Uncategorized - Motion Control Tips

GAM Enterprises SPH planetary gearbox for cyclic or continuous high-speed applications

April 23, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

The SPH inline planetary gearbox is GAM’s latest setup for today’s demanding motion control challenges. With helical gears, the SPH is designed for dynamic and cyclic applications and can also be optimized for high speed and continuous-duty applications.

It is available in six frame sizes with nominal torque ratings 15 to 900 Nm. The SPH features precision cut helical gears that are ground for smoothness, quiet operation, and high accuracies. The face width of the SPH gears are up to 70% longer than the gears in comparable gearboxes on the market, which means more tooth contact and greater overall torque density.

To carry the higher torques, SPH gears are case hardened which imparts strength deeper into the gear compared to nitriding which hardens just the surface. With several output configurations available, machine integration is simplified. SPH Series benefits include:

Helical gearing and low backlash
Low noise levels and smooth torque transmission

For more information, visit the distributor page on the gearbox at electromate.com.

Connectivity and IoT expand control design functionality (a Motion Trends report)

March 5, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

A recent survey of industry experts had many underscore that connectivity in manufacturing is nothing new … bu there are significant new developments in IIoT.

MEET THE CONNECTIVITY and IoT EXPERTS …

O’Connor of Aerotech

O’Connor • Aerotech: Connectivity in manufacturing is not a new idea — it’s been around for decades — but what is new in IIoT is the volume and type of equipment (and devices) on the market that now offer connectivity. For an extreme example, there are now smart toilet-paper roll holders that let one know (from a mobile device) that one needs to change the roll. Products like this didn’t exist a decade ago.

The proliferation of low-cost sensors and communication devices gives engineers (and hobbyists) easily accessible devices to integrate into their products.

Kawaller • ISL Products: IIoT provides opportunities for new devices that may or may not require electromechanical functions to complete a task (and provide data to a client or system) … of course, motors we design and supply work in systems that support IIoT.

Messerer of HELUKABEL

Messerer • HELUKABEL: Electronic components are clearly gathering and using more data than ever … and cables are passive components on machinery that support all this active equipment (such as electronic sensors or Ethernet cables with protocols to sense component failures). Here, if the system reaches a critical sum of failures, spare-part orders from a purchasing system might automatically execute to avoid downtime.

Leveraging the connectivity of consumer phones and tablets (and user familiarity with them) is a common refrain.

O’Connor • Aerotech: IIoT is a hot area. In our everyday lives, we expect devices to connect and just work. We carry those habits to our jobs. Manufacturing plants and the teams that run them expect systems to connect and work together. That means motion systems are becoming smarter as well as more connected … which is why we currently have designs in the field as well as designs in development that simplify connectivity and improve intelligence of automation and motion-control systems.

Rojas of WEINTEK

Rojas • WEINTEK USA: We believe HMIs should access all machine information — and communicate with different brands of controllers or I/O systems; gather valuable information; and send that data to cloud storage for real-time analysis. We think the HMI will come to be the IIoT gateway for all machines … and that HMIs will be the “spokesman” of every machine — to help machines “talk” with controller networks and the Internet.

cMT Viewer is free remote-control (and viewer) software for Weintek cMT series HMIs. With careful engineering, users can get real-time information even on an unstable WiFi network. The software runs natively on mobile devices, so machine operators can use off-the-shelf phones and tablets (including iOS and Android products) to control up to 50 cMT machines.

But it’s not just HMIs that incorporate connectivity features for support of IoT — though they certainly continue to lead in this arena.

Kawaller of ISL Products Intl. Ltd.

When asked about increasingly networked manufacturing, some cited motor products and servo drives that integrate with control systems for IoT functions as well.

Kawaller • ISL Products: Electromechanical devices with networking capabilities are emerging rapidly where functions are performed, and data is captured for analysis — yielding everything from buying trends to demographic information to restocking alerts and other relevant marketing data.

Zumbusch • Eaton Hydraulics: IoT has changed the landscape tremendously, particularly over the last few years. This has allowed products with onboard intelligence (such as our AxisPro valves) to interpret upstream fluid signatures and communicate critical information … including machine performance and prognostics for maintenance of large and complex systems.

