Design World Motion System Trends Handbook April 2017

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April 2017

MOTION SYSTEM TRENDS More than precision motion products.

We engineer motion system solutions.

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THK Ultimate Actuators and Cross Roller Rings Our Actuators consist of an aluminum base, an LM Guide, a standardized top table, drive system, and other components to meet diverse application requirements. Our Cross Roller Rings offer high rotation accuracy and are capable of bearing loads in every direction.

Many feature patented Caged Technology to eliminate friction between balls for increased speed, load capacities and long-term maintenance-free operation.

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Closed Loop Drives and Motors for EtherCAT® Networks

StepSERVOTM Drives and Motors Greater torque, higher acceleration Better throughput in point-to-point motion Higher efficiency, quieter operation EtherCAT networking with CANopen CiA 402 operating modes

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Connected. Customized. Closed Loop.

StepSERVOTM technology from Applied Motion Products combines the high torque capabilities of step motors with the closed loop dynamic control of servo systems.

The result is a motor and drive solution that operates more quietly and efficiently, while providing greater torque and higher acceleration rates than traditional step motor systems.

SS-EC StepSERVOTM Drives and Motors support CANopen over EtherCAT (CoE) control, allowing them to be integrated into new and existing EtherCAT networks.

By combining the high-speed networking capabilities of EtherCAT with the motion control performance of StepSERVO, Applied Motion offers yet another feature-packed series of motors and drives designed to help you Make it Move.

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2017 TRENDS IN MOTION THANK YOU, ONLINE SHOPPERS.

DO YOU regularly get packages on your doorstep crisscrossed in a telltale black tape that doubles as a harbinger of satisfaction derived from a minimal-effort mix of whimsical purchases and necessities? If yes, then your household like mine subscribes to the modern first-world blessing known as Amazon Prime. Last year, Amazon’s long bet of putting company growth over profitability at last yielded substantial revenue. This is unsurprising to those of us counted among its faithful who have come to rely on the convenience of its one-click shopping (actually an Amazon patent expiring year) to reduce list-making, errand-running, and other shopping headaches.

Massive automation drives the e-commerce company, not to mention all the facilities of shipping companies supporting final delivery. Just a couple weeks ago, Amazon (with FAA assistance) made its first public U.S. drone delivery (containing some sunscreen) to the 2017 Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space Exploration (MARS) conference in California. But far more significant are its 45,000 robots (SCARAs, delta pickers, the famous Kiva-now-Amazon AGVs, boxers, fillers, taping machines, and many more motion-centric setups) that work every day alongside huge conveyor networks — 15 miles long at the Baltimore fulfilment center, to give one example — in 90-odd automated locations across the U.S. Only the order volumes of 300 million online shoppers could justify this level of automation.

What’s more, in a fascinating feedback loop of cultural influence on the motion-engineering industry, Amazon-style online tools for B2C shopping are raising machine builders’ expectations for price and delivery information without needing to talk to a service representative.

In short, B2C online-shopping trends are informing new online tools for B2B purchasing and engineering design. That’s an observation from Mike Parzych of GAM Enterprises, who provided insight for this 2017 Design World Motion Trends issue. GAM and several other motion-component suppliers we surveyed offer (or will soon have) digital tools for OEMs and end users to design and specify motion components; customize powertransmission subsystems to satisfy design parameters; match motors and machine geometries and axis requirements; and hone feedback and controller functions in virtual environments before deploying. Visit motioncontroltips.com and search “trends in online configuration tools” for what’s here and on the horizon.

Clearly online shopping is spurring motion installations in massive LISA EITEL distribution warehouses and inspiring tools for B2B purchasing. But these @DW_LISAEITEL aren’t the only ways in which online connectivity is affecting motion design.

Cloud-based platforms and decentralization of control electronics are enabling new possibilities for IoT in the motion-system applications space.

There’s more of the B2C online-shopping feedback loop here: Some of the drive towards industrial IoT is to boost manufacturing flexibility — and satisfy growing demand for customized product. Advisory firm Forrester Research estimates that more than 35% of online shoppers in the U.S. now want to customize product features to their specification and purchase build-to-order products. Watch the classic Malcolm Gladwell TED Talk, “Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce” for a description of this trend’s origins and the rise of chunky sauces as an example of industry adaptation.

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Online ordering supports customization ... begets more automation: The m on standard M&Ms are printed with rotogravure, but now the candymaker Mars uses connected automation and ink-jet printers to make and sell custom M&Ms.

Essentially, IoT in motion machinery boils down to distributed sensors and digital control for remote monitoring and wireless communications (often to the enterprise level) as a way of tracking machine performance and boosting overall output. Recall that the industrial IoT is billed as Industry 4.0 in European circles in part to underscore its significance — ranking IoT with the Industrial Revolution, the rise of assembly lines, and the rise of digital technologies.

Supporting the current trend towards more IoT in motion design is the falling cost of embedded sensing as evidenced by SoCs in smartphones and other relatively inexpensive consumer products. That’s according to Travis Schneider, product manager of high precision mechanics at the Parker Hannifin Electromechanical and Drives Division.

Read more of Schneider’s IoT insight at motioncontroltips.com. Such sensing for motion designs can include feedback based on vibration, vision, infrared, inertial, and electromagnetic sensing.

Again, embedded smarts for distilling feedback data at the device (as well as communicating the results) are part of the IoT setup. To this end, Parker and others offer online specification and ordering — as well as deployment of components with smart tags listing (in some cases) component born-on date, unit-specific characteristics, and relevant data sheets. In addition, myriad technical challenges could soon be addressed through analysis of massive data at the machine level.

One example is the enhanced encoding technology of HIPERFACE DSL that allows for local memory and additional diagnostics. Security is still a major concern, but Schneider sees huge opportunity for on-device analytics and diagnostics — and moving away from traditional enterprise-level analytics on programmable automation controllers (PACs) and fieldbus-enabled valve banks, for example.

“These new smart devices may take the form of an actuator self-diagnosing its own issues before they’re problems — or compensating on the fly for its inherent flaws to improve performance,” Schneider added.

One of the most exciting new applications for IoT (and a new iteration of electric-motor-driven motion design) is that for automobiles — in electric (e-mobility) and autonomous vehicles. According to Jeff Hemphill, V.P. and chief technical officer of the Schaeffler Group North America, there’s concurrent symbiotic acceleration of the two. Within vehicle applications there will soon be IoT in connected and autonomous vehicles that link into vehicle infrastructure, said Hemphill. That will be increasingly important as electric-powered drivetrains tap into smart grids supporting the fleets’ power demand. Read more of Hemphill’s commentary in this Motion Trends section on motors — and as always, let us know what you think of this year’s motion-technology changes and predictions.

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NO RESPECT FOR

MANUFACTURING JOBS

LEE TESCHLER @DW_LEETESCHLER

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YOU WOULD HAVE had to live under a rock for the past year to not hear the political posturing about U.S. manufacturing jobs.

The President has promised to bring back. manufacturing jobs. Candidate Clinton had a “Make it in America” plan with effectively the same aim.

The campaign rhetoric might lead you to think that manufacturing jobs are a new focus for politicians. But that’s not at all true. Previous administrations have noticed the steady decline in manufacturing employment – about 35% of all U.S. non-farm workers were employed in manufacturing in 1945. By 2010, that figure had dropped to about 9%. (For amusement, one can do a linear regression of this declining jobs-vs.- time line to find out when the last manufacturing job might leave the U.S. When we did this analysis, we came up with zeropercent U.S. manufacturing jobs around the year 2033.) So through the years, there has been a lot of governmental hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth about these declines.

For an illustration of what’s transpired inside the bowels of government over manufacturing employment, consider a 2014 report written by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. It is not exactly what you would say is a stirring call to action.

It is filled with mushy prose. It’s possible to read through one of its many “recommendations” without really getting a sense as to what might occur if the recommended actions were taken. For example, it is

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hard to see what would actually happen if we established “a national strategy for securing U.S. advantage in emerging manufacturing technologies.” Ditto for providing “coordinated private-sector input on national advanced manufacturing technology research and development priorities.”

However, there is one point in the report that is clear.

The President’s advisors suggested launching “a national campaign to change the image of manufacturing.” Finally, a straightforward goal: Not only develop manufacturing jobs, but also convince people they would actually want to take those jobs.

But if you are a bureaucrat, there is a hazard in devising plans that are clear. Someone might measure the results and call you to account. And if comments made in the popular media are any indication, we’d have to say the President’s Council got a failing grade on rehabilitating the image of manufacturing.

Consider the comments from the head of a Minnesota recruitment firm who said she has trouble finding candidates for manufacturing jobs because “parents … think that manufacturing is dirty and grimy.….They don’t want their kids working in that kind of environment. So, they don’t encourage their kids to go into manufacturing.”

Then there is this from, believe it or not, an HR site: “Nobody wants those crummy Trump jobs. Those jobs suck. Have you ever worked in a factory? Do you have a family member who’s lost a finger or a hand in a mill accident? Don’t we have higher hopes for our talented citizens?”

