Motion System Design articles from January 2007

Motion System Design archives from January 2007

Addressing encoder error.
January 1, 2007... Encoders are widely used to help control machine position and speed. Typical encoder output, a series of quadrature signals, consists of two full square waves, offset by 90[degrees] in phase. The number of quadrature cycles an encoder generates...

High-speed actuator.(Design by objective)
January 1, 2007... KLM actuator achieves high accuracy with an optic linear encoder, caged ball LM guide, and linear motor. Features & benefits * Operates at speeds to 2 m/sec and accelerations to 4.7 g * Direct drive and fully closed control *...

Bearing greases.(Design by objective)
January 1, 2007... Isoflex LDS 18 special A and NBU 15 withstand high speeds and offer corrosion protection and resistance to oxidation, aging, and water. Features & benefits * LDS 18 is light; used for long term and low noise at low temperatures and...

Brushless motor.(Design by objective)
January 1, 2007... EC-10 brushless motor is compact, electrically commutated for long life, and available with or without hall effect sensors for fast-running, high-powered applications. Features & benefits * Speeds to 80,000 rpm * Continuous output...

Linear slides.(Design by objective)
January 1, 2007... Screw-driven RGS 10000 slides offer high linear speeds, accurate positioning, and long life because they are not limited by critical screw speed. Features & benefits * Handle dynamic axial loads to 100 lb at speeds of more than 60...

Magnetic rotary sensors.(Design by objective)
January 1, 2007... New 13-bit magnetic rotary sensors provide zero-wear operation at high speeds with multiple outputs and choice of chip, chip-on-board, or ready-to-mount models. Features & benefits * 8,192 counts/rev * 0.3[degrees] positioning...

Showboating the line.
January 1, 2007... Slow and steady wins the race, so the saying goes. In fact, consistency is the most challenging part of making linear machines advance at low speed. Component irregularities surface, and what's more, the very applications that require slow...

Shell shocker.(Problem 295)
January 1, 2007... Finagle J. Wurme has missed deer season again. For the tenth straight year, his boss at Charlie's Diner wouldn't give him time off. Randy, the cook, claimed bow season. Andy, the cashier, took gun season, and the new hostess, Sandy, blocked off...

Why vision?(Lessons in Vision)
January 1, 2007... In the not too distant past, machines that could "see" were the stuff of science fiction. Today, machine vision is a "must have" technology in a growing number of motion systems, supporting high-level manufacturing goals such as overall...

Alternative energy methods: drive need for planetary gearboxes.(What's new)
January 1, 2007... The move towards alternative energy forms, including wind energy, will boost the markets for planetary gearboxes in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and the Americas. By 2009, this market will experience annual growth of 8%, reaching...

Bosch Rexroth taps new U.S. CEO.(What's new)
January 1, 2007... Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., appointed Berend Bracht, former CEO of Bosch Rexroth China and former head of the company's U.S. industrial hydraulics operation, as president and CEO. Bracht took over the U.S. position earlier this...

Collaboration targets Magneto-Rheological technology.(What's new)
January 1, 2007... A longterm strategic collaboration agreement between Lord Corp., Cary, N.C., and MagneShoc, Div. of Arre Industries Inc., Atlanta, will allow the two companies to provide military and commercial customers with complete Magneto-Rheological (MR)...

PTDA aims to educate future leaders.(What's new)
January 1, 2007... The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA), Chicago, is sponsoring an educational event for distribution executives, managers, and professionals. The University of Industrial Distribution (UID) is a four-day program that runs from...

CANopen seminars scheduled.(What's new)
January 1, 2007... CAN in Automation GmbH has scheduled several CANopen seminars to give an overview of the higher layer protocol for embedded networks. The seminars are scheduled for the following dates and cities: * March 19, Houston * March 21,...

International standards get the point.(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The European standard of using commas rather than decimal points in a series of numbers may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ANSI, the official U.S. representative body in...

