Motion and Controls Reference Materials
Technical Articles
Reference Articles 1801 - 1900 of 2129
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Solar Energy Moves into a Brighter Future
From: Joyce/Dayton Corp.Description: Renewable energy is one of the hottest topics today, and one of the main priorities of the country. Thatâ s why Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. of Phoenix recently signed an agreement to construct a ...
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I - SAC Adaptive Servo Controllers
From: Exsenco, LLCDescription: What is the most important expectation from a Servo Controller worthwhile called a good one? At present, many products named "Industrial Servo Controller" are in the market; however, to select a good ...
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Is Your Actuator Too Long or Too Short?
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: You have a few options when it comes to fitting your linear actuators when its too long or too short. ...
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Loading and Unloading of Cruise Ships
From: Joyce/Dayton Corp.Description: Jesse Engineering Co. in Tacoma, Washington was hired as the primary contractor to design and build a Passenger Boarding Gangway system that would facilitate the loading and unloading of cruise ships ...
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Your Questions About Lead Screws and Linear Actuators Asked and Answered
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Have you got questions about lead screws and linear electric actuators? We have answers. ...
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Model Making: A Dwarf-sized Caterpillar
From: maxonDescription: maxon drives also play an important role in model making - for example, many locomotives run their rounds powered by maxon motors. But even crazier things can be found in the world of model making: ...
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Robotic Rib Spreading Tool to Help Patients Hurt Less and Heal Faster
From: maxonDescription: One advanced technology company is taking on the challenge of developing hand-held, robotic surgical instruments to help patients hurt less and heal faster. High torque maxon motors ensure jerk-free ...
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Linear Actuators for Throttle Control in Off Highway Vehicles
From: Thomson Industries Inc.Description: Throttles on drive and auxiliary engines on off-highway vehicles have traditionally been controlled by cables connected to the driver's cab. Problems with this approach include the need to place ...
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X-Ray Machine Visits Patients' Rooms
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: For this application the arm was required to be held when no power was applied, so Hitachi knew they needed a power off brake supplier. Hitachi chose Ogura, and their technical team, design ...
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Actuators and Solar Panels
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Solar panels have become more popular over the last 20 years to help reduce our energy bills as well as have less of a carbon foot print on the environment. The main issue that has plagued solar panel ...
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Avoid a Control Panel Redesign
Description: If you're dropping packets with field networking for motion control and getting errors or alarms, consider these four sometimes counter-intuitive alternatives to a control panel redesign. ...
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How to Size Servo Motors: Advanced Inertia Calculations
Description: Inside Machines: To properly select the appropriate servo motor for a motion control application, find the inertia of the load being rotated. Applications, where the center of rotation is on a ...
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Understanding Servo System Application Requirements
Description: Choosing the appropriate servo technology can make all the difference when it comes to maximizing the potential of a machine design. Each individual application has a unique set of requirements that ...
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Regenerative Power Units Save Energy
Description: Spindle drives, decanter centrifuges, hoists, cranes, elevators, and torque dynamometer test rigs can save energy from frequent run and stop, deceleration with high inertia load, and overhauling ...
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A Change in Speed Control Strategy Ramps up Production for Steel Company
Description: TSA Manufacturing in Omaha, Neb., provides steel products and services to the construction, precast concrete, and structural steel markets. One machine-a thread roller that makes long steel threaded ...
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An Improved Active Front End Non- Regenerative Rectifier System Employing a Five-Limb Inductor
Description: This paper revisits a non regenerative active front end system that has been studied in the past but offers significant improvements to make it acceptable to the drives industry. A three-phase current ...
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Application Overview: Wire Drawing
Description: The process of wire drawing has in effect changed very little over the years. It uses a combination of a die and/or a series of dies to draw wire to a selected gauge. Drawn wire is in many ...
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Cut Centrifugal Load Energy Costs
Description: Many organizations want to save energy because of increasing costs for electric power. Costs for electricity vary widely across the U.S., with most utility rates rising steadily for a variety of ...
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Details Drive Choice of Servomotors
Description: In a competitive marketplace, details help differentiate one product from another. A thoughtful feature or a more rugged design can make all the difference. Consumers who buy based solely on price ...
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Improving Motion Network Noise Immunity
Description: Automatic retry can double the noise immunity of real-time industrial Ethernet-based motion networks. ...
