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Simplify pick and place with the THK PPR

THK's Pick-and-Place Robot PPR is a robot that can pick up delicate or minute workpieces such as electronic components and quickly and accurately transfer and assemble them to the base. In addition to the basic movements of raising, lowering, and rotating, various sensors (such as a force sensor), solenoid valves, and controller are all in one unit. The PPR is a process-optimized robot that can improve the production speed of the parts assembly processes and reduce work damage.
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New ROBOMACHINE products and more from FANUC

FANUC America demonstrated the future of manufacturing at IMTS 2026 last week, showcasing how Physical AI-powered automation integrates advanced CNC, machining, and robotics to boost productivity and speed deployment. One highlight was the debut of the ROBODRILL DC Series machining centers -- including the high-speed D54CS and D74CS models -- alongside interactive demonstrations featuring collaborative robots, robotic welding, material joining, painting, and assembly technology.
See all the FANUC new tech featured at IMTS.

What is a stick-slip bi-phase positioning stage?

PI (Physik Instrumente) is expanding its Bi-Phase Inertia Drive (BIX) technology with new motor architectures for compact, high-precision nanopositioning applications. Based on the piezo stick-slip principle, BIX stages replace conventional single actuators with two synchronized multilayer piezo actuators. This compact design delivers precise, repeatable motion while maintaining piezo inertia self-locking.
Learn more about this technology.

Universal Robots unveils Gen 7 robot platform!

Redesigned from controller to tool flange, the new Gen 7 robot platform is out-of-the-box AI-ready, giving companies the modern software tools and next-level connectivity they need to confidently take AI from the lab into industrial operations. Gen 7 represents a unified system upgrade designed to make even the most demanding tasks and setups easier. See all the new features -- they are significant.
Read the full article.

Adaptor mount and hub options provide flexibility

Zero-Max's new CD Power-Series Flexible Shaft Couplings feature ISO Flange Adaptors matching ISO 9409-1 patterns on gear reducers and robotics. Eliminating custom transitions, this direct connection enhances torsional stiffness and positioning accuracy while saving space, weight, and inertia. Offering continuous torque up to 65,000 in.-lb and versatile hub options, these compact couplings deliver high power density.
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Top-shelf motors: Completely revised maxon catalog

maxon has completely overhauled its 2026/2027 catalog, streamlining its portfolio to reduce complexity and improve navigation. The new structure features dedicated sections for business units -- Medical, Aerospace, Industrial Automation, Mobility -- and specialized fields like Robotics and Space. Key product highlights include new ECX PRIME and ECX FLAT motors, GSW planetary gearheads, and ESCON2/EPOS4 controllers.
Learn more and check it out.

Custom stators, rotors, and motor assemblies for low- to mid-volume applications

Arnold's Ramco Electric Motors is your single partner for custom motor components and complete assemblies. Ramco builds solutions for AC induction, switched reluctance, and brushless DC designs up to 200+ HP. Capabilities include custom stators, rotor-shaft assemblies, aluminum and copper casting, induction brazing, permanent magnet assembly, and precision rotor balancing.
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Rotate robot arms more than 600 degrees

The unsupported twisterchain^® from igus eliminates the need for additional trough systems or guide plates in robotic applications, especially in palletizing. This results in a clean, efficient, and space-saving system architecture that delivers both technical and economic advantages. Thanks to its specialized design, it supports rotations of over 600 degrees.
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Match the torque of rotary solenoids to your application

Magnetic Sensor Systems has launched the Made in USA R-10-200-CWM Series of clockwise rotary solenoids. Measuring 2.00 in. in diameter and 1.04 in. long with 18 different AWG options and a serrated front shaft end, these compact units optimize torque, current, and duty cycle. When power is removed, an integral return spring automatically returns the shaft to its home position. The shaft is supported by two high-precision radial ball bearings, providing smooth operation with no axial play. Applications include medical, security, and office equipment.
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Planetary servo gear unit: New economy series

SEW-EURODRIVE has expanded its PxG planetary servo gear unit portfolio with the new PxG economy series, introducing the P1.G, P2.G, and P3.G performance classes. Designed for standard industrial automation applications like packaging and material handling, these cost-effective units feature peak torque ratings from 11 to 500 Nm and over 20,000 hours of service life, helping machine builders eliminate unnecessary over-specification.
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Compact hexapod 6-DOF alignment system has overload protection

PI's compact H-811.I2HS hexapod delivers precise 6-DOF motion with patented overload protection, simplifying setup and operation in OEM applications. This built-in protection safeguards precision mechanics during installation and integration against accidental forces or improper handling. Furthermore, the hexapod mounts in any orientation, granting system designers exceptional flexibility for optical, photonics, microscopy, metrology, and automation systems.
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What is STUDROLLER technology? Cross Roller Guides

NB SLIDE WAY cross roller guides use precision rollers to provide stable, non-recirculating linear motions in precision stages, inspection equipment, semiconductor manufacturing, and more. At the heart of all NB cross roller bearings is the STUDROLLER mechanism, which eliminates the cage-creep phenomenon that, over time, can create deviances in cross roller retainer performance. NB cross roller guides equipped with this system are more accurate and better performing than any other comparable products on the market today. High acceleration and faster cycle times are possible in any orientation.
View the video.

