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DURApulse GS30 AC Drives from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added new high-performance DURApulse GS30 drives that support several control modes including sensorless vector control, closed-loop flux vector control, and torque control in a compact package. The GS30 series expands the DURApulse family by adding internal tension control loop expanded parameter sets for greater versatility, as well as optional EtherCAT and single- or dual-port EtherNet/IP communication cards. GS30 drives support up to four independent induction motor parameter sets or control of a single AC permanent magnet motor. Sizes up to 3 hp for a 230-VAC single-phase input, 50 hp for a 230-VAC three-phase input, and 100 hp for a 460-VAC three-phase input. This series offers PID control, built-in PLC functionality, and STO capability typically found with more expensive high-performance AC drives.
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Power steering systems for warehouse and autonomous vehicles

Allied Motion has introduced the electric power steering (EPS) series for steer-by-wire warehouse vehicles, autonomous AGVs, and similar material transport vehicles. This compact system includes a fully integrated motor, gearbox, controller, and optional output pinion. It is available in three frame sizes and 16 models to cover virtually any electric steering requirement in applications from small pallet lifters to AGVs/AGCs to multi-ton reach trucks. An optional, patent-pending feature, Turning Wheel Absolute Position Control, allows the controller to know the turning wheel position without external sensors.
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New brushless motors maximize power density

Allied Motion Technologies has introduced the KinetiMax 95 High Power Drive (HPD), an outer-rotor brushless motor. This frameless motor is designed to maximize power density for its volume with a nominal output torque of 2 Nm at 2,300 RPM, resulting in 480 W of continuous output power. At only 37 mm axial length, this compact stator-rotor set is an ideal solution for applications such as material handling systems, AGVs, mobile robots, handheld power tools, and more.
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Compact rod motors: Effective linear thrust generation

RDM-A Series rod motors from Akribis Systems are great for space-constrained applications requiring high motor forces and smooth linear motion. These compact motors feature a tubular design to distribute magnetic flux evenly along the circumference of the stator. They achieve continuous forces from 2.1 to 137.8 N and peak forces from 6.2 to 413.4 N. An air gap between the coil and magnet track enables non-contact axial linear movement and steady force production over the length of the stroke, and ironless construction ensures cog-free motion.
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NORD's heavy-duty drive systems tackle tough industrial applications

Industrial gear units from NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS are used for a variety of heavy-duty applications, providing high output torques and long service life with minimal maintenance. Combining high-efficiency motors and dynamic VFDs, users get high performance and smooth operation. Learn which drive systems are used for which real-world applications in industries including grain, cranes and hoists, wastewater, food and beverage, and bulk material handling. Good info here.
Read the full article.

XYZ nanopositioning stage for scanning and positioning in photonics and microscopy

PI's P-616 XYZ Piezo Nanoposition-ing Stage, based on a parallel-kinematic design, features a single, lightweight moving platform for all three axes. It offers high precision (sub-nanometer resolution) and dynamics in a compact package. Known as the NanoCube^®, it is the smallest and lightest system with capacitive feedback, providing a 100-µm linear travel range in three degrees of freedom.
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Robot with longer reach handles heavier payloads

The new RV-35/50/80FR robot series from Mitsubishi Electric Automation is ideal for handling large workpieces and heavy objects. This series has a max reach of almost 83 in. (2,100 mm) and a max payload over 175 lb (80 kg), so it's a great solution for palletizing and machine tending. These robots have a wide range of safety functions, including position and speed monitoring, and simplified installation and programming when paired with Mitsubishi Electric's MELFA Smart Plus card.
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Linear servo press solutions from Tolomatic

Improve your pressing systems with electric linear actuators from Tolomatic. While hydraulic presses are a traditional choice in many manufacturing applications, a new generation of high-force Linear Servo Press technologies is now replacing high-maintenance hydraulics. They offer significant advantages in precision, programmability, energy efficiency, reliability, and flexibility.
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Tech Tip: What is a stepper motor linear actuator?

What is a stepper motor linear actuator (SMLA), what types are available, and what can they do for your linear motion designs? Find out in this informative Thomson video. Learn how precision lead screws can be combined with a stepper motor in a number of ways, and discover which type can benefit your linear motion applications.
View the video.

Brakes for high-speed SCARA robots and more

Precise positioning of semi-conductor wafers during SCARA assembly operations requires instantaneous braking and holding power while minimizing heat in the system. The latest compact and slender Miki Pulley BXR-LE brake models provide the needed, perfectly controlled braking in a confined area of the system using minimal power. The braking response and holding power of this power-off engaged brake makes it ideal for this and other high-speed applications. The BXR-LE brake uses 24 VDC for a split second to overcome compression spring inertia to open the brake, then consumes only 7 VDC by utilizing the BEM power control module.
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Automated piece-picking solution

The MI.RA/ OnePicker is a new and fully automated intelligent piece-picking solution from Comau. The easy-to-use, AI-backed, and collaborative solution reduces upstream process times, saving time, energy, and resources for warehouse, e-commerce, and other applications while increasing overall productivity and cost efficiency. Designed to autonomously pick miscellaneous objects from the same bin, it's a smart way to eliminate unsustainable sorting activities. Comes with Comau's Racer5 six-axis cobot.
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Unlock cost savings: Revolutionary GAM GPL Gearbox

The GPL planetary gearbox, when paired with your preferred servo motor, delivers a solution that can match the fit and performance of direct drive motors while offering significant cost savings. With <6 arcsec backlash, GAM says this gearbox outperforms all other zero-backlash gearboxes on the market, making it the ideal choice for your applications. Discover how one company realized significant savings by replacing multiple direct drive motors with the GPL gearbox in a modular housing.
Read the GAM application story.