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Motion Control: Rigid vs. Flexible
Description: When specifying a motion control system for, say, a pick-and-place application on an automated assembly line, engineers have two choices.motion control and robotics One option is to design and build a ...
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Small Servomotors for High-Precision Motion
Description: Semiconductor processing equipment is a notoriously demanding application for motion control engineers. Extreme precision, reliability and smoothness are absolute requirements. At the same time, space ...
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A Unique Way to Service Wind Generators
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: Servicing wind generators with an exterior basket/elevator system allows for more freedom of movement and increases safety. ...
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Case Story - Chipping Machine
From: Dellner Brakes ABDescription: Gruvön's paper mill annually produces 600 000 tons (1,323 million-lb) of sulphate paper pulp. In the wood room the bark is removed and the chipping machine hacks up the timber. ...
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Elastomer Jaw Couplings: Not All Are Created Equal
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: Elastomer Jaw Couplings: Not All are Created Equal ...
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How to Calculate Mass Moment of Inertia when Sizing Torque Limiters
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: As a manufacturer of safety couplings and torque limiters, we are often asked to provide some assistance in calculating the moment of inertia of various loads, in order to aid in selecting the ...
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High Power in Particle Board Production
From: Habasit AmericaDescription: Rotating mass of about 15 tons and a belt speed of 31 m/s. Due to the low temperatures of the region, which can go down to -40 °C (-40 °F), the already stiff polyamide belt type initially used was ...
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Correctly specifying BD & BDS clutches
From: jbj Techniques LimitedDescription: BD clutches must initially be selected to match the available SAE flywheel and housing offered on the prime mover. Subsequent study must be made to ensure that the clutch unit selected is capable of ...
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Matching VFDs and Motors
From: Magnatex Pumps, Inc.Description: Last year, a Pumps & Systems reader asked about variable frequency drives (VFDs) and motors... ...
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Robotic Exoskeleton: For More Quality of Life
From: maxonDescription: Worldwide, an estimated 185 million people use a wheelchair daily. A company based in Auck-land (New Zealand) has developed innovative robotic technology that helps people with mobility impairment get ...
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Proper Shaft Fits for Precision Coupling Devices
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: When sizing high performance drive components, proper shaft fit is an important consideration in helping to maintain concentricity and balance in the rotating equipment. In v-belt drives, chain drives ...
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Planetary Gears - White Paper
Description: Uses and calculations for a planetary gear assembly ...
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The Future of Automation and Electric Solutions
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Electric linear actuators are the logical companion of the new mobile, compact manufacturing trends that will soon become the norm. Here's why: ...
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Understanding Duty Cycle and Linear Actuators
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: If you're new to electric actuators or automation, this article will teach you how to easily calculate duty cycle. ...
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Reducing Design Time for Linear Motion Systems
From: Thomson Industries Inc.Description: Reducing engineering design time for new linear motion system projects is integral to lower overall costs and faster time to market. This article is intended to help you reduce design time by ...
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Not a Hair Out of Place, Even at 100 miles
From: maxonDescription: With the AIRCAP®, Mercedes-Benz offers for its E-Class Convertible an automatic draft stop that can be activated at the push of a button, thus greatly reducing turbulence in the interior. ...
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Components Tighten the Line
From: Mach III Clutch, Inc.Description: An interview with Lesli Riehemann, Mach III's president of 11 years. ...
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Applying Permanent Magnet Brakes in Targeted Biopsy
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: In the May Medical Trendwatch issue of Design News, there was an article featuring Oguras permanent magnet brakes for targeted biopsy ...
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New Trends in Electromagnetic Braking Technology
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: In the February 2012 issue of Motion System Design, Ogura contributed both pictures and information regarding the current trends in braking technology. Ogura's information was focused in two separate ...
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Ogura Electromagnetic Clutch Helps Doctors Increase Efficiency
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: In the May issue of the Design News Medical Trend Watch, an article by Ogura showed how eye doctors were using a spring-applied clutch to achieve a finer control of a vision testing table. The article ...
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Ogura Electromagnetic Particle Clutch Helps Build a Solid Foundation
From: Ogura Industrial Corp.Description: In the October issue of Design News, there was an article featuring Oguras OPC-80 magnetic particle clutch for a system that helps detect bedrock for anchoring oil platforms. ...
