Advantech Launches New Series of Motion-Control I/O Modules
Product News 5/23/2013 1 comment Advantech has launched a new series of motion-control I/O modules to meet the increased demands that come with more distributed industrial systems that require control of a growing number of axes and devices.
Lantronix Expands Line of Rugged Controller for Sensor Networks
Product News 5/17/2013 4 comments Lantronix Inc. has expanded its line of controllers for sensor networks with the release of a rugged controller that improves management of automation systems used in a number of industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, and chemicals.
Slideshow: Is Tesla's Model S the Best Ever?
News 5/16/2013 51 comments Tesla Motors’ Model S sedan “blew away” its $90,000 gasoline-burning competitors in a recent review and may be the best car Consumer Reports has ever seen.
TI Offers Advanced Motion Control Software
Product News 5/7/2013 8 comments TI's new InstaSPIN-MOTION motor control software is aimed at taking the pain out of motion-control development by optimizing complex motion sequences, reducing tuning to a single parameter, and accurately tracking desired trajectories across operating ranges.
Festo Introduces New Safety-Enhanced Servo Drive
Product News 4/23/2013 5 comments Festo has enhanced its servo drive line with the new CMMP-AS..M3 drive that offers new safety features integrated directly into the product, as well as two Internet connectivity options.
Rockwell Introduces Tools to Simplify Design of Safe Machines
Product News 4/19/2013 7 comments Rockwell Automation's Safety Automation Builder configuration software and Safety Functions pre-engineered design documents are aimed at helping those building machines and equipments to more deftly navigate the arduous process of designing safety systems.
Maxon Introduces Mini-Servo Motor for Robot Design, Automation
Product News 4/18/2013 2 comments Maxon has added a new miniaturized OEM plug-in module to its
ESCON servo controller family line that can control permanent-magnet activated brushed and brushless DC with Hall sensors up to approximately 250W.
Slippery Material System Can Start, Stop Liquids
News 4/17/2013 12 comments A new material system invented by researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is continuously "tunable" for transparency and wettability: it repels water or oil to a greater or lesser degree as it becomes more or less transparent.
Can EV Batteries Last 20 Years?
News 4/12/2013 42 comments Lithium-ion batteries for electric cars may last far longer than we’ve been led to believe, a battery expert told the American Chemical Society in a speech this week.
Lithium-Ion Batteries Overheated in Mitsubishi Vehicles
News 3/28/2013 43 comments In yet another setback for lithium-ion battery technology, Mitsubishi Motors has acknowledged that it recently had a fire and an overheating incident involving the high-energy batteries.
Mitsubishi's Dexterous Robots for Factory Automation
Product News 3/28/2013 13 comments Mitsubishi has released the latest in a series of vertical-axis robots that are designed to perform particularly dexterous and complex tasks formerly operated by humans in a factory setting.
Boeing: New Enclosure 'Keeps Us From Ever Having a Fire'
News 3/15/2013 49 comments The Boeing Co. took the issue of 787 battery fires head-on last night, definitively declaring that with pending modifications to its lithium-ion battery packs, a “fire can’t begin, develop, or be sustained.”
Slideshow: 'Boeing Battery Needs Liquid Cooling'
News 3/8/2013 35 comments With the root cause of the Boeing 787 battery fire still unclear, one leading battery expert suggested this week that the need for an active cooling system on Dreamliners is even more important.
Maxon Releases New Digital EtherCAT Controller
Product News 3/1/2013 11 comments Maxon Motor has released a new compact digital controller with EtherCAT that allows for real-time positioning and high-speed synchronization of multi-axis systems, including robotics, automation, and mechantronics.
NASA Awards Bigelow Aerospace $17.8M to Add New Module to ISS
News 2/20/2013 11 comments NASA has awarded Bigelow Aerospace a contract to deliver its Bigelow Expandable Activity Module to the International Space Station for experimental use for two years upon its launch to the station in 2015.
Ford, GM Face Off on Truck Engines
News 2/14/2013 32 comments Two of the world's biggest automakers are squaring off for a multi-year truck engine battle, with one company trying to win by addition, while the other aims for victory by subtraction.
NTSB: Short Circuit Caused 787 Battery Fire
News 2/12/2013 44 comments The Boeing 787 battery fire in Boston last month was caused by a battery short circuit that led to a thermal runaway condition, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Opto 22's LED Dimmer Connects to Serial Networks
Product News 1/29/2013 6 comments A new dimmer recently introduced by Opto 22 uses pulse width modulation (PWM) technology to control brightness from 0-100 percent for 9-30 to control VDC constant voltage LED lighting assemblies such as lamps, bulbs, strips, ropes, and bars.
Dow Plans North American Plastic Waste Recovery Facilities
News 1/28/2013 18 comments Dow Chemical and Klean Industries are collaborating to build waste recovery facilities throughout North America for recovering energy, chemicals, and oil from nonrecycled waste plastics. The agreement especially targets used plastic packaging materials.
Were the Boeing 787 Batteries Cooled Properly?
News 1/25/2013 57 comments The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's high-profile battery fire may have been the result of an engineering double-whammy: an energetic battery chemistry combined with a possibly inadequate cooling system.
Agile Planet Launches Plug-and-Play Smart Motion Controllers
Product News 1/23/2013 11 comments Texas-based startup Agile Planet has released two new smart controllers as part of its flagship product line aimed at simplifying motion control for manufacturing automation and other types of robots.
NHTSA Wants Hybrids, EVs to Be Noisier
News 1/16/2013 60 comments In an effort to make streets safer for pedestrians, the National Highway Traffic Administration has proposed a rule that could require engineers to add more sound to hybrids and electric vehicles.
Ford Builds Metal Prototypes With 3D Printing
News 1/8/2013 27 comments Ford Motor Co. is raising the stakes in rapid prototyping, making testable prototype metal parts ranging from brake rotors to transmission cases with three-dimensional printers.
Plastic Makes a Better Light Bulb
News 1/8/2013 34 comments Wake Forest University scientists have devised a shatterproof, white light, flicker-free lighting device based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology.
Video: Fish Slime Makes Tough, Silk-Like Fiber
News 12/27/2012 14 comments Researchers have discovered that the defensive slime exuded by hagfishes may be a source of high-performance protein fibers that could replace petrochemical-based polymers, such as nylon and plastic fibers, and fabrics woven from them.
Strong, Flexible Composite Combines Minerals, Thermoplastic
News 12/20/2012 23 comments A strong, flexible mineral/thermoplastic composite that replicates wood's fibrous structure is contending with wood, wood plastic composites, plastics, and metal in a range of potential structural applications.
Siemens's Next-Gen, High-End Simatic Controllers
Product News 12/20/2012 4 comments Siemens plans to roll out its new Simatic S7-1500 to the market in phases, with three CPU types aimed at mid-range performance. They are expected to reach manufacturers in the US early next year.
Siemens's Plant Management Software
Product News 12/17/2012 1 comment The Siemens Industry Automation Division has expanded its Comos software solution for plant engineering and operation to include enhanced functionality for modern plant management.
3D Print Your Own Personal Electronics
News 12/14/2012 55 comments If it's possible to 3D print blood vessels, robots, and guns, then why shouldn't you be able to 3D print your own personal electronics?
ABB Paves Way for Solar, Wind Supergrids
Product News 12/14/2012 7 comments The automation company ABB has designed the first circuit breaker for HVDC, paving the way for uninterrupted power flow over longer distances.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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