For some applications, stock servodrives are the most suitable. Elsewhere, custom solutions justify the extra investment. Scott Rohlfs | ElectroCraft For most motion-control applications, standard servodrives are the most suitable solution. Off-the-shelf units balance proven performance, immediate availability, and straightforward integration for a wide array of industrial, commercial, and consumer equipment. In contrast, certain applications […]
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Redefining premium for industrial drives
Global circularity has slipped to 6.9% which indicates industries are consuming resources faster than they can be recuperated. Efficient motor drives can help close this gap. Anne Franzas · Global product manager — Circularity | ABB Data from the most recent Circularity Gap Report underscores today’s environmental challenges and companies’ structural challenges. For the latter, […]
Here’s the goal with gearbox customization
From the whisper-quiet precision needed in medical devices to the durability required in aerospace applications, fully customized gearbox design and manufacturing is often the answer. Chris Handcock · Design lead | Electro Mechanical Systems Fully custom gearboxes are typically specified when the compromises associated with off-the-shelf products are unacceptable. Constraints around space, weight, or cost […]
Part 4: Layers of performance and specifications in motion control
Here’s how a focus on system integration can help achieve true precision in motion control applications. Corey Foster · Director of Automation Sales & Application Engineering | Valin Corporation This series has focused on high-precision motion control. In such applications, system performance is often judged simply by the specifications of the mechanics alone. The actuators […]
The many gearmotors in warehousing equipment
Today’s automated warehouses are often designed by a small group of mechanical engineers and a veritable army of software engineers — especially where coordination of purpose-built autonomous robot fleets is involved. Even so, cruise the next MODEX or ProMat show and it will become clear that warehouse equipment relies heavily on electromechanical systems — and […]
Part 3: Layers of performance and specifications in motion control
Here’s how a focus on drives and controls can help achieve true precision in motion control applications. Corey Foster · Director of Automation Sales & Application Engineering | Valin Corporation In high-precision motion control, system performance is often judged simply by the specifications of the mechanics alone. The actuators are typically sorted by a standard […]
Software, Stäubli, and Beckhoff technologies form a new CNC solution
Machine-tool provider CNC Solutions found that traditional teach-in methods, effective for simple pick-and-place tasks, could not handle the complexity of today’s CNC-class workloads. Milling, sanding, and laser or plasma cutting need managing millions of motion points, far beyond the capacity of manual teaching. For these processes, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is essential. Over the decades, CNC […]
Cleanroom-compatible materials and features
Materials and features of motion components for cleanroom environments balance competing demands such as cost and performance, performance and compactness, and ease of manufacturing and assembly with cleanroom satisfaction. First thing first — reduce friction: One of two primary sources of particulate contamination that can degrade a cleanroom environment is people. The other is friction between […]
Minimizing outgassing from cleanroom equipment
Cleanrooms require minimization of friction-related particle generation. Now let’s consider another source of contamination — outgassing — and how to minimize it. Especially in cleanroom applications involving the manufacture of LEDs, optics, or glass, or the processing of silicon wafers, outgassing can damage end product. Outgassing is the desorption of vapors or gasses, either from […]
Update on designing for cleanrooms
Considering all the moving and static sources that contribute to particle generation, it’s no wonder that many designers cringe when they find out that a motion system will be operating in a cleanroom. But motion doesn’t have to be the enemy of the cleanroom. With an understanding of the particle sources and corresponding design adaptations, […]
