January 22, 2013 Volume 09 Issue 03

Motion Control News & Products

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Robot has longest reach in Mitsubishi's low-cost series

The MELFA RV-12CRL vertically articulated robot has the longest reach of any robot in Mitsubishi Electric's low-cost robot series: 1,504 mm (59.2 in.). With a 12-kg (26.4-lb) payload capacity, this unit is an ideal candidate for machine tending, case packing, and pick-and-place applications. Built-in features provide enhanced safety, streamlined implementation, and an overall reduction in downtime. Features internal cables and air hoses for end-of-arm tooling.
Learn more.


Servomotors for food, beverage, pharma, more

Siemens' new stainless steel SIMOTICS S-1FS2 line of servomotors has been designed for the clean condition requirements of the food, beverage, sterile packaging, pharma, and other process industries. These motors are highly resistant to corrosion and acidic chemicals and are offered in a variety of power ratings, from 0.45 to 2 kW (0.60 to 2.68 hp) with torque from 3.1 to 14 Nm (2.28 to 10.32 ft-lb). Features include high dynamics due to low inherent inertia, high overload capacity for pick-and-place, and precise movement of heavy loads. Easy installation and cleaning. Compatible with the SINAMICS S210 drive system.
Learn more.


What is Sensorless Closed Loop? Precise motor control without an encoder

Matt Sherman, eMobility Sales and Application Engineer at KEB America, runs through different options to drive an AC motor, including one called "Sensorless Closed Loop" that does not require additional hardware such as encoder, resolver, or cables on the motor.
Read this informative KEB America blog.


All about magnetic rotary encoder

The precision and reliability offered by modern rotary encoders are essential in many product categories. These include robotics, machine tools, printing presses, motion control systems, medical equipment, aerospace, gaming and entertainment, and automotive. Learn all about magnetic rotary encoders -- and important developments in the technology's future.
Read the full Avnet article.


High-force actuator line expanded with new models

Tolomatic has introduced five new products in its RSX line of high-force actuators to meet a wider range of industrial applications. These five sizes expand the RSX's capabilities to include forces up to 66,000 lbf (294 kN). RSX actuators, which feature high-precision planetary roller or ball screws for longer life in harsh environments, enable the easy replacement of traditional hydraulics to eliminate leaks and improve system performance.
Learn more.


What's a motion-amplified piezoelectric actuator -- and what can it do for you?

Piezoelectric motion components are highly valued for their fast response times, capable of dynamic movements at frequencies reaching several kHz, and delivering motion resolution down to the sub-nanometer level. Learn why amplified piezo actuators have the edge over traditional piezo stack actuators.
Read the full article.


How to maximize and optimize stepper motor control

Engineers from Performance Motion Devices take a comprehensive look at how to control two-phase stepper motors, beginning with the basics (operations, strengths and weaknesses) and moving on to traditional and updated advanced techniques for control including closed loop. A very thorough presentation.
Read this informative Performance Motion Devices article.


Ergoswiss table lifting systems from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added the new SQ series table lifting systems from Ergoswiss. These lifting systems use electrically driven columns that allow the operator to reposition the height of a worktable, conveyor, etc. to meet specific requirements. In doing so, the operator can perform their tasks in a more comfortable working posture, helping to reduce work-related injuries. These systems are all electric (no hydraulic mess or manual hand cranks), and each lifting column features a housed motor and screw drive to perform the needed height adjustments.
Learn more.


Compact linear voice coil servo motor with built-in shaft and bearing

The GVCM-032-025-02M Linear Voice Coil Servo Motor is the first of a new series of non-commutated, brushless linear servo motors from Moticont. This clean and quiet unit has a 12.7-mm stroke with built-in shaft and bearing, a continuous high-force-to-size ratio of 9.3 N (2.1 lb), and 29.3 N (6.6 lb) of peak force at a 10% duty cycle. Features include: high reliability, high speed, zero cogging, high acceleration/deceleration, and, when used in a servo loop, very high accuracy and repeatability. An ideal choice for: haptic feedback, medical devices, laser machining and drilling, work holding and clamping, scanners, optical focusing, testing, sorting, and assembly.
Learn more.


Optical rotary encoders: Close the stepper motor linear actuator feedback loop

With the help of a motion controller and a stepper driver, all stepper motor linear actuators can be programmed to position a load to a precise location. However, standard configurations do not provide a feedback mechanism that tells the operator whether the move is completed or not. Adding an encoder can be an effective and simple solution to get real-time motion feedback about your application.
Read this informative Thomson article.


Overhead conveyor drives for automotive, food processing

Overhead conveyor drives from NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS are engineered with long-lasting performance and durability in mind. They feature high-quality components, heavy-duty construction, and an output mounting flange and shaft for easy drop-in replacement of industry-standard footprints. They are an ideal solution for meat and poultry processing, automotive assembly, and other manufacturing systems where utilization of vertical space is required. Lots of options and many more features.
Learn more.


New micro motor controller elevates precision, speed, and torque management

maxon, a leader in DC motor and drive solutions, has unveiled its latest innovation: the ESCON 2 controller. This advanced speed and current controller, designed for micro motors, significantly enhances control precision. The ESCON 2, suitable for brushed and brushless DC motors up to 1,800 W continuous duty, is engineered for seamless OEM integration into customer systems. Enhanced control features include field-oriented control (FOC), acceleration, and velocity feed-forward capabilities. Supports 4-quadrant operation. Lots more features. Available from Electromate.
Learn more and get all the specs.


