]
FAQ: What are ways to avoid torque ripple in DC motors?
Torque ripple—variations in torque production during shaft revolution—is an undesirable effect that occurs in permanent magnet motors, preventing smooth motor rotation. Torque ripple is generally defined as non-linear torque production of an energized motor. Cogging torque—a phenomenon similar to torque ripple—is torque produced by the attraction between the permanent magnets of the rotor and the […]
FAQ: What is CoDeSys software?
CoDeSyS stands for controller development system. It’s a development environment for programming controller applications in line with the IEC 61131-3 standard. It was developed and is still maintained by the 3S (Smart Software Solutions) Company in Germany. The platform-independent development environment is compatible with the PLCs and automation components of over 250 companies. For starters, […]
Conveyors help medical-product manufacturer package + store product
Now, a production line centered around conveyors from QC Conveyors is helping one medical-device manufacturer boost production of sterile product. CooperSurgical is a maker of diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices to women’s healthcare providers. Recently the manufacturer turned to QC Conveyors to setup a new production line that maintains the cleanliness required for packaging medical products, […]
What are typical drive-based safety functions?
Functional safety standards EN/IEC 62061 and EN/ISO 13849-1 ensure safety via electronic solutions, unlike traditional safety systems, which used electromechanical components to achieve safety. And while functional safety applies to a machine and its control system (not to individual components), the drive lies at the heart of the safety implementation. In fact, functional safety specifies that […]
Integrated motors in motion-control applications
Article updated November 2019 ⚙️ Integrated motors include a motor rotor and stator (in a brushless dc, servomotor or stepper motor form) paired with other motion components. About half of all integrated motors incorporate a brushless motor with permanent magnets on the rotors, though other formats exist. The most basic integrated motors consist of just […]