Motion Control/​Automation

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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Products: Motion Control
Kistler North America (Novi, MI) has introduced the Kistler Type 9269A RoaDyn® S6HT System 2000, a six-component wheel force transducer (WFT) with specialty electronics platform. It is designed to measure three forces...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The SHX and SPX brushless servomotors for CNC machinery applications are available from NUM Corp. (Naperville, IL). They eliminate the need for a separate encoder cable; machine builders can use a single drive-to-motor...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Lin Engineering (Morgan Hill, CA) offers the R525 stepper motor driver that reduces overall design time and system cost for an array of step motor applications needing high torque, power, and smooth motion. Measuring 3.3 ×...
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Products: Motion Control
Revvo Caster Company (West Seneca, NY) offers ET Series casters designed to move moderate loads via manual propulsion. Four-inchdiameter swivel models are available with an optional fixed-position brake that mounts to the top plate so...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Pepperl+Fuchs (Twinsburg, OH) has introduced Series 61 photoelectric sensors. The UL and cUL listed sensors are available in DC models with 4-in-1™ output, and AC/DC models with SPDT relay output. Accessible controls simplify...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Metallized Carbon Corp. (Ossining, NY), offers custom vanes, rotors, and end plates for use in rotary vane pumps pumping both liquids and gases. The carbon-graphite components provide lubrication in most environments, and are...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Plug & Drive PD2-N integrated closed-loop stepping motors from Nanotec Electronic, U.S. (Medford, MA), provide closed-loop sine commutation. They feature 71 oz-in of torque, and speed up to 3000 RPM with near-servo performance....
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The Thomas 230 Series, a brushless DC WOB-L® air compressor designed for applications requiring a compact, lightweight pump with variable output, is available from Thomas Division (Sheboygan, WI). The pump measures 3.8 ×...
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Products: Motion Control
Bosch Sensortec (Palo Alto, CA) offers the BMX055 9-axis sensor that contains three 3-axis sensors: a 12-bit low-noise accelerometer; a gyroscope with a resolution of 16 bits and programmable measurement ranges; and a...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Masterflex® C/L® tubing pumps from Cole-Parmer (Vernon Hills, IL) feature a redesigned head that provides more secure tubing retention and more consistent performance over the full range of tubing sizes and flow. A single motion...
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Products: Motion Control
Applimotion (Loomis, CA) has introduced custom gear motors for high-torque, low-speed, and low-profile applications. The assemblies combine precision gearing and directdrive frameless motor kits to form a high-torque alternative to...
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Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The Key-Rex™ high-security fastener is available from Bryce Fastener (Phoenix, AZ). The special safeguard feature of the screw is the endless combination of complex shapes developed in the drive (head) of the screw. Each keyway...
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Products: Motion Control
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, a division of AMETEK Precision Motion Control (Waterbury, CT), has introduced the BGS04 Linear Rail System designed for high-moment loads. The roll, pitch, and yaw moment load capability allows...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Motor Drivers
Allegro MicroSystems (Worcester, MA) offers the Sanken Electric SCM1240M family of high-voltage, high-current, three-phase motor drivers for controlling three-phase motor power inverter systems and variable-speed control systems. These integrated circuits (ICs) take 85 to 253 VAC input voltage, and 10 to 30 A (continuous) output...
News: Robotics, Automation & Control
DARPA's Four-Legged Robot Plays Follow the Leader
In the woods of central Virginia around Fort Pickett, the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) four-legged robot has been showing off its capabilities during field testing. Working with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, researchers from DARPA’s LS3 program demonstrated new advances in the...
Articles: Motion Control
Fitting the right type of linear position sensor to an application requires at least a working knowledge of the attributes of this electromechanical device. Starting...
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Application Briefs: Motion Control
NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA hired Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corp. to develop a totally mechanical tool changer for the end of what Langley’s...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
B&R Industrial Automation Corp. (Roswell, GA) offers standardized system modules for CNC machines. Consisting of hardware components, all necessary software functions, and available simulation options, the software...
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Products: Motion Control
GE Intelligent Platforms (Charlottesville, VA) has announced the PACSystems® control and computing platform designed for the industrial Internet. It incorporates COM Express architecture with multi-core CPUs. The...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Nexen Group (Vadnais Heights, MN) has announced a harmonic gearhead that directly replaces much larger, high-ratio planetary gearheads utilizing the latest harmonic strain wave gearing technology. In addition to its compact...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
GAM Gear (Mt. Prospect, IL) has introduced the SPH series inline planetary gearbox featuring helical gearing. It is designed for dynamic and cyclic motion control applications, and can be optimized for high-speed and...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Servo2Go.com (Greenville, DE) offers Applied Motion Products’ STR2 stepper drive, a compact, digital step and direction drive for applications requiring basic step and direction control of a 2-phase step motor. The drive...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Honeywell (Minneapolis, MN) offers the SMART rotary configuration position sensor that provides 360° non-contact angular position sensing. The sensor enables users to replace an optical encoder, or to utilize a sensor instead...
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Products: Motion Control
Rollon (Hackettstown, NJ) has in - troduced the Actuatorline TT series of high-precision linear positioning stages. Available in a range of sizes and configurations, the stages are suited for use in robotic handling systems,...
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Products: Motion Control
Lee Linear (Piscataway, NJ) offers the SBC Linear Profile SBI linear guide system that uses a low profile and wide base design for less noise, less vibration, and increased life over caged ball assemblies. The extra load capacity,...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Siemens PLM Software (Plano, TX) has introduced RobotExpert software for robotics simulation and programming. The software enables the design, simulation, optimization, and offline programming of robotic...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The SBL and LPB series of linear shaft supports from Ondrives.US Corp. (Freeport, NY) feature removable top clamps that enable easy removal of shafts and permit reassembly without upsetting the critical alignment between...
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Products: Motion Control
Four controls from Bodine Electric (Northfield, IL) provide speed control for low-voltage 12 or 24V permanent magnet DC (PMDC) gearmotors and motors (up to 1/3 HP/250 Watts). The controls utilize pulse width modulation (PWM)...
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Products: Motion Control
PBC Linear®, a Pacific Bearing Company (Roscoe, IL) has introduced the SIMO® Series linear motion platform. Options allow a design engineer to meet multiple application requirements with a single platform. Options...
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