Next-gen motor for pump and fan applications

The next evolution of the award-winning Aircore EC motor from Infinitum is a high-efficiency system designed to power commercial and industrial applications such as HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and reduced waste. It features an integrated variable frequency drive and delivers upward of 93% system efficiency, as well as class-leading power and torque density in a low-footprint package that is 20% lighter than the previous version. Four sizes available.
Learn more.


Deep learning-based part detection for machine tending cobots: Universal Robots at IMTS

Universal Robots, the pioneer of collaborative robotics, is set to unveil a new AI-powered machine tending solution at IMTS, enabling faster batch changeovers by eliminating the need for fixtures. Additionally, the company will showcase advanced cobot applications for welding, finishing, part feeding, and laser marking. Lots of useful tech here.
Read the full article.


Why air bearings are used to test satellites

The number of active satellites in space keeps growing, with more than 10,000 active satellites orbiting our planet. Commercial and academic institutions developing these satellites continuously work on improved test systems and methodologies to fully validate their hardware before launch. Learn why PI's 3-DOF spherical air bearing systems are an important part of this process.
Read the full article.


Army developing next-generation surveillance aircraft

By Kris Osborn, ASA (ALT)

Army scientists, engineers, and program developers are making substantial progress building and integrating a technically sophisticated battlefield surveillance aircraft called Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System in a laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, service officials said.

Artist's rendering of the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System now under development.

 

 

The initial task, now underway at Aberdeen's Joint Test and Integration Facility, is aimed at engineering and integrating an Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System or EMARSS, fuselage with cameras, sensors, software, antennas, intelligence databases, and electronic equipment so that the Army can deliver four Engineering Manufacturing Development aircraft to Afghanistan as part of a forward assessment of the capabilities, said Raymond Santiago, deputy product manager, Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance Systems.

"An EMARSS Forward Operational Assessment will place this system in the hands of our Soldiers, allowing them to inform an assessment as to whether the system meets the approved requirements. We will get to see the system being used to gather real-world data in a combat environment, with a high optempo. This will help us refine and establish the architecture for the platform," an Army acquisition official explained.

The Army plans to complete the EMARSS EMD Phase with a minimum of four aircraft systems. Overall, the EMD contract has options to procure two additional EMD systems and four to six Low Rate Initial Production systems.

Plans for the EMARSS aircraft include efforts to engineer a surveillance aircraft with a wide range of vital combat-relevant capabilities, such as the ability to quickly gather, integrate, and disseminate intelligence information of great value to warfighters in real time; it is being built to do this with an integrated suite of cameras, sensors, communications, and signals intelligence-gathering technologies and a data-link with ground-based intelligence databases allowing it to organize and communicate information of great relevance to a commander's area of responsibility, Santiago explained.

The work at the JTIF laboratory, involving a significant development and integration-related collaborative effort with Army and industry engineers, is aimed at reducing risk through rapid prototyping and software and sensor integration. The EMARSS fuselage in the laboratory is a built-to-specification model of a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350, Santiago said.

"The laboratory gives us the flexibility to try things out with the fuselage. This helps us with how we configure the equipment," Santiago added.

A key aim of the effort is to engineer and configure a modular aircraft designed with "open architecture" and a plug-and-play capability, allowing it to successfully integrate and function effectively with a variety of different sensor payloads, software packages, and electronic equipment, he said.

"We want to build one bird with as many common capability packages on it as well as a full-motion video camera. We want it to be sensor agnostic," Santiago said.

For example, the EMARSS aircraft is being configured to integrate a range of sensor packages such as Electro-Optical/Infrared cameras, MX-15 full-motion video cameras, and an imaging sensor technology known as Wide Area Surveillance System able to identify and produce images spanning over a given area of terrain, Army acquisition officials explained.

The EMARSS capability is unique in that it is engineered with a data-link connecting the aircraft to the Army's ground-based intelligence database called Distributed Common Ground System - Army. DCGS-A is a comprehensive integrated intelligence data repository, able to compile, organize, display, and distribute information from more than 500 data sources; DCGS-A incorporates data from a wide array of sensors, including space-based sensors, geospatial information and signal and human intelligence sources. By having a data-link with information from the ground-bases DCGS-A, flight crews on board EMARSS will be able to use display screens and on-board electronics to receive and view intelligence information in real-time pertaining to their area of operations.

"As they are flying over an area, the EMARSS crew is able to immediately pick up the latest information from what other nearby intelligence assets are picking up. They can immediately get results from DCGS-A and see it on their display screens. Intelligence experts on the ground are doing analysis, and they can send relevant information back up to the aircraft," Santiago explained.

Also, EMARSS' plug-and-play, open architecture framework is being engineered so that the aircraft could potentially accommodate certain radar imaging technologies in the future, such as Ground Moving Target Indicator, a radar imaging technology able to detect moving vehicles and Synthetic Aperture Radar, a radar system able to paint an image or picture of the ground showing terrain, elevation, and nearby structures, Santiago said.

Given that all the sensors, antennas, cameras, and electronics are designed to operate within a common architecture, one possibility is to strategically disperse various sensor capabilities across a fleet of several EMARSS aircraft, thus maximizing the ability to gather and distribute relevant intelligence information, Santiago explained.

The Army Training and Doctrine Capability Manager for Intelligence Sensors (TCM Intel Sensors) is also working on the Capabilities Production Document which, according to plans, will eventually be submitted to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council before the EMARSS program can achieve a Milestone C production decision paving the way for limited rate initial production of the system in FY 13, Army acquisition officials explained.

Published January 2013

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