Centralized machine control is more than a control architectural scheme, it’s the first step to enabling Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The Parker Automation Controller (PAC) provides...

Most engineers recognize that gearheads can be used to create a better inertia match between the object that is being moved and the motor being driven. Put simply, it is dictated by the gearhead ratio...

Today, virtually everything we buy has at some point been on a commercial freight truck, traversing countries and even continents to reach us, the consumer. Commercial vehicle manufacturers are...

Environmental factors, performance requirements and communication protocols all factor into selecting a feedback device for your rotary servo motor application. In this post, we’ll look at some...

More than 5000 participants from 42 countries attended the recent Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) annual conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. SLAS is the premier show...

The world is quickly moving towards more hybrid and electric vehicles, which reduce toxic emissions. This trend is leading to an overall improvement in the quality of the air we breathe, especially in...

Engineers working in industries that use fast-running machinery will almost certainly be familiar with the demands for ever-greater productivity to increase competitiveness and reduce costs. We...

Do you have a stack of t-slot aluminum framing catalogs or a folder of pdf datasheets from extrusion manufacturers that contains an almost endless amount of data on the material? For a person...

What's changing at SLAS 2017 this year? The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is having their annual conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. from February 4th - February...

There is no “one size fits all” drive train linear actuator technology for every application. In reality, the selection depends entirely on what is most critical to a specific application....

Screw drive trains, a popular linear actuation technology, are designed to act as force multiplication devices, taking rotary torque input from a motor and converting it to linear thrust. A wide range...

For challenging automation motion control applications such as packaging machines and rotary tables, some servo drives need to be housed outside the electrical cabinet. Although the traditional style...

It’s well documented that creating compressed air for use by pneumatic cylinders is not a particularly cost-effective process, largely as a result of generator and system inefficiencies. With accounts...

Do you remember the days of tinkering with plastic bricks or assembling a new desk from your local home improvement store? When you completed the project, were you confident that your finished product...

For a machine designer, flexibility means highly configurable and adaptable components that can allow for slight variations without demanding major design changes. When applying these demands to...

Design engineers developing applications using servo motors and gearheads must lend consideration to thermal issues. Machine performance requirements have become significantly more demanding, making...

Various feedback devices are often offered as options on rotary servo motors. Feedback devices include optical incremental encoders, absolute incremental encoders and resolvers. Choosing the right...

The tube bending industry is seeing a migration from more traditional manual hydraulic process equipment to fully automated "all electric" machinery. Historically, tube bending operations have been...

We surveyed more than 300 engineers and business managers in the life sciences instrument industry and followed up the survey with individual interviews. The key takeaways from that...

Cost, quality, regulatory challenges, safety and usability were the major near-term challenges identified in a recent survey of more than 300 engineers and business managers who work for life...