Finally, there is this comment posted in response to another article on manufacturing employment: “Manufacturing jobs are overrated anyway. Hot, stinky environments with (sic) highly strenuous.”

The piece this writer was responding to was itself a sign of the times. It quoted New Frontier Data, a firm which reports on the cannabis industry, as projecting that marijuana-related jobs will outpace manufacturing jobs in the U.S. by 2020.

Let’s hope our leaders can get their act together to promote U.S. manufacturing. I, for one, would hate to see New Frontier Data’s “heady” prediction come true.

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Engineered elasticity Application specific designs Integrated attachments, One piece solutions Exotic materials...no problem

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MOTIONCONTROLTIPS.COM

INSIDE

THE MOTION SYSTEM TRENDS HANDBOOK VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2

P2 P6

2017 trends in motion thank you, online shoppers No respect for manufacturing jobs

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Actuators Electrical .....................................................12 Pneumatic ...................................................23 Ballscrews .........................................................26 Motors ..............................................................29 Networks ..........................................................40 Bearings ............................................................44 Belts & Pulleys ..................................................48 Clutches & Brakes .............................................50 Controllers ........................................................54 Conveyors .........................................................59 Couplings .........................................................61 Drives ................................................................66 Encoders ...........................................................70 Gearing .............................................................76 Gearmotors ......................................................82 Linear Guides Rails, Slides & Systems ..............86 PT Essentials Chain, Seals, Retaining Devices .................94 Shock, Vibration Damping ..............................102 Stages, Gantries & Tables ...............................105

61 94 2 • 2017

Cover photography by Miles Budimir

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The new patented H-Track actuator from Warner Linear is an electric actuator with self-contained hydraulic actuation that provides the performance of hydraulics without the space requirements and expense of a full-size hydraulic system.

ELECTRIC ACTUATOR TRENDS; MORE INTEGRATION

IF THERE is one overarching trend for electric actuators, it has to be integration. That is, integrating more components such as feedback devices, controllers and drives, and functions into the actuator itself. Designers are looking for reliable actuators that can be quickly and easily installed, powered up and operational.

Here’s what some top actuator manufacturers told us about the trends they’re seeing in the industry.

Do you see the same or more demand for motion designs offering design simplicity or turnkey operation? If you see more demand, what kinds of pre-engineered solutions are you offering to satisfy this change in the marketplace?

Tom Quartararo | Ultra Motion We’ve seen a steady increase in requests for turnkey actuator solutions that are robust, reliable and easy to use. The ideal actuator solution in many applications is one that will interface directly with existing PLCs, have flexible communication protocols for future system augmentation, and not require extensive learning curves or actuator specific expertise. In a market dominated by smart motors, we saw a need for a “smart actuator” that had built-in absolute position feedback and control electronics designed specifically for electromechanical actuation and ease of integration. This theme is what drove the development of our Servo Cylinder, which integrates our proprietary Phase Index absolute position feedback with a high performance brushless dc controller and robust mechanical components.

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Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic Yes, motion systems can be complex, with many moving parts and the combination of many different product technologies.

The more suppliers can combine products and technologies into solutions to simplify the usage and deployment, the better it is for the end-user. Tolomatic does several things to help customers with design simplicity. Examples include easy solutions such as mounting a motor on an actuator. Tolomatic's online "Your Motor Here” program is a large database of most brands of servomotors.

Once the specifier selects a motor, Tolomatic provides motor mount, coupler, belt/pulleys, and mounting hardware. Another example are Tolomatic's integrated servomotor actuators that are integrated into any feedback device and mimic any servomotor connector such that standard cables can be used from the drive manufacturer. Further integration involves the servomotor and drive into the actuator that eases setup, configuration, tuning and deployment because the drive/controller already knows everything about the actuator.

Ben Lutz | LinMot In the U.S., we see a strong demand for design simplicity, our pre-guided axes like the P04 and F-Guide feature an extrusion profile and integrated guide rail allowing customers to directly mount loads without stumbling over alignment.

The F-Guide system allows for a bolt together gantry from stock parts, making 3 or 4 axes of motion possible with no teach-pendant.

Our customers have also shown preference for control systems that require minimal drive intelligence and communication setup. PVA and NC streaming both allow axis control to stay within the PLC for tighter machine synchronization and a familiar programming environment.

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David Basken | Misumi Yes, and we are expanding our standardization of customer custom machined products into our standard configurable products, kitting services, and exploring light sub assembly services.

Has your company added or expanded services to provide more in-house engineering support and upfront customization for your customers or their end users? Tell us about that and what problems you are eliminating for your customers by doing some of the integration for them.

Tom Quartararo | Ultra Motion The analog signal operation mode of the Servo Cylinder has proven to be extremely popular and effective in applications that require precise motion control over the entire range of travel. The combination of long life mechanical components, control electronics, and absolute position feedback greatly reduces cabling, system complexity, and the number of vendors associated with a project.

Our Phase Index absolute position sensor is contactless and batteryless, which increases system reliability and eliminates the need for external sensors like limit switches, Hall effect sensors, encoders, and linear potentiometers.

Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic Tolomatic has always worked with customers wants and needs to provide customized engineering solutions. In fact, an increasing trend for Tolomatic is to modify existing designs to meet unique customer demands.

Simple modifications such as integrating specialized mounting features are common, but more complex requests involve integrating position and force sensors into actuators.

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Ben Lutz | LinMot Our company has hired more engineers for the support role, and we maximize their time through remote sessions and virtual meetings.

The creation of AOIs and other programming function blocks have made digital motion accessible to a wide range of PLCs and Numerous short tutorials have also been produced to reduce the strain on new integrators.

David Basken | Misumi Yes, we have expanded the inhouse engineering team to meet the demand of our rapid growth as well and further deepen the level of application and component selection support we offer. We find that designers are having to work on shorter timelines, and therefore are looking for more support from suppliers to offset some of that work.

Keith Knight | Product Line Design Manager Haydon Kerk Over the past couple of years, we have experienced a trend that more and more of our customers have benefited from releasing some portion of their design to a qualified motion control partner. In many cases our customers have a great deal of expertise in their specific field, but that field is not necessarily motion control. By teaming up with a qualified motion control company they can reduce their development timeline, risk, and ultimately release their product to the market sooner and gain more market share.

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4/10/17 3:42 PM

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What industries are most changing motion-component design? What industries or applications are using more custom components than in the past and why?

Tom Quartararo | Ultra Motion Motion control in UAVs/UGVs often uses electromechanical rotary actuators, but a linear system can increase overall performance while reducing linkage complexity, cost, and weight in many applications. The Ultra Motion Servo Cylinder includes a mode to move to a proportional position as commanded by an RC-PWM (1 to 2 msec pulse) signal, which is offered as a standard servo control output in many commercial autopilots. Phase Index absolute position feedback eliminates the need to home the actuator at startup, which is a critical feature for control surface applications since homing is intolerable in the event of a power glitch. The native RC-PWM control mode coupled with high reliability Phase Index absolute position feedback and the extremely dynamic motion capability of the Servo Cylinder offers a great combination for unmanned vehicle applications. Detailed control and diagnostic information is available through the Servo Cylinder’s RS-232 command interface for telemetry purposes or for more sophisticated control and decision making. The Servo Cylinder has successfully replaced rotary actuators on unmanned vehicles in applications such as control surface manipulation, throttle control, and landing gear deployment.

Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic We see a lot of change happening in the food and beverage environment, with the continued increased enforcement and effect of the FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act). This has driven customers to demand more hygienic designs from all the components they use. Due to the increased demand for more hygienic designs, Tolomatic is taking more standard product and customizing into hygienic designs that meet their requirements.

Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions and Pittman are groups within Ametek’s Advanced Motion Solutions division (AMS) that are built on providing a high degree of support and customization. An engineering group within the company focuses on higher-level systems projects apart from the core product offering. These projects range from highly customized single axes of motion that simplify overall assembly to larger scale multiaxis solutions that incorporate multiple technologies for load guidance, mechanical drive mechanisms, motors, and customized feedback.

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Ben Lutz | LinMot Very few industries can tolerate frequent changing motion components. In fact, new technology like the LinMot tubular linear motor technology takes many, many years to become an adopted and accepted alternative to traditional point-to-point motion. Europe is leading here as the European OEMs adopt new technology more readily and drive their business through new motion component technologies, creating faster, smarter and more flexible machines. Custom components are used in all industries but many customers find it easier to select from standard dimensions to reduce concern about replacement parts.

David Basken | Misumi Automotive is introducing different materials and technologies into automobiles faster than ever, and this brings with it unique engineering challenges for the automation equipment to handle these. The most influential now are aluminum body panels for vehicles, and the rise of the Electric Vehicle and the battery-based powertrain.

Tell us about a new application where engineers used your motion-control and power-transmission components to improve their design. What about this application is unlike anything possible 10 years ago?

top speeds in excess of 14 in./sec, high acceleration capability, and oversized mechanical components.

