ElectroCraft has recently expanded the AxialPower enhanced series of linear actuators to include a new high-performance 42mm (NEMA 17) frame size. This new linear actuator is highly configurable and: • Is available with a variety of imperial or metric leadscrew options • Achieves resolutions of 0.006 mm to 0.050 mm per step • Delivers output […]
LinX M-Series electric actuators from ANCA Motion offer direct replacement of pneumatic cylinders
Pneumatics (and compressed air) are indispensable in many industrial applications. They’re cost-effective and easy-to-understand technologies that are rugged enough to run in even very challenging environments. The problem is that some facilities can spend up to 30% of their electricity bill on generating compressed air. Because pneumatic actuators for linear motion (which have been an […]
Three important design considerations for Cartesian robots
If your application calls for a Cartesian robot, you have a wide variety of options, depending on the level of integration you want to undertake. And although pre-engineered Cartesian robots are becoming more widely adopted as manufacturers expand their product ranges to fit a broader scope of performance criteria, some applications still necessitate building your own […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Piezo actuators for non-contact dispensing
In a recent article, we looked at how piezo motors are used in liquid handling robots for contact-based dispensing (also referred to as pipetting) of microliter and nanoliter volumes. But when the required dispense volumes fall in the single-digit nanoliter or picoliter range, the process often requires a non-contact dispensing method to ensure accuracy and […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Piezo motors for liquid handling robots
Piezo motors and actuators are used in a variety of medical applications, including liquid handling robots for laboratory testing and diagnostics, drug discovery, and biotechnology. Liquid handling functions in the medical industry have traditionally been done manually by laboratory personnel. But consistency and accuracy are difficult to ensure with manual methods, since variations between technicians […]
Things to do this summer: Become a citizen scientist
As cities, states, and countries begin to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us will still face restrictions for some time regarding what businesses and facilities we can access and where we can travel. This “new normal” means that most of us will still spend more time at home, or nearby, […]
Motion basics: How to define roll, pitch, and yaw for linear systems
Linear guides and systems — including Cartesian robots, gantry systems, and XY tables — are typically subjected to both linear forces due to downward, upward, and side loads and rotational forces due to overhung loads. Rotational forces — also referred to as moment forces — are typically defined as roll, pitch, and yaw, based on […]
Industrial Ethernet basics for mechanical engineers
Ethernet networks are ubiquitous in our daily lives — allowing computers in office, school, and commercial environments to connect to the internet, share files, and access printers and other hardware connected to the network. And there’s a reason Ethernet is so popular — it’s a simple, flexible network protocol that facilitates high-speed data transmission. But despite […]
When do you need to consider thermal expansion in linear guide systems?
Most materials used in linear systems have a positive coefficient of linear thermal expansion — that is, when their temperature is increased, they expand in length, and when their temperature is decreased, they contract in length. One notable exception is Kevlar, the aramid from DuPont, which is sometimes used for tensile cords in toothed belts. […]
Linear motion in medical applications: Linear actuators in patient lifts, beds, and tables
Moving a patient in a hospital or medical facility doesn’t always involve racing down a hallway with the patient in a wheelchair or on a gurney. Very often, a patient simply needs to be moved from a lying or sitting position to a standing position (or vice-versa). Even for patients who possess some degree of […]
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