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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.
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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.
Learn more.

NASA-developed drones provide one-of-a-kind capabilities

By Lori Keesey, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA scientists, who are always on the hunt for new platforms to carry out their research, now may avail themselves of two agency-developed unmanned aerial systems, or UASs, that some say represent the future for drone aircraft.

Unlike most commercially available unmanned aircraft systems, Vanilla Aircraft's VA001 and Black Swift Technologies' S2 small Unmanned Aircraft System, or sUAS, purposely were designed for scientific investigations.

Both provide one-of-a-kind capabilities that represent a significant success for NASA's Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program that funded their development, said Geoff Bland, a research engineer at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

"Our goal always is to advance state-of-the-art airborne capabilities and platforms tailored to the needs of our scientists," said Bland, who oversaw the aircrafts' development. "The SBIR program offered us an outstanding venue for engaging small businesses in our quest to develop new tools for gathering scientific data."

Now operational after months of development, the aircraft are offering the scientific community complementary, easy-to-use capabilities at a lower cost.

To Antarctica and back
Vanilla Aircraft's VA001 provides a case in point.

Smaller than NASA's Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, which requires a relatively large team to operate, the VA001 can carry 35 lb of payload and fly at 500 to 15,000 ft above sea level. Its primary attraction -- and the reason NASA funded its development through the SBIR program -- is its ability to carry out research over the most forbidding locations on Earth. It can cover thousands of square miles of treacherous terrain and handle bone-chilling temperatures of -40 deg F in a single flight.

The VA001 can carry 35 lb of payload, flying at 500 to 15,000 ft above sea level over some of the most forbidding locations on Earth. [Credits: Jeremy Novara/Vanilla Aircraft]

 

 

 

 

It runs on jet-grade fuel, which contains corrosion inhibitors and anti-icing additives crucial to operations in the Arctic or Antarctica. "It was an important part of the aircraft's design to fly under the toughest and coldest conditions," said Joe Famiglietti, the technology-infusion manager for Goddard's SBIR/Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

Since NASA's initial SBIR investment in the aircraft's development, the Virginia-based Vanilla Aircraft has garnered support from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which funded a second prototype as well as test flights. In one non-stop test flight, the VA001 flew for 56 hr on a single tank of fuel, proving the aircraft could meet both NASA and DoD's needs, Bland said.

"The dream mission would be for the VA001 to leave the Wallops Flight Facility, fly over Antarctica, and then return after two days of mapping the changing ice. We could do this on demand for quick response to changing phenomena over the poles," Bland said.

Packed and ready to go
The Colorado-based Black Swift offers a completely different set of capabilities with its sUAS. The company originally developed the aircraft to fit inside a vehicle trunk, take off anywhere, and fly up to 90 min. over 705 acres with a full payload.

Swift Technologies' S2 small Unmanned Aircraft System is highly versatile and can be deployed virtually anywhere. The aircraft is being used by a Goddard scientist to map vegetation and climate dynamics. [Credits: Maciej Stachura/Black Swift]

 

 

 

 

"The company did more than just develop a unique aircraft," Famiglietti said. The company also integrated a specialized radiometer developed by the University of Colorado in a partnership with Black Swift. Its miniature antennas are used to detect proportions of energy reflected from the objects over which the sUAS flies.

Scientists can use the energy readings, along with other aircraft sensors, to differentiate between water contained within the soil or vegetation. With this data, NASA scientists can better understand soil-moisture levels and ground-truth NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite data that scientists use to monitor drought, predict flooding, and assist in crop productivity.

Because the sUAS has a modular "plug-and-fly" instrument capability and can be toted to virtually any location, its use is not restricted to soil-moisture measurements, however.

NASA scientist Miguel Román at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is now using the sUAS to map vegetation and climate dynamics under a pathfinding mission called MALIBU, short for the Multi Angle Imaging Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function sUAS.

In 2016, his team integrated MALIBU's two multispectral imagers onto the platform at different angles to precisely match the viewing geometry of polar-orbiting satellite images. It proved so effective that he and his team have acquired a second platform, Román said.

The aircraft is continually evolving, and will be able to observe volcanic plumes in the future, said Black Swift Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jack Elston, a MALIBU partner.

"Through NASA's SBIR program, we are enabling new types of science," Bland said. "These aircraft represent the future."

Published November 2017

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