A successful mode of operation in pneumatic replacement is four preset position mode, where the state of two optically isolated digital inputs corresponds to configurable absolute positions. In many cases this mode allows for drop-in pneumatic replacement with existing control systems, and provides controlled speeds, controlled accelerations, and position repeatability better than 0.001 in. Higher speed Servo Cylinders are currently in development so that more machine designers can realize the benefits of electromechanical actuators in their pneumatic applications.

Jared Zammuto | Sr. Design Engineer Warner Linear We recognized a growing demand for power-dense actuators used in a variety of off-highway and other extreme-duty applications including agricultural sprayers, snow plows, and mower decks. In response, our engineering team developed a completely new, compact electric actuator with self-contained hydraulic actuation that provides the performance of hydraulics without the space requirements and expense of a full-size hydraulic system. With minimal initial drift, once seated, the new, patented H-Track actuator is immune to vibrational drifting and

Tolomatic hygienic electric actuators are approved by 3A and USDA for food and beverage applications such as pressing, pumping, cutting or slicing.

Tom Quartararo | Ultra Motion Another industry trend that has been steadily developing is the replacement of pneumatic actuators with electromechanical actuators. Many machine designers are looking for the controllability, repeatability, and efficiency of electromechanical actuators, with the speed and reliability of pneumatic actuators. In order to address these demands, the Servo Cylinder was developed as a brushless dc actuator with

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hydraulically self-locks during load reversals, while holding its position without power. This is especially important in applications such as mower deck lifts, agricultural sprayer booms and snow plow blades where the moment force acting on the actuators is dramatically increased due to the constant bouncing that occurs during operation.

The actuators unique fluid design allows the unit to withstand sudden impacts, such as hidden concrete parking blocks in a snow plow’s path, without damage to the actuator. These types of encounters can quickly destroy most electric actuators.

Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic The oil and gas industry has always used hydraulics to automate its valves used in critical applications due to higher forces, longer life and hazardous location requirements. This industry is also very risk-averse and very, very slow to change or adopt new technologies.

Now using servo actuator technology, these customers are able to achieve speed and force performance they never thought was possible.

Ben Lutz | LinMot Our big breakthrough is direct drive linear motion, removing the inefficiencies and imprecision of air without the loss of dynamic movement. For an application like basic part rejection or diversion, rotary to linear systems are too slow, flat linear motors too bulky, and voice coils are too small. The LinMot motor can help OEMs and end users remove air from machines with very little redesign.

One of our second successes is in the capping industry.

Previous technology would require a new cam or tooling to be cut for a change in packaging types. Even a small change between package heights would still require the installation of a new cam or fixturing. Our standard linear rotary motor makes changeover between products a matter of changing dimensions from an HMI. Changing form factors with our motors is now the work of a programmer to create a new recipe and test the same day.

David Basken | Misumi The use of highly engineered coatings in fixture components is rapidly changing. MISUMI introduced a new RDLC coating for locating pins in aluminum body panel assemblies for Bodyin-White applications. They eliminated the build-up of the soft aluminum material on locating pins and the fixture-locking it created.

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What kinds of large-scale industry moves are you seeing to miniaturization, Systemon-Chip (SoC) technologies, automation, (in the case of electric-motor-driven motion designs) efficiency and customization?

Ben Lutz | LinMot Almost all servomotors now have plug-and-play technology so when they are connected to a drive their motor characteristics and parameters are preloaded for operation. Many servos use auto tuning that provides general parameters and if you will ‘good enough’ application tuning. Integrated motor/drive designs are still being introduced and are becoming more accepted especially for existing installations where electrical cabinet retrofits are not easy to do and perhaps impossible. LinMot addresses the market with direct drive motor technology to provide the most efficient and most productive method for point-to-point motion thus providing a simple machine design. The linear-rotary motor technology eliminates many mechanical components and allows for a much simpler machine design.

Where do you see the Internet of Things, IIoT, Industry 4.0, or Connected Industry changing motion system design? Where do you see new materials changing motion design?

Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic This is everywhere and will soon be in all things.

All components in the motion system will be connected to the internet of things in the near future, providing more information about what is happening with the motion or the factory, such as diagnostic information on when components need maintenance or failure notices. The sky is really the limit with the low cost DSPs being able to be connected easily to the internet using industrial Ethernet protocols.

Ben Lutz | LinMot We see remote access for the Internet of Things (separate IP addresses) so that every axis is connected through the plant network increasing uptime and allowing remote access. Monitoring data from the drive allows users to directly predict

Ultra Motion’s new A2 Servo Cylinder is a ruggedized, IP65 (IP67 static) electromechanical linear actuator with integrated Phase Index absolute position feedback and advanced brushless dc control electronics. Made in the USA, the A2 Servo Cylinder is designed for simple integration into applications requiring robust motion control in harsh environments.

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motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

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LET’S GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT

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maintenance intervals by the increase in average current and more accurately report errors.

Additive manufacturing was used for our USB-Serial converter based on the needs of small batch solution to solve customer’s integration requests from a single tested source.

The newest lubricants have high temperature stability and provide for a wide operating range. All the lubricants LinMot uses are food grade – a big plus to be able to use in and around consumable goods.

Tolomatic’s integrated linear servo actuator, a heavy duty actuator with a compact footprint, simplifies mechanical design and can replace pneumatic and hydraulic systems.

Where do you see online configuration tools changing how design engineers specify and buy components? How is your company using software and new forms of connectivity to drive innovation in motion design?

Aaron Dietrich | Director of Marketing Tolomatic I feel it’s already there. If you do not have a good online presence and good online tools, customers do not want to do business with you. Online CAD configuration, sizing and selection tools, educational content, e-commerce, and other tools are a must for suppliers to stay current.

Ben Lutz | LinMot LinMot Designer is also freely available so that any potential user can size their application and directly calculate energy savings. The LinMot website features all the installation guides and CAD models so that parts pass easily from concept to combination. Finally, LinMot Talk configuration software is free online allowing potential users to learn through examples or access existing hardware.

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Christopher Morris | Misumi Not surprisingly, quality, cost, and lead time are crucial elements as engineers begin sourcing a component supplier. A piece often overlooked is the ease of obtaining CAD models. One of the least exciting aspects of mechanical design is researching and procuring CAD files for purchased components. Many times this involves browsing several vendors’ sites, downloading, importing, and constraining CAD files. This is a process that is commonly repeated multiple times through each design revision.

MISUMI has been working extensively on a free CAD add-on suite dubbed Rapid Design.

The first of five applications, inCAD Components, allows users to manipulate MISUMI’s configurable components, research pricing, and access technical information - without going to the website. Independent testing has found this tool to reduce the typical design phase by 32%.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 12:29 PM

PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS

PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS AND SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE TO ENGINEER’S NEEDS

Intelligent configuration thanks to a powerful communication interface: AV valves with modular AES electronics from Aventics Corp.

MUCH LIKE when airflow encounters a junction, engineers also take the path of least resistance when specifying components. Jerry Walling for Fabco-Air Inc. knows this from his years in the business.

“Our products must be both easy to apply and buy,” Walling said, noting that his company invested in the development of a comprehensive, dynamic product configurator for pneumatic components. “In less than 60 seconds, our configurator generates all the following relevant deliverables from one location: specific product part number, list price, lead time, CAD file, applicable seal and repair kits, mounting hardware, attachments, and switches and sensors.”

Designers can also enter a part number and see that product deconstructed, he said, as the configurator will also show the above data.

At Festo Corp., online pneumatic simulation software lets designers verify whether the selected pneumatic components can make the required motion in the necessary time, so the designers can simulate and revise the system.

“In 2016, Festo released its Handling Guide Online software tool,” said Frank Langro of Festo. “This simple-to-use software helps a customer design a single axis system, a 2D linear gantry, 2D gantry, or a 3D gantry that can combine electric and pneumatic axis. Instead of lengthy manual calculations, an x-y-z Cartesian gantry can be designed in minutes, including a CAD file and BOM.” An engineer can save days using this tool, freeing them to devote work elsewhere.

Even Aventics Corp. has gotten into the configurator game online. Rudi Coetzee of the company feels that configurators will become a more significant part of day-to-day business—and demand for tools that let sales personnel and engineers have design control at their fingertips will increase.

“Configurators today allow for designing a component and then dropping that into the machine design. Millennial engineers throughout their education are more familiar with CAD tools than they are with traditional tools such as paper catalogs,” Coetzee said. “Aventics has implemented sizing, pricing, flow requirements, energy efficiency calculations and drawing tools on our website to facilitate more computer based engineering and design, and reduce the amount of different locations required to finish a design.”

APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS EVOLVE

Coetzee feels that motion system design is changing from the standpoint of the end user, as OEMs are now in competition with more global competitors and are looking for ways to differentiate themselves.

“One way is to maximize machine uptime by implementing IoT ready products to monitor the machine health,” he said. “By understanding the health of the machine by using data from cylinders, air usage and cycle counts, an end user can implement true predictive maintenance prior to failure.”

“Aventics offers an IoT product portfolio that enables the OEM to gather data included life cycle, energy efficiency and condition monitoring. An example of this would be the two-position sensors employed to monitor a pneumatic cylinder, by recording the time to stop a cylinder from the time it started to compress a shock absorber. Should the shock absorber begin to leak the cycle time decreases, this data is

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being monitored by the Aventics IoT system. The component can be clearly identified as a product with decaying performance and the system indicates the component needs replacement before total failure.”

