Here we outline leading factors affecting the longevity and performance of industrial robot joints. Links refer to supporting research listed at the feature conclusion. Recent years have seen continuous demand in numerous industries — automotive manufacturing to computer, communication, and consumer electronics (3C) product fabrication — for industrial robots. Compared to automated dedicated equipment in […]
Industrial Automation
Getting servo motor and drive phase and commutation alignments right
Addressing issues related to commutation alignment between AC PM servo motors and servo drive amplifiers — especially when motor and drive are from different manufacturers — can be quite challenging. Here we outline how to make that easier. By Hurley Gill • Senior applications and systems engineer | Kollmorgen In this article, we’ll start by confirming […]
Merger of two existing product lines: Dorner’s FlexMove conveyors
Dorner has consolidated two existing product lines and unified them into a single platform, which is now called FlexMove. While the FlexMove name isn’t new to Dorner, it now incorporates the features and strengths of the former SmartFlex conveyor line. The FlexMove flexible chain conveyor brings the best engineering and performance standards in flexible conveying […]
Motion-failure alarm from Siemens supports commissioning and configuration
Siemens now sells a Sitrans WM300 motion failure alarm (MFA) to detect changes in the motion and speed of rotating, reciprocating, or conveying equipment. This alarm acts as an early warning system for a plant’s machinery, alerting users to potential problems in their operations before they occur or develop into something more serious. This versatile […]
Unidrive DFS free-standing drives now available from Control Techniques
Users of high-power drives can now receive pre-engineered ready-made drive enclosure systems in as little as one day for emergency breakdowns — via Control Techniques’ Drive Free Standing (DFS) Series. Mission-critical machines and project timelines are supported with rapid deployment capabilities of select factory stocked units, as well as industry best leadtimes across the power […]
Six common mistakes to avoid when specifying and using step motors
The mistakes we outline here have been corrected countless times by thousands of step-motor users around the world. Avoid these mistakes with the presented solutions — and make your next application a successful one. By Eric Rice • National Marketing Director | Applied Motion Products Step motors offer the automation industry a cost-effective and simple […]
Beckhoff introducing XTS, EtherCAT G, and TwinCAT Vision to the U.S. at Pack Expo
To revolutionize packaging machine flexibility, scalability and energy efficiency, Beckhoff Automation will launch the eXtended Transport System (XTS) into the U.S. market at Pack Expo 2019 in Las Vegas. Visitors to booth LS-6149 in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s lower south hall will also experience the North American debut of TwinCAT Vision software, which introduces […]
Control-software portability with IEC 61131-3: How reusable are XML files?
Say an engineering team wants to switch their design’s PLC from one model to another — a relatively infrequent but ordinary specification decision. How well do XML files really work for importing and exporting? How much are component manufacturers really motivated to make that work … and not lock engineers onto one specific hardware? Engineers […]
New servo actuators feature dual absolute encoder, panel mount connectors
Harmonic Drive has introduced new dual absolute encoder versions of the FHA-C mini actuator featuring BiSS-C bi-directional communication for both encoders. The dual encoders are incorporated in essentially the same package size as the long-standing FHA-C mini single incremental encoder version. Without increasing the size, the dual absolute encoder offers single-turn absolute position at the […]
New pitch-and-roll stages from OES rotate objects with accuracy
Positioning stages from OES now serve applications involving pitch-and-roll for micromachining, aligning mirrors (in scanning-electron microscopes), rotating objects to precise positions, and measuring angles of objects such as crystals. The stages are also suitable for applications that need to move objects to precise angular positions along an arc — for examining the cutting edges of […]