Technologies In Motion

Read about the latest developments in motion control, factory automation, machine tools, and robotics.

Banner’s New Vision System Needs No Computer

Posted by Joseph Ogando on January 9, 2009

Machine vision systems don’t necessarily need lots of extra computing power and complex software to carry out difficult inspection tasks. That’s the guiding principle behind Banner Engineering’s new image sensing system, which is designed to be both simple and smart. Called the iVu Series TG, this self-contained image sensing system features a 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen for fact ...... Read More

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Wireless Reference Architectures In the Works

Posted by Joseph Ogando on November 21, 2008

Engineers wanting to deploy wireless networks on the factory floor will soon get a helping hand from Rockwell Automation and Cisco Systems. At the Rockwell Automation Fair in Nashville this week, the two companies announced that they will release reference architectures for wireless industrial Ethernet. According to Steve Ludwig, commercial programs manager for Rockwell’s Automation Control ...... Read More

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Motion Network Gets Its Own Packaging Profile

Posted by Joseph Ogando on November 11, 2008

Makers of packaging machines will soon have an easier time implementing real-time Ethernet control, especially when they use drives, controls and i/o from different vendors. Here at the Pack Expo Show in Chicago, the SERCOS organization announced that it would develop Pack Profile for SERCOS III, its real-time, Ethernet-based motion control network. According to Peter Lutz, managing director ...... Read More

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Fluid Power Gets 'Em While They're Young

Posted by Joseph Ogando on October 30, 2008

Forget about Hooked On Phonics. What today’s students really need is to get Hooked On Hydraulics. At least, that’s the point of a new education initiative from the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation. Last week, the two organizations announced they would team up to develop programs that teach fluid power concepts to ...... Read More

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Motion Control Market Still Growing

Posted by Joseph Ogando on September 29, 2008

The general motion control market, while certainly not immune from the ups and downs of the global economy, seems poised to hold its own over the next few years. A new study from the ARC Advisory Group forecasts that the worldwide market for general motion control technology will experience a compounded annual growth rate of roughly 6.7 percent over the next five years, growing from $6.0 billion i ...... Read More

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Ethernet-friendly Controllers from IMTS

Posted by Joseph Ogando on September 16, 2008

Judging from last week’s IMTS Show, machine tool controllers have made strides not just in performance but also in their ease-of-use and flexibility. “Speed is always important, but there has also been big thrust around simplicity,” says J. Manjunathaiah, vice president and general manager of Infimatic, MAG Industrial Automation Systems’ controls subsidiary. That simpli ...... Read More

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Machine Vision's Bright Side

Posted by Joseph Ogando on September 5, 2008

Machine vision components and systems exhibited lackluster growth in 2007 and will likely do even worse in 2008, according to a new study from the Automated Imaging Association. Paul Kellett, the association’s research director, reports that the yearly growth of component sales was just 0.5 percent in 2007, while smart cameras posted a 2.1 percent growth and application-specific syste ...... Read More

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Hall Effect Sensors: From Highways to Laundry Rooms

Posted by Joseph Ogando on August 25, 2008

As home appliances get smarter and smarter, they’re making use of sensing and control technologies long found in more sophisticated products such as cars. Micronas, a supplier of application-specific IC technology, today made a move to tap into that trend. The company announced a new effort to bring its broad range of Hall Effect sensors to the white goods market. Previously, these sensors ...... Read More

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Industries: This Week in Engineering History , DN Video Library , Design Engineering Competitions and Challenges , Trend Watch

Encoder Fights Thermal Drift

Posted by Regina Lynch on August 4, 2008

Even a little bit of thermal drift can present a big problem for production machines that require dead-on positioning accuracy. HEIDENHAIN has now come up with a solution that can help machine builders cope with errors related to this heat-induced growth of machine elements. The company’s new “1Dplus” encoders feature a second, shorter set of graduations perpendicular to those ...... Read More

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Industries: Design Engineering Competitions and Challenges

Disney's Integrated Safety Makeover

Posted by Joseph Ogando on July 8, 2008

In an indication of just how seriously North American engineers are taking integrated safety in applications where life and limb are on the line, Walt Disney Imagineering and Siemens Energy & Automation have together been working on a PLC-based safety system for busbar powered rides. For the past 30 years or so, Disney has entrusted some of safety tasks on these rides to a custom Power Bus Co ...... Read More

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Hannover Fair Highlights Energy-Saving Strategies

Posted by Joseph Ogando on April 25, 2008

Reducing energy consumption is a bit like exercise. People tend to agree it’s a good idea and should do it regularly –– but often times they don’t quite make it to the gym. Yet if energy costs keep rising, engineers won’t be able to sit on the sidelines for much longer and will have to work out new ways to trim the energy consumption of the machines they build. T ...... Read More

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Robotic Jellyfish Swim--And Fly--At Hannover Fair

Posted by Joseph Ogando on April 22, 2008

The biggest draws at Festo’s recent Hannover Fair exhibits have been biologically-inspired robotic creatures that show off cutting-edge automation technologies. Turning once again to nature for inspiration, the company’s engineers this year came up with robotic jellyfish that either swim or fly. They may look whimsical, but the waterborne AquaJelly and airborne AirJelly make use of ...... Read More

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Design News Partner Zones

Light Matters: The Unsung Heroes of Modern Health Care
First, let's define "no-compromise." In an ideal configuration, this lamp would use a high-brightness LED (HBLED) that is built into a small, integrated package and is able to produce a large quantity of focused light, operate with a high level of reliability and generate no audible noise. Is this difficult? Yes, but it is possible.
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Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.