Motion Control/​Automation

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Explore the latest developments in motion control and automation. Discover innovative advances from NASA and major research labs in robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, PID controller applications, motor drives and power transmissions.

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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Heidenhain Encoders Help TRW Machine Ford SUV Parts

TRW has been making parts for the automotive industry for many years, but when Ford Automotive considered giving them the contract to manufacture the rear toe-links for their Navigator and Expedition SUVs, their traditional lathes were considered inadequate for the task. The solution was to...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The DFS 60 incremental encoders from Sick|Stegmann, Dayton, OH, are available in fully programmable versions to accommodate any value from 1 to 65,536 pulses per revolution. With the help of a simple programming tool,...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Based on the Piezo Walk principle, the N-380/N-381 NEXACT® ceramic linear motor actuator from Physik Instrumente replaces classical lead screw actuators. It combines high forces and long travel ranges with...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Designed for high torque, tight space applications, the FlexTorq™ 762 series hollow shaft offset DC gearmotors from Bison Gear & Engineering Corp., St. Charles, IL, feature either a 1.25in. (31.75mm) I.D. hollow shaft, or...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Cushion-Start Kinechek® speed regulator from Deschner Corp., Santa Ana, CA, combines the shock absorbing feature of the company’s Cushioneer® shock absorber with the Kinechek® speed regulator. The impact-absorbing...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The TA333 high-power linear drive from Trust Automation, San Luis Obispo, CA, combines a Class-AB linear amplifier with pure analog throughput at currents up to 25A. Highly configurable, the drive can be used with a brushless...

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Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

When a leading manufacturer of CNC optical manufacturing technology needed ultra-accurate and stable positioning for a new system to measure conformal optics, it turned to...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Model No. MMP-TM55-24V GP52-059 dc gearmotor from Midwest Motion Products (Watertown, MN) produces 60in.-lb. of torque at 78 rpm. Designed to operate on 24 Vdc, it measures 2.14in. diameter × 7.75in. long, and has a...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

A miniature ball valve from Beswich Engineering (Greenland, NH) comes in two configurations. The MBV-1010-303 is for applications requiring an on/off valve, while the MBVT-1010-303 is for applications requiring selecting one of...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The KA power pack from HAWE Hydraulics (Charlotte, NC) can supply pressure up to 10,000 psi utilizing a radial piston pump, or up to 2,900 psi utilizing a gear pump.

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Clean Motors from HaydonKerk Motion Solutions (Waterbury, CT) are designed to limit contaminants and outgassing in vacuum environments. The motors operate in vacuum down to 10-9 Torr.

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

A family of linear voice coil actuators from BEI Kimco Magnetics (Vista, CA) include two spring designs based on magnetic rather than mechanical technology. This technology ensures constant and precise valve position in...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Choke Coil

The CM01H900 common-mode choke coil from Taiyo Yuden (U.S.A.) Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) measures 1.2(L) × 1.0(W) × 0.9(H) mm, reportedly the industry’s smallest. The coil’s common-mode impedance is 65 ohms at 100 MHz.

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Nano-SP30 positioning system from Mad City Labs (Madison, WI) is suited for nano-indentation and nano manipulation applications. It provides 25mm of travel with a step size of 95nm. A piezo-driven stage achieves...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Oxyview™ polycarbonate oxygen flow meter from Qosina provides in-line monitoring of oxygen levels from 1 to 6 liters/minute. The flow meter can connect close to the patient in any orientation, providing an advantage...

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Articles: Robotics, Automation & 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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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: Robotics, Automation & Control

Functional machine safety using discrete wiring is an established way to protect workers from injury, and protect companies from the expense associated with accidents and downtime.

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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Echo Hill Automation Inc., a Beamsville, Ontario, Canada company founded by mechanical engineers and brothers Dan and Harry Schellenberg, has grown from a small two-man operation...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The KXTE9 accelerometer from Kionix (Ithaca, NY) has embedded algorithms for orientation and activity monitoring. The algorithms simplify the adoption of motion-based functionality in consumer electronics, while reducing...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The TONIC optical encoder from Renishaw (Hoffman Estates, IL) packs advanced optics and electronics into a compact read-head measuring 35 × 13.5 × 10 mm. Available in both linear and rotary versions, it supports...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The SM2315D-PLS2 and SM2315DT-PLS2 integrated servo motors from Animatics Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) have a built-in controller, encoder, and amplifier, and can be programmed to control several machines. They achieve resolution up...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The MT 105-50-LM micro manipulator stage from Steinmeyer (Burlington, MA) provides a positional accuracy of 1 micrometer, straightness/flatness runout of +/1 micrometer, and repeatability of +/0.2 micrometers. It...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The TRACKER TRK-1TO2 position sensor from New Scale Technologies (Victor, NY) measures 8.5 × 11.5 × 1.61 mm and provides 2-micrometer resolution. It can be used as a linear encoder or off-axis rotary encoder and unlike...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The MDrive14Plus Microstepping and MDrive14Plus Half/Full Step motor/drives from Intelligent Motion Systems (Marlborough, CT) use a NEMA size 14 brushless 1.8in. stepping motor and measure just 1.9 × 1.4 × 2.0 in....

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The AMLOK(R) Hydraulic Series RCH Rod Clamp from Advanced Machine & Engineering (Rockford, IL) is designed to clamp components after the motion has stopped and to hold the position securely as long as the forces do not exceed...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The AH5792 smart motor controller from Diodes Inc. (Hauppauge, NY) integrates a Hall sensor and amplifier, complete digital circuitry, and a full bridge output driver in an SOT553 package. These features eliminate...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The LEG long-stroke electric gripper from SCHUNK Inc. (Morrisville, NC) weighs only 8.8 kg. When operated with a single servomotor, it delivers a gripping force of 1140 N and a variable stroke from zero to 568 mm. The gripper...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

R+W (Bensenville, Il) has developed a series of couplings for mounting to flange output servo gearheads, The BK8 coupling allows for an equally compact flexible interface between gearheads and driven components, protecting...

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