Motion System Design articles from January 2008

Motion System Design archives from January 2008

Light reading.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Very nice and pertinent questions you have posed about carbon consciousness. I am a subscriber to your excellent sister magazine, Machine Design, with its superb coverage of the science, technology, and engineering of the various mechanical...

It's just the beginning.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I'm a design engineer designing flex connectors for automotive exhaust applications. These are my conclusions regarding all the buzzwords, such as "carbon footprint" associated with "global warming." I see these environmental efforts as a...

It's only natural.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Although there is reasonable evidence the earth is warming, so are other planets. For more than a million years, the earth has experienced warming and cooling periods. From ice core evidence, carbon dioxide increase follows global warming...

Prove it.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... We need balanced information in the following five areas and need proof that what they claim are true: 1) Humans caused global warming 2) Global warming is actually a detriment 3) The gains/losses of global warming are reversible...

Waste not, want not.(In response)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Many of us seem to look at only part of the energy equation. For example, a friend of mine drives a micro-car that gets about 38 mpg, and he travels 44 miles each way to work, using (44 x 2 / 38) or 2.3 gal of gas every day. My SUV gets about...

Plotting a good design: miniature motors power cutters for cardboard packaging.(What's New)
January 1, 2008... Most products require protective packaging for shipment and handling, and paper remains the number one choice of material because cardboard or corrugated cartons offer many design options. It is important to test prototype designs to determine...

Silicone cables join the fight.(What's New)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it comes to targeting pods, fuel control systems, and missile and gimbal guidance systems, Cicoil Corp., Valencia, Calif., a manufacturer of high performance silicone cable assemblies, knows its stuff. That's...

Bosch Rexroth makes management changes.(Biz bits)
January 1, 2008... Bosch Rexroth AG, Stuttgart/Lohr, Germany, parent company of Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., has announced new management changes effective February 1. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr. Albert Hieronimus will take over as chairman...

Investment firm acquires bearings maker.(Biz bits)
January 1, 2008... Tonka Bay Equity Partners, Minnetonka, Minn., recently acquired the AST Bearings division of Axsys Technologies Inc., Montville, N.J. AST supplies high-precision bearings and related products. Tonka Bay will manage AST as an independent company...

IEC alliance leverages global standards.(Biz bits)
January 1, 2008... Yaskawa Electric America Inc., Waukegan, Ill., recently signed a contract with KW-Software that makes KW the sole supplier of IEC software used in Yaskawa's MP2000 series of machine controllers. The KW-Software will be an integral part of...

Thirty-year anniversary celebrated.(Biz bits)(Advanced Micro Systems Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Advanced Micro Systems Inc., Nashua, N.H., recently marked its 30th anniversary designing and producing precision step motor control and step motor drive products. Product configurations range from single chip microcontrollers and integrated...

Bishop-Wisecarver president named to NAM board.(Biz bits)(appointment of Pamela Kan at The National Association of Manufacturers )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) appointed Pamela Kan, president of Bishop-Wisecarver Corp., Pittsburg, Calif., to its board of directors. Established in 1895, NAM is comprised of more than 200 manufacturing executives....

Bearing maker acquires injection molding firm.(Biz bits)
January 1, 2008... GGB Bearing Technology, formerly Glacier Garlock Bearings, an EnPro Industries company, of Thorofare, N.J., acquired Bohringer Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Sinsheim-Hilsbach, Germany. The company specializes in precision injection molding of...

Helping ring in the New Year.(What's New)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Millions tune in each year at midnight on December 31st to watch the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball drop. This year was even more special, as the event celebrated its 100th anniversary, with a redesigned, greener, and more luminous ball than...

Back to school: motion control companies do their part in enriching students' experience with new college labs.(What's New)
January 1, 2008... To help enrich engineering students' experience in mechatronics and fluid power, two big players in the industries have teamed with colleges to establish labs for their study. In recent months, engineering training facilities were created by...

Scalable, flexible designs gaining ground.(Design by Objective)
January 1, 2008... "Scalability" and "flexibility" in manufacturing are no longer just management buzzwords. Multipurpose machinery that can grow and change as needed is becoming a high priority, if not an outright demand from end users. Consider these expert...

Integrated motor and drive increases flexibility.(Solution snapshot)
January 1, 2008... New developments in packaging technology combined with ever evolving consumer preferences are fueling the need for product diversity. As a result, packaging machinery OEMs are constantly seeking ways to meet the demands of rapid product...

Infrared temperature measurement: noncontact infrared temperature measurement provides a telling metric to improve the reliability of demanding operations, saving end users thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours.
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Infrared (IR) technology has been successfully used for years for ongoing temperature measurement and control. Now, new designs are boosting the accuracy, reliability and ease-of-use of IR solutions in more demanding...

Tried and true: soft starters: soft starters serve as an electrical throttle, usually installed between line power and motors, to smooth startups and prevent sudden and costly inrush current. What versions are best where?(Ac control)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cutting-edge technology can take many applications to new levels of innovation, but established designs have their place, too. Soft starters are one such component. They've been around for decades, but continue to...

Now online.(Web Contents)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Don't miss our new sister website, www.mechatronic-design.com, which launched last month. This site, dedicated to applied interdisciplinary engineering, is the offspring of Machine Design, Motion System Design, and Electronic Design magazines,...

Increasing visibility.(Web Contents)
January 1, 2008... DirectIndustry.com, the Virtual Industrial Exhibition, of Marseille, France, topped 3 million monthly visitors in September 2007 with 40% of them coming from North America. This boost comes from improvements in the site's ergonomics, visitor...