Keeping your drive alive: today's ac drives come loaded with many features. But they still often require supporting devices to help them do their job.(Adjustable-speed drives)
January 1, 2007... From a signal-level perspective, all ac drives feed reshaped current and voltage to motors to make them move in sophisticated ways. But because ac drives are usually the first component in an electromechanical system, directly manipulating raw...

Incremental encoders.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Leine & Linde incremental encoder model 862 offers resistance to high vibration and shock, and is electrically insulated up to 2.5 kV. Features & benefits * Meets IEC 68-2-6 and IEC 68-2-27 standards * Short-circuit protected...

Servo amplifier.(Products)
January 1, 2007... The 0.76-oz Castanet analog servo amplifier comes in 60-V model with continuous current to 3.3 A, and 100-V model with current to 2.5 A. Features & benefits * 330 W peak; 180 W continuous power * Operates as current mode standalone...

Direct-drive rotary stages.(Products)
January 1, 2007... ALAR-series rotary stages provide angular positioning sensing and velocity control with large apertures, load capability, and high speeds. Features & benefits * Five aperture sizes--100, 150, 200, 250, and 325 mm * 45 to 300 rpm...

String pot transducers.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Line of IP68-rated string pots have aluminum or stainless-steel housings for submersible use. Features & benefits * 100 ft molded electrical cable eliminates need for submersed electrical connection * Linear measurement ranges...

Universal joint couplings.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Reich Arcusaflex VSK U-joint couplings provide torsional dampening for connections between combustion engines and driven components. Features & benefits * Eight sizes in U.S. and metric; metric, spicer, and mechanics Cardan shaft...

Brushless servomotors.(Products)
January 1, 2007... MPN brushless servomotors replace N-series motors from Rockwell Automation/ Allen-Bradley and offer more torque. Features & benefits * 2,000-line encoder, 24 V brake option, and rated for 340 V dc bus * UL and CE rated; sealed to...

Gearboxes.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Slide-Rite gearboxes come in 3:2 and 2:1 gear ratios and metric versions in 1:1 ratios. Features & benefits * Bores from 3/4 to 11/4 in.; full and compact metric sizes with bores from 12 to 30 mm * Two 45[degrees] helical gears...

Multi-axis machine controller.(Products)
January 1, 2007... MP2300 machine controller, suitable for routine and complicated processes, eliminates discrete PLC and motion controller components. Features & benefits * Digital network runs at 10 Mbps and handles up to 20 nodes; 16 nodes populated by...

Dc gearmotors.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Dc gearmotors accept any 24 Vdc source, including battery power. Features & benefits * Low profile--2.14 x 7.7 in.; keyed output shaft of 12 x 25 mm * Mounts with four face-mount M5 threaded holes * 80 lb-in. continuous torque...

Microactuator bearing assembly.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Pivot ball bearing assembly is 25% thinner than its predecessor at 1.83 mm high to support small systems. Features & benefits * Serves as a support for read/write head on discs in 2.5 mm HDD; thinner than flash memory-type media CF...

Stepper motor and driver.(Products)
January 1, 2007... RoHS-compliant [alpha]Step stepping motor and driver uses closed-loop control to eliminate missteps and loss of synchronization. Features & benefits * Four frame sizes--28, 42, 60, and 85 mm--interface to three drivers as motors or...

Servo reducers.(Products)
January 1, 2007... Three new servo worm reducers are available for high-torque (HT), economy (E-servo), and basic (B-servo) applications. Features & benefits * HT offers 150% the torque capacity of the standard model and reduces backlash to less than 1...

New Dilbert[TM] Controlcat[R] New Horizons[R].(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... The Dilbert[TM] Controlcat[R] New Horizons[R] in Temperature, Flow, and Pressure features over 190 full color pages of the latest products for the temperature, flow, pressure, DAS and heaters market including Accelerometers, Calibrators, Chart...

PRT precision rotary and curved track systems.(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... The HepcoMotion[R] PRT is available in nine precision ground ring diameters with four differnet cross sections and fully adjustable corresponding bearing assemblies. It's tolerant of misalignment and dirt and debris, easy to install, virtually...

