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Have you seen any of the Recession 101 billboards posted across the
country? We have one I drive by frequently in Cleveland. It’s a big
billboard along I-480 made to look like notebook paper, and it says,
“Recession 101: It’s a test, not a final.” I wondered what this
could possibly be an advertisement for — Coke, McDonald’s,
Microsoft? After a Google search, I found out that these billboards are
simply inspiring messages from the Outdoor Advertising Association of
America, with donated billboard space and a private anonymous donor who
paid for the campaign’s design. No matter how badly the current
recession has dampened your spirits, it’s hard not to smile at
reminders such as, “Self worth beats net worth.” In the meantime,
enjoy what’s left of the summer, and check out these stories and new
products for some design inspiration.
—Frances Richards
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Embossing line gets dc drive
makeover
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Decorative surfacing materials, in the form of laminates, are often
used to add beauty to furniture such as speaker cabinets and kitchen
cupboards. Many of these PVC-based laminates are embossed with a
wood-grain finish, making the embossing line a critically important part
of the production process. Renolit Cramlington Ltd., Northumberland,
England, produces a wide range of these decorative materials, but ran
into some production concerns recently: The embossing line’s control
system was becoming obsolete and difficult to maintain, which meant
downtime was becoming a problem. After an engineering survey, Oracle
Drive Systems, West Yorkshire, England, presented two ways to upgrade
the drives and the control system. One method suggested using ac drives
and motors, while the other suggested dc drives from Sprint Electric
Ltd., Arundel, England — 19 10 kw and two 20 kw digital PL/X DC
drives. To read the story in its entirety, click here.
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Simplify Advanced Motion
Control
 National Instruments
simplifies the development of advanced motion applications with the new
LabVIEW NI SoftMotion module and new NI
C Series motion modules. These new products combine the ease of
use and I/O capabilities of NI LabVIEW graphical programming with the
customization and synchronization benefits of FPGA-based CompactRIO
hardware to deliver an ideal platform for developing advanced motion
applications. View interactive tutorial.
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During this four-minute video, Woody Yen of THK America Inc.
discusses the benefits of two actuator styles — one driven by linear
motors and the other by belts — with Machine Design
editor-in-chief, Lee Teschler. Learn where these actuators are typically
used, as well as their speed, resolution, and acceleration capabilities.
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Small DC Coreless Motor Line
 Dynetic Systems has a
new line of small servo motors with a coreless rotor design. They offer
a great power density. Sizes range form 22mm to 48mm diameter with 7
different lengths. Power ranges from 4.2 to 72.1 mNm. Coreless designs
have higher efficiency, less cogging and low inertia, giving you rapid
acceleration and deceleration, which is great for servo control.
Available with a feedback encoder or a gearhead to increase the torque
or control the speed. More information is available at: www.dynetic.com
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Machine vision boosts syringe assembly
system
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Syringe manufacturers need to maintain high levels of quality in
order to ensure the safety of patients and caregivers, while also
maximizing productivity to deliver products at a competitive price.
Machine Vision Inspection Stations from AVTEX, Burlington, Conn., were
recently customized for a two-machine syringe assembly process coupled
with a packaging system built by Arthur G. Russell Company (AGR),
Bristol, Conn. The machine vision system, from Cognex Corp., Natick,
Mass, performs a series of inspection operations, such as checking the
presence and location of components, in as little as 50 ms. To read the
story in its entirety, click here.
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The EC 9.2 flat motor measures just 10 x 12.5 mm and offers a high
nominal torque of up to 0.83 mNm and a stall torque of up to 1.29 mNm.
Its 10 mm OD includes a cover that serves as protection against contact
and as a mounting aid during installation. It is equipped with an 8-pole
Neodymium permanent magnet and preloaded ball bearings. The EC 9.2 is a
suitable motor drive for medical technology and other applications where
space limitations may be a concern. Other features include high nominal
torque and lifespan-optimized bearings. It is available with or without
Hall sensors.
Visit maxon
motor for more information.
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Miniature piezo motor demo
kit
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The P-653 piezo motor linear slide is significantly smaller than
other miniature linear stages and provides significantly higher
velocities and resolution, according to company sources. Some of the
features and benefits of these ceramic miniature motors include:
• Developer’s kit plugs into USB port, comes with control software
• True linear motor slide — no rotary conversion losses
• Fast: Velocity up to 200 mm/s
• Self Locking: Smaller, faster, fewer components than conventional
motors
• Travel range 2 mm, force generation to 0.15 N
This true linear motor system consists of only four parts and can
replace classical drive elements like miniaturized motor/lead screw
systems or other linear motors.
Visit PI for more
information.
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Check Out the New EET Website
Are you looking for more information on energy efficiency? EETweb.com
features the latest efficiency updates, information on the basics of
energy efficiency and products available for energy efficient designs.
Click here to
visit the site and learn more!
Now Available On-Demand
The Energy Efficiency Web Conference & Expo
Engineers saw and heard great educational content at the Energy
Efficiency Web Conference and Expo. If you missed the live virtual
event, don’t despair! An archive of the full day’s agenda is now
available.
Design engineers are required to integrate energy efficiency into their
designs while maintaining lower costs, the highest reliability or both.
The editors of Machine Design understand these challenges
and have developed this conference to help engineers understand the
recently imposed energy mandates. The information presented at this
educational event will help engineers compare the different technologies
and product related to energy efficiency. Attendees will gain access to
the technical information needed to help them make the best decisions
without having to travel or take time away from current projects.
Visit the archive to:
- View informative webinars on energy efficiency
- Visit interactive booths where you can contact suppliers
- Peruse the Resource Center where you can download or link to
additional pertinent energy efficiency information
Register Now!
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click
Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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SANTEST CO. LTD.
Santest manufactures extraordinarily high quality displacement and
liquid level transducers and is the only manufacturer of adaptive servo
controllers that utilize simple adaptive control theory.
www.exsenco.com
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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Editorial questions: msdeditor@penton.com
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
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©2009 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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