As IIoT continues to expand, we’ve seen a steady increase in needing to address both hydraulic as well as electric machines’ performance … such as variable speed electric drives coupled with variable displacement pumps to provide faster response times while still reducing energy use.

Ocampo • Bosch Rexroth: One example of motion-component IoT functionality is the drive-based software called Productivity Agent, which supports predictive maintenance and local data processing in real time while boosting machine availability and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Feketa • LinMot USA: On the topic of IoT, servo drives with connectivity allow access to (and recording of) drive vitals … and that’s helpful because more OEMs and design engineers now want data collected by servo drives to include specific data points — especially those important to operations. Plus engineers want real-time communication of this data to PLCs — where they can access and interpret the data. Real-time data flow allows faster decision making and is especially important for predictive maintenance. On a related note, we also see servo drives including more safety features — including safe-torque-off and safe speed settings. Safety is a core concentration, and we predict industry will soon see far more products that integrate safety.

Zumbusch of Eaton Hydraulics

Zumbusch • Eaton Hydraulics: One of the most powerful outcomes of IoT has been the increase in component intelligence. These devices now offer myriad customized features for specific applications through the use of software. As machines identify new needs, over-the-air programing can update the software and add new system features that end users may decide to adopt. IoT functions even address motion-control issues such as oscillation and stability problems on the fly (even as machines are modified and systems change).

Others also stress the usefulness of software tools to boost productivity and (in some cases) even get automation information to enterprise-level functions.

Rojas • WEINTEK USA: EasyBuilder Pro (programming software for our HMIs) offers native client support of the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) machine-to-machine communications protocol. That helps users save time because it makes browsing PLC data structures easy. Native MQTT and AWS IoT support also reduces the time needed to setup secure telemetry servers and environments. An encrypted connection to the user’s own AWS IoT service allows gathering of machine information.

Some motion-component manufacturers cite in-house experience with their own software for implementation of IIoT as valuable in understanding OEM engineers’ own IIoT projects and challenges.

Ocampo • Bosch Rexroth: More than 250 Bosch plants worldwide have implemented IIoT lines or projects. One Bethlehem, Pa. plant completed implementation of a smart multiproduct line (MPL) for hydraulic valves in 2017 with numerous Rexroth IIoT technologies. The MPL can output more than 30,000 product variants — switching on the fly from one valve type to another. One online tool supporting communications for IoT setup is Improvidus software, which lets engineers analyze OEE data before implementing IIoT in their factories. Improvidus is a Rexroth IIoT (I4.0) online consulting tool for OEE analysis. The partially free tool gives design engineers access to I4.0 experts with a subscription.

In fact, the term “smart” is often shorthand for IIoT functions — as in the name for Weintek’s cMT-G01 smart communication gateway explained below — or in reference to connectors.

Kojak of HARTING

Kojak • HARTING: Han connectors are the first to integrate “smart” functionalities … and are compatible with the Han-Modular series, so are a safe choice for IIoT applications. Currently, there are three smart Han modules: One is a Current Surge Protection Module (to protect sensitive electronics from over-current conditions) and another is an ID Module (which stores information that might be serial identification or a BOM of all modules in a connector). Where the latter is installed in an inaccessible place, it can be interrogated via a CAN interface to feed information out.

In short, we design products that enable IIoT connectivity … and soon, we’ll be releasing modules and setups with even more functionality — including power measurement and analog-to-digital conversion.

Gateways are core to many basic IoT functions — including the management of cross-platform communications and access to HMIs (and PLCs) from remote locations.

Rojas • WEINTEK USA: EasyAccess 2.0 (our remote assistance and control software) helps engineers save time and money … as when a machine triggers an alarm, the software sends a push notification to mobile devices. A pass-through function even lets users control or program PLCs via an HMI or IIoT gateway … and setup the system to get detailed permission control through a Domain-User architecture.

Ocampo • Bosch Rexroth: IIoT is inspiring new product development — as our IoT Gateway to connect legacy machine infrastructure to IoT-based systems, for example. This IoT Gateway connects PLC and sensor hardware with cloud and data-processing systems for simple implementation of local dashboards, data processing, and data streaming to Cloud services (such as Bosch Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or Oracle). Product functions and tools are based on an open and distributed control architecture.

