Both types of belts commonly used in linear positioning applications — V-belts and synchronous designs — have internal tensile cords that serve as the primary load-carrying component. Or, as one engineer from Gates Mectrol put it, the tensile cords are the “muscle” of the belt. V-belts and synchronous belts are offered with tensile cords of various materials, including polyester, […]
Applications
HEIDENHAIN and ETEL exhibiting together at SEMICON West
Visitors to this July’s SEMICON West 2019 trade show will get to learn about where accuracy meets throughput at the HEIDENHAIN and ETEL joint booth in San Francisco in the Moscone Center — July 9 to 11. Here, daily presentations will be given by HEIDENHAIN and ETEL experts highlighting this year’s application focus of Fan-Out […]
Do IP ratings for ingress protection apply to linear motion components?
When designing, selecting, or assembling a linear system, you may have noticed that some components have an IP rating — IP54 or IP65, for example — while others don’t. Here we explain why that is, and what the IP ratings mean. IP: International Protection (or Ingress Protection) The “IP” acronym stands for “International Protection,” although […]
How to use a torque-speed curve to select a servo motor
Servo motors are typically used for dynamic applications, where quick acceleration rates necessitate high torque production. In fact, one of the defining characteristics of a servo system is its ability to precisely control torque across a wide speed range, and the various speeds and torques required during the application’s move profile are a key parameter […]
How to calculate motor drive torque for belt and pulley systems
Belt driven linear systems are common in applications that require long travel and high speed, such as gantry robots and material handling and transport. The motors of choice for these systems are often servo motors, for their ability to accurately control position, speed, and torque. Sizing and selecting the servo motor requires determining both the continuous […]
Using software for designing and sizing motion-control systems
Today servomotors abound. Thankfully the art of using speed, torque, and inertia to select from these servomotor offerings for specific applications has become quite automated. By Sixto Moralez • Regional motion engineer | Yaskawa America Inc. Drives & Motion Div. Now, certain sizing and selecting software only requires that design engineers enter a minimum of […]
Güdel gantry robots add gentle touch to bakery automation
In the U.S., about 50 million people a day eat at fast-food restaurants — and about 60,000 of those establishments sell hamburgers. That requires epic volumes of fresh buns every day … and only commercial bakeries with automated operations can output sufficient production volumes. Workhorse Automation Inc. (based in Oxford, Pa.) supplies machines to this […]
When should you use microstepping control for stepper motors?
Stepper motor operation is relatively straightforward. The drive sends pulses of current to the motor, and each pulse advances the motor by one step, or fraction of a revolution. The amount of movement per current pulse depends on the design of the stator and rotor. For permanent magnet stepper motors, a full step angle of […]
Why use linear guides and ball screws with ball chains?
One of the differences between radial ball bearings and recirculating ball linear guides has historically been that radial bearings typically use a cage to separate the balls and control their movement, whereas profiled rail guides did not. But in the early 2000’s, manufacturers of profiled rail bearings began introducing versions with ball cages (also referred […]
New rack and pinion systems available from GAM Enterprises
GAM now offers new helical rack and pinion systems. High quality rack and precision pinions are paired with GAM gearboxes for optimized system performance. Helical rack provides smooth, quiet operation and precision operation. The rack is available in 1-meter lengths in module 2, 3, or 4 and ISO quality 6 or 10. Precision pinions in […]