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New Exlar food-grade actuator

Curtiss-Wright's Actuation Division has expanded its Exlar line with hygienic electric actuators using FDA-approved materials and finishes. Designed for food, beverage, packaging, and pharmaceutical automation, the new GTF unit enables economical USDA, 3-A, BISSC, and EHEDG certification. Its IP69K washdown option, inverted roller screw, and compact servo-driven design deliver reliable, high-performance motion for hygienic machinery.
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New Texas conveyor system is 42 miles long!

SEW-EURODRIVE is helping power one of the most ambitious bulk material handling projects in North America through its contribution to the Dune Express conveyor system, a record-setting 42-mile single-flight conveyor across the Permian Basin.
Read the full article.

Compact servo drives for harsh environs

Built on Copley's proven NanoPlus platform, the compact, 1.2-oz R-Series Nano servo drives withstand extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, and humidity. Available in R47 (CANopen) and R48 (EtherCAT) models, they suit space-constrained, harsh environments such as mil/aero robotics and gimbals. This commercial off-the-shelf series provides a hardened option without defense-specific development lead times.
Learn more from Copley Controls.

Hybrid actuator with force up to 14,726 lb

Kyntronics' new all-electric HyCore hybrid actuator is a compact, low-cost alternative to traditional hydraulic, pneumatic, and electro-mechanical systems. Engineered for OEMs, it delivers up to 14,726 lb of force. The self-contained design eliminates leaks and wear, providing precise control, shock-load tolerance, and high efficiency. It simplifies integration and lowers operating costs for mobile equipment, packaging, assembly automation, and more.
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SDP/SI motion products: Best sellers

SDP/SI's best sellers aren't just popular -- they're proven. These are the motion components their customers return to time and again for precision, reliability, and unbeatable value. From belts and pulleys to gears, bearings, and couplings, each product has earned its place through consistent performance in real-world applications.
Learn more and see the full products list.

Automated part grinding and finishing in one unit!

Grinding large fabrications is a classic dull, dirty, and dangerous task perfectly suited for automation, yet traditional setups require multiple costly robots. At Automate 2026, Güdel debuted a single-robot solution that utilizes two extra degrees of freedom to finish massive surfaces without complex part repositioning.
Read the full article.

Rockford RBS ball screws and nuts now available

Automation-Direct now offers US-manufactured RBS ball screws and nuts for precise linear motion in OEM and maintenance applications. Achieving over 90% efficiency, they feature low friction, high accuracy, and minimal wear. Available in various diameters, lengths, and leads, these precision-matched components handle axial loads with minimal backlash, providing a dependable solution that reduces maintenance and extends operational life. Great prices too.
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Next-gen conveyor transports 3,000-kg payloads

Building on its established portfolio of twin-strand conveyors that are currently used in a variety of industry verticals, Bosch Rexroth is introducing the TS 7plus transfer system, which is the world's first freely configurable, fully electric conveyance solution to workpieces weighing up to 3,000 kg. TS 7plus transports material via conveyor rollers on freely configurable modular sections with lift/transverse, rotary, and positioning units, as well as stop gates. Great for automotive, battery, aerospace/defense, and more.
Learn more.

Next-generation air bearing linear slide

The A-123 noncontact nanoposi-tioning stage integrates a brushless motor, air bearings, and a 1-nm encoder, supporting 40-kg payloads over 750-mm travel. Its pressurized air film eliminates the friction, wear, and vibration of mechanical stages, ensuring zero particle generation. Customizable with options such as granite bases and isolation systems, it is ideal for semiconductor metrology, inspection, photonics, and more.
Learn more.

How to implement redundancy in stepper motors

Some of the recent research activities in the area of electric motor drives for safety-critical applications (such as aerospace and nuclear power plants) are focused on looking at various fault-tolerant motor and drive topologies. After discussing different solutions, this article focuses on a miniature permanent magnet (PM) stepper motor design that provides increased redundancy.
Read this informative FAULHABER article.

Teradyne Robotics unveils a multitude of deployable AI applications at Automate 2026

Teradyne Robotics, the company behind Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), will demonstrate how physical AI is transforming industrial automation at Automate 2026 in Chicago, June 22-25 at booth #1250. The demos presented are real, deployable, and ready for purchase. They include assembly, pick-and-place, palletizing, mobile robots, and more. A lot of good new offerings here. Check it out.
Read the full article.

