Linear Systems: Lead screws, Ball screws and Linear Slides
With this posting, we’ll begin a discussion about leadscrew/ball screw/linear slide systems. Picture a screw with a nut on it. No, no not a Walnut. Sighhhh. OK then, picture a right-hand threaded 1/4-20 screw with a 1/4-20 nut threaded on to the screw. A 1/4-20 screw has an outside diameter or major diameter of 0.25” and the thread of the screw has 20 turns per inch.
Outsourcing Engineers: When is it Right for You?
The 2008 global downturn changed the economics of manufacturing. To stay in business, companies slashed budgets and cut staff to operate as leanly as possible. Now that the economy has recovered, the focus is shifting from survival mode to market leade …
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Design Essentials: How to Size a Motor Properly to Avoid Oversizing
One of the challenges that face motion-control engineers is how to properly select a motor. If the motor is undersized or too small, it will not handle load. If the motor is oversized or too large, the motor will be too expensive in terms of purchase p …
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Fundamentals of Motion Control
Recently I came across a simple infographic from Power Jack Motion that did a nice job of visualizing the difference between alternating current (ac) and direct current (dc) motors. This article will follow and present the information contained therein …
The Truth About Manufacturing
In America today, truth has become a particularly slippery asset. This goes beyond the usual political hot topics, cutting deep into the fabric of basic reality. Because, despite our unfettered access to unlimited troves of data, statistics, forums, an …
Addressing STEM’s “Skills Gap” by Closing the “Interest Gap”
Over the next decade, nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will be needed, with 2 million expected to go unfilled due to the skills gap. Further, 80% of manufacturers already report a moderate or serious shortage of qualified applicants for skilled an …
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Sizing: Adding a rubber sleeve as a primary roller
Recap of the last posting In our last posting, we were comparing the inertia of a 12” long, 0.25” diameter steel rod (0.0013 lb-in^2) to a 1” long, 1” diameter aluminum coupling (0.00957 lb-in^2). We asked why the lighter weight aluminum co …
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Sizing: Calculating the inertia of a load shaft
In our last posting, we calculated the inertia of a helical shaft coupling. The coupling is used to connect the motor shaft to the load shaft. We calculated the inertia of: a coupling that was 0.5” in diameter and 0.5” long at 0.0003 lb-in2 a coupling …
Five Questions with Eric Klein of Novanta IMS
Eric Klein, General Manager of Novanta IMS, answers five key questions on the future of the Motion Control industry. In the article, Eric discusses emerging technologies, industry trends, the opportunities presented by the Internet of Things and the gr …
Sizing: Determining the mass of the coupling
In our last posting, we talked about having a good quality coupling that connected the motor’s shaft to the load’s shaft. Finding the right coupling A good quality coupling would be able to accommodate a reasonable angular misalignment between the shaf …
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