Motion System Design articles from August 2007

Motion System Design archives from August 2007

Frequent flyer storms toy market.(high demand for Storm Launcher radio controlled aircraft produced by Storm Launcher)
August 1, 2007... If you've ever operated a radio-controlled (R/C) car, boat, or airplane, you know firsthand just how fun--and frustrating--it can be. Combine these three vehicles and you have triple the pleasure, and triple the pain. Keep in mind the two camps...

MIT follows Tesla's untethering trail.(Massachusetts Institute of Technology deveolops WiTricity wireless electricity transmission technology)
August 1, 2007... Wouldn't it be great if your cell phone could recharge itself when you forget to plug it in? Based on experiments going on at MIT, that day may be coming soon. A team from MIT's Department of Physics, Department of Electrical Engineering and...

Short course tunes in to gear noise.(What's New)
August 1, 2007... Two gear noise short courses, one basic and one advanced, will be offered during September at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of the class is to give attendees a better understanding of how gear noise is generated,...

Back to school for engineers.(What's New)
August 1, 2007... It's not just kids who are headed back to the classroom this fall. If you're looking for a way to increase your job security and give your salary a boost, why not consider taking an engineering training course from the comfort of your own...

Packaging conference wraps up trends.(What's New)(Conference news)
August 1, 2007... An extensive educational conference will be held in conjunction with PACK EXPO Las Vegas and will run Oct. 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The agenda for the upcoming Conference at PACK EXPO includes tracks on brand protection,...

Wireless contest woos designers with cash.(What's New)
August 1, 2007... Engineers are invited to participate in the third annual Wireless Design Contest, just announced by Lantronix Inc., Irvine, Calif. This year's contest challenges entrants to develop a creative and practical wireless product using the company's...

Virtually perfected: simulating moving designs is easier and more useful than ever.(Motion simulation)
August 1, 2007... Picture a classic four-bar mechanism. With a basic spreadsheet, some knowledge of complex numbers, and input information, you might plot output acceleration and speed in a couple hours. But what if geometry changes, or the full...

Sizing and applying limit switches.(versatile limit switch from Omron Electronics L.L.C.)
August 1, 2007... Mechanical position and electrical circuitry meet in the no-nonsense limit switch. These cost-effective input devices excel in tough environments and are as simple to install as they are to maintain. How it works Limit switches convert...

Flex cable adds muscle to signal integrity.(Lessons in Vision)
August 1, 2007... When designers are busy building machine vision systems, cable is often an afterthought. It shouldn't be this way. If your signals can't get from here to there in one piece, your application is running blind. To prevent that, think about...

Cooling linear motors.(MSD 101)
August 1, 2007... Linear motors produce a unique combination of high force and accurate movement that makes them useful in material handling, grinding, and large mold-making machines, just to name a few applications. However, getting the most out of a linear...

Stepped bore couplings.(Product Spotlight: Shafting & Couplings)
August 1, 2007... Rigid, clamp-type couplings mate dissimilar shafts and drive components, including inch and metric sizes and smooth or keyed designs. Features & benefits * One, two, and three-piece designs * Will not mar shafts * Mate shafts...

Servomotor couplings.(Product Spotlight: Shafting & Couplings)
August 1, 2007... CD couplings with aluminum hubs have low weight and inertia. Features & benefits * Single-flex models with clamp-style hubs with or without keyways * Torque capacities from 40 to 1,436 Nm * Speed ratings from 4,400 to 17,000...

Bellows couplings.(Product Spotlight: Shafting & Couplings)
August 1, 2007... BK1 series of precision flexible couplings feature standard piloted bolt-circle interfaces that can be customized to the equipment they connect. Features & benefits * Absorb misalignment between measurement device and other components...

Oldham couplings.(Product Spotlight: Shafting & Couplings)
August 1, 2007... Oldham couplings accommodate large parallel misalignment and feature a three-piece design comprised of two hubs and a floating center disc. Features & benefits * Seven sizes of set screw or clamp style hubs with bores from 1/8 to 2...

Flywheel couplings.(Product Spotlight: Shafting & Couplings)
August 1, 2007... Arcusaflex flywheel couplings are flexible and provide a torsional soft connection. Features & benefits * Sizes AC 4.1, 4.9, 5.1, 6.1, 6.5, 13, and 13D * Torques from 1,770 to 973,580 lb-in. or 6,500 kW at 1,000 rpm *...

High-speed servo controller.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... The DMC-40x0 Ethernet/RS232 full-featured controller family is the latest addition to the ultra high-speed Accelera controller line. A 32-bit RISC-based microcomputer delivers higher speed and processing power than previous designs. ...

Belt drives.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Poly Chain GT Carbon belt features carbon fiber tensile cord that provides high strength and length stability, while reducing stretch on drive systems used in high-torque applications. Features & benefits * 8 and 14-mm pitch sizes ...

Direct-drive motors.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... ULT series direct-drive, frameless motors are now available in sizes down to 27-mm diameter with axial length as low as 8 mm and up to 20-mm through hole. Features & benefits * Operate from traditional 3-phase trapezoidal or sinusoidal...

Motor control IC.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... MC731110 motor control IC is a single-axis, compact IC that provides advanced, fully digital velocity and torque control of brushless dc motors. Features & benefits * 40 kHz PWM (pulse width modulation) waveform generation *...

