The transition of mobile machinery and off-highway equipment away from fossil fuels may be a long-term goal, but electrification is already delivering real benefits in the sector. By Tarek Bugaighis • Ewellix Is the era of the internal combustion engine coming to end? Under pressure to reduce harmful emissions, the automotive industry is already gearing […]
Gothic arches, tracks, and roller bearings in the context of linear motion
Industry terminology used to describe linear guides and other linear components widely varies. Here we explain three linear-guide phrases and words having multiple meanings — and differentiate how they relate to track-roller linear guides and profiled-rail linear guides. Let’s start by reviewing the multiple linear-motion meanings for Gothic-arch linear bearing. Gothic arches originate from civil […]
Functional safety (and IIoT connectivity) from linear brakes
In a recent Design World feature, we covered the basics of how functional safety is quantified … and what constitutes a servo-brake option with functional-safety certification. Here we share more details on the construction of safety brakes for linear axes and the intersection of brake safety and IIoT capabilities. Machine safety is core to nearly […]
Anti-friction miniature linear guides from PM B.V. now come with a variety of cage options
When building miniature linear-motion systems, design engineers can choose between ball and crossed-roller linear guides. When applied to precision systems, most all of these linear guides have cages to prevent shifting of the anti-friction rolling elements during operation … especially when these linear guides are applied in exacting microscopy, manipulator, and image-scanner applications — for […]
Linear actuators automate shampoo-bottle filling with less drips
Consider the equipment that fills shampoo bottles. Such filling machines use conveyors to transport empty bottles to sensor-tracked wait positions. Then they insert shampoo-dispensing nozzles into the bottles and slowly raise those nozzles as the liquid rises during dispensing. Holding a constant distance between the nozzle ends and liquid surfaces prevents the shampoo from foaming. […]
Industrial gas springs help in fight against COVID-19
Gas springs, also called gas dampers, tension springs, gas-pressure springs depending on the setup and context, are compressed-air or oil cylinders that install in motion designs to damp forces and return kinematic linkages and more complicated assemblies to default positions. Gas springs work through a piston on the end of a rod that protrudes from […]
Round-rail linear guide or profile-rail linear guide?
In this article, we outline how to choose a linear guide for your application and environment. By Lindsey Brimage and Eric Schultz | Thomson Industries Ian Miller | Motion Industries Canada Designers of linear motion systems often find themselves weighing the pros and cons of round versus profile (also known as square) linear guides. Many […]
Automated farm equipment uses rugged linear components
Precision agriculture is the discretization of farming — defined as the analysis of highly variable (and often unpredictable) landscapes to: • Break larger agricultural fields into smaller discrete sections • Quantify the characteristics (such as soil composition, light, and seed spacing) of each section • Adapt to the variations between sections with automated farm equipment […]
New multi-axis stages: Driving dynamics in one plane for top performance
Having all of a stage’s driving dynamics in one plane can prevent problematic reaction torques on sensitive workpieces … and maximize machine performance for demanding motion applications. By Mathys te Wierik • Lead system engineer Jan Willem Ridderinkhof • Manager of R&D and engineering | PM B.V. High-end mechatronic motion solutions have proliferated as various […]
Hexapods precisely jostle cameras during image-stabilization testing
The six-axis parallel-kinematics systems known as hexapods excel in motion simulation and testing of mechanical and drive systems, multi-dimensional position sensors, and (the focus of this article) image-stabilization designs for cameras and video equipment. By Doris Knauer • Project Manager — Industrial Automation | Physik Instrumente (PI) Modern camera systems are capable of astounding feats, […]
