Articles

In the past it has been believed that belt drives cannot handle the high inertial loads of heavy-duty parts handlers on automated production lines, and that rack-and-pinion actuators were needed. Belt-driven shuttles, however, have recently been built to carry parts weighing up to 10,000 lbs., moving them at velocities up to 170 in./sec.

Transforming a gear design to a working part can be reduced from days to just a few hours by combining precision motion systems in gear manufacturing machines with advanced software. This article will help you avoid the trial-and-error process of design, prototype manufacture, inspection, and adjustment of machine setting that is involved in designing a finished product that works as intended.

The selection and design process for large gears used in heavy-duty applications depends on how well you understand the differing manufacturing methods and how they can relate to your particular application.

The author of this article discusses how steel companies meet the challenge of replacing the gears in hot-strip rolling mills that must fit in the same space as the old gears but accommodate higher loads.

Because speed reducers and gearmotors can impact your drive costs you should know how efficiently the various types of reducers use incoming motor power to drive a load. The efficiency of a speed reducer, as an important selection factor, should not be overlooked. Gear efficiency can be the key to lower drive costs.

The EDM (electrical discharge machine) process produces small quantities of precision gears with unique shapes. It can cut the lead time to about a quarter of that required for conventional manufacturing methods by eliminating the need for special tooling.

This article tells how engineers use powerful analysis techniques to solve gear failure problems. Using a step-by-step analysis process, engineers can correctly diagnose gear failures and develop solutions that prevent future failures from reoccurring.

An article that presents 10 suggestions for maximizing gearmotor efficiency and service factors. A panel of industry experts will help you learn how to make the most of gearmotors in your design.

Sensors play a critical role in industrial manufacturing processes, optimizing productivity and quality by detecting faulty parts before they leave the production line. Machine vision sensors help machines inspect, analyze, and reject faulty parts. Vision sensing is electronic imaging applied in manufacturing settings for the purpose of control.

This paper discusses a low voltage, high torque, rotary motor which uses piezoelectric principles rather than EM (electromagnetic motor), and also identifies some of the limitations of EM systems. The performance characteristics of the new piezomotor offers advantages in stabilized platform applications where high resolution and other factors are important.

One path to improvising motion systems with less space, in order to optimize machine-motor fit, is discussed in this article. Frameless motors are now finding acceptance in other machines that have space constraints.

There is a new solution for converting electrical energy into linear motion.  This product offers high force-to-power and force-to weight ration, accelerations to more that 40 g's, and more total efficiency that equivalent sized rotary motor and rack-and-pinion combinations.

Motorized linear actators are the driving force behind the award-winning VL5 lights that use 4-step motors each to control color and size of each light beam individually.

High-rise buildings are beginning to rely on tuned dampers to counteract natural frequency sway.  AC servomotors are at the center of one such damper type.

Before selecting the right motor for your motion control service, you must first decide on the motor type.  To assist you in this endeavor, you will need to answer five simple questions.

To help resolve equipment downtimes, many motor manufacturers use washdown-duty motors.  These motors have become well-entrenched and popular and their workload is ever increasing.

Planetary gearheads are emerging as a solution for servomotor applications that need precision speed reducers to ensure smooth and accurate operation as well as high reduction ratios.

A Permanent Magnet DC (PMDC) motor could be the solution when high starting/ acceleration torque, predictable motor speed properties, compact size and energy efficiency are needed.

This article provides information on tracking motor vibrations and solutions for when you catch them.

If a stock motor does not meet your particular application needs, you may want to consider a custom motor.  There are several choices of common modifications to electric motors.