Walling said that he’s seen requirements for increased complexity within the food-and-beverage packaging industry over the past couple of years. Demand here is for custom cylinder, valves, slides, and grippers.

“There’s also demand for turnkey solutions,” he said. “So we focus on channel partners in all markets that offer valueadded customer solutions. Outstanding communication with both our distributors and direct sales representatives also lets our engineering staff implement customer requirements for both new product designs and custom solutions.”

According to Langro, his company sees need for engineered motion systems across all industries.

“Be it semiconductor, medical, machine tool, or elsewhere, our customers’ knowledge and value is the science or process they bring to their customers. Examples are the science behind producing a wafer or identifying a bio-marker in a lab, or the technique of accurately cutting metal at a high speed. Transporting and positioning items is Festo’s expertise, and we offer this so our customers can improve their scientific and technological proficiency and products,” he said.

Langro said that Festo also sees more demand for subassemblies. The company provides pre-engineered solutions from simple assemblies such as pneumatic cylinders (with mounting hardware and cylinder switches preinstalled) and electronic pressure sensors (with preconfigured setpoints per requirements) all the way to Cartesian gantries with integrated X, Y, and Z axes, end effector, and control cabinet to operate the system.

“We offer specification, design, assembly, and documentation for pre-assembled motion systems, which then become drop-in modules for the overall machine,” he said. “This frees customers from spending resources on design, assembly, and testing. It also streamlines purchasing and receiving, as part numbers and suppliers are reduced ... trimming internal operational costs.”

requirements provides quicker response to changes in load during pneumatic positioning.

“These higher-performance valves often consume little power and have small footprints,” he said. “Today, systems we provide allow quick and easy setup via fieldbus-compatible products. This allows on-the-fly position setting. Pressure regulation products can also integrate into the control platform for dynamic pressure control. This lets OEMs produce myriad product sizes using one platform with quick changeovers.”

Langro said that over the past year, they’ve seen more use of a pre-assembled planar H-gantry.

“This differs from a traditional 2D gantry because two stationary motors control the motion of a slide plate with a single belt design rather than having to transport an axis along with its motor, which reduces payload, size, and potentially speed,” he said. “The low profile lets H-gantries go in lab, test, and other tabletop devices needing rapid, precise motion.”

“We’ve also been seeing need for simple plug-and-play products and spurring use of easy parameterization through web servers,” Langro said.

“Festo recently introduced a servo press kit that comes with a pre-defined function library of operations. The device is easily changed to perform a press, bevel, or clinching function, just to name a few. Ease of change eliminates the need for customers to create elaborate programming as they now can use the pre-defined library with very simple configuration.”

“Pneumatic technology is changing, too. More flexibility is required, and I expect the trend of digitalization to also expand into pneumatics.”

BETTER TECH THAN THE LAST GENERATION

Engineers using pneumatic systems are also enjoying technology that wasn’t available to them even a decade ago.

For example, electro-pneumatic positioning systems have typically been for point-to-point positioning — and held many advantages over other fluid power systems (such as hydraulic control with the use of a gun drilled rod and transducer).

Although pneumatic systems were less costly to install, the air driven positioning systems also brought challenges when engineering teams began looking to get efficiency and overcome the large power consumption of the required directacting control valves.

Coetzee said that with advancements in the expertise of electro-pneumatic proportional pressure regulation, the ability to precisely control pressure over a broad range of flow

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Festo’s EXCM, a compact XY planar surface gantry with flat design for payloads of up to 3 kg.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

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Michele and Pasquale apply a LEGO® approach to automation.

Festo helps them build customer trust.

Flexibility and reliability. They’re the building blocks for IASE’s modular approach to robotic packaging systems. For Michele and Pasquale, choosing the right components is critical. To them, they’re not just building systems; they’re building their customers’ trust. That’s why they rely on the superior automation products and support they receive from Festo.

Making customers competitive.

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Access Our Latest Best Practices Report.

Visit festo.us/OEE Michele & Pasquale D’Egidio Owners, Industrial Automation Systems Engineering (IASE) © 2017, Festo Group. All rights reserved.

LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse these products.

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APPLICATIONS DRIVE

BALLSCREW

DEVELOPMENTS

A NUMBER of recent advances have improved ballscrew performance, meaning that motion engineers can get more for less.

One trend is the continued interest in integrated designs. For instance, ballscrew-based linear actuators are available as all-in-one packages. The benefit is that such integrated packages significantly reduce design time as well as time required for assembling a system and programming the actuator itself.

Another development is that the latest generation of ballscrews has more load density than ever, offering designers higher capacity in a smaller package.

Miniaturization is another ongoing trend, as well as faster ballscrews using both rolled and ground screw manufacturing methods.

In fact, according to motion and control manufacturer NSK Americas, precision ground ballscrews have become the preferred choice for precise linear motion because they deliver smooth and accurate movement and give reliable and repeatable results. Linear motion is a common need for all types of advanced equipment and machines; but precise, smooth, reliable, and repeatable linear motion is fundamentally important for several applications within the medical industry.

The MBSA Series motorized ballscrew actuator from NSK Americas uses a C3 accuracy ballscrew which has a lead accuracy of 0.006 mm per shaft revolution. The stepping motor paired with the ballscrew has 200 counts per revolution resulting in a motor resolution of 0.005 mm for a 1-mm lead ballscrew.

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PRECISE. ROBUST. AVAILABLE. These new generation CD® Couplings feature zero backlash precision and high torsional stiffness. They answer today’s demanding needs in servo motor applications with high reverse loads and positioning requirements. New clamp style hubs handle increased torque on shafts without using keyways.

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PRECISION GROUND BALL SCREWS

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• Optimized Performance & Longer Life – Ball Screw Characteristics Based on ANSI & ISO Standard Calculations • Large Diameters up to 6” and Long Lengths (Longest to date: 54 feet) • Additional Capabilities: • Full Service Repair with Rebuild Options and Reverse-Engineering • Economical Whirled Ball Screws For Non-Precision Applications

For example, the demand to reduce the size of linear screw actuators but maintain precision is evident in several medical diagnostic and imaging applications. A diagnostic device, such as a desktop blood analyzer, can process multiple samples at a faster speed and higher accuracy in comparison to its predecessor that was the size of an automobile. Health care practitioners rely on small ballscrew actuators on syringe pumps to accurately dispense precise levels of medication. In imaging applications, such as CT scanners, small actuators position aperture plates to control the X-ray beam. In each of these applications, a leadscrew or ballscrew is combined with a small motor to translate the motor’s rotary motion into linear motion.

In the development of the MBSA Series, NSK Americas replaced the motor output shaft with a journal that is part of the ballscrew shaft. The motor directly rotates the ballscrew shaft which translates the nut for linear motion. This design eliminates the need for a separate motorto-ballscrew coupling. The MBSA Series allows for a compact space-saving design that reduces system inertia and eliminates alignment error that can occur when the motor and ballscrew are separately mounted.

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MOTORS

MOTORS

AND MARKET SHIFTS TOWARDS SMART SOLUTIONS

THIS YEAR in motor design there’s been an uptick in three trends.

Disposable medical devices, new consumer products, and the automation of humbler tasks are driving demand for affordable and miniature-motor options. A related trend towards compact designs is leading hand-tool applications.

There’s also escalating use of servomotors and direct-drive motors for appliance, automated guided vehicle (AGV), and e-mobility applications.

Motor design itself is evolving to satisfy pressures brought by globalization — including high-throughput manufacturing with expectations for accuracy and reliability. Here, many applications where servomotor designs were once overkill are now using such setups to boost efficiency — especially where load-responsive motion control or positioning is a design requirement. In fact, servomotors and new breeds of closed-loop stepper motors now run more axes than ever in machines for packaging, semiconductor manufacturing, and robotics. Synchronous motors are also on the rise in all sizes thanks in part to steady rare-earth element prices for the supply of permanent magnets. “ABM DRIVES launched the Sinochron PMAC motor line a few years ago. This highly efficient technology allows 30% reduction of the drive footprint with identical performance to an ac induction motor — and with an efficiency improvement of 10 to 15%,” said Gabriel Venzin, president at Cincinnati-based ABM Drives.

No matter the type, motor-driven designs are increasingly pre-integrated (both physically and on the controls side) to simplify or even eliminate setup. “We offer gearboxes with integrated lead screws to reduce part count and avoid issues that arise from twisting in the coupling,” said Biren Patel, motion control engineering manager, maxon precision motors. The manufacturer also offers motors with integrated controllers: “We started with our dc brushless (EC) flat products and are working towards making the option in additional brushless categories ... and offer custom mechatronic solutions as well,” said Patel.

This hybrid module was designed and integrated by Schaeffler Group. The manufacturer produces its bearings and torque converter — and even combined the torque converter and electric motor into a single assembly.

