HEIDENHAIN now offers ETEL DynX stages in three sizes of direct-driven linear axes, three sizes of direct-driven rotary axes and one high precision ball screw-driven axes for vertical applications. Direct-driven servo motors are suitable for high-performance motion in automation applications, semiconductor and electronics industries that need to maximize throughput and flexibility. ETEL DynX systems are […]
Linear Motion
Spectral Decomposition for fast servo control from Delta Tau
Delta Tau now offers a new control method called Spectral Decomposition to improve the productivity of systems that use fast-tool actuators. Spectral Decomposition works with a variety of fast-tool actuators—including voice-coil motors, piezo crystals, laser galvanometers and magnetostrictive transducers. These actuators have high bandwidth, but limited travel. So they are typically paired with a standard […]
LiftWalker uses ball-scew actuator to help patients leave wheelchairs
The new LiftWalker from medical manufacturer Ideomotion is a stainless-steel frame with 12 V actuators that run off two rechargeable Nickel-Metal-Hydride batteries. Made in the U.S., the walker assists people from 3 ft 6 in. to 6 ft 6 in. tall and up to 300 lb with juvenile, preschool, and X large models. An easy-adjust […]
Sanitation and safety at the forefront of the food and beverage industry
A recent white paper published by Parker Hannifin lists food safety as one of the five factors that will drive ROI for food and beverage manufacturers in the next five years. The Safe Quality Food Institute released its SQF Code 7.2 edition in July 2014 with an amendment to the section on air quality stating […]
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 […]
What are rack-and-pinion sets? Technical summary
Updated May 2016 || Options for linear motion abound, but today’s rack-and-pinion sets are precision mechanical devices that in some cases deliver performance rivaling that of electromechanical alternatives. First modernized 150 years ago to drive railway trains up steep passages, rack-and-pinion sets today are useful in everything from small consumer devices that move a few […]
Semiconductor trends: new materials, extreme precision — It’s a truism
by Miles Budimir, Senior Editor for Design World— It’s a truism that we live in the digital age characterized by easy electronic communication, both in our personal and professional lives. Cell phones, tablets, slim laptops and so many more consumer and business products all take advantage of the steady march of Moore’s Law which has […]
Electric actuators: More choices for more applications
Updated May 2015 by Lisa Eitel || Faster controls, easier integration, lower drive prices and the Ethernet have all helped electric actuators, also known as electric linear drives, move into new applications. “Except for better efficiency,” noted Ernst Blumer, director, Worldwide Sales & Marketing, LinMot, “the performance of electric actuators has not undergone big changes or […]
New trends in electric motors: Efficiency, power density, torque
If there’s one trend that’s prevalent in motors of all kinds, it’s the theme of increasing performance, more specifically a trio of highers: higher efficiency, higher power density and higher torque density. These are incremental improvements in motor performance that are at least partly driven by the Department of Energy (DOE) energy efficiency requirements, said […]