Track Roller & Cam Follower solutions.(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... Intech Power-Core[TM] Track Rollers and Cam Followers feature quiet, easy motion, high resistance to flat development, no rail wear, high load and shock capacity. Suitable for wash down and harsh environments. Proprietary thermal bearing...

Belt-drive DB actuators.(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... Belt-drive DB actuators operate at 5.1 meters per second (MPS). No lubrication or maintenance. They are ideal for applications where speed is critical such as pick-and-place mechanisms on high speed automation equipment. Travel up to 6 meters,...

Hybrid linear actuator catalog.(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... The HSI hybrid actuators come in six sizes, from 21 mm square to 87 mm square. Each size has three designs available--captive, non-captive and an external linear version. There are over twenty five different travels per step available, from...

Automation cable carriers from Gortrac.(Media MART)
January 1, 2007... The Nylatrac Automation Line carriers offer key features that lend themselves to applications requiring high speeds and accelerations, quiet and smooth operation, convenient accessibility, quick installation and reliable performance. Although...

What's new in 2007.(In the loop)
January 1, 2007... Imagine what life would be like if we had no perspective of time. If all days, months, and years were regarded as the same, and if we had no way to distinguish the past from the present or future. Much to the contrary, however, we not only have...

Control platforms.(Productivity Forum)
January 1, 2007... Maximizing productivity is a common goal for motion system engineers. In this report, Motion System Design editors tap industry experts for advice on how to maximize productivity associated with control platforms. Here are the responses we...

VFD cable.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... Shielded Olflex VFD Slim cable is a thinner RoHS-compliant motor supply cable. Features & benefits * Surge Guard protection resists non-linear power distortions of VFD drives * PVC jacket is TC approved for UL and CSA standards...

Continuous-flex cables.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... Chainflex continuous-flex cables eliminate corkscrewing, loss of continuity, and insulation damage. Features & benefits * Conductors are bundled (not layered) for uniform radius * More than 800 sizes and styles of power and control...

Round, flat cable assemblies.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... FireWire high-flex round and flat cable assemblies prevent lost data or data integrity issues by maintaining stable attenuation over flex life. Features & benefits * 2, 3, 4.5, and 7.7 m lengths; custom lengths available * Flex...

Shielded VFD cables.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... VFD lean TR flexible motor supply cables reduce problems related to voltage spikes, harmonics, and power distortions. Features & benefits * Rated for 600-V tray cable as well as UL/CSA/VDE and CE approved for 1,000 V * Installs in...

Custom cable carriers.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... Cable carriers use standard components customized to required specifications and come in fiber-glass filled Nylon, zinc-plated steel, and 304 and 316 stainless steel. Features & benefits * For hose cable loads to 40 ft unsupported ...

Industrial Ethernet cables.(Spotlight: Cable and cable carriers)
January 1, 2007... Line of DataTuff industrial Ethernet cables includes enhanced fourpair, category 5e twisted pair cables with bonded-pair technology for high electrical performance. Features & benefits * Low smoke, zero-halogen, unshielded version...

Ringing true: slewing basics: slewing rings, known for their large diameters and open centers, rotate unique machinery. Gear teeth add functionality.
January 1, 2007... Bolt it in place, and off you go: A slewing ring is a contained system of balls or rollers, caging, raceways, mounting provisions, and often, integral gearing as well. These large units are designed to transmit axial, radial, and tilting moment...

More than just child's play.(LEGO A/S software)(LEGO Mindstorms NXT)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A toolkit at ni.com/mindstorms allows LabView users to create and download virtual instrumentation to operate and control Mindstorms NXT robotics platform. Mindstorms NXT, by The LEGO Group, Billund, Denmark, features a drag-and-drop...

Interactive catalog.(Web contents)
January 1, 2007... A catalog at pic-design.com has links to 3D CAD drawings of linear motion and positioning systems' components, such as linear slides and bearings, lead screws, shaft supports, precision rubber rollers, belts, pulleys, clutches, brakes,...