Tapered bearings.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Blue Brute V-Lock product line has been expanded to a full line of tapered adapter and split-housed equivalent units in addition to straight bore size offerings. Features & benefits * Fit 1 15/16 to 5 in. shaft sizes as well as metric...

Cable and hose carriers.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Nylatrac automation line of cable and hose carriers is designed for high speeds and high accelerations, offering quiet and smooth operation, as well as quick installation. Features & benefits * QT series quiet track carriers offer...

Digital servo drive.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Model 940 PositionServo Drives are full-featured digital drives combined with simple, yet robust motion controllers for asynchronous control. Features & benefits * Allows end users to continue operating asynchronous motors *...

Drivers, motion controllers.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... CANopen MDrivePlus products combine a microstepping driver and motion controller with NEMA 17, 23, and 34 high-torque brushless dc motors and NEMA 34 and 42 brushless ac motors. Features & benefits * Deliver holding torques from 32...

Double-rail linear system.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Linear bearing shafting products have been adapted to a new ERL doublerail linear system that offers the flexibility of a complete linear bearing guide system of any length. Features & benefits * Two precision hardened and ground...

Multi-axis robot cable.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Olflex Robot F1 UL/CSA flexible cable provides high mechanical performance on multi-axis robots, welding robots, and manipulators. Features & benefits * Connects rotating and tilting tables and applications requiring bending and...

Roller rings.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Type RU roller ring uses small rollers to reduce differential slip and torque required when rotation is small. Features & benefits * Offers 20 to 30% higher rigidity than other models * Installation is easy with mounting holes on...

Motion control card.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... PCI-8154 4-axis pulse train modularized motion control card for controlling steppers, servos, and linear motors allows movement through multiple axes with linear and circular interpolations using continuous contouring. Features & benefits...

Gearmotors.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... CG variable speed, ac inverter-duty, and permanent magnet dc gearmotors deliver twice the torque of similar motor/gearhead combinations. Features & benefits * Deliver up to 1,000 lb-in. of torque through 1-in. diameter driveshaft ...

Linear actuators.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Size 11 hybrid linear actuators are now available with an integrated connector, and come as a standalone component or with a harness assembly. Features & benefits * Resolutions ranging from 0.000125 to 0.002 in./step and thrusts to 25...

High-torque step motors.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... SilverPak 23CE integrated NEMA 23 high torque step motors combine a microstepping driver, intelligent controller, and optical encoder in one compact unit. Features & benefits * Three body lengths--3.41, 3.85, and 4.78 in. * Up to...

Brushless dc motor.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... Smoovy series 0308... B brushless dc motor uses a skewed winding in combination with a rotor made of Neodymium rare-earth magnets to provide cog-free motion. Features & benefits * Bearing system is composed of jewel bearings *...

Rotary position sensor.(New Products)
August 1, 2007... RSC 2800 series of non-contacting rotary sensors allows measurement angle to be determined by detecting variation in the orientation of a magnetic field due to a magnet attached to the shaft. Features & benefits * Custom circuitry...

Addressing safety and noise issues.(Elobau Sensor Technology Inc. introduces Machine safety sensors brochure)(ASGCO Manufacturing Inc. introduces Safe-Guard Return Idler Guard)(Pilz Automation Safety L.P. introduces SafetyEYE camera system )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Safety first. Much of modern machine life revolves around these two words. Protection of life and limb--not to mention expensive equipment--is top of mind for design engineers and end users alike. Consider the following expert tips and tools...

Moses Carlyle Johnson: this month, we review the life of Moses Carlyle Johnson, inventor of the friction clutch, for ideas and inspiration.(Did you know)
August 1, 2007... One of New England's most prominent sons is Moses Carlyle Johnson, born in 1844 in Hinsdale, N.H. At the age of just 18, Johnson moved to Hartford, Conn. and enlisted in Company D, Twenty-second Regiment, of the Union Army to serve his country...

Vene, vede da Vinci--arte/scienza.(In the loop)
August 1, 2007... For several months we've been discussing the elements of creativity as described in Michael J. Gelb's book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. So far we've examined curiosity (curiosita), perception (sensazione), perspective (sfumato), and...

Warming wisdom.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... The biggest problem I see with the media's reporting on the global warming debate is that they constantly and consistently conflate two separate issues--global warming and greenhouse gases. Global warming is a fact. It's measurable, as are its...

Solutions, not SUVs.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... We're not "on the edge of imminent disaster," we're already there. People are losing their land and livelihood. Animals are being made extinct. Helium is now rationed. Materials are running short. Which part of "this planet is a finite size...

CNC's carbon footprint.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... CNC Software (Tolland, Conn.) has been aware of environmental issues for many years and the company has made several decisions to reduce our use of energy and resources. After renting offices in the early years, CNC built their first building...

Chill out.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... Far too much is made over the global warming issue. I can remember 35 years ago that the same people were warning of the coming "Ice Age" and wanted government intervention. We should be responsible and use resources wisely. Why not more...

Climate change FAQs.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I work for a large company whose name you would recognize. Our transportation divisions try to make more efficient means to get people and stuff from one place to another. I'm not sure that helps as much as deciding whether or not things need...

Steady as she blows: learn how to balance pneumatic power with the load capacities of supports for automated assembly equipment.(Pneumatics)
August 1, 2007... Pneumatic linear slides combine air power with mechanical guides to move workloads with precision. They're useful on everything from simple pressing operations to demanding multi-axis robotics. Packaged pneumatic actuators are particularly...