In addition, a Data Analytics Server supports data analysis and monitoring for new and existing machines. Real-time data can be saved, evaluated, and visualized close to the machine. Plus users can quickly setup predictive maintenance and other IIoT (I4.0) uses based on machine learning.

On the topic of increasingly networked manufacturing, some primarily view higher connectivity as a way of improving the overall lifecycle of machines.

Rojas • WEINTEK USA: IoT is more about industry and helping operational technology (OT) adopt technologies from IT. After all, aggregation and statistical tools can support OT tasks … and data sent and collected can inform ideas for next-generation machines. Such data can also help day-to-day machine use — to maximize workflow and machine efficiency, and optimize user experience.

NEXT PAGE for IoT in motion machinery →

MEET THE CONNECTIVITY and IoT EXPERTS

Horst Messerer — Data, network, and bus technology sales manager at HELUKABEL

Steve Zumbusch — Director of technology development at Eaton’s Hydraulics business

Brian O’Connor — Director of product and market development at Aerotech

Ken Kawaller — President of ISL Products Intl. Ltd.

Mark Kojak — V.P. of product management and business development in the Americas at Harting Inc.

Steven Feketa — Regional sales engineer for LinMot USA Inc.

Oscar Rojas — Senior software engineer at WEINTEK USA

Joaquin Ocampo — Product manager of motors and drives at Bosch Rexroth

Illustrations ⚙ of IoT in motion machinery →

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Allied Motion introduces fully-integrated powered wheel drives with steering for electric vehicles

November 29, 2017 By Paul Heney Leave a Comment

Allied Motion Technologies introduces the WheelMax Steering Series wheel drive assemblies. WheelMax Steering Drives are fully-integrated, electrically-powered traction wheels with on-board steering systems for electric vehicles.

Each WheelMax Steering Drive combines a traction wheel with tire, epicyclic gearbox, robust steering gear and bearing system, and two rugged PMDC brush motors, one for traction and one for steering power. The complete assembly is compact, easy to mount, and requires little to no maintenance. Applications include AGVs, autonomous robotic material handlers, pushers and tuggers, powered utility carts, and hospital patient handlers, among many others.

WheelMax Steering Drives handle loads up to 227 kg (500 lb) and provide 14 Nm (120 lb-in) continuous torque at speeds of up to 5 km/hr (3 mph). The traction motor is equipped standard with a holding brake and an incremental encoder. Standard tire material is polyurethane 95 Shore A for excellent traction, long life, and low noise. The design makes the exchange of wheel and tire easy to accomplish with minimal effort. Alternate tire materials, mounting arrangements, and feedback encoders are available.

WheelMax Steering Drive highlights include:

Load carrying capacity class of 227 kg (500 lb) at up to 5 km/hr (3 mph)
Up to 14 Nm continuous wheel torque and 250 Watts
Optimized helical gear geometry minimizes noise and vibration
Tapered roller bearing supports the wheel’s load, and an axial bearing supports radial loads
IP40 protection level

Additional WheelMax options include: models compatible with 48 VDC power source instead of 24 VDC, brushless motor (with/without integrated drive electronics) for traction and/or steering power, flexible wiring for high cycle rotation, and manual-release holding brake.

Allied Motion Technologies Inc.
www.alliedmotion.com

Compact Automation to showcase packaging industry setups at PACK EXPO Las Vegas

September 22, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

ITT Inc. and its Compact Automation brand will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of custom high-quality motion control setups for the packaging industry at the 2017 PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Sept. 25-27. The company will highlight these technologies at Booth S-7456.

Engineered for the most demanding packaging and automation applications, Compact’s products are powerful, repairable and configurable, offering lots of power in a small package. Whether it’s reducing damage to goods and equipment, or increasing equipment output, Compact offers durable, reliable and innovative motion control products with high value and low life-cycle cost to customers around the globe.

“At Compact, we have the expertise to meet the packaging industry’s unique and challenging application requirements,” said Shannon Winkler, Product Manager, Compact Automation. “Our repairable, high-quality products are fully customizable and intricately designed to quickly meet critical application requirements and decrease total cost of ownership, improve reliability and increase longevity of the entire assembly.”

