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How do switched reluctance motors
work? Animations make it clear
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Our featured link for this issue comes from Fleadh Electronics Ltd.
In the UK. This contract engineering firm has put up an illustrated
tutorial on switched reluctance motors that includes animations
explaining the details of motor operation and how to drive these
variable-devices properly. Switched reluctance motors are one of the key
technologies being deployed to meet new energy efficiency standards in
appliances and buildings. View the tutorial here: www.fleadh.co.uk
And now for a little fun
Want to build the simplest motor in the world? Here’s your chance: Watch the
video
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The next generation of motor-powered appliances and industrial
machines will be energy misers thanks to new electronics and speed
controls. "Almost every household in China wants a room air conditioner.
They will buy an air conditioner before they get a refrigerator," says
Fairchild Semiconductor Marketing Director Claudia Innes. Asia
isn’t the only place where energy-efficient appliance motors are
gaining traction. Appliances billed with green credentials are starting
to sell in North America as well. "Two or three years ago, people looked
for the cheapest clothes washer on the showroom floor," says
International Rectifier Inc. iMotion Product Management Director
Aengus Murray.. "Now they more often look for washers with an Energy
Star rating." The quest for efficiency has appliance makers moving away
from induction motors and toward switched reluctance and brushless-dc
motors. Benefits include not only energy efficiency but also longer
motor life.
Read the full story
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DC Gearmotors for
Battery-powered/Mobile Robotics
 Midwest Motion
Products
provides solutions for 12, 24, 36, and 48 VDC equipment such as
mobile robotics, AGVs, UGVs, fuel cells, and mobility/accessibility
applications. See sample
at www.midwestmotion.com. Gearmotor sizes range from
10- to 220-mm diameter, with output torque up to 4000 in.-lbs. Options
include integral brakes, tachometers
and encoders. The company also provides a variety of fully compatible
servoamplifiers, and DC motor speed controls, many of which are
IP-65-rated for use in
harsh environments. DC linear actuators are also available from
stock. See www.midwestmotion.com for further details.
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An innovative new automatic cell for manufacturing tubular
automotive parts exploits an articulated robotic arm to manage
intervening movements and transfers. The arm eliminates the need for the
conventional carriage of a tube-bending machine. It also promotes
manufacturing precision by retaining the part for the entire process.
The machine, called Univercell, was developed by Unison. A Powerlink
system controls four motion axes, plus the I/O needed for continuous
operation. This involves tube bending and end forming, and general
operational control of the cell.
Read the full story
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BRUSHLESS MOTOR W/ INTEGRATED
GEARING
 Our Integrated
Brushless Gearmotor incorporates gearing into the body of the DC motor,
improving efficiency while reducing size and noise levels.
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The University of Calgary can boast that it's got the first surgical
robot able to operate in the 1.5 to 3-Tesla fields of magnetic-resonance
imaging (MRI) machines. Dubbed the neuroArm, it is designed to operate
on the head of a patient sitting in an MRI machine. And the robot's hand
is actually steadier than that of a human surgeon. The key: PZT-based
motors that are immune to the strong magnetic fields.
Read the whole story
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The EXC-Series ac servomotor is an economical version of the popular
N-Series family sold by Rockwell Automation. The servomotor offer
design flexibility, high acceleration and speed capabilities,
environmental sealing, and compatibility with most drives, including OEM
designed electronics.
More Information:
ElectroCraft Inc.
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The Freedom Series motion-control development tool is an
all-inclusive package that comes with a choice of four different
brushless-motor options that range from 16 to 40 mm in diameter and up
to 1/6 hp, GUI software, instructional wizards, cables, connectors, and
a newly released book, "The Selection of High-Precision
Microdrives."
More Information:
Maxon Precision
Motors Inc.
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ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click Here for a list of archived Machine Design
webcasts.
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LEESON's new SM2 Vector Series inverters deliver up to 200%
starting torque and control an Inverter rated motor down to 1Hz at full
output torque.
www.leeson.com
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