August 1, 2009
Features
Vision, communication, and control
Communication is key in relationships and that includes those between the operator of an inspection system, its process controls, and the vision equipment...
DC MOTOR SELECTION Part 2 of 2
If enough voltage is applied across the terminals of a dc motor, the output shaft will spin at a rate proportional to that applied voltage. This makes...
Position sensing primer: Direct vs. indirect load monitoring
In the field of automation, a motion control system consists of mechanical hardware coupled to a prime mover, the operation of which is governed by a...
Top 10 tips; Working with brakes and clutches
Consider total system inertia. One of the most important and most overlooked steps in selecting the appropriate brake for a drive system is considering...
Departments
Web Contents
Focal-length calculator Including cameras in your design? At one new online tool, enter imager size, object size, and object-to-imager distance, and an...
Cash for clunkers causing concerns
As someone who owns a mini-fleet of high-mileage vehicles, I get excited when I hear and in the same sentence. Apparently, I'm not alone. When we covered...
In response
The following letters are in response to questions we posed regarding the government bailout of General Motors. As GM emerges from bankruptcy, the U.S....
What's New
Weldon Solutions, York, Pa., makes automated systems for bakeries to facilitate pan storage and retrieval. New cable carrier systems eliminate space and...
Connection guaranteed: Choosing the right sensor interface
During the relatively brief history of electronic motion control systems, a number of communications and networking schemes have been introduced. Not...
Think thermal to increase motor efficiency
Basic thermodynamic laws tell us that, no matter what its design, in every electric motor some of the input electrical power is undoubtedly lost (via...
New Products
Motors and controllers SureStep line of NEMA 17, 23, and 34 stepping motors now includes bipolar models with 61 to 1,291 oz-in. output torque. Features...
Mercury clutch mystery
Here we present you with a bit of a mystery: That of the centrifugal mercury clutch. The design was patented in 1950 by Automatic Steel Products Inc....
