Products to watch

Here is a list of the latest products from some of the major manufacturers doing design in Japan:

Dual CPU PLC

Aromat Corp.'s new NAiS brand FP10SH PLC compresses frequently used instructions into fixed-length form and employs a five-stage pipeline RISC processor to execute a sequence instruction at 0.4 (mu)sec. It enables five instructions to be executed simultaneously. Aromat says it is four times faster than its precedessor, and 3 to 10 times faster than other PLCs.

Aromat Corp., (E) 629 Central Ave., New Providence, NJ 07934, FAX (908) 771-5658.

'Tough steel' bearings

NSK's patented "tough steel" ball and roller bearings are designed for long life, especially in harsh environments where bearing lubricants become contaminated with abrasives. The company says these bearings outlast standard bearing steel by as much as 10 times in those environments.

NSK Corp., (P) 3861 Research Park Drive, Box 1507, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, FAX (313) 668-7888.

Integral bearings

NMB's precision mechanical assemblies are designed for several markets. NMB's largest bearing is one-inch outside diameter, while the smallest is 0.1181 inch. The integral bearings are for computer hard disc drives, computer tape drives and camcorders, among other applications.

NMB Corp., (P) 9730 Independence Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311, FAX (818) 709-0387.

Long-life bearings

NTN Bearing Corp.'s AS (Advanced Super-Performance) bearing series are the company's most durable. The series' TAB, ETA, and EA bearings are especially effective in applications where the lubricant contains hard particles such as in automobile transmissions. To prevent cracking, engineers prepare the rolling surface with a heat treatment process. They use special materials to multiply the treatment's effectiveness, inhibiting the occurrence of cracks and enhancing the life of the bearings to about five times that of regular bear-ings where hard particles are in the lubricant, NTN says. Strengthening the bearing surface also makes the bear-ing more resistant to peeling, smearing, and other surface damage, according to the company.

NTN Bearing Corp., (P) 1600 E. Bishop Court, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056, FAX (847) 297-2552.

Micro network controller

Omron's new SRM1 micro network controller provides the power and flexibility of a high-speed distributed I/O network in an ultra-compact package, the company says. Based on the networking system rather than the controller's fixed I/O, the SRM1's I/O is distributed via Omron's CompoBus/S network. The company says the distributed configuration reduces wiring and offers machine builders flexibility to distribute I/O anywhere on the machine, rather than designing machines around the controller.

Omron, (E) One East Commerce Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173, FAX (847) 843-7787.

High-resolution, high-torque step motor

Oriental Motor U.S.A. Corp. says its PK-M Series sizes 17 and 23 hybrid step motors provide the highest torque and step resolution combination available. Step angle resolutions are 0.9 degrees per full step and 0.45 degrees per half step while maintaining holding torques of 22 to 44.4 oz-inches for the size 17 and 54.2 to 187.5 oz-inches for the size 23.

Oriental Motor U.S.A. Corp., (P) 2580 W. 237th St., Torrance, CA 90505, FAX (310) 325-1076.

Guide actuator

THK America Inc. has introduced a miniature version of its LM Guide Actuator Type KR. It's available in two sizes: the KR20 and the KR26, with carriage heights of 20 mm and 26 mm, respectively. Both models include the integrated four-groove circular arc LM guide raceways. The outer rail construction is cold drawn steel. The KR20 features a 1.0-mm/rev precision ball screw and maximum travels of 20 mm. The KR26 features a 2.0-mm/rev precision ball screw and maximum travels of 300 mm.

THK America, Inc., (P) 200 E. Commerce Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173, FAX (847) 310-1182.