Motion Control/​Automation

Motion Control

Browse innovative developments in motion control technologies. Find essential news, technical briefs and applications used in PID controllers, servo motors, direct drive solutions, autonomous positioning, and motion-related components.

Stories

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Articles: Motion Control
Single-turn encoders have long been used in industrial automation to gauge angular displacement in a broad range of applications, ranging from steering control on a mobile equipment...
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Articles: Motion Control
For process industries, one of the greatest challenges plant operators face is finding a sensor technology that will provide reliable measurement of liquid levels in tanks while...
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Application Briefs: Motion Control
Just a few years ago, the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in most aerospace companies was restricted to pure research or troubleshooting problems with existing designs. But in the past...
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Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
For over a hundred years, machine parts composed of mechanical carbon have provided an alternative solution in applications where temperature and atmosphere conditions prevent the use of...
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Articles: Motion Control
When it comes to choosing a flowmetering device, some users assume “one size fits all.” In reality, there are significant differences between flowmeter types, and each design has its unique “pros and cons.”...
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Maxon’s MCD EPOS integrated power drive was used by a wine and liquor bottling operation to control the cutting of shrink-wrapped film over the bottleneck and cork or cap.
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
What do you do if you’re in the business of producing a wide variety of metal presses to meet special customer requirements? You choose your system components wisely, and...
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
QuickSilver Servo Motors Drive Autonomous Vehicles
The design of remotely operated, autonomous battery-powered vehicles places special requirements on motion control systems. High torque at low speeds is needed to climb over obstacles, while higher speed operation is needed for cruise speed. Efficient operation from lower voltages (12V to 48V)...
Articles: Motion Control
Advances in digital hardware technology and software innovations now allow a single digital servo drive to be configured to work in a variety of machine control architectures.
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Articles: Motion Control
Reactive, avoidable equipment repairs are a leading contributor to lost productivity in industrial manufacturing operations. Parts with an average selling price of just a few...
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Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Recent advances in motion control and machine vision technologies present tremendous opportunities for Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) systems. Thanks to recent developments in these fundamental...
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Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Machine vision systems are playing an increasingly important role in many industrial applications, whether it is counting parts on an assembly line or examining surfaces for defects....
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Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Solving a machine vision application, whether it involves quality inspection, part verification or any number of additional tasks, requires taking several factors into...
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Products: Motion Control
The CH25 incremental rotary encoder from Celesco Transducer Products has a powder- coated enclosure rated for use in IP67 environments. It has a 2 ½-inch square flange and a 3/8-inch diameter shaft.
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Products: Motion Control
The StepNet AC drive from Copley Controls (Canton, MA) runs directly on 115/240 Vac at 7 A, eliminating the need for a separate DC supply. It offers servo mode operation and has built-in modes for indexing, trajectory...
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Products: Motion Control
An inexpensive optional hardware attachment for linear drives from Amacoil (Astron, PA) allows mechanically controlled ramp down of linear speed. The slowdown option requires no electronics or programming and may also be configured...
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Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The HiPace(TM) turbo pumps from Pfeiffer Vacuum (Nashua, NH) are available in pumping speeds from 10 – 700 liters/sec. They incorporate a new rotor design that reduces run-up time and provides high gas throughput and compression...
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Products: Motion Control
A line of compact ceramic piezo motors & nanopositioning actuators from Physik Instrumente (Auburn, MA) replace traditional actuators & motion control components in precision motion control applications. High-speed motors,...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
A high-performance, two-phase, linear stepper motor from H2W Technologies (Valencia, CA) provides 1 micron [0.00004 in.] resolution and travels at 80 in/sec. [2 m/sec.]. It can operate in any axis, and features 1 G...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The TG 2320 brushless motor from ThinGap LLC (Ventura, CA) delivers 425 oz-in. peak torque and 1,025 watts continuous power, yet weighs only 16.5 oz. Applications include cylinder bore gauges, high-efficiency compressors,...
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Products: Motion Control
A rotating torque sensor from Sensor Development (Lake Orion, MI) feature a bearing system that allows the structure to be exposed to very high radial loads without damage. Most standard torque sensors require their housings to...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The TA2230 constant velocity drive from Trust Automation (San Diego, CA) is designed to run a brushless motor at a constant velocity using the motor’s ll sensors for the velocity feedback. Using an RS232 interface,...
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Products: Motion Control
The DGSL from Festo Corp. is designed as an ultra-precise slide for positioning or as an easy pick-and-place system. The main design element to this precision slide is the use of an integrated bearing system with an...
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Products: Motion Control
The ION (R) digital drive from Performance Motion Devices (Lincoln, MA) now has power ranges of 500W and 3000W. This allows a wide range of motor types and sizes to be combined in multi-axes motion positioning...
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Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The Model GT100 from Stellar Technology (Amherst, NY) is a heavy-duty pressure transducer for severe applications like rocket engine testing that can ruin a typical pressure sensor. It features a cleanable pressure cavity and a...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech (Cincinnati, OH) has unveiled two new ADAM analog input modules, the ADAM-5017P and ADAM-5018P. The ADAM-5017P has eight different independent configuration channels, supports...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
ACS Motion Control (Plymouth, MN) has developed a rack-mounted motion controller that delivers smooth motion control at high speeds, without compromising accuracy, for the most demanding applications. The SPiiPlus...
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Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
MISUMI USA Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) has introduced a family of self-lubricating linear bushings in assorted styles, with straight or mini-flanged versions. The bushings carry three times the rated life span of conventional...
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Articles: Motion Control
Many robotic and mechanical systems require the calculation of kinematic equations to express the relationship between variables that are to be controlled (motor/actuator position obtained via...
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