Sensing & Control
Sensing for perfect packaging
Most products are shipped at one point or another, so must be securely contained to prevent breakage, spillage, and contamination. Sensors on packaging...
Maximizing efficiency with encoders
In the last installment of this two-part series, we explored how permanent-magnet brushless dc servomotors (PMBDCs) provide the highest continuous torque...
Selecting a vision system
Cognex Corp., Natick, Mass. With so many vision systems available today, identifying the most suitable for a particular application can be daunting. Vision...
Maximizing efficiency with encoders
Permanent-magnet brushless dc servomotors (PMBDCs) provide the highest continuous torque density and efficiency of any electric motors, which is why they...
Embedded control
As we covered last month, embedded motion control is operation-specific code targeted to microprocessors, FPGAs, and PLCs. As hardware becomes increasingly...
Temperature sensors
Fiber optic infrared transmitters The OS4000 series of industrial high-speed infrared transmitters measures temperatures from 392 to 2,912 F using three...
CCDs for seeing
Machine vision begins at the sensing device, and the original and most prevalent design the CCD camera or charge-coupled device recently earned its inventors...
Embedded control
Noun: Application-specific software and custom-integrated circuits specifically designed and implanted to generate commands that bring forth the best...
Color sorting quick facts
Sensing color: Many products (from automotive parts to food packaging) either have color requirements or are color-coded. Industrial color sensors are...
Considering electromagnetic delays
Magnetic actuators and sensors are used to produce and control motion. Applications include systems such as automotive anti-lock brakes, computer disk...
Sensing focus
Material science revisited Engineers: Learn about the fundamental makeup of plastics, metals, glass, and papers used for packaging and how their physics...
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...
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...
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...
Picking the right language
Since the mid 1990s, substantial efforts have been made to standardize programming in all areas of industrial control. The increasing abundance of low-cost...
ODVA updates CIP Networks specs
ODVA has published new editions of specifications for the family of CIP Networks, enhancing the EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet, and ControlNet technologies....
Magnetostrictive sensors increase wind turbine efficiency
As part of a sustainable energy solution, wind power has demonstrated great potential to satisfy energy demands with a clean, safe, and highly efficient...
Vision-enabled feeder handles 400+ parts
Vibratory bowl conveyors provide an economical and reliable way of feeding small parts in a given orientation. However, the mechanical parts-orienting...
Vertical Hall sensing
The Hall effect is the production of a potential difference (namely, Hall voltage) across an electrical conductor in which an electric current flows in...
Top 10 tips Things to know about motion controllers
Carefully consider controller location. Just as in real estate, think location, location, location! Controller location in the overall motion system is...
Tiny encoder makes waves
Inductive encoders operate by tracking reactionary current-flow resistance (to nearby material) in one or more coils. However, there are drawbacks to...
Robotic helping hand
The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., has developed a robotic hand that can...
Machine vision passes inspection on the production line
Vision sensors, in contrast to traditional photoelectric sensors, help machines inspect, analyze, and reject faulty parts....
Save time with displacement sensing
Long-life sensors reduce downtime LP750 linear position sensors save maintenance time and cost over more delicate potentiometers. These noncontact, long-stroke...
Web Contents
CANopen free online class Learn all about it! CANopen, based on Controller Area Network or CAN technology, is a proven serial bus that links multiple...
Introduction to PID control
Everyone uses control loops. Anytime you adjust how you do something based on previous results, you are forming your own control loop. For example, when...
Lessons in Vision
Learning the ins and outs of coupling choices and what each type has to offer will help when you face your next machine vision or optical inspection system design....
Heavy-Duty Encoders
Rotary encoders are used in a range of industrial applications, from speed monitoring on conveyor systems to position control on automated handling machines...
Magnetic sensor research holds promise
Here’s a Dagwood that is sure to make any engineer’s mouth water. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered that a carefully built “magnetic sandwich” that combines layers of a magnetic alloy with a few nanometers of silver “spacer” has dramatically enhanced sensitivity — a 400-fold improvement in some cases. ...
Primer on rugged encoder use
You may assume that encoders are delicate, but that is not necessarily so. Here we review the construction, application, and performance characteristics of a more rugged, resilient encoder design....
New features enhance Powerlink V.1.1.0
The Ethernet Powerlink Standardization Group (EPSG) has released the Powerlink specification V.1.1.0. New features have been added by using reserved bits....
EtherCAT adds safety profile
Because today's drive profiles do not cover functional safety, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) is developing a new safety drive profile to close the...
Motion controllers aid space exploration
Exploring the deepest corners of space depends on savvy astronomers with access to the right tools, not the least of which are powerful telescopes. A...
The basics of motion control: Part 1
Here are easy-to-follow equations for determining drive mechanics, friction and inertia, for any electromechanical positioning application...
