The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) issued its 3,000th EtherCAT vendor ID in July 2020. Beckhoff introduced the EtherCAT real-time Ethernet system to the market in 2003 and disclosed its details within the ETG the same year. This recent milestone underscores how the ultra-fast communication system has taken the automation world by storm since its release, […]
Controls
The difference between contactors and motor starters (and reduced-voltage starters)
Electric motors are absolutely essential to automating innumerable applications around the world. In most cases, the driving of motors — the supplying of electric power to them — requires some engineered system that must also be compatible with the motor’s winding arrangement. Because these motor-powering systems are often found employing or accompanying the other electrical […]
Choosing between (or combining) relays and PLCs
Top design objectives for control installations include capability, reliability, and cost effectiveness. Many new and retrofitted control panels employ components such as PLCs and even industrial PCs (IPCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) for advanced connectivity and control. It’s often appropriate to use these more complicated (and capable) options and remove or forgo electromechanical relays […]
DIN rail: Basic construction and versions
The ubiquitous nature of components for DIN-rail mounting makes this standard particularly helpful … especially when panel redesigns are in order. Here, a technician need only to unclamp components, slide them to their new locations, and reclamp them to the DIN rail. In addition, DIN rail prevents upside-down and other incorrect installation. A typical DIN […]
What role does Linux play in motion control systems?
Operating systems manage the communication between hardware and software in devices such as servers, computers, mobile phones, and embedded systems. Most personal computers and laptops use either Microsoft’s Windows operating system or Apple’s macOS, and mobile devices such as phones and tablets primarily use Google’s Android operating system or Apple’s iOS. In the industrial world, […]
Servo drive modules from Trinamic handle up to 1,000 W
TRINAMIC Motion Control, now part of Maxim Integrated, has released the TMCM-1636, a single-axis servo controller, developed for drives up to 1,000 W and 60 A RMS. It’s suited for robotics, lab and factory automation, manufacturing, and patient handling equipment such as motorized beds and chairs. The new module achieves high-current loop frequencies that minimize […]
Bodine now offers 60 new hypoid PMDC gearmotors
Bodine Electric Co. has just announced sixty (60) new 33A7-25H2 and 33A7-30H3 hollow-shaft right-angle hypoid PMDC gearmotors. These integral geared motors combine Bodine’s high-performance type 33A7 permanent magnet dc motor with two new hypoid gearheads. They are a suitable drive solution for applications needing compact size, quiet operation, high torque density, and low energy consumption. […]
Three-phase rectifier boards from Koford Engineering for brushless generators
Brushless generators from Koford Engineering components are now possible. The motion-component supplier now sells regulated three-phase rectifier boards (for up to 5 V and 20 A) that combine with any three phase sensorless brushless motor to serve as brushless generators. Product information can be found at koford.com/Generators.pdf. Recall that when driven by a power […]
Yaskawa debuts intuitive software tool to aid advanced manufacturing
The Drives & Motion division of Yaskawa America, Inc. has released Yaskawa Compass, a new software user interface tool for advanced manufacturing. Yaskawa Compass is a CNC navigator, a graphical user software package applicable to multiple applications in 3D printing, shape cutting, machine tools and robotics. “Compass is designed with creativity in mind allowing machine […]
Power over Ethernet (PoE) and M12 connectors in motion designs
Though the internet of things is most visible to laymen in consumer devices, the IIoT is massive. The majority of applications are in business, factory, and healthcare settings … and more than a third of the nearly $6 trillion IoT market is in manufacturing. Connectivity is the basis of all this IIoT — providing the […]