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Overhung load adaptors provide load support and contamination protection

Overhung load adaptors (OHLA) provide both overhung radial and axial load support to protect electrified mobile equipment motors from heavy application loads, extending the lifetime of the motor and alleviating the cost of downtime both from maintenance costs and loss of production. They seal out dirt, grime, and other contaminants too. Zero-Max OHLAs are available in an extensive offering of standard models (including Extra-Duty options) for typical applications or customized designs.
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Why choose electric for linear actuators?

Tolomatic has been delivering a new type of linear motion technology that is giving hydraulics a run for its money. Learn the benefits of electric linear motion systems, the iceberg principle showing total cost of ownership, critical parameters of sizing, and conversion tips.
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New AC hypoid inverter-duty gearmotors

Bodine Electric Company introduces 12 new AC inverter-duty hypoid hollow shaft gearmotors. These type 42R-25H2 and 42R-30H3 drives combine an all-new AC inverter-duty, 230/460-VAC motor with two hypoid gearheads. When used with an AC inverter (VFD) control, these units deliver maintenance-free and reliable high-torque output. They are ideal for conveyors, gates, packaging, and other industrial automation equipment that demands both high torque and low power consumption from the driving gearmotor.
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Next-gen warehouse automation: Siemens, Universal Robots, and Zivid partner up

Universal Robots, Siemens, and Zivid have created a new solution combining UR's cobot arms with Siemens' SIMATIC Robot Pick AI software and Zivid's 3D sensors to create a deep-learning picking solution for warehouse automation and intra-logistics fulfillment. It works regardless of object shape, size, opacity, or transparency and is a significant leap in solving the complex challenges faced by the logistics and e-commerce sectors.
Read the full article.

Innovative DuoDrive gear and motor unit is UL/CSA certified

The DuoDrive integrated gear unit and motor from NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS is a compact, high-efficiency solution engineered for users in the fields of intralogistics, pharmaceutical, and the food and beverage industries. This drive combines a IE5+ synchronous motor and single-stage helical gear unit into one compact housing with a smooth, easy-to-clean surface. It has a system efficiency up to 92% and is available in two case sizes with a power range of 0.5 to 4.0 hp.
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BLDC flat motor with high output torque and speed reduction

Portescap's 60ECF brushless DC slotted flat motor is the newest frame size to join its flat motor portfolio. This 60-mm BLDC motor features a 38.2-mm body length and an outer-rotor slotted configuration with an open-body design, allowing it to deliver improved heat management in a compact package. Combined with Portescap gearheads, it delivers extremely high output torque and speed reduction. Available in both sensored and sensorless options. A great choice for applications such as electric grippers and exoskeletons, eVTOLs, and surgical robots.
Learn more and view all the specs.

Application story: Complete gearbox and coupling assembly for actuator system

Learn how GAM engineers not only sized and selected the appropriate gear reducers and couplings required to drive two ball screws in unison using a single motor, but how they also designed the mounting adapters necessary to complete the system. One-stop shopping eliminated unnecessary components and resulted in a 15% reduction in system cost.
Read this informative GAM blog.

Next-gen motor for pump and fan applications

The next evolution of the award-winning Aircore EC motor from Infinitum is a high-efficiency system designed to power commercial and industrial applications such as HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and reduced waste. It features an integrated variable frequency drive and delivers upward of 93% system efficiency, as well as class-leading power and torque density in a low-footprint package that is 20% lighter than the previous version. Four sizes available.
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Telescoping linear actuators for space-constrained applications

Rollon's new TLS telescoping linear actuators enable long stroke lengths with minimal closed lengths, which is especially good for applications with minimal vertical clearance. 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.
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Competitively priced long-stroke parallel gripper

The DHPL from Festo is a new generation of pneumatic long-stroke grippers that offers a host of advantages for high-load and high-torque applications. It is interchangeable with competitive long-stroke grippers and provides the added benefits of lighter weight, higher precision, and no maintenance. It is ideal for gripping larger items, including stacking boxes, gripping shaped parts, and keeping bags open. It has high repetition accuracy due to three rugged guide rods and a rack-and-pinion design.
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Extend your range of motion: Controllers for mini motors

FAULHABER has added another extremely compact Motion Controller without housing to its product range. The new MC3603 controller is ideal for integration in equipment manufacturing and medical tech applications. With 36 V and 3 A (peak current 9 A), it covers the power range up to 100 W and is suitable for DC motors with encoder, brushless drives, or linear motors.
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When is a frameless brushless DC motor the right choice?

Frameless BLDC motors fit easily into small, compact machines that require high precision, high torque, and high efficiency, such as robotic applications where a mix of low weight and inertia is critical. Learn from the experts at SDP/SI how these motors can replace heavier, less efficient hydraulic components by decreasing operating and maintenance costs. These motors are also more environmentally friendly than others.
View the video.

Tiny and smart: Step motor with closed-loop control

Nanotec's new PD1-C step motor features an integrated controller and absolute encoder with closed-loop control. With a flange size of merely 28 mm (NEMA 11), this compact motor reaches a max holding torque of 18 Ncm and a peak current of 3 A. Three motor versions are available: IP20 protection, IP65 protection, and a motor with open housing that can be modified with custom connectors. Ideal for applications with space constraints, effectively reducing both wiring complexity and installation costs.
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Closed loop steppers drive new motion control applications

According to the motion experts at Performance Motion Devices, when it comes to step motors, the drive technique called closed loop stepper is making everything old new again and driving a burst of interest in the use of two-phase step motors. It's "winning back machine designers who may have relegated step motors to the category of low cost but low performance."
Read this informative Performance Motion Devices article.