Ruggedized Nano servo drives for harsh environs

Copley Controls has released its R47 and R48 NanoPlus Micro Module servo drives. Designed for extreme environments and space-constrained applications, these rugged platforms operate from 9 to 180 VDC, delivering peak power up to 6.3 kW. Offering CANopen (R47) or EtherCAT (R48) communications, both feature STO SIL 3 safety and broad encoder support. Well suited for COTS military, nautical, aviation, oil refining, and vehicle-based systems.
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Simplify AC motor control with the new OMRON M1 Inverter

The OMRON M1 Inverter simplifies machine design by unifying motion, safety, networking, and motor control into a single platform. Available in M1-STD, M1-ECT, and M1-EMP models, it controls IM and PM motors with high precision. Featuring SIL3 PLe STO safety and native EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, or RS-485 communications, the M1 accelerates development within the Sysmac environment.
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Flexible planetary gearheads: Quiet, extremely robust

FAULHABER GPT gearheads for miniature and micro motors deliver high power density, exceptional flexibility, and excellent cost efficiency. Designed for seamless integration with diverse motors and encoders, these compact planetary drives feature hardened stainless steel components that reliably withstand extreme torques and abrupt load changes. Offered in standard, low-noise, and high-torque variants, they ensure precise, durable performance across wide operating temperature ranges.
Learn more.

Bye bye hydrazine: Powerful 'green' spacecraft fuel will propel a mission in 2015

By Robert P. White, Air Force Office of Scientific Research

In 2015, NASA, for the first time, will fly a space mission using a radically different propellant -- one that has reduced toxicity and is environmentally benign. This energetic ionic liquid, or EIL, is quite different from the historically employed hydrazine-based propellant, which was first used as a rocket fuel during World War II for the Messerschmitt Me 163B (the first rocket-powered fighter plane).

Within the U.S. space program, hydrazine was used on the 1970s Viking Mars program, and more recently in the Phoenix lander and Curiosity rover Mars missions, as well as in the Space Shuttle's auxiliary power units. Significantly, monopropellant hydrazine-fueled rocket engines are the norm in controlling the terminal descent of spacecraft. What makes hydrazine desirable as a propellant for this terminal descent role is that, when combined with various catalysts, the result is an extremely exothermic reaction that releases significant heat in a very short time, producing energy in the form of large volumes of hot gas from a relatively small volume of hydrazine liquid.

Unfortunately, hydrazine has several significant drawbacks: It is very toxic when inhaled, corrosive on contact with skin, hazardously flammable, and falls short in providing the propulsive power required for future spacecraft systems. In 1998, driven by these challenges, Dr. Michael Berman, a program manager at the Arlington, Va.-based Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the basic research arm of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), funded Dr. Tom Hawkins of the Propellants Branch, Rocket Propulsion Division at AFRL's Aerospace Systems Directorate, to find a more benign, yet even more powerful material to replace hydrazine.

This research effort was ultimately associated with a joint government and industry development program, the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) initiative, to improve U.S. rocket propulsion systems. IHPRPT challenged the Department of Defense, the National Air and Space Administration, and the rocket propulsion industry to double U.S. rocket propulsion capability (cost and performance) by 2010. Beginning in 1996, this IHPRPT challenge meant the development of propellants that would provide far greater energy density than current state-of-the-art propellants.

Hawkins' interest in EILs began early on in his career beginning at Lehigh University when he worked on advanced propellants for the Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s. Knowing the untapped potential of ionic liquids to provide high-energy-density materials, he embarked on an effort to design and characterize the EIL family. This effort was funded by AFOSR and continues to the present day.

"We were on the right track [in 2002] when we produced an ionic liquid monopropellant that incorporated an EIL that was investigated under our AFOSR program," said Hawkins. "This propellant class, known as AF-M315, has an energy density close to twice that of the state-of-the-art spacecraft monopropellant, hydrazine."

With additional support from the IHPRPT program, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and related USAF missile programs, a full characterization of one of these new propellants, AF-M315E, was investigated for its overall safety and hazard properties. According to Hawkins, these safety properties, coupled with the performance of AF-M315E, were "... absolutely outstanding; we found the oral toxicity of AF-M315E to be less than that of caffeine, and its vapor toxicity to be negligible. The vapor flammability of AF-M315E was essentially nil, and this made it difficult to unexpectedly ignite and sustain combustion of AF-M315E -- one could even put out small fires with the propellant!"

Combustion using AF-M315E does require a higher temperature, though, compared to hydrazine.

In 2005, NASA took a keen interest in this very promising alternative to hydrazine and performed further evaluations. Follow-on work performed by Aerojet, Inc. brought AF-M315E engine design to a level that was very attractive for a technology transition to the commercial sector. But for that to occur, it was necessary to find a champion to sponsor the flight demonstration that would make AF-M315E spacecraft propulsion an "off-the-shelf" choice for future propulsion systems. NASA became that champion in 2012 with their selection of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation as the lead integrator for the Green Propellant Infusion Mission -- a $45 million program that will produce new AF-M315E-based thrusters for NASA's 2015 spacecraft mission. Additional program team members consist of the AFRL, Aerojet, the Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center, and the NASA/Glenn Research Center.

The field of energetic ionic liquids is the product of AFOSR-sponsored research at AFRL that is changing the landscape of work in the energetic materials community.

"The AFOSR-funded program provided the synthesis and characterization work for an EIL that enabled the experimental USAF fuel, AF-M315E, to act as a high-energy-density, environmentally benign, easy-to-handle replacement for spacecraft hydrazine fuel," said Hawkins.

Hawkins also noted that 20 years is a well-recognized time period for producing such a revolutionary propellant approach and propulsion system due to the fact that the EIL approach to liquid propulsion is completely different than that of hydrazine, and, most significantly, the performance potentials of EIL-based propellants are not small incremental improvements, but significantly larger than any state-of-the-art propellant. As EIL-based propellants are developed, they will provide lower-cost and safer propulsion system operations along with greater mission flexibility and faster mission response times.

Published May 2013

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