Integrating motion control systems
Recently, programmable logic control manufacturers introduced device-level buses (networks) to integrate sensors...
Using fieldbuses to integrate motor-drives with PLCs
Distributed I/O, or fieldbus networks, offer a mid-range alternative to motion control needs...
More choices link motors and drives to controls
Communication networks for coordinated or synchronized motion control are not new. But most solutions involve much wiring. ...
New motor-mounted A-S drive controller
For industrial and commercial applications, new technologies will enable mounting drive controller directly on a motor....
Developments in positioning control
Researchers continue to look for ways to improve the accuracy of linear positioning systems, reduce or eliminate backlash...
Advances in motion control: Digital signal processing
The latest motion control offerings from vendors feature something new: Digital Signal Processing (DSP)...
Understanding center-driven web winders: Part 2
. See April 1995 of Power Transmission Design for first part of this series....
Understanding center-driven web winders: Part 1
The quality of web products depends on precisely controlling speed and tension during winding or unwinding...
Electronic cams boost machine flexibility, productivity
Time-proven mechanical cams are still the best choice for some applications. For others, electronic cams offer improved accuracy, faster product...
Letting go: Angle sensors
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...
Thin sensor gets the skinny on angles
For countless industrial products that have evolved over time, smaller, better, and less expensive is the name of the game. After designing and manufacturing...
Proximity sensing
HOW DOES THE CHOICE OF PROXIMITY SENSORS AFFECT THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF MOTION-CENTRIC AUTOMATION SYSTEMS? Alex Baumer: Proximity sensors, through...
Rotary motion sensor combines long life with low cost
Until now, users had to choose between economical optical encoders and durable resolvers for sensing rotary motion...
Replacing line-shaft drives with servos improves productivity and quality
Converting a single-axis, high-horsepower drive to multiaxis, servo-controlled operation is a cost-effective way to achieve higher productivity ...
Electrical systems lead the motion control race
Electromechanical motion control systems have competed with hydraulic systems for years. But environmental factors, improved performance...
Synchronizer ends jam-up on cookie line
Wagon Wheel cookies are rolling smoothly off the production line thanks to a new electronic synchronizing controller that solved a long-standing...
Smart photoelectric sensors bring new capabilities to the factory floor
Many photoelectric sensors use built-in intelligence to optimize their adjustments and improve reliability. Diagnostics and networking capabilities ...
Selecting the right servo requires choosing the right communication platform
Servos are inherently capable of delivering high performance. To maximize that capability requires selecting the best communication platform...
Fuzzy logic: a new tool for the control engineer’s toolbox
A control method that mimics the human mind solves difficult control problems by making decisions based on imprecise data....
Electric steering drives replace hydraulic units
To reduce costs and improve vehicles, fork lift truck manufacturers are installing electrical steering drives...
Control system pays off in big energy cost savings
IBM got tired of paying millions in electrical and fuel bills. So the company teamed up with a controls...
Dedicated control solves high-speed winding problem
Microprocessor-based winder control changes its gain during operation...
Central tire inflation bearing installs quickly, helps adjust tire to terrain
CTI systems let you set off-highway vehicle tire pressure...
Current sensors expand precision motion control capabilities
Small in size, large in capabilities, Hall-effect devices sense currents to improve system performance in both precision motion control...
Retrofitting drives boosts productivity
Retrofitting machines with new drive technologies combines solid machine construction with smarter motion and control capabilities...
Selecting nonfriction stopping methods
For dc motors, there are two electrical (nonfriction) methods to bring a machine to a controlled stop....
Low-EMI motion control improves accuracy
The insatiable demand for more computer storage has been pushing magnetic disk capacities higher and disk drive sizes smaller....
Caring for water-soaked controllers
PT devices wet from flood waters need not always be junked...
Catching shaft torque data on the fly
As the pressure to control manufacturing equipment grows, engineers increasingly rely on torque data from drive shafts as an indicator of machine condition...
Photoelectric sensors meet new challenges
Extra-sensory perception: Recent advances in photoelectric technology have produced solutions to sensing problems that were thought difficult...
Communications standard for new era of control
A battle for standardization of a new communication bus is underway...
Whats and whys of control loops
In motion control applications, you frequently hear all sorts of loops...
Precisely controlling motion for twisting, winding wire cable
Maintaining precise twists and winding tension while making twisted communication cables requires precise and coordinated control of motion...
Sensors take the heat and a lot more
Many sensors are like the infantry...
Whats and whys of PID drive controls
Many model-number electrical adjustable-speed drives now offer PID control capabilities. Here's how these three letters may help you increase productivity and product quality....
Application ideas for programmable motor-load sensors
Consider a normal process change for, say, a mixer in a plastics plant. The mixer stirs a molten mass that undergoes chemical change....
Handheld monitors and more
Here we cover several new technologies and existing motion products...
