Piezo motors that produce linear motion include linear ultrasonic piezo motors, linear stepper piezo motors, and piezo inertia motors. Although their construction and principles of operation are different, all three designs harness the inverse piezoelectric effect — in which a piezo material expands or contracts when electrical energy is applied — to produce linear movement in a […]
What are some considerations for linear actuators in contaminated environments?
Reliable motion is often difficult to obtain when the operating environment is heavily contaminated with debris, or contains extreme conditions such as a wide temperature range or other environmental factors.The use of machinery for operations such as cutting, welding, and material processing often generates a substantial amount of debris contamination. Equipment that is not designed […]
Where are glass scale linear encoders used?
Linear encoders are generally classified by their scanning technology — optical or magnetic. Magnetic encoders use a metal scale (often referred to as a “tape”), while optical encoders use a scale made of either metal or glass. Although magnetic encoders have seen great improvements in resolution and accuracy in recent years, for single-micron and sub-micron […]
Ball screw standards: What you need to know about DIN, ISO, and JIS
If you’re involved in ball screw sizing or selection, you’ve probably noticed that there are several different standards that govern various aspects of ball screw design, from lead accuracy and load capacity to ball nut tolerances and rigidity. Fortunately, in many cases, these standards are in harmony and provide the same (or virtually equivalent) specifications. […]
Profiled rail accuracy: When accuracy class doesn’t tell the whole story
You’ve chosen a profiled rail and bearing for a high-precision application — machining, cutting, or metrology, for example. The bearing (aka carriage, or runner block) has good load capacity and rigidity, so it should provide long life and low deflection. But when you integrate the assembly into your application, you notice that the system doesn’t […]
What is sub-divisional error (SDE) in linear encoders?
To determine the position of a linear axis, an encoder read head travels along a scale and “reads” changes in light (for optical encoders) or magnetic field (for magnetic types). As the read head registers these changes, it produces sine and cosine signals that are shifted 90 degrees from each other (referred to as “quadrature […]
Selecting shafts for linear bearings: two things you need to know
In a round shaft linear bearing system, the shaft acts as the inner raceway of the bearing and plays a significant role in the wear and life of the system. Both recirculating and plain linear bearings can use a wide variety of shaft materials, depending on the application or environmental requirements. Shafts for recirculating linear […]
What is a gimbal and how is it used?
In simple terms, a gimbal is a pivoting platform that allows an object to rotate around one or more axes. They’re often found in photography and videography applications to stabilize cameras, as well as in navigation systems for ships. In these applications, two or more gimbals are mounted together with orthogonal axes (axes mounted 90 […]
How do roller pillow blocks compare with traditional round shaft bearings?
Round shaft guides are typically used with plain (composite, plastic, or bronze) or recirculating ball style linear bearings. But another type of round shaft bearing — referred to as a roller block or roller pillow block — offers better stiffness than plain bearings and higher speed capabilities than recirculating ball types. Instead of balls, a […]
What are roller chain wear indicators?
Rollers chains, as a mechanical power transmission method, and like any mechanical system, are subject to wear over time and with continued use. Just how much it wears depends on a number of factors including whether or not the chain is properly lubricated and the amount of loading, among other things. So how does one […]
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