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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.
Get this informative e-book. (No registration required)

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.
Learn more.

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.
Learn more.

How many American homes can Boeing's new wide-body jet power?

By GE Reports

Boeing's 777X jet will use GE engines as well as avionics and power systems. The plane has power generators on each jet engine. There is also an auxiliary power unit in the back of the plane. [Photo credit: Boeing]

 

 

 

 

There are many luxuries that separate first-class fliers from their fellow travelers going coach in the back of the plane, but in-flight entertainment isn't one of them. The personal multiple-choice video screen standard on most long-haul flights has democratized the passenger deck and allowed anyone to binge on "Big Bang Theory," European art house flicks, and video games. The same is true for Wi-Fi and personal power outlets.

They are the harbingers of the radical aircraft design changes taking place out of sight of travelers as well as most crew. Electrical motors and actuators have replaced wires, pulleys, and hydraulics once required to fly the plane. They listen to digital commands coming from powerful on-board computers and avionics systems that monitor everything from the plane's lavatories to its flight path, and help the pilots operate the aircraft.

"The modern aircraft is part flying computer and part power plant," says Vic Bonneau, president of electrical power systems at GE Aviation. "Not so long ago, we all watched the same movie on an overhead screen. But this big and growing appetite for electricity can be a challenge."

GE Aviation has spent the last two decades developing smarter, lighter, and more efficient electrical and computer systems for military and passenger planes. The business unit won a major order at the end of 2014 to supply electrical power technology and avionics systems to Boeing's family of new 777X wide-body aircraft, which is currently in development.

Bonneau's unit has developed a new electrical power system for the 777X that will handle 30 percent more power than the technology currently working on 777 planes, without taking more space or adding weight. Each 777X plane will also have two GE back-up generators that will be able to produce nearly 80 percent more power than the current design. "The system can handle enough electricity to power 30 American homes," Bonneau says. "That's huge."

Bonneau says that GE Aviation engineers working at two new research labs in Cheltenham, U.K., and Dayton, Ohio, used 3D printing to fast-track the development of prototypes for new circuit boards and to prove to Boeing that they would do the job and fit inside the plane. He said that such rapid prototyping cuts development time from 18 months to just a few weeks. "We built these centers specifically for programs like the 777X," Bonneau says. "They allow us to speed up design and quickly test and mature new products."

GE spent a combined $80 million on the two research centers, which opened in 2012 and 2013. Bonneau says that the Ohio lab alone will employ 200 people by the end of 2015, twice as many as originally projected. "The investment is paying off," he says. "We already worry that we might run out of space."

The order also includes the latest "common core" avionics system developed by another GE Aviation business called Avionics & Digital Systems. If Bonneau's power system helps supply the plane with its lifeblood electricity, the avionics is the aircraft's brain and central nervous system.

GE also developed avionics for the F18 fighter jet. [Image credit: GE Aviation]

 

 

The "brain's" open architecture allows Boeing to easily incorporate and upgrade software and technology developed by dozens of different suppliers. "This saves Boeing money and speeds things up when the plane maker wants to add a new feature or upgrade existing technology," says GE's avionics leader George Kiefer. "They don't have to recertify the entire system with the [U.S. Federal Aviation Administration], but just the new addition. With the 787 and now the 777X, we have made future aircraft programs more affordable by doing away with escalating software development costs."

GE is supplying the "common core" system for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner planes and similar technology for Gulfstream's latest line of business jets.

GE Aviation, which booked $22 billion in 2013 revenues, is also developing a jet engine called GE9X to power the 777X. With 11 ft in fan diameter, it will be the largest jet engine ever built.

Although the 777X won't enter service until the end of the decade, the plane has already become one of Boeing's fastest-selling planes. Lufthansa, Etihad, Qatar, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific have all already placed orders for the wide-body jet. GE has received orders and commitments for the GE9X engine valued at $26 billion (U.S. list price).

Read more GE Reports at www.gereports.com.

Published February 2015

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