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Others also note the rise of manufacturer engineering for upfront customization. “We see demand for turnkey setups in which motion suppliers do more of the system design and software development,” agreed Carter Greene of Dunkermotoren. The manufacturer offers motion hardware and software for several levels of configurable solutions. “Our modular design concept boosts flexibility to let specifying engineers use different drives but stay within a set footprint,” explained Greene. So then OEMs can provide several options to end users while maintaining common manufacturing components and practices in their own facility. It’s typical for the manufacturer to review OEM and end-user applications and analyze required move profiles to then design custom motor-gearbox-electronicssoftware packages for single and multi-axis requirements.

They’re not alone: Other motor manufacturers support design engineers with system-level assemblies and complementary drives and controls to get more out of a given motor setup. Case in point: MICROMO of the FAULHABER Group (founded on the development of coreless-micromotor technology in 1947) does this with coreless and brushless dc motors; stepper and piezo motors; precision gearheads, linear actuators and custom system-level designs. One example is the high-bandwidth MC3/MCS motion controller that gets maximum performance from FAULHABER motors (and comes with an EtherCAT interface). MICROMO coreless motors have low inductance,

This is a miniature EC4 brushless dc motor and gearhead with a 4-mm diameter. From maxon precision motors, it’s suitable for an array of miniature designs in medical applications and more.

which makes them highly reactive to load changes — and that can be a challenge for some drives and controls. MC3/MCS motion controllers address that. Pairing with feedback options such as analog hall sensors lets the controllers leverage a cost-effective approach to high-resolution position control in a way that other controllers can’t do.

SEMICONDUCTOR, ROBOTICS, ASSEMBLY (YES, AND MATERIAL HANDLING) NEED SMART AFFORDABLE MOTORS Current design objectives in most industries (besides lower cost) are throughput, flexibility, and reliability. “Almost without exception, every industry is changing how they view motion,” said Greene. That’s partly because increasingly complex automation (and move profiles for specific tasks) as well as demand for efficient designs are spurring end users to ask suppliers for more flexible machine builds — and customers are looking for suppliers that can add value to their process, he added.

“Whether it’s simple application support or providing an out-of-the-box and onto-the-machine solution that eliminates manufacturing, we aim to help OEMs make better product,” said Greene. “Collaboration is key to leveraging supplier experience — especially when the scale of a project is large.” That’s certainly the case with increasing automation in warehouse settings and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRSs) that use centralized controls to automatically place and retrieve items from storage with hundreds to thousands of motor-driven axes.

“One of the most striking changes we’ve seen is in the material-handling market,” said Greene. ‘I need it now’ consumer attitudes and the growth of large distribution warehouses to serve new buyer trends mean product must move faster than ever. “That and huge variations in product types to be picked from shelves and comingled into shipment boxes equate to enormous need for reliable coordination of complex tasks to pace with demand,” he added.

Linear dc servomotors as this FAULHABER QUICKSHAFT pair a solid stator housing and coil assembly with a multi-pole magnetic forcer rod. The motor’s high dynamics satisfy industrial-automation and instrumentation applications. High-power magnets help the motor deliver high force and quick acceleration.

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Electric motors in these settings run lifts, conveyors, AGVs, packers, stackers, labelers, and robots.

“Motors used in material-handling equipment and these modernday robots must be extremely reliable and cost efficient,” said Matt Lesniak, Sensata Technologies V.P. of Industrial Solutions. One Sensata offering in this area is a BEI Kimco frameless brushless dc (BLDC) motor to fit into the tight volumes of light-robot joints and other machines.

Robotic technologies first developed for military and aerospace applications now work in new industrial applications because new material sourcing and cost-efficient manufacturing have made them more economical, according to Lesniak.

Another example is the design of an AGV from Ontariobased ADAM. Billed as an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), the vehicle transports items from random origins to random destinations using a PC for control, laser range-finding for navigation, and two independent servomotors with integrated gear reducers in its drive.

In fact, some motor suppliers serve the burgeoning AGV market with complete poweredwheel assemblies. Consider the Wittenstein iTAS — a modular servodriven wheel axis specifically for AGVs. Its twin servomotors include helical low-backlash planetary gearheads and VULKOLLAN wheels. The

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This Wittenstein iTAS is a servodriven wheel axis specifically for AGVs. Its twin servomotors include helical low-backlash planetary gearheads and VULKOLLAN wheels. It’s a design representative of a larger trend towards motor-supplier integration for specific applications.

2:19:57 PM

Spending too much on AIR ? replacing pneumatics just got easier

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This is a two-axis FAULHABER PRECIstep step-motor product.

gearmotors deliver wide tilting moments, good speed range, and power density (with the latter critical for flat AGVs that lift and move fleets of unmotorized trolleys from below). One two-wheel iTAS axis uses a simco servo amplifier (accepting input from 12 to 60 Vdc) to coordinate motion through highresolution current control and sensing; steering happens through a speed difference between the two drives. IoT connectivity through an onboard web server lets users track servo-amplifier operation as well as driving status.

The design challenges of AGVs clearly share some commonalities with those of autonomous vehicles. According to Jeff Hemphill, V.P. and Chief Technical Officer of the Schaeffler Group North America, two main trends are driving concurrent symbiotic acceleration — designs for autonomous vehicles as well as e-mobility. Electric mobility (e-mobility) refers to vehicles with electric-powered drivetrains (as well as smart grids to support fleets’ power demand) instead of vehicles with internal-combustion engines running directly off fossil fuels.

“We’ve put a lot into e-mobility research and production.

We’ve also devoted R&D to products such as actuators for autonomous and connected vehicles, because whenever you make an autonomous vehicle, you must essentially provide a miniature robot to execute the physical tasks a human would have done,” explained Hemphill. “These two trends are spurring each other, because autonomous vehicles will probably excel as shared or on-demand vehicles, as they’ll have much higher utilization. Here, electric drivetrains (though

The frameless brushless dc (BLDC) motor here is suitable for multiaxis assembly robots in light manufacturing and semiconductor applications. From BEI Kimco of Sensata Technologies, the 2.6, 3.0, and 3.8-in. O.D. motors deliver peak torque loads from 85 to 531 oz-in. Compact size is essential to fitting inside articulating robot wrists, elbows, and shoulder axes. Motor robustness and optimized torque-thermal performance ensures reliable operation in continuous-duty settings.

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initially more expensive) could ultimately lower total cost of ownership.” That's partly because electricity is about a fourth to a third of the cost of gasoline depending on location. Plus electric vehicles need less maintenance.

“So for example, future operators of shared robo-taxis will want electric robo-taxis for how they’re easier and cheaper to keep running,” said Hemphill.

EXPLODING USES FOR DIRECT-DRIVE MOTORS IN E-MOBILITY APPLICATIONS Vehicles have come to dominate the annual Consumer Electronics Show to the partial detriment of the North American International Auto Show (the Detroit Auto Show). Many automotive OEMs are unveiling their designs in Vegas instead of Detroit due to the increasingly electric and electronic nature of their designs.

“Schaeffler Group has existing products and partnerships enabling further development. Case in point: We currently produce hybrid modules for the Nissan Fuga (an Infiniti in the U.S.) and versions of the Porsche Cayenne,” said Hemphill. The company also makes other components to support hybrid engines and transmissions — including everything from cam phasers to specialty vibration-absorbing dampers. “We also have a lot of integrated hybrid modules in the pipeline — as well as complete electric axles for battery-powered or even hybrid electric vehicles. In fact, to supply motors to the automotive market, we just purchased Compact Dynamics, which makes high-performance electric traction motors.”

Traction motors are currently most common in automotive or light vehicles.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

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“We currently have a four-wheeled bicycle we call a micro-mobile that has an electric motor that can help or totally propel the bicycle — or the rider can pedal it,” said Hemphill. Schaeffler Group produced its own electric motors before, but mostly for industrial applications such as machine tools.

To serve e-mobility design, Schaeffler Group signed a cooperation agreement with Compact Dynamics’ former parent company that makes power electronics.

“That’s because an increasing number of hybrid modules and electric axles need integrated power electronics. So we’ll need the ability to build complete designs into single housings and test and ship them as complete mechatronic units,” Hemphill added.

In fact, one enabling technology allowing the trend towards autonomous vehicles is the ever-decreasing size of electronics — including power electronics that are smaller and smarter than ever.

On the mechanical side, it’s increasingly tight integration that’s driving innovation for e-mobiity.

“Schaeffler Group today does a lot of integration upfront. Our roots are in the manufacture of classic mechanical components such as bearings and rivets and sheet-metal parts. These are all needed in advanced designs such as electric axles and hybrid modules.

Because we still produce those mechanical parts, we have an advantage when we go to integrate them into bigger systems,” said Hemphill.

Consider how the company is working on a hybrid electric-motor module right now to convert regular vehicles into hybrids. “With a high level of integration, we made the design 50 mm shorter than what the customer even needed, because we combined the mechanical components so well. Batteries and electronics are getting cheaper and smaller, but this design shows we're also devising ways to combine mechanical designs more elegantly — to make them more affordable and more functional,” added Hemphill.

In fact, that’s a common trend to satisfy design engineers asking for pre-engineered solutions or integration from manufacturers in all industries.

