American Axle Manufacturing (AAM) is increasing the functionality of its St. Mary’s, Pa. manufacturing operations with conveyors sporting advanced drive technology. Small yet powerful direct-drive motors from Electric Torque Machines actuate Dorner conveyors that move small parts around the AAM facility. AAM designs, engineers, validates, and manufactures an array of driveline, metal-forming, powertrain, and casting […]
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Digital printing pairs with a machine capable of handling its varied output
VITS International makes sheeting and finishing machines for packaging, printing, and converting. The OEM saw the digital-printing market needed finishing capable of commercial production speeds. So VITS designed and built the SPRINT Variable Data Finisher with a Bosch Rexroth drive and control platform to meet the demand. Digital inkjet printers can execute output comparable to […]
PC-based control on industrial sheet-metal presses — a Casebook example
Sheet-metal workcells can deliver higher-quality parts in greater quantities than traditional builds when designed with centralized PC-based control and EtherCAT connectivity. That’s especially true of deep-drawing press applications (shown below) where modular hardware and software from Beckhoff maximize throughput and minimize tolerances. To review, deep drawing is the process by which sheet metal is placed […]
Finalists announced for Motion Control category of LEAP Awards – 2018
Finalists were announced on Friday, November 2nd for the inaugural LEAP Awards Motion Control Category. The competition was scored by a panel of independent engineering judges. The judges below were responsible for the Motion Control category. Dan Jones • President | Incremotion Associates Dan Jones started as a production worker at a motor company in the late […]
What do IP ratings really mean, and how do they differ from NEMA ratings?
Electrical enclosures, such as those for motors, sensors, and HMIs, are often given what is known as an IP rating, consisting of the two letters, “IP,” followed by two numeric digits — IP65, for example. This IP rating indicates the amount of protection the enclosure provides against the ingress of solid particles and liquids. Unlike […]
Applied Motion Products customizes integrated motor for better package handling on conveyor
Integrated STM/SWM stepper motors from Applied Motion Products help save space, wiring, and cost on advanced conveyors. For one conveyor handling packages of various configurations, the integrated steppers form part of an assembly to position as rapidly as the analog control updates target position — every 4 msec. Here, the motors also address changing requirements […]
Most efficient vehicle in the world uses brushless motor in drivetrain
One little hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle holds the Guinness world record for the most efficient vehicle … and uses a slotless brushless 60L-H-175-A from Koford Motors to drive its rear power wheel. This year, the tiny car from the Duke Electric Vehicles team beat the 12,600-mpg efficiency of the PAC CAR 2, in turn designed by […]
Finalists announced for Industrial Automation category in inaugural LEAP Awards
Eight finalists were announced on Friday November 2nd for the inaugural LEAP Awards’ Industrial Automation Category. The competition was scored by a panel of independent technical/engineering-oriented judges. The four judges below were responsible for the Industrial Automation category: Bonnie Baker Consultant ATW, LLC Bonnie Baker is the author of six books, including A Baker’s […]
ACS Motion Control SPiiPlus library for MATLAB enhances application development
ACS Motion Control has created a MATLAB library that enables users to develop sophisticated applications with advanced diagnostics capabilities directly with ACS control systems. The MATLAB library communicates with ACS’ motion controllers, allowing users to implement custom motion profiles, learning control algorithms, a custom FRF measurements, advanced monitoring systems, and much more. The SPiiPlus Library […]
What are precision-link conveyors? Summary of one type of transfer system
Precision-link conveyors index components with high accuracy, speed, and quality to give manufacturers a way to make assemble, mark, weld, and manufacturing operations more efficient. Conveyor designs abound, and the last decade has brought more use of application-specific offerings — especially for the subcategory that industry calls transfer systems. One such conveyor is the precision-link […]