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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.
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What is a low-waving linear motion guide?

If you are having a problem with your linear guides not always staying perfectly straight during use, it may be due to a phenomenon called waving -- a problem that is particularly critical in high-precision markets such as semiconductor and LCD equipment-related applications or machine tools. Thankfully, THK has an answer.
Read the full article.

NORD serves up sweet energy and cost savings for industrial bakeries

NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS offers robust, highly configurable drive solutions designed to optimize efficiency, ensure hygiene, and reduce the TCO for automated bakery systems. From industrial-scale mixing and portioning to baking, cooling, and packaging, NORD's modular product portfolio delivers precise, reliable performance across every stage of production.
Read the full article. You may learn something even if you are not in the baking industry.

Key considerations for battery-powered motors

Battery-powered motor applications require careful design considerations to pair motor performance and power consumption profiles in concert with the correct battery type. This Power Electric article covers power requirements, performance considerations, and battery choices to assist you in selecting an efficient motor and a battery with the appropriate capacity. Good technical info.
Read the Power Electric technical article.

Driving next-gen pump and fan applications: Sinamics G210X

The Sinamics G210X is a new frequency converter for advanced pump, fan, and compressor applications, combining easy engineering with robust design. Integrated functions, seamless TIA Portal integration, and a web server reduce PLC effort to speed up commissioning, operation, and diagnostics. IP55 protection, 3C3 coating, and S2 system redundancy ensure reliable operation in demanding environments.
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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.
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Researchers work out novel way to make electric vehicles that actually reduce carbon

By David Salisbury, Vanderbilt University

An interdisciplinary team of scientists has worked out a way to make electric vehicles that are not only carbon neutral but carbon negative, capable of actually reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide as they operate.

They have done so by demonstrating how the graphite electrodes used in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric automobiles can be replaced with carbon material recovered from the atmosphere.

The recipe for converting carbon dioxide gas into batteries is described in the paper titled, "Carbon Nanotubes Produced from Ambient Carbon Dioxide for Environmentally Sustainable Lithium-Ion and Sodium-Ion Battery Anodes," published online in March 2016 by the journal ACS Central Science.

The unusual pairing of carbon dioxide conversion and advanced battery technology is the result of a collaboration between the laboratory of Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Cary Pint at Vanderbilt University and Professor of Chemistry Stuart Licht at George Washington University.

The team adapted a solar-powered process that converts carbon dioxide into carbon so that it produces carbon nanotubes and demonstrated that the nanotubes can be incorporated into both lithium-ion batteries like those used in electric vehicles and electronic devices and low-cost sodium-ion batteries under development for large-scale applications, such as the electric grid.

The Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP) converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbon nanotubes that can be used in advanced batteries. [Julie Turner/Vanderbilt University]

 

 

 

 

The project builds upon a solar thermal electrochemical process (STEP) that can create carbon nanofibers from ambient carbon dioxide developed by the Licht group and described in the journal Nano Letters in August 2015. STEP uses solar energy to provide both the electrical and thermal energy necessary to break down carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen and to produce carbon nanotubes that are stable, flexible, conductive, and stronger than steel.

"Our climate-change solution is two-fold: First, to transform the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into valuable products, and second, to provide greenhouse gas emission-free alternatives to today's industrial and transportation fossil-fuel processes," says Licht. "In addition to better batteries, other applications for the carbon nanotubes include carbon composites for strong, lightweight construction materials; sports equipment; and car, truck, and airplane bodies."

Joining forces with Pint, whose research interests are focused on using carbon nanomaterials for battery applications, the two laboratories worked together to show that the multi-walled carbon nanotubes produced by the process can serve as the positive electrode in both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.

In lithium-ion batteries, the nanotubes replace the carbon anode used in commercial batteries. The team demonstrated that the carbon nanotubes gave a small boost to the performance, which was amplified when the battery was charged quickly. In sodium-ion batteries, the researchers found that small defects in the carbon, which can be tuned using STEP, can unlock stable storage performance over 3.5 times above that of sodium-ion batteries with graphite electrodes. Most importantly, both carbon-nanotube batteries were exposed to about 2.5 months of continuous charging and discharging and showed no sign of fatigue.

VIDEO: Converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into batteries.

Depending on the specifications, making one of the two electrodes out of carbon nanotubes means that up to 40 percent of a battery could be made out of recycled CO2, Pint estimated. This does not include the outer protective packaging, but he suggested that processes like STEP could eventually produce the packaging as well.

The researchers estimate that with a battery cost of $325 per kWh (the average cost of lithium-ion batteries reported by the Department of Energy in 2013), a kilogram of carbon dioxide has a value of about $18 as a battery material (six times more than when it is converted to methanol), a number that only increases when moving from large batteries used in electric vehicles to the smaller batteries used in electronics. And unlike methanol, combining batteries with solar cells provides renewable power with zero greenhouse emissions.

Licht also proposed that the STEP process could be coupled to a natural-gas-powered electrical generator. The generator would provide electricity, heat, and a concentrated source of carbon dioxide that would boost the performance of the STEP process. At the same time, the oxygen released in the process could be piped back to the generator where it would boost the generator's combustion efficiency to compensate for the amount of electricity that the STEP process consumes. The end result could be a fossil-fuel electrical power plant with zero net-CO2 emissions.

"Imagine a world where every new electric vehicle or grid-scale battery installation would not only enable us to overcome the environmental sins of our past, but also provide a step toward a sustainable future for our children," says Pint. "Our efforts have shown a path to achieve such a future."

Coauthors of the paper with Licht and Pint include Anna Douglas, graduate student in the interdisciplinary materials science program at Vanderbilt; Rachel Carter, graduate student in mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt; Jiawen Ren, postdoctoral associate in chemistry at George Washington University; and Matthew Lefler, graduate student in chemistry at George Washington University.

Published September 2016

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