It’s that time of year again — time for everybody to look over the year (almost) gone by and add up, look over, and reflect on… well, whatever it is that one is interested in.

Here at Design World, and more specifically at motioncontroltips.com, we’ve once again sifted through the data to see what you, our readers, viewed and read the most in 2024. Alongside some perennial hot topics that year after year continue to be go-to sources for engineers, there was strong interest in stories on inverters and motors, some newsy pieces highlighting big stories in automation and manufacturing, as well as pieces spotlighting fundamentals of motion mainstays like gearing and comparisons of different motor technologies.

So here now, in descending order, are the top four articles on motioncontroltips.com in 2024:

#4

The fundamentals of miniature gearing

Miniature and micro gears with high precision and tight tolerances are used to deliver accurate low-backlash power transmission complementing small electric motors in a variety of applications including medical devices and surgical tools, aerospace rovers and satellites, as well as small motorized electronics. Such gearing is most often paired with small brushed or brushless dc motors.

#3

Frameless motors versus torque motors

Frameless motors don’t include a motor housing or output shaft (or shaft-support bearings) either. Instead, the OEM or design engineer works with the supplier to tightly integrate the frameless motor stator and rotor directly into the machine and framing. However, the fundamental operation of frameless motors is just like that of conventional permanent-magnet and induction motors.

#2

Schneider Electric SpecLive Collaborate streamlines specifications

Schneider Electric’s SpecLive Collaborate is a first-of-its-kind platform to modernize and streamline product specification and content integration for professionals. Developed in partnership with RIB Software, SpecLive Collaborate represents the next generation of collaborative, prescriptive solutions and is the latest offer in the Schneider Electric Specifier toolkit.

#1

Avoiding common issues when tuning an inverter to an electric motor

With more companies attempting to electrify their equipment, a common challenge is properly tuning an inverter to an electric motor. To save time and create efficiency in this transition, it’s important to give proper consideration to a number of factors when tuning an inverter to an electric motor. These include control modes and limit functions, knowing the different types of tuning (current, velocity/speed loops, voltage), being familiar with some common tuning issues associated with the power source and mechanics.