Motors News

Machine builders will have a compact, three-phase synchronous motor with the 8LT series, whose design is shorter than most motors in this class. The permanently excited motor is maintenance-free, so the makers have embedded a microchip in it that provides all the nameplate data which can be read electronically.

What does it take to design a new AC motor? If you're a large producer like SEW-Eurodrive with a well established installed base, it will involve hundreds of engineers, millions of euros, and several years to come up with a plan. And, one goal at the top of everyone's new features list: greater efficiency.

This tiny piezo-based linear motor walks like an insect, taking nanometer size steps. That doesn't sound like very much. But it can take millions of these steps very quickly, enough to make it move 10 cm (4 in.) per second! Applications include mobile phones, medical devices, electromechanical door locks, toys, and cameras.

This 22 mm (0.87 in.) brushless DC motor — a smaller version of its 30 mm big brother — has as its main advantage very high torque at low rpm. These features make it suitable for low-speed applications in medical technology, or for handheld tools such as slicing and drilling machines.

Successful motion control on the factory floor depends on selecting the right motor for the task at hand, getting it properly sized, and installing it correctly. This panel of four experts offers some great tips on how it's done. As a bonus, they describe what the ideal motion system would be like, and what options it would offer.

Designed for highly dynamic applications that must travel long traversing distances quickly and precisely — like laser and water-jet cutting machines — this linear motor operates with no magnets in its secondary track. This makes a more economical solution, especially where protecting the secondary section track from dirt is difficult.

Electric motors are highly efficient machines: typically 95% of the energy used by a premium efficiency motor is converted to useful work. To build motors with even greater efficiencies will require more precise testing. This article describes a new standard IEC method for measuring motor efficiency with greater accuracy.

In AC systems, the power factor (PF) is the ratio of the real to apparent power. Low power factors usually result from inductive loads. The way to correct it is to supply reactive power of opposite sign. Some designers now supply Power Factor correction (PFC) and field oriented control (FOC) algorithms in their controller chips.

When it comes to engineers and their careers, the amount of money earned is not always the best indicator of job satisfaction. The demand for skilled engineers is high, so how do you attract and retain them? In this state-of-mind salary survey by Control Design magazine, the top motivator is challenging work. Engineers responding said that the dream job at the top of their list is doing custom work. A closely following factor to job satisfaction was listed as a pat on the back from management.

You'll soon see something called 'Smart EDs' (electric drive cars) scooting about Berlin in a large scale trial of electric cars. The quiet, zero tailpipe emission cars can go for 90 miles (144 km) on one lithium-ion battery charge. And that charge will be relatively easy to get in the German capital because a local utility will install 500 charging stations throughout the city.

Is Immigration Vital for Industry?

What role should immigration play in the U.S. and global manufacturing industry? Does it address shortage in a local workforce or is it depriving skilled American workers of jobs?