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,...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Autonomous Robots Keep Warehouse Running Green

YLOG, a startup company in Austria, uses an intelligent and very environmentally friendly logistics system that is winning an increasing number of customers. The technology makes use of...

PLC-Based Robotic Controls Versus OEM Robotic Controls

As more manufacturing facilities and distribution centers discover the benefits of robotic material handling solutions, the decision of how best to control the robot must be made. While...

Reducing Power-On/Off Glitches in Precision DACs

Voltage glitches are common in a signal chain path, especially when the system is being powered up or down. Depending on the peak amplitude and glitch duration, the end result in the system...

Piezoelectric Actuated Inchworm Motor (PAIM)

Conventional piezoelectric materials, such as PZTs, have reasonably high electromechanical coupling over 70%, and excellent performance at room temperature. However, their coupling factor...

Magnetic Encoders

POSITAL (Hamilton, NJ) introduced new models of IXARC magnetic encoders that combine incremental and absolute rotation measurement capabilities in a single, compact package. Absolute encoders provide a control system with a...

Servo Drive

Elmo Motion Control (Nashua, NH) offers the NANO Gold Twitter servo drive that delivers up to 4000 Watts of qualitative power, current up to 50A at 100VDC, and up to 15A/200V with advanced servo capabilities and support for...

Planetary Gearbox

GAM (Mount Prospect, IL) offers the SPH inline planetary gearbox with helical gears for dynamic and cyclic applications, as well highspeed and continuous duty applications. It is available in six frame sizes with nominal...

Clutches

U.S. Tsubaki Power Transmission, LLC (Wheeling, IL) announced Cam Clutch unidirectional/ mechanical clutches that lock the inner and outer races through the locking action of cams, transmitting torque in one direction of rotation...

Bearings

igus (East Providence, RI) offers xiros® ball bearings with ball races made from high-performance polymer iglide® A500. The bearings are maintenance- and lubrication-free, and are designed for temperatures up to 302 °F. They are...

Linear Motors

Heidenhain (Schaumburg, IL) offers ETEL ILF and ILM series ironless high-speed linear motors for use in the semiconductor and electronics industry. The motors utilize an ironfree coil design for zero-attraction force between...

Electric Cylinder

SMAC (Carlsbad, CA) introduced the CBL50 electric cylinder designed to achieve peak force of 50N at 2 Amp current, and acceleration up to 40G. It features carriage-free design and built-in linear bearings. It is available...

Pump Drive

The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America (Waukegan, IL) released the iQpump Micro intelligent pump drive for variable-torque pump loads through 25 HP. It is available in NEMA 1 and NEMA 4X rated models. A variety of...

Stages

Optimal Engineering Systems (Van Nuys, CA) released low-profile XYθ (theta) stages that move in an XY-plane and rotate around the center of the XY-plane. Available in 12 models in two precision grades, the stages have linear travels...

Nanopositioning Stages

Aerotech (Pittsburgh, PA) offers the QNP-XY series piezo nanopositioning stages with resolution to 0.15 nm, linearity to 0.007%, and repeatability to 2 nm. The stages provide a variety of travel lengths (100 μm to 600...

Coupling

C-Flex Bearing Co. (Frankfort, NY) offers a Super Plastic torsional damping coupling that stabilizes high-precision systems by dampening transient torque variations. The patented design offers high-torque loads with zero backlash...

Brushless Motor Drive

The DPFlex™ II digital, sensorless, brushless motor drive series from Allied Motion (Amherst, NY) offers speed capability to 150,000 RPM, the ability to drive lower-impedance motors, and software settable rotation...

Motion Controller

ACS Motion Control (Bloomington, MN) released the SPiiPlusCMHV line of EtherCAT master motion controllers that can manage networks with up to 32 axes and thousands of I/Os. The modules control networks with one or two axes...