Haydon Switch & Instrument (Waterbury, CT) has released the “W” series of anti-backlash nuts, designed to minimize backlash between the leadscrew and nut interface. A blend of self-lubricating polyacetal and stainless steel screw material compensates for wear to avoid lock-ups. Available in a range of diameters and leads...

The Acam-Messelectronic TDC-GPX chip from Transducers Direct (Miamiville, OH), allows distance measuring of ±1 mm rms to a range of 1,500 meters. The chip has four selectable operating modes: I-mode provides eight LVTTL input channels, a resolution of 81 picoseconds (ps), infinite measurement range, and 5.5 nanosecond (ns)...

Elmo Motion Control (Westford, MA) has unveiled its Maestro Multi-Axis Supervisor with firmware for support of the DS305 configuration protocol, DS401 CAN network IO integration protocol, and the DS402 motion control protocol. The Maestro is based on distributed motion control architecture and is now also integrated...

Nippon Pulse America (Radford, VA) has released the RoHS-compliant Motion Checker MCH-5, a palm-sized, standalone stepper motor controller with a built-in constant voltage driver. Front panel controls enable setting of rotation direction, speed control, position control, operation mode, stop time of the stepper motor,...

PHD (Fort Wayne, IN) has introduced the Series PLM pin locating clamp, a pneumatically powered actuator to locate, clamp, and support parts in welding applications. To protect against slag and other contaminants, the clamp is fully enclosed. A built-in locking mechanism fixes the pin in any position to secure parts if air...

I&J Fisnar (Fair Lawn, NJ) has released the VMP30H multipurpose mini-poppet pneumatic valve designed for controlled dispensing of low to high viscosity materials such as silicone, epoxy, rubber adhesives, and greases. The poppet design minimizes surface area and friction between the valve and the material. A diaphragm located...

The WCS2A/WCS3A PosiTrak™ Position Tracking System from Pepperl+Fuchs (Twinsburg, OH) consists of a U-shaped read head, a code rail and support hardware, and network and control interfaces. The read head optically scans a coded rail to determine a carrier mechanism's position. An internal microprocessor translates a 48...

The CRK series from Oriental Motor USA Corp (Torrance, CA) combines a five-phase stepping motor with a compact, low-vibration microstepping driver. In microstep operating mode, the driver provides 25 preset angle selections up to a capability of 250 microsteps per full step. The basic angle can be adjusted to match a...

PI L.P. (Auburn, MA) has released the M-110 series translation stages that provide linear motion of 5, 15, and 25 mm. Available are X, XY, and XYZ systems, which can be combined with the M-116 miniature rotary stage. The systems can be equipped with high-speed piezo drives. Features include 50-nm true minimum...

MRC Bearings Services (Kulpsville, PA) offers the R Series inch-sized stainless ball bearings for small shaft diameters. The single-row, deep-groove radial conrad-type bearings carry radial and thrust loads in either direction at high speeds. Bore sizes range from 1/8 to 1 ½", and open, shielded, and sealed bearings are available....

Prior Scientific (Rockland, MA) has added patent-pending Intelligent Scanning Technology (IST) to its Prior ProScan™ II H101A, H107, and H117, 4 × 3" scanning stages. IST allows each stage to be pre-programmed with a unique set of operating characteristics to that particular stage. The technology also allows the controller to...

Noran Engineering, Westminster, CA, has released NEiNastran V9 finite element analysis (FEA) software for engineering analysis and simulation. Performance enhancements include added support for model input files over 10 million lines in size, an enhanced Lanczos eigensolver, and improved performance for models with composite...

Lambda Solutions (Waltham, MA) has released the Dimension-P Series Raman spectrometers providing real-time analysis and monitoring in pharmaceutical or food processing quality control. The systems are operated via RamanSoft™ software that features proprietary algorithms and automation capability for data acquisition, data...

PPT VISION (Minneapolis, MN) has added the IMPACT™ T28 and the IMPACT™ T24 to its line of IMPACT T-series color cameras designed for inline industrial vision applications. The IMPACT T28 provides a 1,600 × 1,200 pixel resolution and is suitable for color verification, label inspection, and real-time part sorting. The IMPACT...

Liekki (Reston, VA) offers Liekki Application Designer (LAD) v3.1 software for power fiber laser and amplifier simulation. It includes tools for designing systems employing large mode area fibers. Using multimode propagation, the software can calculate the optical power propagation along the doped fiber for each mode in...