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Ramsey Silent Chain Drives High Speed Moving Walkway
Description: Millions of people every day use the products of one of the leading escalators and moving walkways companies in the world. Their escalators and moving walkways effectively transport people safely, ...
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Ramsey Silent Chain Powers Floating, High Volume Water Pump
Description: Made to relocate water, the floating pump is a unique piece of equipment that moves water from a place of plenty to a place where it is needed. Or it can work in the opposite - removing water from an ...
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Microstepping Tutorial
From: Zaber Technologies, Inc.Description: A bipolar stepper motor has two windings. The current through each winding is varied in order to rotate the stepper motor. This article describes microstepping theory, three modes of operation (full ...
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MTBF APPROACHING INFINITE
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: The concept of fatigue resistance in flexible shaft coupling design has been highly valued by R+W since its inception in 1990. For much of its first two decades in business the company focus was ...
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Actuator Characterization
From: Zaber Technologies, Inc.Description: Zaber's T-Series computer-controlled positioning devices use stepper motors to achieve open loop position control. This article discusses various characteristics such as resolution, repeatability, and ...
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Inexpensive Methods to Measure the Performance Characteristics of a Linear Motion Device
From: Zaber Technologies, Inc.Description: Once you've determined the requirements of your linear motion application, how can you qualify a linear motion product to ensure it meets your application's needs? Manufacturer's specs are often vague ...
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Simplifying Control Protocols
From: Zaber Technologies, Inc.Description: Zaber's devices use two command protocols: an ASCII protocol and a 6-byte binary protocol. Each of these protocols work within the RS-232 serial communication standard. This article examines each ...
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Angular Acceleration and Moment of Inertia in Machine Design
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: In order to aid in the process of estimating torques, we'll review one of the basic calculations used to estimate the torque required to accelerate a rotating mass to a certain speed over a given ...
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Latest Material and Construction Methods Provide the Highest Quality Rigid-Flex PCB's
Description: With the demand for portable electronics ever increasing, the need to produce more compact devices with ever-increasing capabilities calls for engineering solutions that combine functionality with ...
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Meeting New Energy Star Energy Efficiency Ratings with ECplus and DCplus Motors
Description: Energy Star, the international standard for energy efficiency in consumer products, has mandated that by 2014, refrigerators must use 25% less electricity than current Energy Star models to maintain ...
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Is Wireless the Right Solution?
From: Festo CorporationDescription: Increasingly, wireless and hybrid wireless solutions as mentioned above are used to reduce the overall cost of remote site and multi-vendor equipment integration. ...
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Solving Problems with Torsionally Stiff Couplings
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: One of the biggest challenges on this application was stiffness of the coupling. We have history with this application and have found if the coupling has wind up, even though it is zero backlash, it ...
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Taking Advantage of Coupling Configurability
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: Many machine builders are well aware of the advantages of using configurable components in the design stages. As projects progress, specifications often change and builders must adapt components to ...
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CANopen-fieldbus and Motion-Control Success, Packaging World, April2 013
From: Festo CorporationDescription: End user productivity went up 30% after a state-of-the-art retort-basket unloading system was designed as a replacement for a largely mechanical predecessor. ...
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Festo Shows Innovative Gantry at Hannover, Automation World, May 2013
From: Festo CorporationDescription: Festo's H-gantry EXCM provides precise and fast positioning in cramped installation conditions ...
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Vibration Damping in Drive Couplings
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: A customer sizing an elastomer insert coupling recently asked us if using a larger body size would provide better vibration damping ...
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Linear Actuators - Calculating Stroke Length And Force
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: The first step in determining the size of a linear actuator needed to move a specific load requires the user to calculate translational force ...
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Firefighting Humanoid Robot
From: maxonDescription: With funding from the U.S. Navy Research Laboratory, Virginia Tech's RoMeLa laboratory is designing and building their Shipboard Autonomous Fire Fighting Robot, or SAFFiR. ...
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Human-Like Bipedal Walking Robot
From: maxonDescription: In the world of robotics engineering there are two primary ways to view how a robot walks. Either the robot has to be quasi-statically stable at every moment of movement, or it can walk like a human ...
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Make It Last: Maximizing the Service Life of Industrial Air and Spring Actuated Friction Clutches and Brakes
From: Mach III Clutch, Inc.Description: Determining how long a friction clutch or brake will last has much to do with application. Cycle rates, revolutions per minute and the air pressure required to produce the torque to drive or stop the ...
