March 1, 2006
Articles
Web contents
Click on Current Issue for in-depth information on motors, bearings, linear motion, controllers, and sensors. Select Issue Archive to browse past features;...
Waverunner Part 5
In 1905, the U.S. Patent Office committed one of its biggest mistakes, rescinding Nikola Tesla's patent for radio and awarding it to Guglielmo Marconi...
In Response
Looking for more on Tesla Please advise status on Larry Berardinis' continuing series on the life of Nikola Tesla. Last I saw was Part 2 in the Motion...
Re-inventing the wheel
Circular wheels have been moving people and machines for thousands of years. Now, two engineers are testing non-circular wheels for use in MEMS applications,...
Riding on flat tires
Stan Wagon, a mathematician at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., designed and tested a tricycle with square wheels. However, you won't see him riding...
National distribution agreement reached
Applied Industrial Technologies, Cleveland, expanded its strategic relationship with Parker Hannifin Corp.'s Automation and Climate and Industrial Controls...
Software library supports packaging standards
A software library has been developed by Beckhoff Automation, Bosch Rexroth, and Siemens to support the PackAL standard. Designed for their respective...
Harmonic drive companies merge
HD Systems and Harmonic Drive Technologies, Nabtesco have merged to form Harmonic Drive LLC. Based in Peabody, Mass., the new company provides harmonic...
NEMA applauds appliance standards schedule
NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, commended the Department of Energy (DOE) for its schedule on setting new home appliance efficiency...
Ethernet Alliance forms to promote Ethernet technologies
A new industry group, The Ethernet Alliance, Mountain View, Calif., has formed to promote continued success and expansion of Ethernet technology. Focusing...
Direct driving controls axial forces
The continuous production of defect-free profiles with plastic extrusion requires precise technology. The extrusion process creates large axial forces...
Electrical actuator replaces hydraulic gating
Injection molding applications typically use hydraulic valve manifolds and power systems for valve gate control and sequencing, but a new electric servo...
Torque by magnetic pull
Over the last 40 years, permanent-magnet couplings have come into the manufacturing forefront. This technology can operate at high speeds without contact...
Tapping into torque signals
Several schemes are available to calculate torque in motion control, quality control, and test applications. Most are based on indirect measurements and...
Guideways keep motion straight
Machine tools spend about 70% of their time cutting metal. The rest of the time, they're either making a tool change or positioning for the next machining...
Hold fast
Couplings are probably the most compliant and predictable component in a motion system. Turn up the speed, however, and it's a different story. Resonance,...
Operation: Wind and unwind
How does a typical wind-unwind system work? Perhaps the best way to describe this system is by examining a multiple-web converter a handling system that...
Close quarters
A new breed of products from self-powered wheelchairs to autonomous aircraft to all-electric plastic injection-molding machines tells of a trend sweeping...
Flux vector drives
Variable frequency drives convert ac power to dc and then reshape that current to control ac motors. All types control speed by varying current frequency,...
Ride this train
Conveyor belts and power transmission equipment are often employed to move materials around production facilities and warehouses. However, their belts,...
Product spotlight: Lubes and seals
Elastomeric sealing F-treated FKM elastomers offer a permanent low coefficient of friction surface that cannot be washed away. FEATURES & BENEFITS Material...
Products
Ac motor drives ACS 800 harmonic motor drives save space and eliminate filters and transformers often required to reduce harmonics. FEATURES & BENEFITS...
MAGNET MAN William Gilbert
William Gilbert, quite literally, wrote the book on magnetism. Prior to his work, which culminated in his epic treatise, De Magnete, the effects of magnetism...
Dr. Gilbert Wanninger
In 1953 German machine builder Waldrich Siegen G.m.b.H. was working to rebuild after the devastation of World War II. Employed at the company as director...
Sweet serves
Finagle J. Wurme is ready for the IOU varsity tennis team's spring tryouts. He trained tirelessly during the winter by lifting weights, running laps,...
