Performance-plastics component and system manufacturer igus Inc. recently brought their mobile-exhibition roadshow to Cleveland where we Design World editors got the chance to rendezvous with some of their engineers and sales team. igus has used mobile exbits for several years but temporarily halted them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently igus resurrected its roadshow program to […]
Editor Blogs
Gearmotors driving the timber industry
Rugged innovative gears and gearmotors along with other drive technologies rise to the challenge in demanding wood-processing applications. By Oscar Lopez • Service manager — industrial gearing | SEW Eurodrive Applications in the timber industry are varied and demanding — consisting of debarking, sawing, drilling, milling, and grinding operations. The machines used in these processes […]
Wiegand energy harvester enables new IoT technologies
UBITO, a member of the FRABA family of technology companies, has announced a development of Wiegand technology as an energy source for smart sensors. After more than two years of effort at FRABA’s R&D center in Aachen (Germany), a research team has demonstrated a prototype of a wireless sensor powered by Wiegand technology that could […]
Most-read motion-control articles of 2022
As we close out the year of 2022, the staff of Motion Control Tips would like to present our most-read articles of this year. (5th) most read: Electric actuators — an alternative to hydraulic cylinders This article details how as electric rod-style actuators have become capable of outputting forces comparable to those of high-end hydraulics, […]
New single-axis motion controller from Galil
The DMC-3x01x Motion Controller Series is Galil’s latest generation single-axis motion controller. It uses a 32-bit RISC processor to provide higher speed than older models. Like all Galil controllers, programming the DMC-3x01x is simplified with two-letter, intuitive commands and a full set of software tools for servo tuning and analysis. The DMC-3x01x Motion Controller Series feature: Available as a compact card-level or box-level unit […]
Sizing a dynamic brake resistor
Dynamic brakes in electric motor drives divert rising DC bus voltage seen during load deceleration. Here we explain how to size the resistors that process that voltage. By Lawrence Kren | Contributing writer Dynamic brakes divert rising DC bus voltage to an appropriately sized resistor where that voltage is then dissipated as heat. This process […]
Pertinent operating conditions for ac gearmotors and motors
Nameplate values stipulate the limits at which a motor or gearmotor can safely operate. To operate the motor either over or under the nameplate rated limit can degrade motor performance and safety. Let’s now review some of these restrictions and the consequences of ignoring them. Tim Oliver, V.P. of Engineering • Bodine Electric Co. Operating […]
Best practices for designing automated production lines
The newest generation of factory automation technologies is transforming production lines in every major industry — from consumer-packaged goods and electronics manufacturing to electric vehicles and battery production. As automation technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and connected, manufacturers are exploring new ways to add flexibility, achieve higher productivity, and capture real-time insight across operations. But not […]
Absolute rotary encoders make omnidirectional motion a VR reality
Encoders are critical motion control components that provide feedback on a system’s position and speed. They are used in almost every industry — such as aerospace, robotics, packaging, and textiles — and are building traction in virtual reality (VR) treadmills. VR treadmills let users physically move in real-life space while navigating virtual environments. But unlike […]
Basics of wave and cycloidal gearing for robotics and servo designs
Many of today’s precision applications necessitate gears capable of dramatic speed reductions, power densities, and transmission accuracies. Leading choices in these designs include trochoidal and cycloidal gearing as well as gearsets relying on wave-inducing subcomponents having an elliptical or Reuleaux or other polygonal shape. Trochoidal and cycloidal gearing includes elements that rotate and trace curves around […]
