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You need motion control components? HIWIN has them in stock

Many models of ballsplines, rolled ballscrews PLUS supports, linear guideways, crossed roller bearings and stages are in stock at our Chicago factory, where HIWIN can cut and machine to our spec or yours. Fast shipment to meet applications in machine tool, medical, lab, packaging, metal fab, semicon and advanced high-precision automation equipment.
Learn more.

Application: Cylinders for hydraulic presses

According to Parker Hannifin, "The cylinders in your hydraulic press not only control the force being produced but also the speed at which the press can move and the overall efficiency of the machine." Explore the application of cylinders for hydraulic presses in this insightful blog post, and learn about cylinder types, installation considerations, interfaces, and materials.
Read this informative Parker blog.

FANUC America demonstrates automated welding

FANUC's easy-to-use CRX-25iA welding cobot, which now offers a 30-kg payload and 1,889-mm reach, will demonstrate welding joints on a mower deck at FABTECH this week. Attendees can teach the system using hand guidance or the Tablet TP interface with drag-and-drop icons. See FANUC at Booth B-27015. Automated coating solutions will also be on display.
Learn more -- especially if you cannot attend FABTECH.

Robotics brings peak precision to metal fabrication

Stäubli Robotics designs solutions for real-world pain points, and metal fabrication shops and manufacturers have their share: labor shortages, higher material costs due to supply chain issues, and the need for higher output and shorter cycle times. Learn about Stäubli Robotics' latest offerings at FABTECH in booth B15021, including meticulous 3D laser cutting using the TX2-160L HDP (high dynamic precision) robot, a gamechanger in automotive, metal, and other manufacturing plants tasked with laser cutting of complex parts.
Learn more.

UR20 cobot makes its welding debut at FABTECH -- plasma cutting and weld grinding demos too

Universal Robots' larger, much-anticipated new UR20 cobot is ready to generate sparks at FABTECH this week, North America's biggest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event, taking place Sept. 11-14 in Chicago. UR and its partners will demonstrate the UR20 Cobot Welder along with a rotary welding positioner, AI that recommends welding and cutting parameters, CNC parts feeders, and more.
Read the full article.

200,000 roboticists trained and counting: Universal Robots Academy

Universal Robots, the leading collaborative robot (cobot) company, has offered robotics training to customers and others with an interest in collaborative robots. After having grown increasingly popular in the past years and with 119 onsite training centers across the globe, more than 200,000 robotics enthusiasts have joined the Universal Robots Academy.
Read the full article.

Replace hydraulics with heavy-duty electric actuators

Thomson has introduced a high-capacity, high-performance electric linear actuator that gives motion system designers more cost-effective options to replace hydraulic cylinders. Among the many new features of the Thomson Electrak XD linear actuator is load handling up to 25,000 N (5,000 lb), depending on configuration, for a combined power output of more than 450 W. The Electrak XD can also achieve operating speeds up to 75 mm/sec (3 in./sec) and duty cycles up to 100%.
Learn more.

See NORD's innovative and reliable packaging solutions at PACK EXPO 2023

NORD provides complete drive solutions for the entire packaging process from filling and sealing machines to palletizing and wrapping systems in end-of-the-line packaging. See what NORD has to offer at PACK EXPO in Las Vegas Sept. 11-13, 2023, including: IE5+ Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, DuoDrive Integrated Gear Unit and Motor, NORDAC ON/ON+ Variable Frequency Drives, Condition Monitoring for Predictive Maintenance, a Sealed Surface Conversion System, and much more.
Learn more.

Mini motors and drive systems on-demand webinars: Chock full of informative details

Faulhaber has made available a comprehensive library of on-demand webinars all about its miniature motors and drive systems. Each presentation is full of product details, technology overviews, selection help, design tips and tricks, and application examples. Topics include: stepper motors, brushless motors, DC motors, linear motors, encoders, gearheads, motion controllers, and more. Filled with useful information.
View the Faulhaber webinar library page.

Clutches and brakes for electric outdoor mobile equipment

As OEMs and drive train manufacturers work to bring emerging technology to life, they are partnering with Warner Electric engineers and electrification specialists on electromagnetic braking solutions for electric riding mowers, UTVs, ZTRs, and more. Lots of options, including enclosed and low-profile Spring Applied Emergency and Parking Brakes -- some even feature regenerative braking.
Learn more.

Ball screws or belt-driven actuators? How to choose

Two of the most common components for a linear actuator are ball screw systems and belt and pulley assemblies. There are benefits and limitations to these components, so choosing the right component comes down to the specifications needed for the application. Carlicia Layosa, Marketing Automation Manager at MISUMI, runs through some benefits and drawbacks of each technology.
Read this informative MISUMI blog.

Telescoping linear actuators for space-constrained applications

Rollon's new TLS Series of telescoping linear actuators enable long stroke lengths with minimal closed lengths, which is especially good for applications with minimal vertical clearance, such as between the machine and ceiling or horizontally between machines. These actuators integrate seamlessly into multi-axis systems and are available in two- or three-stage versions. Equipped with a built-in automated lubrication system, the TLS Series features a synchronized drive system, requiring only a single motor to achieve motion. Four sizes (100, 230, 280, and 360) with up to 3,000-mm stroke length.
Learn more.