During PACK EXPO, Compact will showcase their motion control setups, including:

Hydraulic and Pneumatic Cylinders: Compact’s cylinders are created with materials suitable for hazardous environments, allowing these products to comply with the requirements of nearly any packaging application.
Electromechanical Actuators: Available exclusively in North America through Compact’s partnership with NIASA, these cylinders are the premier setup for any application that requires precise and safe linear movement, regardless of speed.
Rotary Actuators: A unique design provides a lightweight and economical setup over traditional rack and pinion type assemblies. Turn-Act actuators have one moving part providing no backlash or loss of motion, precise repeatability and continuous full torque throughout rotation.

Compact representatives will be available throughout PACK EXPO at Booth S-7456 in the Upper South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information regarding Compact’s packaging industry setups, visit www.compactautomation.com/Packaging.

ITT is a focused multi-industrial company that designs and manufactures highly engineered critical components and customized technology setups. Customers in the energy, transportation and industrial markets depend on us to solve their most critical problems, and we focus on partnering with them to find setups to their unique challenges. ITT is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., with employees in more than 35 countries. The company has sales in approximately 125 countries and generated 2016 revenues of $2.4 billion. For more information, visit www.itt.com.

ITT’s Connect and Control Technologies business designs and manufactures harsh-environment connectors and critical energy absorption, motion, flow and environmental control components. Through leading brands such as Compact, Enidine, Aerospace Controls, Cannon, Veam and BIW Connector Systems, the business serves customers in the automation, industrial, infrastructure, transportation, energy, aerospace and defense markets.

Interroll’s new-generation belt drives (synchronous + asynchronous) at Pack Expo

September 12, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

The Interroll Group, the leading global provider of material handling setups, is bringing a new generation of belt drives to the North American market. This innovative motor platform is predominantly for modern conveyor belt systems in manufacturing, food and beverage, distribution centers and airports. It features a completely modular design and offers both synchronous and asynchronous drive setups. Initially, drum motors with a diameter of 80 mm will be offered; additional sizes will be rolled out in near future.

Check out Interroll’s Belt Drive Matchmaker tool here.

The new platform makes it easy to combine all of the components and guarantees short and reliable delivery times. Furthermore, all of the options, such as encoders, brakes and return stops, are now available for all of the platform’s motor variants. This makes it significantly easier for system integrators and equipment manufacturers to plan and implement efficient material handling setups. In addition, all of the drum motors in the new design are IP69K rated; this makes them more hygienic as the cleaning process is easier and much less time consuming, especially when compared with gear motors.

“The needs of customers and users are the highest priority. Thanks to the consistent platform strategy, we add value to their operations by providing highest quality, better delivery time and fast and effective service. With the new drum motor platform, it once more appears that innovation isn’t an end in itself for Interroll. As a global technology leader in internal logistics, the aim of the company’s innovations is always to offer the customer significant added value,” said Tim McGill, President of Interroll North America.

New-generation belt drives extend service life and boost flexibility — as well as efficiency

The new-generation belt drives have a number of design benefits. Stronger shafts and ball bearings guarantee a long service life, and a robust planetary gear makes it possible to efficiently transfer high torques to the belts while making very little operating noise. Thanks to an expanded number of gear stages, a larger speed range can be covered. So it’s particularly easy for system integrators and equipment manufacturers to implement a conveyor setup in accordance with their individual throughput specifications.

The new platform’s modular design reduces production and delivery times. Furthermore, the new generation of drum motors stands out as a plug-and-play setup thanks to the advantages offered during installation and maintenance. That means the power supply can be established using a simple plug-in connection. This significantly reduces downtime for maintenance and repair work, resulting in considerable cost advantages for the user.

Drum motors from Interroll offer users an extraordinarily high level of energy efficiency. When compared to alternative drive systems, these motors demonstrate a significantly reduced loss of power. This leads to a drastic reduction in operating costs for the user.

Interroll will also be displaying its successful Modular Conveyor Platform with RollerDrive and 4-zone certified MultiControl Card. The MCP is a suitable setup for conveying and sorting multiple types of totes, boxes and items, as well as feeding packaging and labelling machines and several other applications in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.

