Rolling bearings in rotating machinery support shaft loads, reduce friction with rolling elements, and provide shaft location and system rigidity. Whether a bearing will be suitable for an application will hinge, in part, on the particular application requirements for the bearing and the bearing’s design features and associated capabilities. When specifying bearings, designers must consider […]
FAQs + basics
How to size and select a dc motor: A motion engineer’s guide
There are many motor choices on the market today, from heavy-duty AC motors to tiny DC brushless and stepper motors. To select the right motor for the application, users must have a full understanding of the application parameters, including power, speed, torque, physical size, efficiency, lifetime expectations, and other requirements. There have literally been books […]
How to select a cable carrier: A motion engineer’s guide
Selecting the right kind of cable carrier for an application starts with a few simple guidelines. The most important points to consider are the specifics of the application. These include the length of travel, the number of cables or hoses, the size and weight of the cables, the required speed and acceleration and environmental factors […]
How to select an ac motor: A motion engineer’s guide
AC motors are among the simplest of motors amid the common choices for motion control systems. There are a few basic criteria for selecting an AC motor. These involve common variables such as the operating speed and load torque, in addition to the power supply voltage and frequency. First of all, calculate the operating speed. […]
What are Transducers for Motion Applications? Technical Summary
A transducer is essentially a device that converts some form of energy into another form. Common types of transducers used in industrial applications can include sensors used to measure temperature, pressure, force, strain, liquid levels and flow rates, and electrical conductivity among others. In motion control applications, transducers can refer to any one of a […]
What are gears for power transmission? Technical summary for design engineers
Updated February 2020 || The function of a gear is to mesh with other gears to transmit altered torque and rotation. In fact, gearing can change the speed, torque and direction of motion from a drive source. Geometry & general gear design When two gears with an unequal number of teeth engage, the mechanical advantage […]
What are Motion Control Networks? Technical Summary
Multi-axis motion control typically uses event-based synchronization. This level of synchronization is defined as scheduled, absolute hard delivery of time-critical cyclic data across the network. Delivery variability must be less than 1 µs, which is also known as jitter. While a number of networks exist for “motion control,” it is important to define the time […]
What is linear motion design engineering? Technical summary
Linear motion is an area of motion control encompassing several technologies including linear motors, linear actuators, and linear rolling guides and bearings, among others. Linear motors — an accurate option Traditional linear motors are basically a permanent magnet rotary motor rolled out and laid flat. It’s as if the stator and rotor were cut along […]
What is a motor drive? Summary for design engineers
Some drives are wholly incorporated into the controller, so that the profile generation takes place in the controller as well as the torque command for the motor. On the other hand, a drive can also refer to the specific power electronic circuitry needed to drive the motor. Electric motors that drive industrial machines need some […]
What are Retaining Rings? Summary for Motion Engineers
Retaining rings are fasteners that hold together components on a shaft when installed in a groove. There are three main types of retaining rings; tapered section, constant section and spiral. Tapered section rings are characterized by their decreasing thickness from the center of the ring out to the ends. These rings can be mounted either […]