Affordable nanometer-level precision focus stage

Zaber Technologies has launched the DMA Objective Focus Stage, a compact, linear motor solution for microscope OEMs. Starting at $4,500 with an integrated controller, it offers 50-nm repeatability and sub-15-ms settling times -- matching piezo precision at one-third the cost. Featuring plug-and-play architecture, a developer-friendly API, and a tiny footprint, it accelerates high-throughput workflows like spatial biology and digital pathology.
Learn more.

How Ford automated a moving EV assembly line with vision-guided robots: Inbolt case study

Automating moving assembly lines is highly challenging. At Ford's Cologne Electric Vehicle Center in Germany, applying pressure to water shields on vehicle bodies required following a precise path on unsynchronized, continuously moving vehicle carriers. To automate this, Ford deployed two Universal Robots cobots equipped with Inbolt 3D cameras. Using real-time vision guidance, the robots track vehicle positions and adapt on the fly. The result? Near-zero repairs, reliable moving-line automation, and new possibilities for tasks like tightening operations.
View the video.

Inbolt launches vision-enabled Robot Programming, closing the loop from CAD to factory floor

Inbolt is launching two new capabilities that complete the company's AI Vision Model for robot guidance at Automate 2026 in Chicago, June 22-25. With Robot Programming and Robot Control, Inbolt covers the full path from virtual commissioning to adaptive robot motion control, for stationary and moving-line applications. It's one platform from perception to motion -- on the robots manufacturers already own.
Read the full article.

Top Tech Tip: How to specify electric rod-style actuators for optimal performance, reliability, and efficiency

The engineers at Tolomatic provide their Top 10 Tips for specifying electric rod-style actuators, which have a higher initial cost, more advanced design, and more predictable performance compared to fluid power cylinders. This is a really thorough presentation filled with useful information.
Read the full article.

Students build modular electric city car you can repair yourself

The TU/ecomotive student team with their ARIA modular electric car. [Credit: Photo by Sarp Güre/Courtesy ofTU/ecomotive]

 

 

In a bid to challenge the automotive industry and European policymakers, a team of university students in the Netherlands has designed and built a small electric car (EV) that can be easily repaired so owners are not dependent on a car manufacturer for minor fixes.

The ARIA electric city car was created by students at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/ecomotive). The key lies in the construction: ARIA consists of separate components such as the battery, body panels, and electronic elements in the interior. If something breaks, the user only replaces the faulty part. With clear manuals, standardized components, a built-in toolbox, and an app that reads out the car's status, owners/users can perform maintenance themselves.

One notable design feature is the battery pack. Whereas regular EVs have one large, heavy battery, ARIA uses six smaller modules that way about 12 kg each. Each can be detached by hand, and replacing one unit is almost as easy as replacing a battery in your remote control. Together, the six batteries provide a total capacity of 12.96 kWh.

The exterior is cleverly designed as well. Got a scratch or dent? Click the panel off and replace it within a few minutes. Remove a panel, and you instantly have access to the components behind it.

The ARIA modular EV was designed with many parts that are easily replaceable, including battery modules. [Credit: Photo by Sarp Güre/Courtesy ofTU/ecomotive]

 

 

With this design, the students want to significantly improve repair options for EVs, which they consider to be urgently needed, since electric cars are becoming increasingly difficult to repair. Batteries are often integrated into the chassis, parts are not standardized and are hard to obtain for independent garages. There is also a shortage of technicians specialized in electric drivetrains and battery systems, which makes repairs take longer and become more expensive. The result: Cars are potentially discarded faster than necessary.

"That undermines the sustainable image of the EV," says team manager Taco Olmer. With this new concept, TU/ecomotive responds to the European legislation passed last year that gives consumers the right to repair products more quickly, cheaply, and easily.

"The new European rules are a step forward, but they mainly focus on household appliances and consumer electronics," says Olmer. "EVs still fall through the cracks. With ARIA, we show what is possible and hope to encourage the EU to apply those rules to passenger cars as well. At the same time, we want to show the automotive industry that sustainable and practical design really is achievable. If we can build this within a year, there are opportunities for the industry."

TU/ecomotive supports the Right to Repair Europe coalition, a network of more than 180 organizations from 30 countries, ranging from environmental groups to companies in the repair sector. This coalition has long been advocating for better regulations to ensure that components in electric vehicles, including batteries, remain repairable and replaceable. This includes fair access to spare parts and software updates.

"Right to Repair is about giving control back to the user," says Olmer. "That's exactly what we are doing as well."

Source: Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/ecomotive)

Published December 2025.

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