Seals, chains, cable carriers, springs, retaining rings, and general power-transmission (PT) components continue to see new materials at critical surfaces; proliferation of application-specific versions (especially for compression and wave springs); and increasingly practical online purchasing for both off-the-shelf components and customized orders. Here we explore some of these trends. Online B2B ordering of very specific […]
Editor Blogs
Unboxing video: Nippon Pulse Motion Checker controllers for two-phase stepper motors
In a recent video, my colleague Miles Budimir and I got the chance to program and play with an MCH-5 motion checker controller from Nippon Pulse America. These come in versions for both unipolar and bipolar stepper motors, and we got a sample of one for bipolar. The controllers provide pulse-direction output signals — so the […]
Space-age engineering: How the Jetsons undermined the understanding of an entire (gear) industry
By Brian Dengel | General Manager • KHK USA Inc. For those of us of a certain age, the thoughts of flying cars and home robots originated with watching popular 1960s cartoon The Jetsons. The Jetsons’ world was that of a simple family living a typical 1960s life, but in a futuristic setting. Mr. George […]
Four lessons learned from igus CEO Frank Blase
On a recent press tour of igus’ Cologne, Germany headquarters, I had the pleasure of chatting with Frank Blase, the company’s CEO—and one of the most approachable and down-to-earth manufacturing leaders you are apt to find. Blase shared some of what has helped him grow his father’s small German company—over several decades—into the global manufacturer […]
How to design quiet gearmotors: Gear engagement, housing geometry, and more
What applications need quiet gearmotors? The answer might surprise you — because the human ear can detect noise at 10 dB lower than ambient levels, and many gearmotors operate in close proximity to people. In this technical article, we outline recent staff engineers’ research and development into the problem (and potential solutions for) gearmotor noise. […]
Gearboxes and gear motors market growing, says F&S Mechanical Power Transmission team
The global gearboxes and gear motors market is witnessing steady growth, augmented by the adoption of more energy-efficient gearboxes and gear motors, investment in wind energy, material handling, food and beverages, and replacement demand from developed regions. Successful companies will be those that continuously enhance the power transmission efficiencies of their gear systems, focus on vibrant […]
How to get a variable frequency drive (VFD) running
Here we cover the specifics of how variable frequency drives (VFD) operate and ways to simplify their installation and setup. By Bob Bonczar, Yaskawa America | Technical Training Services Variable frequency drives or VFDs — which we call simply drives in this context — operate in a wide array of industries. They’re often behind the […]
Self-powered hub-wheel drive combines wheel, motor, gearbox, and brake: Now in expanded production
ABM Drives Suzhou Co. Ltd. recently doubled production in China of its self-powered hub-wheel drive. Offered as a 0.6-kW version, this powered hub wheel drive package includes the wheel with tire, ac motor, gearbox and brake. Typical applications include moving 1,000 to 5,000 pounds at speeds of 1.5 to 2.5 mph. The max wheel diameter […]
Catching up with Oriental Motor at MD&M East
Earlier this month, I spoke with Viet Le, Senior Sales Engineer, Oriental Motor at the MD&M East/ATX East show in New York City. The company was showing off its AZ series of closed-loop absolute mechanical encoder stepper motors—they feature low vibration and high efficiency, and you don’t even have to purchase a battery back-up or […]
Catching up with Beckhoff at ATXEast
I had a great chat with Beckhoff’s Daymon Thompson at last week’s ATX East trade show at New York’s Javits Center. The PC-based machine controls company features a range of processors, from an ARM processor all the way up to an industrial server with 36 cores and two terabytes of memory—possibly the biggest PLC on […]
