Sensing and control
PLC versus OEM robot controlsWhile robot original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) each offer their own tightly integrated controllers, recent developments now enable control by a programmable... |
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Recent Articles in Sensing & Control
Position control primer
The controllers that drive modern motor-powered designs must be set up with accurate motion profiles including position, velocity, and time targets. However,...
Better by Design: Hollow-shaft encoder
Noncontact magnetic rotary encoders are hard to beat when it comes to measuring rotary motion in machinery, as they are relatively small, strong, and...
PLC versus OEM robot controls
While robot original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) each offer their own tightly integrated controllers, recent developments now enable control by a programmable...
Adaptive control in machining
If you're in the machine tool business, you know that early iterations of CNC adaptive control leave something to be desired. Most are put into a standalone...
Understanding background-suppression sensors
Photoelectric sensors with background suppression are a more evolved version of the basic diffuse sensors used on public washroom sinks to control automatic...
Servo inclinometers keep tunnel-boring machines on track
Designing ways to dig through miles of rock formations to create tunnels for transportation and other needs is one of the tallest orders faced by civil...
Noncontact motion sensors an optical advantage
Noncontact sensors are suitable for applications involving hot, wet, soft, or sensitive materials. They have been used successfully in myriad manufacturing...
Event-driven strategies enable adaptive control
Mechanical cams, once a mainstay of automation, have been largely replaced by servomotors. The reasons are easy to understand: Mechanical simplicity and...
Meeting portable design requirements with reflective encoders
Over the past few years, semiconductor companies have increasingly focused on the medical device market. Here, an emerging trend is the increase of home-managed...
Sensorless vector control
Demand for low-cost, robust motor drives has spurred increased use of sensorless vector control of induction and BLDC motors in everything from consumer...
Networks matter for optimizing exceptional machines
To simplify automation and avoid risk, many machine builders and their end customers are converging network infrastructures with EtherNet/IP for the real-time...
All about TORQUE FEEDFORWARD
Many motion applications require high accuracy during and at the completions of moves. Even with perfectly optimized PID (proportional, integral, derivative)...