New machine tending tech launched by Mitsubishi Electric Automation

Designed for easy setup and use, Mitsubishi Electric's LoadMate Plus machine tending solutions provide manufacturers with an answer to labor shortage challenges while improving productivity and lowering operating costs.
Read the full article.

Potentiometer with extremely low torque requirement

Novotechnik, U.S. has just announced the P2200 potentiometer that operates with an extremely low torque requirement of 0.003 Ncm. This rotary position sensor is well suited for applications where the system to be measured can be affected by the torque requirements of the sensor. It offers a precision conductive plastic potentiometer in a servo size 11 housing with stainless steel bearing and a life of 100 million movements.
Learn more.

Mitsubishi to debut new 3D bin-picking robots

Join Mitsubishi Electric Automation at PACK EXPO 2023 in the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 11-13 for a first look at a new 3D Bin-Picking robot demo, perfect for automating packaging processes. Also learn how the combination of 3D vision for robotic guidance, dynamic path planning, and collision avoidance can work together to increase throughput and reduce the footprint needed to deploy Mitsubishi Electric robots. Lots more to see and discover.
Learn more.

Iowa State engineers study the benefits of adding a second, smaller rotor to wind turbines

Iowa State aerospace engineers Anupam Sharma (left) and Hui Hu are working to improve the performance of wind turbines and wind farms. [Photo by Christopher Gannon]

 

 

Hui Hu picked up a 3D-printed model of a typical wind turbine and began explaining two problems with the big, tall, three-bladed machines.

First, said the Iowa State University professor of aerospace engineering, check out the base of each blade. They're big, round structural pieces. They're not shaped like an airfoil. And so they don't harvest any wind, reducing a turbine's energy harvest by about 5 percent.

Second, the big blades disturb the wind, creating a wake behind them and reducing the energy harvest of any downwind turbines. Hu said a turbine sitting in the slipstream of another can lose 8 to 40 percent of its energy production, depending on conditions.

Those losses prompted Hu and Anupam Sharma, an Iowa State assistant professor of aerospace engineering, to look for a solution. Their data suggest they've found one.

Hu turned back to his wind turbine models: Look at these two, he said. See what we've done?

What they've done is add a smaller, secondary rotor. One model had three big blades and three mini-blades sprouting from the same hub. The other had a small, secondary rotor mounted in front of the big rotor, the two sets of blades separated by the nacelle that houses the generating machinery on top of the tower.

"To try to solve these problems, we put a small rotor on the turbine," Hu said. "And we found that with two rotors on the same tower, you get more energy."

Using lab tests and computer simulations, Hui and Sharma have found those extra blades can increase a wind farm's energy harvest by 18 percent.

"These are fairly mature technologies we're talking about -- a 10 to 20 percent increase is a large change," Sharma said.

The Iowa Energy Center awarded Hu and Sharma a one-year, $116,000 grant to launch their study of dual rotors. (The two won the energy center's 2014 Renewable Energy Impact Award for the rotor project.) The National Science Foundation is supporting continued studies with a three-year, $330,000 grant.

Hu is using experiments in Iowa State's Aerodynamic/Atmospheric Boundary Layer Wind and Gust Tunnel to study the dual-rotor idea. He's measuring power outputs and wind loads. He's also using technologies such as particle image velocimetry to measure and understand the flow physics of air as it passes through and behind a rotating turbine.

How, for example, is the wake distributed? Where are the whirling vortices? How could the wake be manipulated to pull down air and recharge the wind load?

Hu is being assisted by Wei Tian, a postdoctoral research associate, plus Zhenyu Wang and Anand Ozbay, doctoral students.

Sharma is using advanced computer simulations, including high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics analysis and large eddy simulations, to find the best aerodynamic design for a dual-rotor turbine. Where, for example, should the second rotor be located? How big should it be? What kind of airfoil should it have? Should it rotate in the same direction as the main rotor or in the opposite direction?

This large eddy simulation shows air going through a dual-rotor wind turbine. (The three lines at the front are the blades of the main rotor; the secondary rotor is embedded in the ring near the center.) By tailoring the rotation and turbulence behind the turbine, Iowa State engineers say the dual rotors can boost the recharge of wind loads. And that can improve the energy harvest of wind farms. [Image courtesy: Anupam Sharma].

 

 

 

 

Sharma is being assisted by two doctoral students, Aaron Rosenberg and Behnam Moghadassian.

Hu said Sharma's computer modeling will drive the design of the next generation of experimental models he'll take back to the wind tunnel.

"We hope to get even better performance," Hu said.

The idea to look for better performance by adding a second rotor to wind turbines came from a previous study. Hu and his research group used wind tunnel tests to see how hills, valleys, and the placement of turbines affected the productivity of onshore wind farms.

One thing they learned was that a turbine on flat ground in the wake of another turbine loses a lot of power production. And that presented Hu and his collaborators with another problem to study.

"When we study more, we learn more," Hu said. "And therefore we find more problems. In research, the most difficult thing is not solving the problem, it's finding the problem."

Source: Iowa State University

Published April 2015

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