The Motion Control Association (MCA) and SMMA (the Motor & Motion Association) have completed a merger that combines the two trade groups serving the global motion control and motor industry. The new organization name is the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). MCMA is part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) based in Ann […]
Industry News
Keep Your Cool with Fans for Control Equipment
by Dan Jones, Incremotion Associates New fan designs help reduce heat, dust and excessive moisture in cooling applications. An important but often secondary consideration in control systems and control cabinets is cooling. Electronic control equipment such as controllers and drives, especially equipment that’s confined to enclosures with little or no natural air movement, is especially […]
GAM celebrates 25th anniversary
GAM, a manufacturer of gear reducers, servo couplings, and linear mounting kits, celebrates its 25th anniversary. GAM Enterprises began in 1990 when Gary Michalek saw an opportunity to start a long-term relationship with Jakob Antriebstechnik, a German based company who introduced the first servo bellows coupling into the machine tool market. GAM started as a […]
Brother Gearmotors partners with Applied Mechatronics in California
Brother Gearmotors of Brother International Corp. (which sells sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers for the food & beverage, packaging and material handling industries) is now partnered with Applied Mechatronics (a California-based manufacturers’ representative). Applied Mechatronics now services much of Brother Gearmotors’ customer base in California. As part of the agreement, Applied Mechatronics will serve as a liaison between Brother Gearmotors and […]
ABB opens robotics manufacturing plant in U.S.
ABB has announced that it is to start producing robots in the United States. The company made the announcement at the opening of a new robotics plant at its facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The new plant is ABB’s third robotics production facility, alongside Shanghai, China, and Västerås, Sweden, and will manufacture ABB robots and […]
FAQ: Where do brush dc motors still make sense?
Brush dc motors are a mature technology that’s been around for more than a century. So with brushless motors and an ever-increasing array of controls for all motor types, why do engineers still use brush motors? After all, it’s common knowledge that brush motors exhibit wear at their brush-and-commutator interface. The truth is that brush […]
PTDA sees growth in 2015 continue
The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) sees slowing but continued growth in 2015. The organization’s 1Q2015 Business Index reading is 67.7 … higher than the 4Q2014 reading of 66.4. That’s a slight increase in growth. The index reading indicates the rate of change compared with the previous period. For example, a reading of 50 indicates no change […]
Market Trend: Packaging leads automation charge
Packaging machinery uses cutting-edge automation, and it’s no wonder. Facilities that parcel products need to deliver high throughput, but modern consumers demand smart packaging in the form of no-fuss containers that protect everything from M&Ms to patio furniture. What’s more, there’s a continuous drive to customize packages and let consumer-facing companies wrap products for bulk […]
Integration: The key to staying successful in today’s growing automation market
by Michelle DiFrangia, Assistant Editor, @wtwh_michelle According to research by MarketsandMarkets, the global market for industry control and factory automation will grow at a CAGR of 8.53% through 2020—so that all industries combined will spend $301.9 billion on automation by 2020. In addition, many research organizations estimate that there will be about 50 billion devices […]
Motion trend: Automation expands in off-highway industry
by Michael Jermann, Contributing Editor— Efficiency is key when trying to keep operating costs to a minimum, especially in the off-highway industry. When dealing with mobile machinery that could be remotely located or operating in harsh environments, finding, diagnosing and managing equipment wastes time and money. To cut costs and increase efficiency, there is growing […]