Crossed roller bearings

The crossed rollers contact the bearing way (rail) only on its diameter, generating what's described as a pure rolling action, reducing friction, and providing long bearing life. They feature a hardened and ground solid way construction for high load carrying capabilities-up to 5,800 kg. Available with travels from 20 to 900 mm and sizes from 1 to 9 mm, some applications include vacuum and clean room environments in the semiconductor industry.

Bayside Motion Group, 27 Seaview Blvd., Port Washington, NY 11050; FAX (516) 484-5496; www.bmgnet.com.

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Absolute to encoder converter

The AEC-100 is available for both digital start/stop and SSI output type transducers. The SSI version can provide 12,500 counts per inch resolution with an update rate of around 1 msec. It's designed to eliminate the need for "re-homing" the machine by constantly monitoring the LDT and keeping track of exactly how many quadrature counts have been sent. In the event of a power loss, the AEC-100 can send a burst of pulses to update the controller of the current location.

CMC Sencon, 2640 Yonkers Rd., Suite N, Raleigh, NC 27604; FAX (919) 833-2586; www.cmcsencon.com.

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Brushless motor

The MBP-132 three-phase sensorless brushless motor uses ironless winding technology. The slotless design utilizes a magnetic circuit made of high-energy rare earth magnets and high-grade laminations. It leads to a 13-mm motor capable of delivering 2 mNm of continuous torque-at speeds up to 20,000 rpm. Reportedly, an intermittent peak torque of 10 mNm can be obtained. This motor has only three output wires, and can be driven using a sensorless brushless motor driver.

API Motion, 45 Hazelwood Dr., Amherst, NY 14228; FAX (716) 691-9181; www.apimotion.com.

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Linear guides

The self-lubricating RoundRail(TM)linear guides are designed to offer maintenance-free operation. The design includes an oil-saturated polymer, custom-made to fit the shaft that is installed on each end of the bearing inside the double lip seal. A contact spring keeps the sections in contact with the shaft as the bearing moves. This is supposed to ensure a constant fill of lubricant between the balls and races. Re-lubrication is therefore not necessary in most applications.

Thomson Industries, 2 Channel Dr., Port Washington, NY 11050; FAX (516) 944-1892; www.thomson.com.

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Automation software

The TwinCAT system is a PC-compatible, hard real-time control, which includes I/O access for 11 fieldbuses and PC buses, programming tools, and built in HMI interfaces. It also utilizes an IEC1131-3 Software PLC, and a software-based motion control package designed for Point-to-Point motion and Interpolation. The hard real-time extension enables Windows 2000, Embedded NT and NT to function deterministically, allow complete integration of PLC and NC systems into Windows.

Beckhoff Automation LLC, 12204 Nicollet Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55337; FAX (612) 890-2888; www.beckhoff.com.

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