Last week, a large contingent of the Design World staff got to go to MD&M West 2016 colocated with ATX in Anaheim, California. Hot topics at the show included the Internet of Things (IoT), smart components, plummeting robot prices, and increased automation even down to assembly tasks — not to mention changes in the medical industry itself. […]
Controls for linear axes
Digital, panel-mounted piezo drive coordinates motion between piezo stages and servo axes
The Ndrive QLe is a family of digital, panel-mount, nanopositioning piezo drives for use with the Aerotech Automation 3200 (A3200) motion controller. The A3200 is the controller of choice in semiconductor, data storage, medical device manufacturing, laser processing, and metrology applications. The Ndrive QLe drives enable coordinated motion between piezo stages and servo axes at […]
Inertia Matching: Why Perfect Isn’t Always Best
Inertia matching is one of the inexact sciences of motion system design. When a motor and a load are coupled together, the ratio of load inertia to motor inertia determines how well the motor can control the load during acceleration and deceleration. In theory, a “perfect” inertia match of 1:1 (load inertia equals motor inertia) should […]
3 tips on minimizing electrical noise in actuator drive systems
Bill’s electric actuator drive must operate in factory conditions with dust, moisture, heat and vibration. But Bill’s main problem is with electrical noise; there’s enough in his environment to disrupt actuator control signals and cause erratic movements. Electrical noise–random fluctuation in an electrical signal–is present in all electronic circuits. When the amplitude of these fluctuations […]
Affordable High Precision XY Nanopositioning Piezo Stage
PI’s P-763 XY nanopositioning stage is a new, more affordable addition to PI’s wide range of piezo stage positioners. The compact P-763 flexure-guided stage has a footprint of less than 3×3 inches (70x70mm) while providing a 30x30mm aperture. With a large travel range of 200×200 microns this piezo positioning system is ideal for demanding applications […]
Aerotech’s Npaq® 6U High-Power Drive Rack
Aerotech’s Npaq® 6U is a high-power drive rack that uses plug-in amplifiers supporting both linear and PWM topologies to control brushless, DC brush or stepper motors. PWM amps offer up to 320 VDC operating voltage and 30 A peak current capability. Linear amplifiers provide up to 80 V and 20 A peak current for high […]
Universal Controller, SCX11 by Oriental Motor
The SCX11 Universal Controller is a powerful single axis motion controller and is a direct replacement for our SCX10 controller. Wiring is now simple with easy to connect Phoenix Contact connectors. Up to 100 sequence programs can be stored and with its “Immediate Motion Creator” GUI software (included) and USB connectivity, creationg motion in minutes […]
High-Efficiency AR Series with Built-in Controller
Our popular High-Efficiency AR Series is now available with a built-in controller (stored data) type and is part of our FLEX network products. The AR Series utilizes Oriental Motor’s unique closed loop control along with lower heat generation for continuous duty. With the addition of the built-in controller (stored data) type, the built-in pulse generator allows […]
Oriental Motors Introduces Network Products – FLEX
The introduction of Network Products from Oriental Motor, meaning our drivers now offer a built-in controller (stored data) type and can connect to various master controllers. To easily identify our network Built-in Controller (stored data) products, each group is labeled with our name , meaning each product is equipped with an interface that connects to various […]
EtherCAT I/O is Tightly Integrated into Aerotech’s A3200 Automation Machine Controller
Aerotech announces the addition of EtherCAT to the A3200 Integrated Automation platform that offers motion control, PLC, and I/O in a single, integrated environment. The EtherCAT interface provides users with the ability to seamlessly incorporate additional high- and low-power digital and analog I/O into a system. Users import the EtherCAT I/O configuration file into the […]