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Auto industry faces uncertain
future
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As hourly and daily updates continue to make headlines regarding the
automotive industry and GM’s bankruptcy reorganization, it seems
we’re wading into uncharted waters. The auto industry and all its
tentacles are said to account for about 10% of the U.S. economy, with
hundreds of thousands of jobs attached, taking into account
manufacturing as well as dealer networks and parts suppliers. Because of
all these jobs – and family incomes – there’s a huge amount at
stake, so perhaps the governmental assistance/ownership is absolutely
necessary to our economy. Yet so many questions remain. Will we, the
taxpayers, ever get our money back? Will government ownership be a
temporary fix or a long-term investment? Will GM emerge a viable U.S.
automaker or will it sink into oblivion? What are your thoughts on the
recent bailout? We’d like to hear from you.
—Frances Richards
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Position sensors keep ATMs on
track
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Ever had an ATM spit out an extra twenty? Me neither. Thanks to some
fairly sophisticated technology including a variety of sensors, mistakes
rarely happen. One such sensor comes from Macro Sensors of Pennsauken,
N.J. The company’s PR 750 Series of 3/4 in.-diameter ac-operated
Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs) serve as measurement
feedback devices in the paper bill detector of automated teller machines
to ensure proper currency dispensing. To read the story in its entirety,
click here.
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Vision-enabled feeder handles 400+
parts
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Vibratory bowl conveyors provide an economical and reliable way of
feeding small parts in a given orientation. However, their mechanical
parts-orienting channels and guides limit them to handling just one part
or a family of similar items. Case in point: In one aerospace
application, the task of loading fasteners into a press was suitable for
automation with a vibratory bowl feeder plus a pick-and-place robot. The
problem was that the 415 parts involved would have required dozens of
different feeders. For a better approach, Rixan Associates Inc., Dayton,
Ohio, developed a unique take on the vibratory bowl feeder by using
machine vision to replace channels and guides to handle a virtually
unlimited number of parts within a certain size range. To read the story
in its entirety, click here.
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Waterjet cuts carpets into nifty
designs
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Concentrating water into a high-pressure stream and shooting it from
a waterjet at 60,000 psi can work wonders. At this force level, water
can cut and shape a wide variety of materials like cloth, foam, glass,
plastic, and rubber as quickly as 100 ft. per minute. Water can even cut
through harder materials like wood, granite, stone, aluminum, and steel,
and is sometimes mixed with abrasive chemicals to get the job done.
Another application of waterjet cutters is to carve designs into
artificial turf and carpets. CNC Machines International (CNCMI),
Raleigh, N.C., makes a VLF series high performance waterjet cutter to do
just that. To read the story in its entirety, click here.
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EC Size 5 and EC 13 sterilizable drives are suited for use with or
without planetary gearheads in high-speed medical applications of up to
90,000 rpm. The drives offer high speed, low-noise and low-vibration
operation, marginal thermal emission, and small size. Both models
possess equal performance data and characteristics. The servo-mount
motor and gearhead of the Size 5 version feature an OD of 0.5 in. and
shaft of 0.125 in. The EC13/GP13 metric version has an OD of 13 mm, 3-mm
shaft, and a flange with three face-side threads. Both versions are
available with Hall sensors or sensorless, and with three different
windings.
Visit maxon
motor for more information.
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PI nano series nanopositioning stages feature a super-low profile of
20 mm, large aperture, and deliver highly accurate motion with
sub-nanometer resolution in two and three axes. A piezocontroller comes
with a 24-bit USB port, Ethernet, RS-232, and an analog interface, as
well as software support for all major image acquisition packages. An
optional M-545 manual XY microscope stage is available in different
versions for Olympus, Nikon, Zeiss, and Leica microscopes.
Visit Physik Instrumente for more information.
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Linear Stage Features Nanometer
Accuracy AND Long Travel
 Aerotech ANT95-L
linear direct-drive stages combine high speed, accuracy, resolution,
repeatability, and reliability into a compact package. Performance
includes 5 g acceleration, 500 mm/s velocity, 5 nm resolution, 50 nm
repeatability, and 250 nm accuracy. ANT95-L is offered in both 25 mm and
50 mm travels.
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Machine Design Video Spotlight
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Linear motor vs.
belt-drive actuators |
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Woody Yen from THK America Inc. talks
about the advantages of linear-motor-driven actuators and belt-drive
actuators with Lee Teschler of MACHINE DESIGN |
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Efficiency Web Conference and Expo. If you missed the live virtual
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Design engineers are required to integrate energy efficiency into their
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The editors of Machine Design understand these challenges
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UPCOMING WEBCASTS
Unleash the Power of Virtual Prototyping
Sponsored by PTC
DATE: June 25th, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
Need to create great products faster and cheaper in order to stay
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This live webinar will cover:
- Distinguishing the prototyping facts from myths
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Click here learn more and to register!
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Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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SmartActuator series saves time, space, money
Tolomatic's SmartActuator – servo motor, drive, controller and
actuator in one compact package -- gives you 100% duty-cycle performance
at half the price of traditional electric actuator systems. See
the video!
Exlar's patented actuator technology offers many times the
life of ball screw actuators and provides an efficient
electro-mechanical replacement for hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders.
These digitally controlled products
offer several advantages over other technologies.
www.exlar.com
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