Motion Control

Products: Motion Control

Axis Motion Software

National Instruments (Austin, TX) released NI Motion Assistant 2.0 interactive software for prototyping single- and multi-axis motion control systems. Motion profiles from CAD and drafting programs can be imported using...

Products: Motion Control

DC Gear Motors

Nidec Copal USA Corp (Torrance, CA) offers the MG16 series of sub-miniature brush DC motors with high torque planetary boxes. The 8-model series is RoHS compliant and measures 16 mm. Available gear ratios include 60:1, 120:1,...

Features: Photonics/Optics

QC Lasers Improve Hazardous Gas Monitoring

The measurement of gases associated with industrial processing/emissions monitoring has become increasingly important as the need to improve efficiencies in process control has increased, and...

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

AC Drives Provide Precise Control Critical to Next-Generation Test Stands

Direct Torque Control (DTC) is widely used as a method for controlling AC motors in many demanding applications. It is a unique method for controlling AC motors. In...

Application Briefs: Motion Control

Software Used to Control Master-Slave Haptics Experiment

Haptics, also known as “force feedback teleoperation,” attempts to provide environmental interactions through a robotic system. Users mimic these interactions with robotic arms. By...

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Motor Used to Stabilize Remote-Controlled Camera Crane

It is a staple of the summer box office blockbuster: the car chase. Car chases have not only become a vital component of an action movie, they have also had to evolve, with audiences...

Application Briefs: Motion Control

Plasma Cutter Utilizes Motor for Gantry Control

To cut through metal and other materials, a plasma cutter sends an arc of electricity through a high-speed jet of an inert gas. When electricity and gas meet, plasma is formed, hot enough to...

Products: Motion Control

Diaphragm Pumps

Thomas Products Div. (Sheboygan, WI) offers the Series 5002 miniature diaphragm liquid pumps, designed for all-liquid or mixed wet/dry pumping applications. Model 5002F pumps are single-head and measure 1.99 × 1.18 × 3.19"....

Products: Motion Control

Motor Driver

Allegro MicroSystems (Worcester, MA) has introduced the A3901 dual H-bridge low-voltage motor driver. Capable of operating one stepper motor or two DC motors, the unit is designed for portable applications with a power-off...

Products: Motion Control

Servo Drive Module

National Instruments (Austin, TX) has announced the NI 9505, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based, H-bridge servo drive module for the NI CompactRIO embedded platform. The module offers direct connectivity to...

Products: Motion Control

Motor Controller

New Scale Technologies (Victor, NY) offers the SQ-2300 series benchtop motor controller for computer control of the company's SQUIGGLE motors and closed-loop linear nanopositioning stages. Using the controller, SQUIGGLE...

Products: Motion Control

Anti-Backlash Nut

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Distance Measurement

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...

Products: Motion Control

Multi-Axis Motion Control

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Stepper Motor Controller

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Pneumatic Actuator

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Positioning System

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...

Products: Motion Control

Motor & Driver Package

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Translation/Rotation Stage

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Ball Bearings

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Motorized Stages

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...

Application Briefs: Motion Control

Hundreds of Gearmotors Drive Times Square Scrolling Sign

With a zoning ordinance requiring businesses to throw up big, bright, eye-catching signs, Times Square in New York City has an illuminated-sign density rivaling Las Vegas. When Toys...

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Drive Retrofit Update Enables Smoke-Removal System at Atlanta Airport

When the City of Atlanta finalized plans for the capital-improvement project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, an integral part of the 10-year, $5.4...

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Device Simulates Spine Motions

The spine is the most complex mechanical system in the human body. With the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Instron (Norwood, MA) is utilizing the BioPuls™ Multi-Axial Spine Testing System to...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Toroidal Roller Bearings

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...

Products: Motion Control

Hydraulic Power Unit

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Contouring Control

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...

Products: Motion Control

Vibration Control System

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...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Ethernet Motion Control Card

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...