Criteria affecting component selection in motion control systems might become a bit more stringent, if legislation that went before the U.S. Congress earlier this year passes into law. Regulations outlined in House bill HR 2420 would make electrical equipment more environmentally friendly by limiting content of a wide range of materials — including lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium. If enacted, the new regulations would also be the first update of hazardous materials legislation that's been in place for 40 years. The revised standards would make American products more compliant with standards in place in Europe and China.

G3, the next-generation fieldbus electronic platform from Numatics, allows easy access to I/O connections.

It is easy to assemble, install commission, and maintain. The graphical display is used for configuration/commissioning and diagnostics. Use the same electronic modules for centralized or distributed architecture.

View an online video demonstration or call 888-numatics for additional information.

Self-Aligning Telescopic Rail system offers high load capacity and can compensate for mounting surface parallelism errors. Introducing the T-RACE TLR Series from The Precision Alliance:

Bearing squeak is an annoying sign of slip-stick, signaling increased friction and higher wear. Polygon addressed this by improving the wear layer of their popular composite MRP bearing, reducing friction and vibration while shortening break-in. High load capacity and minimal wear are still standard. More at PolygonComposites.com.

The IDEA™ Size 17 Programmable Actuator by Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions is an integrated linear actuator, drive, and programmable control unit in a single compact package. The actuator is programmed using an intuitive graphic user interface (GUI), includes eight opto-isolated digital I/O, and uses a single supply voltage of +12 to +42 VDC.

It looks like other motors, but its control technology departs dramatically. The DynaMotor™ uses optically controlled switches embedded in its rotor windings and an array of infrared LEDs to control speed and torque — without encoder, without pulse width modulation, and thus, without generating radio frequency interference common in other motors.

If you find this subject interesting, subscribe to the GlobalSpec e-Newsletter, DirectU2 The world of Motors.

When durability in hot, corrosive environments is the priority, consider resolver transducers designed for the purpose. These units meet IP67 (withstanding cleaning solutions and hose spray) thanks to one-piece rotor design, stainless steel shafts, and oversized double-row sealed bearings. You can also opt for beefier 303 or 304 steel.

Ever since ancient Egyptians smoothed tree trunks to roll heavy loads, makeovers are a constant, aiming to squeeze more from each linear motion element. This article traces some evolutionary trends, from enhancing riding surfaces with polymers and ceramics, to embedding steel tracks on aluminum frames, to elimination of intermediate power transmission parts.

Need to build confidence for tasks like laser cell surgery, or others requiring ± 1 micron, 3D positioning? This unit combines two stages — a linear and a rotary stage — to make the job easy as X-Y-Z. The yield is two, three, or four axes of motion, from XY to XYZ-rotary.

Now available with a faster update rate, MTS Sensors Temposonics linear-position sensors allow for updated measurements every 100 microseconds. The fast update rate option, available for SSI and EtherCAT protocols, fulfills high, dynamic requirements by reporting absolute position at rates up to 10 kHz.

Integrating Motion has never been so easy. You select the linear stage and then you tell us how you want to control it. Make it wireless with remote controls, joystick with variable speed, foot pedal that drives your unit and controls speed or simply an MMI or switch with potentiometers from our U-Control series?

Intelli-Mark's smart technology starts with an easy to navigate PC platform software, and is paired with an Ethernet machine control with absolute encoder support. Truly intuitive and powerful, Intelli-Mark can manage multiple axis, multiple machines, and hundreds of layouts, as well as accept and receive non-marking commands. Learn more…

SONCEBOZ Mechatronic Drive Systems can be customized in order to bring solutions to many motion control challenges in the marketplace.

SONCEBOZ Smart actuators have been developed for:

•  Medical Devices
•  Mobile Hydraulics
•  On-Highway and Off-Highway Vehicles
•  Telecommunications

For more information, please visit us here or call (800) 766-8242.

People like considering themselves multitaskers, able to juggle two or three assignments simultaneously. They might be impressed by this controller, which controls as many as 30 servos or inverters at a time, and manages up to 14 tasks at a time — each with independent position, speed, or torque on every axis.

Programmable motion controllers make possible a system that simulates real world forces on Indy and NASCAR race car chassis. Connecting controllers to actuators on the cars allows engineers to test for stress in a controlled environment — and deliver in days the loads and movements parts would encounter over a lifetime.

Bavarian music buoys the spirits while you view this beer bottle recycling system in Bremen, Germany. Built to ensure bottles are matched to the right crates, the system features a belt-driven linear actuated gantry and servo drives for picking and placing — bringing processing capacity to 76,000 empties in an hour.

For more on this subject, subscribe to GlobalSpec's e-Newsletter, DirectU2 The world of Industrial Automation.

Once in a while, motion technology advances into new territory. In the case of Copley Motion System's ServoTube Hygienic motor, that place is real life wash down applications. The smooth-surface, ingress-protected, direct drive linear motor debuts this month at the SPS/IPC/Drives show in Nuremberg, Germany.

Chip Disc shall be considered the encoder disc as the refresh art technology by means of the priority permeable film coated with the thin membrane of metal

Honest Sensor prior to make a great advanced in owing the technology to ensure the disc against the heat reach to 100 degree environment.

Portescap's h3 stepper, high-torque, housed hybrid stepper motor offers 1.8 degree step movements and is available in NEMA 17 and 23 frame sizes. In addition to these features, the series offers industry-leading torque output. Various stack lengths are available in each frame size, and windings can be customized. Product announcement.

Download your copy of Motion Control Cards for Machine Design from PMD.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how you can benefit from motion control cards in your design. It examines form factors, system architecture, and how motion cards affect the outcome of a machine design.

The Positek X100, E100, and M100 LVITs are durable, high accuracy, inductive proportional output position sensors that integrate directly into hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders that must operate in hazardous atmospheres. ATEX certified for hazardous gas/vapor, dust, and underground mining applications, these sensors are available in any stroke length from 20 mm up to 600 mm.

Even though headlines say the economic worst is behind us, it's not too late to put some business principles into action to improve the odds of your company's success. This commentary provides some guidelines on successful company practices — good advice in both expanding and contracting markets.

Examining one of nature's smallest motion systems, Purdue University researchers discovered a molecular motor that transports DNA into viruses during their assembly. The mechanism allows viruses to multiply, spreading disease. The discovery also gives new hope for fighting disease, with the possibility of designing drugs that interfere with the viral motors.

All Aboard?

Is Warren Buffett's buyout of Burlington Northern a dubious bet on 19^th century technology (railroads), or an investment to follow for what's just around the bend in our 21^st century economy?