When asked for additional examples of integrated design offerings, manufacturers had many. “Schaeffler

Group recently designed a lightweight differential that arose out of our background in making bearings and pins for planetary gear sets. Now we integrate those with a planetary gear set to give the reduction for an e-axle,” explained Hemphill. “Or reconsider the hybrid module we make. We make not only its bearings but also its torque converter. In fact, we combined the torque converter and electric motor into one assembly there.”

MINIATURE DESIGNS ON THE RISE FOR MEDICAL, MOBILE, AND MORE Out of all industries changing motion design, medical technology is driving motor innovation hardest. FDA requirements on medical-device makers and their suppliers continue to include motor manufacturers in regulatory scrutiny, so controls on design processes continue to tighten — usually as reverification of production lines and test equipment. Overseas competition, medical-device taxes, and withering Medicare reimbursements are also forcing lower costs for devices and the motors for these applications.

“But we see this industry as the most demanding because all medical devices — from medical robots to handpieces to implantables — are getting smaller and more compact,” said Patel of maxon.

So medical continues to adopt technologies from consumer electronics — and the small motor-driven designs they enable. Consider micromechatronic (M3) modules from New Scale Technologies based on SQUIGGLE piezomotors running off closed-loop control. These 12 x 30 mm (or smaller) actuators are best known for lens-focusing functions within consumer and smartphone-grade cameras and UAVs. But now the core motor technology runs in sophisticated devices for biometric identification, in-vitro diagnostics, and handheld surgical tools. In addition, some dc motors with diameters of just a

This electric axle (e-axle) from Schaeffler Group is much like that of a traditional front-wheel drive car based on an engine, transmission, and half-shaft out to each wheel. However, the e-axle uses an electric motor (serving as a traction motor) instead of a combustion engine and typically the transmission is one speed.

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This is one of the smallest linear motors for high-density applications — the L250SSS linear shaft motor from Nippon Pulse America. It has a 25-mm diameter; single winding and 30-mm forcer; and maximum usable stroke exceeding 2 m. As part of a stainless series, it’s suitable for life sciences and industrial applications in which multiple forcers must travel along a single shaft.

few millimeters now have enough power density and reliability to satisfy technical and regulatory requirements for implantable pumps to treat an array of conditions.

Consider a medical application that’s automating a process that surgeons still usually do manually. In the traditional setup, the doctor physically turns a knob to locate and move a device that's inserted into the human body. “But one manufacturer came to us wanting to automate the process,” said Phil Faluotico, V.P. of HaydonKerk Pittman Engineering. “The system must be extremely small and sterile and as a single use device, it must be inexpensive. We coupled a motor and gearbox to perform the operation ... and once we spoke with the customer and saw the application, realized that we could integrate their leadscrew and nut into an extension of our gearbox,” Faluotico added. This changed the product from just a motor and gearbox to a complete solution that includes motor, gearbox, leadscrew, and nut.

Another example is brushless dc cannulated gearmotors, those with gearbox-motor combinations that (among other things) allow for inline driving of Kirschner wires and pins in orthopedic surgery. Demand for cannulated gearmotors is rising as orthopedicdrill designers are looking to decrease their designs’ overall size.

“Increased power density and miniaturization are focus areas for us, which is why we’ve been developing and producing gearboxes, encoders, and brakes in addition to our motors,” agrees Greene. “Modularity and its efficiencies extend to integrated drive electronics, as total drive packages let customers customize products to specific needs and keep footprint to a minimum.”

Others point out that miniaturization brings other benefits. “Shrinking semiconductor sizes have let us put them into smaller and smaller motors,” said Faluotico. “The ability to integrate drives in the backs of motors is beneficial from reliability and cost standpoints.”

While the machines and devices get smaller, in many cases they must also be increasingly precise. Consider the interest in making more inpatient procedures into outpatient procedures. To this end, surgeons are now using robots or motor-assist tools to boost accuracy. Even risky forms of eye and brain surgery now rely on motor-driven automation to let doctors target places in the body while leaving sensitive areas.

Elsewhere, the medical industry is prompting electricmotor innovation for smaller and less costly designs.

Case in point: Motor-driven tools in operating rooms must draw low voltage and be quiet. Here, traditional peristaltic pumps can be noisy, especially when they’re in a bank or driven by brush motors. Some manufacturers have addressed the problem with alternative dc-motor designs paired with quiet planetary gearing. Another example is portable oxygen concentrators that demand long life because they run off batteries. Motors in these are increasingly efficient and power dense.

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This miniature six-DOF hexapod from New Scale Technologies was developed through a grant of the NIH National Eye Institute. It uses six piezoelectric SQUIGGLE micromotors, miniature bearing assemblies, motor mounts, flexures, spring preloads, and drive electronics to cancel hand-tremor movements during use of microsurgical tools.

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GREATER CONNECTIVITY STILL A GOAL IN MOTION EVEN THOUGH the current state of the Internet of Things is extremely fragmented, notes Tom McKinney, Business Development Manager, HMS Industrial Networks, the demand for all devices within a motion application to be network compatible is high. In addition, this compatibility is demanded regardless of the type of network used in a facility or the vendor of motion products.

“This trend includes step motor systems that have been traditionally controlled with discrete pulse and direction signals,” says Eric Rice, National Marketing Director, Applied Motion Products, Inc. “This means a continuing need for standards-compliant communications on-board, as well as software and documentation support that helps users quickly integrate the devices.” Many requests for Ethernet-enabled step motor systems come from EtherNet/IP and EtherCAT users, though Modbus still has a strong following.

Closed-loop step motors and drives provide enhanced motion control performance while integrating into new and existing EtherCAT networks.

THE VALUE OF IoT But just how will the IoT help motion control?

Notes McKinney, while IoT interest is high, project value is often challenging to quantify. As McKinney sees it, the value for motion related automation is the acceleration of repetitive tasks and the reduction of labor in discrete manufacturing.

Another hoped for benefit is greater insight into machinery performance, which may lead to better designs in motion systems.

“Motion data can be used to track throughput trending in detail, supply information for overall equipment efficiency (OEE) calculations and can even be useful to implement traceability in production,” says Matt Prellwitz, Motion Product Specialist, Beckhoff Automation. “Gathering and analyzing motion data can also help avoid costly downtime by forecasting potential problems before they cause any interruptions to the operation.

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This includes such data as current, power consumption, motor temperature, vibration and more.”

For motion control, the need for connected motion components cuts across all markets.

“It has less to do with any specific industry and more to do with the end user’s state of mind, says Paul Sipe, Business Manager, Rockwell Automation. “There are differences, however, in how industries derive value from the IoT.” For example, an oil and gas operation may get more value from logistics, delivery scheduling and energy management.

A baked-goods producer, on the other hand, may focus on minimizing waste and eliminating downtime in their process.

Both will desire the IoT, but for different reasons.

“What’s consistent across industries is the ability to use real-time data and tools to enable better decisions and improve overall productivity,” continues Sipe.

Another market seeing accelerated motion control project growth is the life sciences market. EtherCAT is becoming the dominant communications protocol for these systems.

EtherNet/IP is also seeing demand from packaging machinery builders.

But there are challenges with the IoT. “Machines can be “overconnected,” says McKinney. A single machine may have multiple cloud portals supporting different internal devices. For example, actuators can be monitored independently of the battery subsystem. An additional system may support VPN access for machine service.

And the end user may require data to be stored in a specific historian system.

Another challenge is defining the goal. Solutions that gather data with no end goal in mind tend to never get out of the demo phase.

AFFECT ON MOTION DESIGN So what does this all mean for the design of motion systems?

Step motors, for example, are an attractive option for setup axes where cost is a primary concern. “However,” says McKinney, “these axes still need to be network enabled and ideally would provide absolute position feedback. At Applied Motion, we are aggressively developing solutions with these features, and expect demand for such step motor-based motion axes to increase over the next several years.”

Another consideration becomes evident when integrating IoT concepts alongside a motion system. Says Prellwitz, “it’s important to maintain abstraction between the motion control and IoT systems because they are different with regard to their operation. Users must ensure that the IoT infrastructure does not inadvertently inhibit the operation of the motion control system.”

Adds Sipe, one area where the IIoT could change motion system design is in high-bandwidth networking to end devices.

This will allow users to move large amounts of data, including device status, diagnostics, prognostics and process metrics from end devices. They can use this information to better understand their operations and make better decisions.

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Additionally, smarter devices will provide real-time information on device and process health. With better simulation, we should expect mechanical designs that take better advantage of smart drives and motors, and machines that can adjust based on measured environmental factors. Think about a tissue line that could dynamically adjust its operating speed based on the humidity. Today, many of these changes are trial and error, or must be manually adjusted.

The use of high-speed, linear motion solutions will be significant in the future of motion design. “Already companies are using smart motion control systems, like our programmable MagneMover LITE system, that are dozens of times faster than other approaches,” adds Sipe. “I see this design evolution contributing to even higher efficiency and a better partnership of electrical and mechanical systems.”

SECURITY Lastly, as more devices connect to the internet, data security is crucial.

