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Finding cylinder position
Cylinder-position sensors determine the home and end stroke of the
piston head within pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. The difficulty lies
in detecting the position of the piston within its cylindrical housing.
Magnetic sensors detect the presence of magnetic fields using numerous
sensing techniques. Within the last 10 years magnetoresistive sensing
technology has overtaken magnetic-inductive sensing, providing switching
speeds up to 10 faster and a higher resiliency to noise.
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Proximity sensors up close
Proximity sensors can withstand some of the harshest industrial
environments. Here are a few examples of how you can minimize downtime
from sensor failures and lengthen the time between replacements by
taking advantage of the latest proximity sensor designs.
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Sizing pneumatic circuits
Given the role pneumatic systems play in many industries, the
question becomes: How can manufacturing companies optimize performance
and reduce energy costs associated with compressed air? There are a few
important factors to consider.
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Featured video: The wheel-leg hybrid
robot
IMPASS is a wheel-leg hybrid robot that can walk in unstructured
environments by independently extending, or retracting, three actuated
spokes on each wheel. The robot has been under development by the
Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech, a facility for
graduate and undergraduate robotics research and education with an
emphasis on studying novel mobile robot locomotion strategies
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High-performance miniature disc
couplings
Miniature disc couplings, in single and double-disc styles deliver
zero backlash, 10,000-rpm speed capability, and good strength and
torsional stiffness.
The couplings consist of an assembly of two black-anodized aluminum
hubs, multiple flat stainless-steel disc springs, and a center spacer
for double-disc styles. The discs permit a substantial amount of
misalignment between shafts, while remaining rigid under torque loads.
Parallel misalignment is accommodated by the double-disc style or by two
single disc couplings used in tandem.
Double-disc styles come either an anodized-aluminum center spacer or an
electrically isolating acetal center spacer. Both disc-couplings types
come in clamp and setscrew styles, with standard 15 to 57-mm ODs and 1/8
to 1¼-in. bore sizes in the inch series and 3 to 30 mm in the
metric series.
More Information:
Ruland Manufacturing Co.
Inc.
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The original low cost, space-saving
linear guides deliver long life
 Replace bulky ball
bearings with clean, compact, maintenance- and corrosion-free
DryLin® W linear guide systems. DryLin® W is ideal for
automation, packaging, printing and medical applications. It is compact,
lightweight, self-lubricating and dirt-resistant. DryLin® W is
available in multiple rail styles for design freedom. These low-cost,
easy to install, dual supported round shafts or split rails can be
assembled at a 90-degree angle. DryLin® systems have a low COF and
will not corrode. Watch DryLin® W in a 3D flash animation
now.
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Piezo-driven rotary stage
Model DT 65-LM piezo-driven rotary stage weighs only 0.35 kg, but
supports loads up to 80 N. The stage has a positional accuracy of
0.015°, repeatability of less than 0.003°, a 20-µm maximum
surface runout, 360°/sec speeds, and accelerations greater than
10,000°/sec2. The black-anodized stage is made from
low-distortion aluminum alloy and comes with a direct-reading
incremental angular encoder with 3,600 lines for 409,600 counts/360°
resolution. Options include 10-mm-diameter center aperture, clean-room
and vacuum compatibility, and different encoder resolutions.
More Information:
Steinmeyer Inc.
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