Spring washers.(Companion Spotlight: Springs & Retainers)
January 1, 2008... CloverSpring SPEC spring washers offer more deflection than Belleville and disc spring washers for use with rotary bearings. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Features & benefits * Can be stacked * Available in stainless steel or carbon...

Wave springs.(Companion Spotlight: Springs & Retainers)
January 1, 2008... Single-turn and multi-turn wave springs feature coiled flat wire with waves added to give a spring effect and provide lower work heights with the same force as coil springs. Features & benefits * Act as load bearing devices; compensate...

Helping machines see in color.(Lessons in Vision)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When does it make sense to use color machine vision instead of or in addition to monochrome? And how do cameras "see" color anyway? Experts from Dalsa Corp., Waterloo, Ontario, answer these questions and provide...

Ballscrews vs. lead screws: in this forum, Motion System Design editors speak with industry experts about the best screw choices for today's automation environment.(Productivity forum)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HOW DOES THE CHOICE OF A BALLSCREW OR LEAD SCREW AFFECT PRODUCTIVITY IN A MOTION-CENTRIC AUTOMATION ENVIRONMENT? Woody * THK: Ballscrew technology allows balls to roll between the screw shaft and the nut to...

Save time with motion controllers.(TIME SAVING TECHNOLOGY)
January 1, 2008... The holidays may be over, but the editors of Motion System Design have another gift for you. Some might argue it's the best gift of all--time. Each month, our Time Saving Technology department will introduce new products and ideas to help you...

Eliminating non-repeatable errors.(MSD 101)
January 1, 2008... Repeatable error is easy to accommodate and correct. But speed changes and servo-system bandwidth issues sometimes cause non-repeatable error in automated systems. Fortunately, some hardware with firmware command sets can make all errors...

Letting go.(BETTER BY Design)
January 1, 2008... Most rotary position sensors have some effect on the motion they aim to measure. They also tend to complicate design, requiring shaft-to-shaft connections and special mounting considerations, while introducing wear. A new feedback...

Leadscrews.(Product Spotlight: Ball/leadscrews)
January 1, 2008... Non-ball leadscrews can self-lock and prevent back driving, without an external brake, unlike traditional ballscrews for vertical applications. Features & benefits * Sliding friction between nut and screw converts rotary input motion...

Ballscrews.(Product Spotlight: Ball/leadscrews)
January 1, 2008... Long-lead ballscrews with a rotating nut design provide precise positioning and serve as compact, ready-to-use, and easily integrated solutions for linear-actuation applications requiring high speeds, low noise, and long strokes. ...

What's new in 2008.(In the loop)
January 1, 2008... It is with great anticipation that we, the editors of Motion System Design, send out our first issue of 2008. As in previous years, we went back to the drawing board at the end of '07 and examined every topic we cover and every format we...

Motor-mount encoders.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... HSD35 and HS35 hollow shaft encoders reduce large motor downtime by a shaft seal, unbreakable code disc, and optional redundant outputs and use optical technology combined with field serviceable connectors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Motion control software.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... Steeplechase VLC software offers seamless integration of the SynqNet motion network when used with the RapidCode VLC driver. Features & benefits * Controls up to 256 axes of motion from one runtime program * Single, ease-of-use...

Cam followers.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... Lubricant-free composite I-CAM cam followers replace metal cam followers to eliminate metal-to-metal contact--a major cause of damage and failure in steel and aluminum rails. Features & benefits * High-load, precision-machined...

Offline servodrives.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... XENUS R10 servodrives feature extended temperature, humidity, vibration, and shock ranges for military COTS requirements, including Mil Standard 810. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Features & benefits * Hardened drives operate in...

Quick disassembly U-joints.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... TakeApart U-joint couplings with quick-change feature suit applications that run more or less constantly and for which uptime is critical, providing an easy way to disassemble and reassemble the joint, either prior to installing it or after it...

Motion control processor.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Magellan motion control chip provides all-motor flexibility and directly supports multiple motor types in single and multiple axis applications. Features & benefits * 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions *...

Integrated speed control.(New Products)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MDrive34Plus2 speed control delivers integrated velocity control by combining motor, driver, and encoder, and a programmable, digital oscillator for accurate speed control. Features & benefits * Uses NEMA...

Marvelous mechanical engineers.(Online pop quiz)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To start out 2008, we invite you to visit motionsystemdesign.com and try our interactive trivia quiz. Questions will be accessible from the "Pop Quiz" link on our home page. It's fun, fast, informative, and you might...

The long and short of linear bushings: linear bushings take on a variety of load-carrying tasks and don't ask for much in return. All they want is a fair fight, to be matched with the application at hand.(Power transmission)
January 1, 2008... If you've ever found yourself strapped to a pair of cross-country skis, then you already understand how gliding platforms of length can augment linear motion. Linear bushings are what many motion systems ride: They're inexpensive, well...

From watches to oil platforms: the best design and material for seals depends on the application.(Seals)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seals are key components of designs all around us. They hermetically close two units with uneven surfaces, or facing surfaces in motion. Seal forms include simple rings, specialized profiles, or those that are part...

Otto von Guericke--"air head" extraordinaire.(Brushing up)(Biography)
January 1, 2008... Otto von Guericke--statesman, scientist, and engineer--was born in 1602 in the town of Magdeburg (Germany) along the Elba river in Prussian Saxony. He studied law at the University of Leipzig, and then went on to pursue mathematics, mechanics,...