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Marking of electrical equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
Description: Marking of electrical equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres ...
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What Kind of Problems can Occur with Improper Tension Control
From: Mach III Clutch, Inc.Description: Without proper web tension, the following problems can occur:Telescoped or Dished Finished Rolls; Wrinkles; Web Drift; Web Breaks; Poor Printing Registration; Laminated Roll Cur ...
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Basic Application of Ball Detent Torque Limiters
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: What is a ball detent torque limiter? What are the advantages of ball detent torque limiters? How do you size a mechanical torque limiter? ...
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Introduction of Chains
Description: Roller Chain,Conveyor Chain,Leaf Chain etc ...
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Types and applications of Industrial Chains
Description: Stainless steel chain,Nickel-plated chain, Galvanized chain, Chrome chain,Self-lubricating chain,O-ring chain,Rubber chain ...
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Choosing Between Electromechanical and Fluid Power Linear Actuators in Industrial Systems Design
From: Thomson Industries Inc.Description: Linear actuation plays a critical role in a wide range of products and processes in factory automation, packaging, medical devices, and many other fields. Linear actuators are commonly divided into ...
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Why Use Mechanical Torque Limiters in a Servo Drive System?
From: R+W Coupling TechnologyDescription: Electronic current limiting is not always a 100% effective way to prevent torque overloads in a mechanical system ...
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Where are UniSlides used?
From: Velmex, Inc.Description: UniSlides have successfully been used in environments like, clean rooms, outdoors, underwater, in vacuum, attached to aircraft, on naval ships, and in outer space. ...
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Automated Spice Rack & Linear Actuator
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Overview: Automation products are becoming more popular in today's household. The video below shows an example of one way automation is used in the average home today. With the help of this video and ...
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The Automated Home using Linear Actuators
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Automatically reclining couches are becoming very popular in the furniture market. Many customers have asked how they can add this setup with the furniture they currently have. If you have a couch ...
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Ultimate Man Cave -Stage 1
From: Progressive AutomationsDescription: Using linear actuators Chef Francios will be developing innovative methods to create a multipurpose room that can be used for a number of completely different applications. These many uses were not ...
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Application Guide for High Performance Brushless Servo Systems
From: ElectroCraftDescription: The trapezoidal or square wave current brushless servo is characterized the same as a brush-type servo drive and is generally well understood. The principles of sizing the sinusoidal brushless servo ...
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Handbook for High Performance Brushless Servo Systems
From: ElectroCraftDescription: The traditional permanent magnet DC servomotor has been the industry workhorse for many decades in high performance servo drive applications. The primary reason< for this is that the DC servomotor is ...
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Improving High-Speed Performance of Hybrid Stepper Motors
From: ElectroCraftDescription: Bipolar drives supply steppermotor windings with current waveforms that look like square waves when fully stepping or sine waves when micro-stepping at a high resolution. The waveforms shown in the ...
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Rotary Ball Spline Technologies And The Effective Differences of Two Rotational Nut Technologies
Description: riding on angular contact ball bearings or crossed roller bearings?" After ascertaining your application's requirements - stroke length; velocity; applied load; mounting space; duty cycle; required ...
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Soldering a copper wire, contactor assembly
Description: High intensity heat must be applied to the joint area for this application so that thermal conduction of the copper does not sink away the heat delivered from the induction process. ...
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The Complete Guide to Chain
Description: The Complete Guide to Chain provides a comprehensive reference for chains used in power transmission and conveyance applications. Everything from the basics of chain, through to specific industrial ...
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Joyce Horse Power Calculation
From: Joyce/Dayton Corp.Description: WJT242 has a torque constant of 0.009W with (W) representing the load in pounds and a tare torque of 4 inchpounds (page 22). Using 350 RPM on the input shaft and a 2000-pound load results in the ...
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Application Note - Drive On/Off Strategies
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: Requirement: Identify the different ways drives can be turned on/off, and advantages of each ...
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Application Note - MD Series Multiple Speed Operation
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: Requirement: Operate the MD Series at two or three preset speeds Solution: Use the UIN1 and/or S2 inputs in Jog mode - when either switch input is closed the drive will change to that input's preset ...
