Lubrication — or, more correctly, improper or insufficient lubrication — is one of the leading causes of equipment failures in industrial applications. Without it, sliding, rolling, or meshing surfaces experience significant friction, heat, and wear, leading to increased noise, loss of accuracy, and reduced equipment life. One of the most important characteristics of a lubricant […]
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New Spirawave nested wave spring series from Smalley
Smalley now offers a new nested Spirawave wave spring series. Smalley has been producing nested wave springs as customs for over 30 years, but this will mark the first standard series on the market. These multiple turn, flat wire wave springs are coiled in parallel to produce two to three times as much force as […]
QC Conveyors new V.P. of sales: Charlie Brown
QC Conveyors welcomes Charlie Brown as the company’s new Vice President of Sales. Brown brings more than 25 years of experience in the industrial automation industry. He will be responsible for leading the company’s expansion into new markets and territories while maintaining the company’s excellent revenue growth. Brown comes to QC Conveyors from Numatic Engineering […]
Laser marking now part of Gear Motions production
Gear Motions now has a fiber laser marking machine which was recently installed at its Nixon Gear Division in Syracuse. The Beamer Laser Systems Model FL53 uses a 50-watt high powered LED laser to mark products quickly and safely. The machine offers fast cycle times and a wide range of marking intensities. It has a […]
Why is static friction greater than kinetic friction?
Solid surfaces are subjected to two types of friction: static friction and kinetic friction. Static friction acts when the surfaces are stationary — think of a box on the floor. Static friction is what keeps the box from moving without being pushed, and it must be overcome with a sufficient opposing force before the box […]
What is current decay (aka recirculating current) in a stepper drive?
A common type of stepper drive is the chopper drive, so named because it rapidly switches the output voltage from the drive on and off — “chopping” it — to provide constant current to the motor. Chopper drives use one H-bridge per motor phase to drive voltage to the motor windings. A sense resistor at […]
Electric slip rings: 5 things to know about brushes, voltage drops, and noise mitigation
Here we outline five things to know about electrical slip rings and their brushes, voltage drops, and noise mitigation. Also be sure to check out the FAQs: What are slip rings and why do some motors use them? and What’s the difference between electromechanical and fiber-optic slip rings? 1. The three main brush technologies in electric […]
Standard versus custom slip rings — and inductive, capacitive, wetted mercury variations
Slip-ring variations abound — and the advanced components come in bore sizes from half an inch to many feet in diameter — for medical-imaging machines designed to service livestock, for example. But options go beyond mere scale. So how do OEMs and design engineers choose between standard and custom options … and what are other […]
Where are slip rings used? Common markets and applications
Slip rings excel in myriad designs that include a rotating base or platform — including industrial equipment such as index tables, winders, and automated welders. Wind turbines are another key application — as are medical applications for MRI and CT imaging. Slip rings also work at the pivot point of closed-circuit security cameras. Slip rings […]
Automate 2019 (and Promat) April 8 to 11: North American event to showcase real-world technology advances
Automate 2019, North America’s largest showcase devoted to automation industry trends, leading-edge technology and business innovation, returns to Chicago’s McCormick Place April 8 to 11. Produced by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), Automate hosts many of the industry’s leading manufacturers and system integrators of robotics, machine vision, metrology, software, safety, motion control and motors. […]