Nanopositioning equipment manufacturer PI now offers a new family of automated alignment engines for silicon photonics applications including 3 to 6 axis mechanisms, controllers with firmware based alignment algorithms, and the software tools to meet the high accuracy demands of different markets, such as packing, planar testing, or inspection. Nanoscale Accuracy, Multi Degrees-of-freedom Very stiff […]
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Nexen Group announces partnership with Reliability Resources
Nexen Group is pleased to announce a new partnership with Reliability Resources, an experienced sales organization that represents premium manufacturers of precision motion control products. Seattle-based Reliability Resources will provide expert coverage of Nexen products in the Pacific Northwest region, including Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Nexen Group, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of precision motion control solutions including […]
Latest motion applications: Belts and pulleys in new designs
Updated November 2018 || Common where efficiency (or accuracy) are objectives are synchronous or high-torque drive belts. Applications from consumer-grade home printers to heavy industrial conveyors use these synchronous belts, because unlike V belts with trapezoidal cross-sections, they don’t slip. Motion applications often need customized belts and sprockets in urethane, double-sided, mini-pitch, and made-to-order (MTO) […]
Nuttall Gear implements NQA-1 nuclear quality assurance program
Nuttall Gear has announced its implementation of the NQA-1 Nuclear Quality Assurance Program. This program allows Nuttall Gear to provide nuclear safety-related components directly to its large base of installed product in nuclear power facilities around the world. Nuclear facilities can now reduce their costs significantly by purchasing new components, rebuilds and replacement parts directly […]
FAQ: Can DC motors run at lower than nominal voltage?
In a DC motor, the relationships between voltage and speed and between current and torque are straightforward. When the load (torque) on the motor is constant, speed is proportional to the supply voltage. And when the supply voltage is constant, speed is inversely proportional to the load (torque) on the motor. Specifications for DC motors include […]
VarioFlow plus expands application range for conveyors
Rexroth’s VarioFlow plus enables diverse applications —from general machine interlinking to food and packaging — to transportation tasks in difficult environments. With the upgraded modular system of the VarioFlow plus chain conveyor system, Rexroth now offers users a series of standardized solutions for specific conveyor functions, which simplifies the fast implementation of customer-specific designs. The application […]
Automatic movement of bellows with electric motors
Whether in the classic church setting or in modern rock music: the organ is the queen among musical instruments. It remains unequaled in its variety of sounds. While the sound is generated electronically on modern organs, air still sets the tone on the classic instruments. Instead of relying on human muscle, however, the arduous work […]
FAQ: How to size stepper-motor power supplies?
Stepper motors are sensitive to the performance of their power supplies. Stepper motor power supplies can affect: Rate of motor heating — read FAQ: Aren’t heat and noise common stepper motor problems? for more on this Acceleration — read FAQ: What are the requirements for a stepper acceleration? Torque — read FAQ: What kind of torque […]
FAQ: What are PID gains and feed-forward gains?
Gain is the ratio of output to input—a measure of the amplification of the input signal. A common example is the volume button on a stereo. This button controls the ratio of the input signal (received from the radio station) to the output signal (how loud the sound is from your speakers). When the volume is […]
FAQ: Why would shaft inertia cause extra steps, and how to prevent this problem?
Inertia affects how stepper motors turn. For example, extra steps and missed steps can happen when a system has inertia mismatch — as detailed in FAQ: How do stepper motors handle inertia mismatch? Another source of missed steps is the motor inertia itself. The motor-shaft inertia is one culprit. This shaft rotates and has a […]