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Application Note - Traversing Head (for painting, laminating, spraying applications)
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: * DP4 used for digital, repeatable traverse speed set * DM8000 configured as Up/Down Counter * DM8000 alarm configured for In / Out Of range * Requires quadrature pickup (Dart PU-20EQUAD) on traverse ...
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Control Algorithm Discussion and P-I-D Tuning
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: A true P-I-D speed control algorithm is employed in the MD Plus and MD II Series which allows for precise response to motor loop speed or load changes. The three parameters Proportional, Integral, and ...
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Local Override of PLC / SCADA Remote Drive Start
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: Requirement: For safety and other considerations it is required that the MDPlus Series drive with 420 option, when used with plc/SCADA system, be able to override locally the plc/SCADA drive enable ...
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Motor Stall Condition With Audible Alarm
From: Dart Controls, Inc.Description: MD10P Motor Stall; Drive Shutoff and Alarm Concept ...
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What is a Flexible Shaft?
Description: A flexible shaft transmits rotary motion much like a solid steel shaft. But, it can be routed over, under, and around obstacles that would make using a solid shaft impractical. ... ...
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Fast molecular tracking maps nanoscale dynamics of plasma membrane lipids
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: We describe an optical method capable of tracking a single fluorescent molecule with a flexible choice of high spatial accuracy (~10-20 nm standard deviation or ~20-40 nm full-width-at-half-maximum) ...
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In vivo imaging of malaria parasites in the murine liver
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: The form of the malaria parasite inoculated by the mosquito, called the sporozoite, transforms inside the host liver into thousands of a new form of the parasite, called the merozoite, which infects ...
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Mie scattering distinguishes the topological charge of an optical vortex: a homage to Gustav Mie
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: One century after Mie's original paper, Mie scattering is still a fertile field of scientific endeavor. We show that the Mie scattering distinguishes the topological charge of light beams with phase ...
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Molecular Characterization of the Ankle-Link Complex in Cochlear Hair Cells and Its Role in the Hair Bundle Functioning
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: Several lines of evidence indicate that very large G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (Vlgr1) makes up the ankle links that connect the stereocilia of hair cells at their base. Here, we show that the ...
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Stepwise Morphological and Functional Maturation of Mechanotransduction in Rat Outer Hair Cells
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: Inner ear mechanosensory hair cells convert mechanical vibrations into electrical signals via the coordinated interaction of multiple proteins precisely positioned within the sensory hair bundle. ...
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Active Hair-Bundle Motility by the Vertebrate Hair Cell
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: The hair bundle is both a mechano-sensory antenna and a force generator that might help the vertebrate hair cell from the inner ear to amplify its responsiveness to small stimuli. To study active ...
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Automatic Tube Drilling Machine
From: TRM International Ltd.Description: The task was to make a completely new tube processing machine to suit the needs of a scaffolding pole manufacturer ...
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Bowling Ball Machine
From: TRM International Ltd.Description: Our client is an specialist manufacturer of custom made machines. Having supplied machines for different industries, our client wanted t build a machine to make the grooves and marks for bowling balls ...
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Case Study: Tube Profiler Machine
From: TRM International Ltd.Description: Our client was in charge of upgrading the control system of a tube profiling machine including changing the stepping motors for new servo motors ...
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Energy Efficiency: Exploring Energy Saving Capabilities in Gearmotors
From: Groschopp, Inc.Description: Unfortunately, energy efficiency is subjective; what is efficient in one company or in one application will undoubtedly be inefficient in another application, even if the specifications are similar. ...
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Exploring single-molecule dynamics with fluorescence nanoscopy
From: Piezosystem Jena, Inc.Description: The study of molecular dynamics at the single-molecule level with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and far-field optics has contributed greatly to the functional understanding of complex ...
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Food Depositor Machine
From: TRM International Ltd.Description: TRM helped a food machine manufacturer to automate a dough depositor machine by using a 3 axis motion controller with colour screen and keypad ...
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Gearing Up: The Ins-and-Outs of Gears
From: Groschopp, Inc.Description: Are all gears really alike? The answer is definitely no! There are four basic styles of gears. *Spur Gear: The spur gear has a helix angle of 0° *Helical Gear: This is an angle toothed gear. The angle ...
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How To Calculate Your Torque Constant
From: Groschopp, Inc.Description: The torque constant, Kt, of a motor is a very useful parameter for sizing and controlling motors showing a linear speed/torque relationship. Both DC brush type and brushless motors exhibit this linear ...