Bosch Rexroth new linear motor modules

Fast, compact, and precise. These properties characterize the new linear motor modules (LMM) with integrated screw-free direct drive from Bosch Rexroth. The axes are available in sizes 140, 180, and 220 mm and feature a zero-backlash direct drive. They complement the existing linear motion technology portfolio as a ready-to-install solution offering excellent value for money. The linear motor modules are available in all sizes with iron-core linear motors. Standard strokes are up to 1,540 mm and forces up to 2,400 N.
Learn all the specs and options.

OnRobot doubles payload capacity of its grippers

OnRobot's new 2FG14 and 3FG25 electrical grippers for heavy-duty, collaborative applications are now launching along with the new machine tending solution AutoPilot powered by D:PLOY, developed in collaboration with Ellison Technologies. The new three-fingered 3FG25 gripper provides users with 25 kg (55.1 lb) of payload power in a compact, all-electric, lightweight form, unlocking the potential of the latest cobots. Ideal for CNC machine tending, the 2FG14 is a lightweight parallel-finger gripper with a payload of 14 kg (30.8 lb). It doubles the payload and gripping force of OnRobot's popular 2FG7 gripper while also providing 30% more total stroke.
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Linear guide system corrects misalignments

Bishop-Wisecarver's UtiliTrak^® linear guide system includes vee rails for precision and open rails for misalignment float to provide smooth and accurate motion on inaccurate structures. Because precise parallelism is difficult to achieve, it is not uncommon for mounting surfaces to be slightly out of parallel. UtiliTrak's design compensates for mounting errors and does not require absolute parallelism for accurate operation. Genius.
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Mars in 37 days: Research on fusion engine to power space-travel hot rod is AIAA Best Paper

By Jim Steele, UAH

You could call a fusion engine a space-travel hot rod.

A 2014 paper that reports on developments in pulsed fusion propulsion that could rapidly propel U.S. manned flights to Mars has been named by the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics (AIAA) Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion Technical Committee as an AIAA Best Paper.

UAH's Dr. Jason Cassibry, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, UAH, is co-author of an award-winning paper on fusion engine space tech. [Photo: Michael Mercier, UAH]

 

 

Entitled "Developing the Pulsed Fission-Fusion (PuFF) Engine,"* the paper's lead author is Dr. Robert B. Adams, who works in NASA's Propulsion Research and Technology Branch and received his master's degree in general engineering in 2000 and his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering in 2008 from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

A co-author is UAH's Dr. Jason Cassibry, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who is guiding toward completion of a repurposed nuclear weapons effects simulator called Charger-1 at UAH's Aerophysics Research Center on Redstone Arsenal so it can perform fundamental research on fusion propulsion.

So, how fast is this hot rod?

"We have developed an understanding of what propulsion systems enable missions to Mars in 90 days or less, and to otherwise reduce the trip times to the outer planets and beyond by a factor of three," Dr. Cassibry says. "Further, we are exploring specific systems which will not break the bank or require more than one to three flights on the Space Launch System or similar other heavy-lift vehicle to assemble the vehicle in space. This paper discusses a very promising path for achieving these goals."

Dr. Adams originated the idea of a fission/fusion hybrid approach for the Phase I NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) proposal and performed much of the vehicle design and mission analysis work.

"I did conceive of using a fission trigger to ignite a fusion plasma in the context of a propulsion system," Dr. Adams says. The concept traces its roots to Dr. Freeman Dyson and the Orion Project, a 1957-61 effort that explored using nuclear pulse propulsion for space flight.

"I championed incorporating this two-stage process with a z-pinch," says Dr. Adams. A z-pinch, or zeta pinch, is a plasma confinement system that uses electrical current along the z-axis on a three-dimensional graph to create a magnetic field to compress the plasma to release energy.

"The team has generated several other ideas that have been incorporated into the concept," Dr. Adams says. "I'd expect there will be many more ideas from the group before this becomes a reality."

The paper served as a status report and summary of funded work as of July 2014 on the Pulsed Fission Fusion (PuFF) propulsion system, Dr. Cassibry says. "PuFF is a nuclear propulsion approach in which the fuel is compressed by high currents."

In the PuFF system, the electricity compresses a target of deuterium and tritium in a column surrounded concentrically by a liner of depleted uranium. The paper includes a power balance calculation that shows that the presence of a depleted uranium liner makes the hybrid fuel achieve break-even with much less energy input than when using a pure fusion target.

"3D modeling was performed to show that pulsed expansion of these targets against a simple hemispherical nozzle could be over 70 percent efficient," Dr. Cassibry says. "Vehicle design and mission analysis showed concepts which could reach Mars in 37 days, and 1,000 astronomical unit (AU) interstellar precursor distances in 36 years."

An AU is equivalent to the distance between the sun and the Earth.

"I see Dr. Cassibry and I as partners leading this team working on fusion propulsion," says Dr. Adams. "He knows much more about plasma physics and computational fluid dynamics, where I bring nuclear engineering and mission analysis to the table. Several others on the team are from UAH and NASA and have expertise in high-power physics, plasma instabilities, and other topics."

*[Editor's note: You need a subscription to access the paper on the AIAA site, but you can view a version of the paper (Phase I Report) through NASA here.]

Published June 2015

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