Confocal chromatic optical pens from Micro Photonics (Irvine, CA) allow 30 different optical pen configurations for specific depth of field, spot size, working distance, object slope, and photometric efficiency. Users can choose from five magnifiers, ranging from 3.3-mm to 29-mm focal lengths, and six different chromatic...

Andor Technology (South Windsor, CT) has introduced the iXonEM + EMCCD camera that can detect single photon events without an image intensifier. It offers photon collection efficiencies of up to 95% QE, readout speeds up to 35 MHz, 14- and 16- bit digitization, and thermoelectric cooling to -100°C. The system’s vertical...

A line of green laser diode modules available from BEA Lasers (Elk Grove Village, IL) is suitable for spectroscopy, particle measurement, medical tissue analysis, interferometry, holography, robotic control, and flow visualization. The Model 2501 is a fixed-focus CW diode pumped laser diode module with a beam divergence...

Kinetic Systems (Boston, MA) offers the MK26 vibration isolation workstation for ultra-low natural frequency applications. It utilizes the Minus K® vertical isolator, which uses a stiff spring and a negative-stiffness mechanism to provide vertical stiffness without affecting the static load-supporting capability....

TOPTICA Photonics AG (Graefelfing, Germany) offers the TA 100 single-mode output diode laser and amplifier systems, which may serve as a replacement for dye- or frequency-doubled solidstate lasers. The red-wavelength lasers provide a sensing range of 660 to 673 nm and an output power of 250 mW. The amplifier systems provide a...

Moulded Optics GmbH (Schoffengrund, Germany) offers single-sided rod and blank-molded aspheric lenses made of crown, borosilicate, and high-refractive glass materials in diameter sizes from 2 mm to 100 mm. The aspheric first surface is molded and the spherical second surface is either ground and polished or molded. The lenses...

Autodesk, San Rafael, CA, has announced Autodesk Inventor 11 3D mechanical CAD software that provides an integrated set of tools for 3D design and documentation. The new release features "functional design," which enables users to create designs based on the functional requirements of a product before committing to...

Serving as non-locating bearings in large electric motors, SKF USA’s (Kulpsville, PA) CARB® toroidal roller bearings accommodate heavy radial loads and compensate for misalignment. Suitable for both coupled and belted loads, the bearings offer users a single bearing solution for motors, regardless of mounting method....

SPX Fluid Power (Rockford, IL) has released the SPX Smiths Model SMR low-pressure DC bi-rotational hydraulic power unit, available in both holding and non-holding designs. The power unit comes with a standard emergency override shaft, pressure setting options, four tank sizes, and SAE and BSPP port options. A handset...

The DGEA cantilever electric linear actuator from Festo Corp. (Hauppauge, NY) is designed so the slide unit remains stationary while the profile moves axially. Suited for space-contained, multi-axis configurations, the motor and cables remain fixed, minimizing the moving mass to just the load and aluminum profile. The toothed...

The TNC 320 contouring control from Heindenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) features the ability to control five axes, an analog drive interface for interfacing to existing drive systems, and one-piece construction, the device sports a 15" TFT color flat-panel display (1024 x 768 pixels). The unit’s main computer contains several...

LMS North America (Troy, MI) has introduced the LMS Test.Lab Vibration Control system for closed-loop vibration control testing under a wide variety of usage and transportation circumstances. Allowing engineers to test products under normal to extreme operating conditions, the system supports endurance testing, online...

Saelig (Pittsford, NY) offers the FMOD-IPDCMOT motion control card that uses an Ethernet bus to communicate data and supply power simultaneously at distances of several thousand yards. Via its integrated Web server, the unit combines a 32-bit motion controller and the speed of the Ethernet communication protocol. The...

The TA330 linear three-phase servo drive from Trust Automation (San Luis Obispo, CA) is a 150-V, 900-W continuous (2700-W peak) linear drive. It can be configured to interface with any motion controller, including three-phase DC brushless servo motors using Hall Effect sensors, three-phase AC brushless motors using external...

The Voyager Series VB1 from Techno (New Hyde Park, NY) is a belt-driven slide that features lengths up to three meters and speeds up to five meters per second. Used for dispensing, inspection, pick and place, and parts transfer, the slide can be assembled to make two- and three-axis systems. It is available in 15 different...