Now in its eighth year, Design World’s annual Awards in Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program highlights innovation and engineering achievements from around the globe. This year, the expert independent judging panel reviewed dozens of submissions to award gold, silver, and bronze winners across multiple categories. The following products were recognized in the 2025 LEAP Awards […]
Featured
A simple PID loop tuning technique: Part 2 of 2
Proportional, integral, derivative (PID) position servo-loop tuning can be daunting. However, one simple technique works well for most systems. Chuck Lewin • Founder and CEO | Performance Motion Devices Inc. The first installment of this two-part series detailed a simple technique called step-response tuning that helps identify good PID-gain settings in motor-positioning applications. This manual […]
A simple PID loop tuning technique: Part 1 of 2
Proportional, integral, derivative (PID) position servo-loop tuning can be daunting. However, one simple technique works well for most systems. Chuck Lewin • Founder and CEO | Performance Motion Devices Inc. There are two types of servomotors commonly used for positioning motion control applications — the dc brush motor (which uses mechanical brushes to commutate the […]
Winners announced in the 2025 LEAP Awards Motion Control category
The winners of the 2025 LEAP (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) Awards were announced earlier this week in a digital ceremony, with products across 11 categories, including Motion Control. What sets the LEAP Awards apart from so many others is the involvement of the engineering community. Each year, the Design World editorial team assembles a […]
Friction-reduced rolling bearings increase efficiency and sustainability
Rolling bearings feature especially low friction characteristics, making it possible to reduce bearing friction by half, and offering the construction machinery sector the opportunity to achieve significant carbon dioxide savings without imposing high development costs. Stefan Scharting Schaeffler KG Schweinfurt, Germany Rolling bearings with optimized friction and performance characteristics can have a significant influence when it comes to reducing the power […]
New motor could spur new applications
It often happens than new technologies enable new forms of automation — or makes them more practical. One new electric-motor design recognized by this year’s R&D 100 Awards could prove one such technology. Lisa Eitel | Executive editor Most electric vehicle or EV motors use permanent-magnet synchronous motors or PMSMs with the magnets on their rotors, and […]
Motion control boosts fence-post drilling throughput
On the manufacturing floor of British Columbia-based BKB Cedar Manufacturing, the whine of the drill motor and churning of its bit into tough cedar posts made a reassuringly steady cadence — until, too often, it didn’t. Workers would manually position posts by moving a heavy carriage back and forth between drilling operations. They would then […]
SSEAC subsea actuator provides precise flow control on the seabed
The SSEAC is a new electromechanical subsea actuator from Wittenstein Motion Control (WMC) for actuating choke and other valves in subsea applications. Rated for a service life of at least 25 years, this actuator controls the continuous flow of gases and liquids at a depth of up to 4,000 m. As an alternative to hydraulic […]
Day 1: New technologies at Automate 2025
In addition to presentations and technical sessions, several dozen companies have announced new technologies at this year’s Automate Show. Some of these have been released in announcements: Festo Didactic to showcase workforce development at Automate Columbus McKinnon showcases conveyance systems at Automate 2025 Festo showing multi-axis positioning systems at Automate Automate 2025 builds on years […]
Festo showing multi-axis positioning systems at Automate
Festo is showcasing at Automate 2025 its most innovative automation solutions, including multi-axis positioning systems. Festo positioning systems can be specified in minutes and after delivery installed and functioning in hours instead of weeks. This year, Festo celebrates the company’s 100th anniversary and is emphasizing its leadership in automation. On Wednesday, May 14, at 2:30, […]