“PC-based control technology is the best suited controls platform for IoT,” says Prellwitz. Major developing IoT communication standards such as MQTT, AMQP and OPC UA can be integrated into PC-based control systems without requiring the use of complex hardware and software developed by third parties. The result is industrial systems that are far less complex and easier to manage. Valuable data from PC-based motion control systems have a straightforward and secure path to cloud services.

A few points: • Motion control functions must be implemented at the machine level. There is no way to move this functionality into the cloud due to latency issues.

• Remote development is possible, which will allow specialized motion control designers to work on more systems with less need to travel onsite.

• The idea of sharing a machine will also be possible. In the future small volume manufactures may be able to share a machine or set of machines at a central location.

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4/10/17 3:51 PM

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BEARING TRENDS IN 2017

IN 2017, industry experts say that upfront and in-house customization capabilities — as well as integration of sensors and IoT capabilities — are driving innovation in bearings.

UP FRONT AND IN HOUSE

Bearing customers demand shorter quotation times.

Now that information on demand is the norm, end users expect such information and engineering support almost instantaneously.

For most bearing companies, that means the first step in design work is interacting with supplier websites. This informational frontline lets engineers answer preliminary questions themselves before deciding what elements need customization. So bearing manufacturers are looking to make online parts configurators and online engineering support as comprehensive as possible.

“We have invested in the Load Runners product line with dedicated engineering, customer service and product management. These dedicated resources lead to a more streamlined RFQ to Final Quote, speeding up our response time and helping our customers move faster,” said Osborn product manager Scott Scheider.

Engineers at Rexnord believe it’s critical for end users to have access to 3D drawings and technical information upfront.

“Housing all of the information our customer might need on our product web pages is critical to making their jobs easier by reducing the number of steps it takes to make a purchasing decision. We also offer a dedicated Applications Hotline to help end users solve issues with live technical support,” said Dale Stallard, senior bearing application engineer at Rexnord.

Emerson Bearing Boston agrees that creating an online presence serving as a one-stop bearing information resource is critical for staying competitive. OEM and MRO markets around the world use the company’s collection of Super Precision Bearing resources, said Steve Katz, president at Emerson.

“Our online resources help design engineers stay current on advances in bearing technology while also assessing their industry application needs. Super precision bearings are for applications that demand a high degree of running accuracy, have high system rigidity, need to extend speed capabilities and maintain low heat generation as well as minimize noise and vibration levels. This information helps with industry applications across aviation, defense, vacuum pumps,

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Bearings coated with a black oxidation surface have a strong layer of protection for applications in wind turbines.

SKF also fills solid-oil bearings at the factory with an oilsaturated polymer matrix to ensure a consistent lubricant supply able to withstand environmental extremes.

medical, and beyond. Design engineers, technical designers, buyers, plant managers, maintenance buyers and others may find documentation, specifications, and the newest updates on precision bearing technology.”

Katz specified that among Emerson’s online resources are special guides for determining specific materials for applications, as well as new findings on precision bearing technologies, common issues and how to prevent them.

SMART BEARINGS AND IoT

It’s becoming harder for IoT detractors to argue against the trend towards more advanced connectivity. Major players in the bearing manufacturing space now see it as a developing opportunity that can’t be ignored. System connectivity starts at the sensor level.

Consider how in one SKF bearing, a bearing unit’s impulse ring moves past the stationary sensor ring when the inner ring rotates, generating a magnetic field of changing polarity. The sensor outputs a pulse based on the number of polarity changes per second.

The sensor output signal is then transmitted with connecting cable and used to generate application-specific data.

“Sensor-bearing units (integrating a sensor, an impulse ring, and ball bearing) introduce technology to provide precise information

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

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It’s not a web page, it’s an industry information site So much happens between issues of Design World that even another issue would not be enough to keep up. That’s why it makes sense to visit designworldonline.com and stay on Twitter, Google plus, Facebook and Linkedin. It’s updated regularly with relevant technical information and other significant news to the design engineering community.

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Osborn’s dedicated resources allow for a more streamlined RFQ to final quote, speeding response time and helping customers design faster.

on the motion status of rotating or axially traveling machine parts. Applications include electric motors, linear actuators, steering systems, conveying and handling systems, and automation equipment – with forklift technology applications specifically increasing.

These intelligent bearings can record number of revolutions, speed, direction of rotation, relative position and counting, and acceleration or deceleration. We characterize sensors by uniform and high signal quality and insensitivity to vibration or high temperatures,” said David R. Mikalonis, V.P. of application engineering of the industrial market at SKF USA. This kind of sensor data is then used to start the conversation between machine, engineer, and other motion systems. This advance is not merely upgrading machine efficiency ... it is altering how engineers use the machines themselves.

Jason Ludwig, application engineering manager at Rexnord, said he believes the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is revolutionizing the way end users interact with products.

“Customers want real-time data collection, letting them perform predictive versus preventative maintenance, reduce unnecessary downtime and increase application efficiency,” said Ludwig. “For example, our new IIoT Smart Gear Drive sends data on load, vibration, speed, and throughput, straight to our customer, saving hours of manual effort and wait time.”

The performance data and analytics provided through IIoT translates to alerts and recommended actions, resulting in longer drive life and a greater return on investment “Additionally, our new IIoT Smart PT Select Bearing is the first spherical roller bearing to add value through technology such as a product specific QR code and a dedicated mobile app,” Ludwig added.

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TECH TRENDS IMPACT

BELT & PULLEY DESIGN BELT AND PULLEYS are a mainstay of power transmission systems. Far from being obsolete, companies are innovating and offering smart solutions to contemporary motion system designs. Belt and pulley systems of all shapes and sizes are used in a range of applications from agricultural equipment to factory floor applications where they are an integral part of power transmission.

However, when asked about the importance of design simplicity, Cris Ioanitescu, Application Engineering Manager at SDP/SI, had an interesting take.

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think that design should always be a race to simplicity,” says Ioanitescu. “Simplicity at times can dilute a product rather than distilling it. Especially in the miniature line of pulleys and sprockets, we follow the principal of making the product small but robust as well.”

The Shaftloc series from SDP/SI is used for connecting a pulley to a shaft.

They feature a simple design with few parts, no marring of shafts and easy repositioning or synchronizing of rotating components.

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For example, Ioanitescu points out that narrow pulleys used for tight enclosures use shaft locks with complex shapes that can handle much higher torques than the initial clamp type or set screw type connection. To achieve the best performance they require careful designing of each component, including tight dimensional and geometrical tolerances.

Asked about what technology changes are influencing belt and pulley design, Ioanitescu points to the advent of 3D printing. “3D printing eliminates assembling components to produce a pulley,” notes Ioanitescu. “Subassemblies, such as a pulley, can be created as a one-piece construction in either metal or plastic.” Benefits for the end user include a fast turnaround time and no tooling charges. Customers can also submit their own models and have parts made directly from them.

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2017 TRENDS IN

CLUTCH AND BRAKE TECHNOLOGIES BRAKES AND CLUTCHES all stop or hold or index axes on motion machinery, but they must execute those functions to application-specific parameters. Trends in this technology continue away from strictly stock parts.

Case in point: Tailored power-off brakes for production automation continue to proliferate with demand for holding functions. This is to complement the ever-increasing array of servomotor applications for robotics and factory automation as well as medical and food-processing applications.

Where such motors control axes, there’s need for brakes in case power loss (intentionally or accidentally) and the motor can’t hold the load in place. Here, holding brakes have either a permanent magnet or a series of springs that actuate to stop the motor shaft from moving.

Consider one example — a specialty hybrid metric-imperial holding brake from Mach III Clutch. The metric input of this fail-safe spring-applied brake connects directly to a Japanese-made servomotor ... and the imperial output side connects to a U.S. gearbox.

No matter the application, clutch and brake specification must be simple.

“Especially when engineers are building prototypes or proof-of-concept mechanisms and machines, we also find they need application assistance and hardware quite quickly,” said Rocco Dragone, senior sales and application engineer at SEPAC. Other agree. “Customized brakes and clutches have always been Mach III's concentration,” said Lesli Riehemann, president at Mach III. “But for the past several decades, 75 to 80% of our annual production has been non-catalog products. In the past, not many manufacturers were interested in this niche ... but times have changed, and now there is much more competition. This has been a positive for Mach III, because customization has become normalized.”

Hybrid holding brakes from Riehemann posits that the mere mention of the Mach III have a metric input side that connects to a Japaword custom once triggered an avoidance reaction nese-made servomotor and an in design engineers due to the association with imperial output that connects budget-breaking cost and project crippling lead to a U.S. gearbox. This one has a 2,400 lb-in. torque times. “Now, engineers no longer shy away, and we capacity.

When applied dynamically, a clutch engages with a relative difference between input and output speed. Dynamic clutches such as the two Carlyle Johnson EMA units (left) and smaller AHA unit (right) have a speed differential that is greater than zero, so the engineer must determine required dynamic torque to properly size them.

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This is a brake with a splined hub. Image courtesy SEPAC

have many more opportunities to present customized solutions,” Riehemann noted.

