Motion Control

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Integrating Functional Pneumatic Safety Devices into Control Systems

Over the past several years, controls engineers have become adept at applying control systems to machine safety applications. The issue is that safety is a moving target....

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Thermoplastic Racks Open Up New Motion Control Applications

Rack and pinions are linear actuators that play a critical role in a wide range of linear motion control applications. While rack and pinions are commonly thought of as a timeless...

Products: Motion Control

Explosion-Proof Encoder

BEI Sensors (Goleta, CA) announced the Model LP35 explosion-proof and flameproof, low-profile, hollow shaft encoder that features a 2.01" profile and is designed to meet UL, ATEX, and IECEx standards for operation...

Products: Motion Control

Drive System Software

Festo (Hauppauge, NY) introduced PositioningDrives software for designing single-axis drive systems. Engineers input application requirements and the software details the information necessary to create a Festo...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Planetary Gearboxes

Pittman Motors (Harleysville, PA) offers the PLG24, PLG42K, PLG42S, PLG52, and PLG63 planetary gearboxes available with Pittman brush and brushless DC motors. The PLG planetary gearboxes deliver high-torque loads and are...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Rotary Encoder

The Multi Wheel Encoder from Elma Electronic (Fremont, CA) is a miniature rotary encoder that includes an illuminated 8+1 joystick, enabling control using one finger. The encoder features Hall effect sensed incremental encoder...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Digital Load Cell

HBM (Marlborough, MA) introduced the FIT7A digital load cell that enables machines to make up to 180 weighings per minute. The load cell features accuracy class C4 per OIML R60, and a maximum scale interval factor Y of up...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Tabletop Robot

Universal Robots (Odense, Denmark) introduced the UR3 tabletop robot that weighs 24.3 pounds and has a payload of 6.6 pounds, 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints, and infinite rotation on the end joint. The flexible,...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Angle Sensors

Novotechnik, U.S. (Southborough, MA) introduced the Vert-X 2400 compact angle sensors that convert rotational angle into a voltage output. The sensors are available in single and fully redundant versions; diameter of the...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Five-Axis Machining

The VMX30UHSi, VMX42HSRTi, VMX84SWi, VMX60SWi, and VMX60Ui from Hurco (Indianapolis, IN) are 5-axis machines for traditional 3-axis parts with features on all five sides. The VMX42HSRTi has a swivel-head design with a...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Part Gripper

The EGP 25 electric small part gripper from SCHUNK (Morrisville, NC) weighs 110 g and has a stroke of 3 mm per finger. The gripping force can be adjusted on two stages, and maximum gripping force is 40 N. The gripper can handle...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Hydraulic Motors

Dayton Lamina™ (Dayton, OH) offers low-speed/high-torque, high-speed/low-torque hydraulic motors that feature instant forward and reverse. Six motors are available with a torque range from 0 to 656 in-lbs. and speeds from...

Products: Motion Control

Controller

The iQ-F Series compact controller from Mitsubishi Electric Automation (Vernon Hills, IL) is based on the FX Series and offers synchronized motion control, data logging, and security features. The controller provides embedded...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Rotary Vane Pumps

Kurt J. Lesker (Jefferson Hills, PA) offers KJLC RV Series rotary vane pumps that feature an anti-suckback mechanism to prevent oil from back-flowing in the event of accidental shutdown, power failure, etc. A pressurized...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Linear Stage

Bell-Everman (Goleta, CA) offers the SLS Light sealed linear stage that keeps contamination such as manufacturing debris, particulate, or liquid contaminants outside of the stage housing. The stage measures 80 × 120 mm, and has...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Flow Controller

PISCO USA (Elmhurst, IL) offers a flow controller that features a built-in shock absorber function. It uses a 2-stage speed control to regulate exhaust speed and absorb shock in pneumatic cylinders. The units have three...

Products: Motion Control

Shock Sensors

PCB Piezotronics (Depew, NY) introduced the Model 350B01 mechanically isolated, electrically filtered, nearfield or farfield pyroshock sensor capable of measuring up to 100,000 g. The sensor measures High-G shock and harsh...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Servo Drive/Controller

Parker’s Electromechanical Automation Division (Rohnert Park, CA) offers the Intelligent Parker Amplifier (IPA), a 1.5-axis servo drive/controller based on the ACR control platform. Available in two power levels —...

Products: Motion Control

Potentiometer

Hoffmann + Krippner (Woodstock, GA) introduced the DL30 series linear motion potentiometer (transducer) series that features low-profile dimensions of 30 × 30 mm and variable lengths. Various types of resistors (e.g. wire,...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Track System

Accuride (Santa Fe Springs, CA) introduced the Model AL4190 Tilt Track System that provides access to drawers or trays installed at shoulder level and above. The system uses wheels and rollers to extend the drawer, and an...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Actuators

Nook Industries (Cleveland, OH) offers Series 500™ programmable actuators designed for continuous duty and long service life. They incorporate a direct or toothed-belt drive for high mechanical efficiency. Ball screw-driven...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Machine Control

Unitronics (Quincy, MA) has introduced Samba, a palm-sized PLC with HMI and onboard I/Os for machine control that features a color 7" HMI panel. The 16-bit touchscreen enables data entry and display of variable data,...

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Accelerometer Chips

Silicon Designs (Kirkland, WA) offers industrial-grade MEMS variable capacitive accelerometer chips and modules for zero- to medium-frequency instrumentation applications. Onboard voltage regulation and an internal...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Researcher Develops World’s Smallest Micro Motor

Micro actuators are needed for numerous applications, ranging from mobile and wearable devices, to minimally invasive medical devices. However, the limitations associated with their...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Technique Magnifies Vibrations in Bridges and Buildings

To the naked eye, buildings and bridges appear fixed in place, unmoved by forces like wind and rain. But in fact, these large structures do experience imperceptibly small vibrations...

INSIDER: Defense

Assisted Steering for Efficient Turning of Electric Vehicles

Scientists are developing a new assisted steering concept for electric vehicles. In conventional vehicles, the internal combustion engine not only accelerates the car, but also...

INSIDER: Motion Control

Elastomer Enables Soft Flapping Robotic Wings

Researchers have discovered a new resonance phenomenon in a dielectric elastomer rotary joint that can make the artificial joint bend up and down, like a flapping wing. The new phenomenon makes...

INSIDER: Motion Control

Alcohol Ignition Lock Could Prevent Drunk Driving

If every new car made in the United States had a built-in blood alcohol level tester that prevented impaired drivers from driving the vehicle, how many lives could be saved, injuries...

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Reducing Power-On/Off Glitches in Precision DACs: Part 2

Part 1 of this article introduced a phenomenon called power-on/off glitch. The example discussed the impact of this phenomenon on a motor control system. We limited our analysis to a...