Last but not least, Interroll will showcase its patented Magnetic Speed Controller MSC50, the most cost-effective setup currently on the market for controlling the speed of boxes and plastic trays traveling on gravity roller conveyors and spirals or the end sections of sorters, suitable for handling goods weighing up to 77 pounds.

Visitors to Pack Expo 2017 — the international trade show for packaging, food and beverage — can experience the new generation of belt drives and the rest of the lineup at Interroll’s booth #7356, South Upper Hall. Pack Expo 2017 takes place on September 25-27 in Las Vegas.

The Interroll Group is the leading global provider of material handling setups. The company was founded in 1959 and has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 1997. Interroll provides system integrators and OEMs with a wide range of platform-based products and services in these categories: Rollers (conveyor rollers), Drives (motors and drives for conveyor systems), Conveyors & Sorters as well as Pallet & Carton Flow (flow storage systems). Interroll setups are used in express and postal services, e-commerce, airports, the food and beverage industry, fashion, and automotive sectors, and many other manufacturing industries. Among the company’s customers are leading brands such as Amazon, Bosch, Coca-Cola, DHL, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Walmart and Zalando. Headquartered in Switzerland, Interroll has a global network of 32 companies with turnover of around CHF 401.5 million and 2,000 employees (2016).

HMI from IDEC uses worldwide standard 4.3 in. LCD screen size

September 11, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

IDEC Corp. now sells 4.3 in. HG1G HMIs … one of industry’s first display products to leverage the worldwide standard 4.3 in. LCD screen size. Because this screen size is so widely used in consumer gaming devices and other commercial products, it effectively obsoletes HMIs with smaller screen sizes by offering a larger and higher resolution display area at a lower price.

The HG1G display is TFT Color LCD with high resolution of 480 x 272 pixels, 65K colors, and 800 cd/m² brightness. This level of resolution produces a much-improved viewing experience, and the increased brightness allows screens to be easily viewable in direct sunlight. Viewing can be configured for either portrait or landscape, with a viewing angle of 60° from top, 65° from the bottom, and 70° from left or right.

HMIs often need to communicate with a variety of different PLCs, controllers and other HMIs from different vendors, and the HG1G HMI delivers this functionality by supporting multiple communication protocols, up to four simultaneously. The serial port can support both RS-232C and RS-422/485 communications simultaneously, and the Ethernet port can support up to four Hosts and three User communication protocols at the same time. The serial port and the Ethernet port combined can thus support up to nine communications simultaneously — two serial and seven Ethernet.

The HG1G has a built-in web server which provides full remote monitoring and control via any web browser running on a laptop, desktop PC, smartphone or tablet. Remote users can monitor current values or processes—and control operation, print information, switch screens or change program values—just as if they were in front of the touchscreen display. Users can also remotely perform troubleshooting, run tests and perform maintenance. No additional software tools or modules are needed to use this Remote Monitor & Control function.

Support for industry-standard FTP communications allows users to transfer project, recipe, picture, sound and movie files between the HG1G HMI and a PC without having to load the IDEC HMI programming software on the PC. If an IDEC PLC is being used with the HMI, this feature can also be used to download an updated PLC program from a PC to the PLC through the HMI. This greatly simplifies HMI and PLC program updates as it’s no longer necessary to have the IDEC programming software installed on multiple PCs throughout a facility or a company.

A common problem with HMIs in this class is limited backlight life, particularly since the backlight is typically not field-replaceable. The HG1G HMI LED backlight addresses this issue with a best-in-class life of 70,000 hours, which will provide many years of operation as the backlight can be automatically switched off when the unit isn’t… in use.

The HG1G HMI has a wide range of operating temperatures from -20 to 55° C, and it is rated IP66F/IP67F and NEMA 4X to allow for installation outdoors, or indoors in washdown areas. The unit is suitable for installation in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous location installations and has UL 508 approval. Input voltage is 12-24 Vdc, allowing the HG1G HMI to be powered by solar cells and other dc sources. Startup time is only 1.5 seconds, compared to up to 40 seconds for competing units.

The HG1G HMI is programmed using IDEC’s WindO/I NV4 software. This new programming software provides advanced programming features similar to those found in IDEC’s High Performance HMI including WebServer function, FTP function and a USB Auto Run function for easy data transfer. User memory is 12 MB, allowing complex programs with a wide range of functionality to run on the HMI.