Intelligent compact drives with extended fieldbus options

The intelligent PD6 compact drives from Nanotec are now available with Profinet and EtherNet/IP. They combine motor, controller, and encoder in a space-saving package. With its 80-mm flange and a rated power of 942 W, the PD6-EB is the most powerful brushless DC motor of this product family. The stepper motor version has an 86-mm flange (NEMA 34) and a holding torque up to 10 Nm. Features include acceleration feed forward and jerk-limited ramps. Reduced installation time and wiring make the PD6 series a highly profitable choice for machine tools, packaging machines, or conveyor belts.
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AFRL researchers demonstrate record-breaking RF isolator performance in ultra-compact device

As the Department of the Air Force continues with the unrelenting pursuit of driving down the size, weight, and power of radio frequency (RF) components, the inherent challenges in these types of technologies are compounded. The typical difficulties of making smaller mechanical and physical components, however, are dwarfed by the challenges posed by making the required onboard electronic equipment smaller, lighter, and less power hungry.

Working toward the aim of developing game-changing RF technology, Air Force Research Laboratory scientists led by Dr. Michael Page, with Dr. Piyush Shah and Dr. Derek Bas, recently patented a new tunable RF filter design that can replace the currently used YIG (yttrium iron garnet) based device. Using a layer of piezoelectric material (a material that changes shape when subjected to an electric field) coupled with a very thin film of permanently magnetized material, the new RF filter has a small fraction of the size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) of the older, bulkier, and more expensive technology.

Now the same team of Air Force researchers is leveraging this technology to create "giant nonreciprocity" in similarly small microwave transmission devices.

"The novel device in our work," said Page, "is essentially an RF isolator."

From the left to right: Drs. Derek A. Bas, Piyush J. Shah, and Michael R. Page. In the tweezers, Bas is holding a chip that contains an array of four isolators. A state-of the-art commercial RF isolator has a much greater size and weight than the AFRL device. [Credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Dr. Michael Wolf]

 

 

 

 

An RF isolator is a device that keeps unwanted radio frequency energy from reflecting back into a transmitter. This is an important factor in wireless devices like radar systems -- or even cell phones -- where a common component both sends and receives signals. By forcing the energy's path to move in one direction only, an isolator prevents signal distortion and equipment damage. This single-direction movement is known as "nonreciprocity."

In current technology, nonreciprocity is achieved by using isolators with powerful magnets that create a strong magnetic field. Transmitted or received radio frequency energy is forced to flow in one specific direction only, which is along the direction of the magnetic lines of flux. Although this system works well, its size, weight, and power requirements make it impractical for small platforms.

Page's research team has been working on replacing these bulky, power-hungry components with miniature, energy-efficient devices based on composites of magnetic and piezoelectric materials. Isolators currently in use are about the size of a racquet ball. Not only is the AFRL-developed device one-sixth that size, but it also far exceeds the performance of current isolators.

"The core area of the science of our technology is called acoustically driven ferromagnetic resonance phenomena," said Shah. Research was begun in this field about 10 years ago by a group of German scientists. Looking at the increased number of publications dealing with the subject in the last year alone, Shah is confident that it is getting "significant interest" in the academic community.

Page's team reported on their research in the December 2020 issue of Science Advances, one of six respected, peer-reviewed journals published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In their report they explain that versions of their experimental device, an "acoustic isolator," have been under investigation since the 1970s. However, although nonreciprocity has been observed, the observed effect was far too small to be relevant in real-world applications.

In this work, what Page's team has achieved is giant nonreciprocity.

"Until now," said Shah, "the best observed isolation behavior is in the range of 15 to 20 decibels. What we have achieved is closer to 48 to 50 decibels. In our device, the signal is essentially completely blocked when returning or reflected in the opposite direction."

The device's operation is enabled by an intense interaction between the vibrating piezoelectric crystal and the oscillating magnetic material described by the magnetoelastic interaction.

Shah added that this technology is a building block for developing another class of state-of-the-art RF device called a circulator. A circulator is very similar to an isolator in that it ensures the movement of RF signals in one direction only. Shah expects that the team's exploration of an acoustically driven circulator "is on the horizon."

The team is also looking to improve on some other important metrics for their isolators. For example, they are exploring the possibility of using different materials for the device.

"We want to investigate the structure-property relationships of design variables and materials and their impact on the device performance," said Shah.

The choice of materials for the device goes beyond just making it function well. To be useful in the field, it also must be mass produced in a manufacturing setting. Making it from scarce or uncommon materials would make producing the devices more difficult. The advantage of this device's design is that it is based on materials that can be readily and inexpensively mass produced, as well as on acoustic wave technology that has been previously developed for other applications.

The AFRL team recently started working with Sandia National Laboratory. "Sandia has a strong capability in RF acoustic devices," said Shah, "which is a strong complement to our magnetic material and device expertise."

Having recently been awarded a patent for their tunable RF filter, the team has also filed a patent application for their RF isolator.

"The combination of the extremely high isolation in a readily manufacturable and small size package makes this technology very attractive for the next generation of microwave technologies," said Page.

"This has been an area of interest for our branch for several years," added Page. "So far, we have demonstrated the proof of principle in a working device and are working toward refining and extending the applicability of these devices for the warfighter."

Source: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory

Published April 2021

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