January 1, 2005
Articles
Web CONTENTS
Click on Current Issue for in-depth information on motors, bearings, linear motion, controllers, and sensors. Subscribe online Don't miss an issue of...
New vision for a new year
The holidays are over and it's back to work. I hope you're beginning the new year with a renewed sense of purpose. We certainly are at Motion System Design...
In RESPONSE
Thanks I just had the pleasure of reading the excerpt from Sen. Zell Miller's speech at the Republican National Convention (In the Loop, November 2004)....
INDUSTRY FOCUS: Plastic injection molding
Though price remains an important part of the purchasing decision, selecting equipment with enhanced productivity and efficiency has become the focal...
Packaging shipments on the rise
U.S. packaging machinery shipments reached $4.89 billion, an $82 million increase over 2002, says the Tenth Annual Shipments and Outlook Study conducted...
Company news
Mectrol Corp. announces the sale of its polyurethane timing belt business to Gates Corp., a subsidiary of Tomkins plc. The sale allows Mectrol to concentrate...
Sercos shines at Pack Expo
At Pack Expo 2004 in Chicago, an exhibit demonstrated how controllers and servodrives of five different manufacturers could interface seamlessly to exchange...
Teach pendant controls and browses
A teach pendant for industrial robots features a built-in Web browser. But the i Pendant color graphic user-interface isn't for checking your Yahoo email....
Motor squiggles its way into vacuum applications
The Squiggle ultrasonic linear motor from New Scale Technologies Inc., Victor, N.Y., is a tiny tool for making miniaturized products and nanotechnology...
Artifact probing unlocks higher machining accuracies
Accepting parts off the machine tool is a rapidly growing trend in manufacturing as companies strive to make 100% accurate parts in the lowest possible...
Load cells speed bottle filling
Digital load cells with high-speed dynamic weighing capabilities make it possible to fill baby bottles with formula at a rate of 10,000/hr, about three...
Motor, drive conference
Motor & Drives Systems 2005, a two-day conference running Feb. 8 to 9 at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, Fla., focuses on the latest advancements and economics...
Encouraging girls to be engineers
The fifth annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is scheduled for February 2005. Organizations worldwide will mobilize tens of thousands of engineers...
Standards office established in China
The U.S. Commerce Dept. has awarded U.S. standards organizations $399,500 to establish an office in Beijing for China Standard and Conformity Assessment....
Ethernet heats up in autoclaves
More and more PC-based Ethernet controls are being used to power industrial ovens and autoclaves. Some of the latest implementations of this approach...
Nanotubes used in artificial joints
Artificial joints may someday use tiny carbon tubes and filaments aligned to mimic collagen fibers and natural ceramic crystals in real bones. Researchers...
PROJECT: Platen die-cutter
CASE SUMMARY: Electronic line shafting boosts speed and flexibility of die-cutting machines. OEM: Zerand Div. of the North American Cerruti Corp., New...
Belt and chain tensioners
Frictional belt drives reliably transmit power from source to load without asking much in the way of upkeep. Their modest needs stem from the fact that...
L'Hspital's rule
In mathematical jargon, a limit describes a function's behavior as its argument approaches some value. There are rules for finding every limit, even if...
Not missing a beat
In a perfect motion system, a motor turns a certain predetermined amount for every unit of electricity it is given. But if the load on the motor becomes...
High Speed
Optical angle encoder The RESM optical angle encoder, the first in the Signum line of intelligent encoders, delivers speeds to more than 3,600 rev/min....
Top stop
Keep it simple is good advice for any designer, and the idea behind a new motor brake that incorporates its own encoder. With the UL-approved Smart Brake,...
Light reading
Electrical signals carry power and information with ease, but they sometimes have a problem with electromagnetic interference. Arcing is another concern,...
Pneumatic SOLUTIONS
Electro-pneumatic servo systems The AirNC electro-pneumatic servo system incorporates position, speed, and force control, making it suitable for demanding...
Systems & SUBSYSTEMS
Precision gantry with flexible design The High Precision Gantry (HPG) brings design flexibility to gantry applications. Its X and Y axes can be built...
CABLES & ACCESSORIES
Pin-and-sleeve connectors Non-metallic pin and sleeve expo connectors accept both flat and round cable. FEATURES & BENEFITS Quick assembly Recessed pins...
BEARINGS
Productivity is a shared goal in industrial applications, involving designers, component makers, and end users. Everyone plays a role. In this report,...
New Products
Powerful but efficient motors DS 28 Series of motors with extreme field weakening combines the advantages of high efficiency, high overload capacity,...
