While placing engineering and the arts in the same sentence may still sound like an odd juxtaposition to some, for me it has always been the most natural alignment. Back in my college days I dabbled in drawing, which was different from the mandatory technical drawing classes that all engineering students had to take, but […]
Editor Blogs
The 5 Coolest Servo Motor Applications
The uses for servo motors range far and wide, from large to small, and from fairly simple to incredibly complex. Here are some of the, admittedly subjective, coolest applications for servo motors that we’ve seen. 1.Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX In this extreme application, servo motors from MICROMO control a rocket engine fuel trim valve […]
Of LEGOs and Servo Motors
Now for a little fun. Last year, LEGO released a series of motors, controllers, and power sources called Power Functions. It’s pretty amazing the things you can do with them, that is, how much more sophisticated LEGOs have gotten over the years. At least they have from the days when I was a kid. Anyway, […]
5 Really Good Servo Motor Videos
Here’s a look at some of the best servo motor videos we found online: 1. Not really a single video but a series of informative videos on servo motor sizing from Yaskawa. Really detailed and useful information for sizing a servo motor covering the key considerations you need to know in making the right choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-_kyRSfI2c […]
Five Informative Articles on Servo Motors
If you’re looking for good, informative articles on servo motors, where are the best places to find them? Of course, short of a really good textbook on servo motors (which not all of us may have access to), there are plenty of places online that offer really good information on servo motors and systems; everything […]
Reviewing Some Online Stepper Motor Selectors
How easy is it to select a stepper motor online? I decided to find out by visiting the web sites of some stepper motor manufacturers and seeing how easy or difficult it was. First up was Automation Direct. Offering everything from cables and fuses to terminal blocks and pneumatic components, the home page is quite […]
Parrot Pilots Robotic Vehicle
This video has everything; robots, motion control, a parrot piloting a robotic vehicle. The “Bird Buggy” was designed and created by University of Florida engineering grad student Andrew Gray for an intelligent machines design lab course.
Servomotors: More for Less
The hard-working servomotor is being asked to do ever more these days, and it’s stepping up to the challenge in a lot of different ways. The challenge isn’t new; more power, more torque, in a smaller package for less cost. And that’s exactly what’s been happening. Servomotor manufacturers are indeed increasing motor torque density while […]
Reshoring Picks Up Steam
The reshoring trend got a boost last week at the Reshoring Summit: Bringing Manufacturing Back to the U.S., held right here in Cleveland. The summit’s focus was on educating manufacturer’s on the benefits of bringing manufacturing work back to the U.S., which included making the business case for such a move, as well as hearing […]
Where are the Women Engineers?
Today is International Women’s Day, and it’s as good a time as any to reflect on the role and number of women in the engineering profession. The holiday itself originated as part of the women’s rights movement at the beginning of the 20th century as a way to raise awareness of issues including women’s rights […]