For complete specifications or additional information on the HG1G HMI, visit hmi.idec.com.

Global motion control shipments up 13.6% this year

May 26, 2017 By Paul Heney Leave a Comment

Global shipments for motion control products increased by 13.6% to $858.4 million in 2016, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA), the industry’s trade group.

“We saw the motion control market post its fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth to begin 2017,” said Alex Shikany, MCMA Director of Market Analysis. “Leading the way were Actuators & Mechanical Systems, which grew 29.8% to $159.4 million in the first quarter. Sensors & Feedback Devices (20.8% to $34.6m), Motion Controllers (22.5% to $46.9m), and Motors (16.2% to $322.6m) round out the top five strongest statistical categories for the first quarter.”

There is also a sense of optimism fueling this market. MCMA’s latest survey of leading motion control and motor manufacturers revealed that 70% of respondents believe the market will grow in the next six months, while only 23% expect flat performance and 7% are predicting a decline.

“We’re seeing strong growth and in some cases, record growth in investment in automation technologies across all three of our industry groups—motion control, robotics and machine vision,” said Dana Whalls, VP of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), MCMA’s parent company. “More companies are using these technologies to reach into new markets, increase productivity and to provide good jobs for their workers,” added Whalls. A3 recently released a white paper that explores the jobs created by this increased demand for automation and how these skilled workers are benefiting, download ‘Work in the Automation Age: Sustainable Careers Today and into the Future’ whitepaper.

MCMA summarizes market results from suppliers and distributors in quarterly tracking reports and trend analysis reports. These reports examine orders and shipments by major product category quarterly and annually with helpful tables and graphics. Growth rates and book to bill ratios are provided for each product category. MCMA also provides an economic indicator report and pressure curves vs. key economic indicators, which enable report users to interpret quarterly statistics from the standpoint of macro-economic data by individual manufacturing industry, as identified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Reports are available free of charge to all MCMA members. Members providing data for the reports receive “full” versions of the reports, which are highly detailed examinations of order and shipment results. Non-participating members receive “abridged” reports, which contain shipment results. Members find the reports valuable as gauges of overall market performance and as benchmarks for assessing relative company performance. To learn more about MCMA, visit Motion Control Online.

Motion Control & Motor Association
www.motioncontrolonline.org

Brother Gearmotors XShip expedited delivery services from Tennessee manufacturing facility

April 13, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Brother Gearmotors, a division of Brother International Corporation that offers a wide range of ultra-reliable, sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers for the food & beverage, packaging and material handling industries, offers expedited delivery service from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bartlett, TN.

Brother Gearmotors’ U.S. manufacturing facility allows the company to meet its North American customers’ needs for quicker delivery for its best-in-class product portfolio, with emergency overnight delivery also available. The site also serves as a maintenance and repair hub for its gearmotor division, with on-site technology that provides a more comprehensive product mix with an expanded range of bore sizes.

Hundreds of SKUs are now available for speedy delivery through the three-tiered service. In addition to XShip, the program includes X48 and X24, which provide guaranteed delivery within two and one days, respectively.

Some restrictions apply, including those pertaining to the time of day in which an order is placed. Brother Gearmotors is one of the world’s largest fine-pitch gear manufacturers and meets industry demand for smaller, lighter, reliable and energy-efficient power transmission components. The company offers a wide range of high-quality, sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers.

“Our shipping guarantee reinforces the loyalty and dedication that exist between Brother Gearmotors and our customers,” said Matthew Roberson, Vice President of Brother Gearmotors. “The streamlined processes we’ve instituted at our Tennessee headquarters have made possible shorter timeframes for order delivery, and we’re proud to pass this potential on to customers that may find themselves with immediate needs.”

A division of Brother International Corporation, Brother Gearmotors offers a wide range of high-quality, sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers in demanding industries such as food & beverage, packaging and material handling. Brother Gearmotors is one of the world’s largest fine-pitch gear manufacturers and was designed in response to the industry’s demand for smaller, lighter more reliable and energy-efficient power transmission components.

Brother International Corporation, with its corporate headquarters located in Bridgewater, New Jersey, was established in 1954. Currently, Brother and its subsidiaries employ over 1,000 people in the Americas. For more information on Brother Gearmotors, visit www.brother-usa.com/gearmotors.

MCMA Launches Motion Control Certification for Professionals

March 3, 2017 By Jennifer Calhoon Leave a Comment

The Motion Control and Motor Association (MCMA), the largest association in North America dedicated to advancing the global understanding and use of motion control and related automation technologies, recently launched the MCMA Certified Motion Control Professional program.

The certification program is designed to help individuals working with motion control, motors, and automation technologies obtain the core knowledge required to work in today’s competitive job market.

People can earn basic level certification by taking a series of training courses and passing a written exam. The exam will be administered for the first time during the Automate show and conference, April 3-6, 2017 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

The Certified Motion Control Professional basic level training is taught by expert instructors from the industry. The courses cover fundamental topics including machine design, the physics of motion, mechanical motion control components and subsystems, inertia and reflected inertia, magnetism and motor basics, positioner selection and motor sizing, digital servo amplifiers, motion controllers, programming, and system design basics.

“The motion control industry suppliers provide training to their customer base and they asked MCMA to develop and deliver the fundamental training, so they could focus their training efforts on the specific components and systems they produce,” said Dana Whalls, vice president of MCMA.

“We’re proud to bring our Motion Control Professional Certification program to the industry,” said John Payne, vice president of Yaskawa America’s Motion Division and past MCMA Board Chairperson. MCMA spent two years developing the curriculum and certification program. “The industry needed a high-quality basic motion control training program and we think that end-users and industry professionals alike will benefit from it.”

Certified professionals receive a personalized certificate and are listed on Motion Control Online. Basic level certification is valid for five (5) years.

“The technological advances and growing demand for motion control technologies has broadened the range of the skills needed to be successful,” added Whalls. “Today’s job market calls for greater specialization and the motion control field is no exception. Adding certification to your portfolio showcases your technical proficiency and gives you and the company you work for a competitive marketplace advantage.”

MCMA will develop an Advanced level training and certification in the future. Their goal is to provide the training in person and online to broaden the global availability of the program.

Automatic movement of bellows with electric motors

December 30, 2016 By Mike Santora Leave a Comment

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 of generating wind is assumed by machines.

The sound of an organ is generated by its different sized pipes, through which a constant flow of air is blown. Either the sound is made (like with a recorder) by the air being blown through a narrow gap against a lip, the labium, or by means of a vibrating reed inside the pipe, as is familiar with clarinets.

Until around 100 years ago, the compressed air required for this, the so-called organ wind, used to be generated by bellows that were operated with the feet. On large instruments, up to twelve people were needed for the job. Only with the emergence of electricity did organ building make increased use of electric bellows, which, compared to the foot-operated bellows, generated a very constant and quiet air flow. At the same time, however, it was always a challenge to design the electric wind generator in such a way that it could not be heard during quiet pieces of music either.

Orgelautomation: Electric motors for driving bellows

When it comes to restoring old instruments, organ builders keep the historic bellows when possible to preserve the sound of the organ in its original form. Nevertheless, to generate the organ wind automatically electric motors move the bellows up and down in place of a human assistant. As was also the case with a historic specimen at the College of Catholic Church Music and Musical Education in Regensburg. In 1752, Antonio Pilotti made the organ in Bologna in typical Italian style. It was given an automatic bellows unit during its restoration.

The brief for the Jörg Bente organ workshop was that the original historical function had to be preserved and that the organ should be fitted with neither a programmable logic controller (PLC) nor other control elements apart from the main switch. In collaboration with engineers from Festo, the decision was finally made to opt for EMMS-AS-70 series electric motors and a CMMP series controller to control the motors.

The wiring and layout of the controller allows for a quiet operation. The motor and controller also enables a dynamic switch between the breaks in playing with a low air consumption and full use with a high consumption of air. The required air pressure of 4.5 millibar remains constant, as one of the two bellows always retains enough reserve air.

The restored instrument with the automated bellows lifting unit has successfully been in action at the college premises in Regensburg since the end of July 2014. The organ has since been used in lessons for the authentic reproduction of Italian music from the 18th century.

Festo
www.festo.com