Over the past couple of years, Mach III has added personnel to support its engineering department and improve workflows — so that documenting applications, producing custom designs, and estimating and generating quotations happens with accuracy and speed. “On the production side, we’ve also expanded our CNC department and invested in training to ensure our machinists can independently take any new component design from a slug of metal to a high-quality finished part ... so we can maintain short lead times,” added Riehemann.

Examples of recent custom designs from Mach III include a stainless spider-coupling clutch. Developed for a food-processing equipment OEM, the sealed clutch withstands washdown and installs quickly with an integral spider-coupling adapter.

Another example is a torque limiter with Morse taper connections that slips to protect taps and reamers from breakage.

Again, though there’s been a decline in traditional clutch and brake applications, it’s been more than offset by (among other setups) demand for new brake and clutch options — including holding brakes to pair with smaller motors ... forcing manufacturers to design and supply power-dense This is a SEPAC brake for a brakes, particularly for new industries in automation, medical application. medical, and aerospace.

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CLUTCHES & BRAKES

This Mach III torque limiter has Morse taper connections; it slips at 26 lb-in. to protect taps and reamers in an autoassembly process from breakage.

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“We’re filling our shelves to make some items available from stock — including standard spring-engaged brakes and permanent-magnet brakes ... and we’re working to stock springengaged tooth brakes as well,” added Dragone of SEPAC. Again, clutch and brake manufacturers’ integration support has meant internal changes.

“We recently hired engineers to help with custom products, and we tell customers: Get us involved early in the design, at the concept stage,” said Dragone.

The supplier also offers value-added product versions to reduce modest engineering efforts. Most OEMs are happy to pass design engineering to suppliers, Dragone added.

In terms of markets driving clutch and brake design innovation, medical is a leader. “There’s been an explosion of medical companies designing surgery robots and associated equipment. In addition, medical applications need precision and performance ... as the real promise of robotic surgery is that it’s more accurate than surgery by a human hand,” added Dragone. So here, SEPAC sees demand for accurate holding brakes with zero backlash. Ten years ago, designing a zero-backlash tooth device for these and other applications was impossible — but recent improvements in the accuracy of cutting tools and machines have made such brakes possible for some applications, said Dragone.

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This custom Mach III stainless spider-coupling clutch was developed for a food-processing equipment OEM. It’s sealed to withstand washdown and provides 5,000 lb-in. of torque.

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www.cjmco.com Phone: 860-643-1531 291 Boston Tpke, Bolton, CT 06043 53

4/10/17 2:36 PM

High-speed pick-and-place applications require precise kinematic robot control for multiple robots with vision guidance and conveyor speed control. Omron’s Sysmac platform allows comprehensive multi-axis simulation and tuning to simplify setup.

INSIGHT INTO

CONTROLLER

TRENDS

What industries and design trends are most changing control design?

ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES is a muchabbreviated sampling of the enormously insightful feedback Design World recently received from industry experts on the current state of controller technologies for motion applications. Scan the QR code below or visit motioncontroltips.com and search “insight into motion-controller trends” for an uncut series of features that organizes the full commentary by subtopic.

Max Wietharn | Managing partner • Koco Motion US LLC Today’s medical and biomedical industries need smaller and more capable components to support the proliferation of unique processes on automated platforms.

Scott Evans | Director of product planning and marketing • Kollmorgen We see no change by industry per se, but we do see more customers increasing their savvy around motion ... and realizing that they can get greater precision and performance, lower scrap, better throughput, and increased OEE by investing in the right automation. For example, engineers who thought they could get by with induction motors or dc brush motors are realizing the benefits of servo and stepper far exceed the higher acquisition cost.

Darrell Paul • OMRON AUTOMATION AMERICAS Omron recently provided a system package that controlled six delta robots, six servo axes, four VFD axes, one ultra-high speed camera, and a safety light curtain and controller. Ten years ago, this application would’ve needed separate robot controllers, a separate coordinated motion controller, a separate machine PLC, a separate safety controller, and a separate vision system — all requiring individual programming with no capability to simulate the complete system for confirmation of manufacturing-line performance. More specifically, our Omron Sysmac NX7 MAC (Machine Automation Controller) controls this application with one central controller and one integrated programming environment for all the system — including the kinematic robotics motion control. System performance for this packaging application increased production by 23% over that under the previous control-system setup.

John Kowal | Director of business development • B&R Industrial Automation Safe motion is revolutionary. Instead of shutting the machinery down, the line goes into safe mode — with safe torque, safe speed, safe direction, and safe envelope — so the line continues to produce while service or replenishment takes place. This was not possible until just a few years ago — and it has greatly improved OEE. In fact, affordable scalability for entry-level equipment is another trend made possible by Moore’s Law. We can now provide automated control solutions for traditionally cost-sensitive machines (such as tray formers and pallet stretch wrappers) with high resolution color touchpanels and motion scaled to the application requirement — and using the same software

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(CONTINUED)

components for servo, stepper or VFD operation. In short, we live by Moore’s Law, which (following mainstream computing technology) has made higher performance in motion applications more affordable.

Paul Brenner • Eaton’s Hydraulics Group We have a global team of application engineers (our ACE team) that’s knowledgeable and skilled at providing solutions at system and machine levels. In addition to upfront and after-sale support that these experts provide, we recently formed a new team of controls and machine specialists. This team develops and solves problems associated with deep machine integration, not just at the hydraulic level but across all the whole machine, because let’s face it — the only way we’ll satisfy the long-term goals of customers is to take a holistic view in terms of power generators and power consumers ... and how we apply cross-system data share techniques to enable true power optimization at the machine level. This group is called our Dynamic Machine Control team, and they work very closely with our ACE team on new opportunities.

We also work to understand machines’ duty cycles and operating conditions to help build solutions that help address their problems. For example, we’re currently working with a European OEM on a new steering solution. To drive efficient machine operation, the operator needed both front and rear-mounted steering inputs, making the cab ergonomics complex and a bit of a tight squeeze. Our engineers worked closely with the customer to develop a custom Steer by Wire solution — the ASV60 — that allows the operator to control the machine from a 180° rotating seat. In addition to improving operator comfort, this let the customer move all the hydraulics out of the cab to boost overall machine-design flexibility ... and significantly reduce in-cab noise for better overall sound quality in the operator space.

Where do you see IIoT changing controls?

Travis Schneider | Product manager of high precision mechanics • Parker Hannifin Electromechanical and Drives Division IoT has gotten a lot of interest as of late, but we like to think we have helped to pioneered the space. More specifically, for some time we've been supplying designs that extract system-level data from encoders and limit sensors to publish that the plant floor. Tools including our Parker Remote Manager application facilitate access to that information. The tool lets users A single centralized Machine Automation Controller and one programming environment support this whole setup — including the kinematic robotics, motion control, vision, safety, and sequence control. Image courtesy Omron Automation

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pull information from anywhere in the world from their internet-connected device ... and in fact, we've offered that functionality since the early 2000s (through the web-publishing functionality of Xpress) and the remote app since 2013.

Kowal • B&R B&R is an active member of the Industrial Internet Consortium. I co-chair the IIC’s Smart Factory Task Group, and my colleague Sari Germanos chairs the IIC’s Safety Testbed ... and our colleagues participate in the TSN testbed.

We’re also involved in Industrie 4.0, including the harmonization of the two movements. The promise of IIoT and I4.0 is to continuously monitor and improve manufacturing operations. The way you make those adjustments is motion ... and the way you connect motion to the cloud is through interoperable, standards based data handling and communications that flatten the hierarchy between machinery and management systems — OT and IT. Paul • OMRON Industry 4.0 demands much flexibility and an integrated machine ecosystem that maintains each system to operate at peak performance — with high variability of product configuration and production rates. Therefore, one area that is affected most is motion, because it can no longer be designed for single-purpose use and still be optimal under variable conditions. Consider how it’s no longer acceptable for a robot arm to only handle a single part being loaded into the machine. More likely, it will need to have adjustable sizing to handle destacking of part trays, for example — maybe even with coordinated motion of two robot arms — or do a quality check with a vision system, to give another example.

Now, based on operating conditions, the motion control can optimize its operation regardless of process

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/10/17 9:25 AM

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Remote access is a snap by creating custom web pages configured for remote monitoring and control using simple drag and drop functionality with no HTML programming required, a feature unique in this class of PLCs. The FC6A MicroSmart provides competitive advantages via simplified programming and web page creation, more cost effective end solutions for your customers, and ease of maintenance via remote access—a set of features unmatched by any other micro PLC. Find out more at: http://FC6A.IDEC.com

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Design World IDEC FC6A PLC Ad.indd 1 IDEC 1-17.indd 57

8/26/2016 1:29:15 PM 4/10/17 10:15 AM

The integrated programming environment in Omron’s Sysmac Studio reduces risk of errors, engineering time, and installation commissioning, and run off testing.

(CONTINUED)

changes by more than one purpose. Often these types of motion (whether linear, articulated, kinematic, precision, or CNC) have different specialized controllers, and therefore cannot support multiple application tasks to optimize to Industry 4.0 goals. In contrast, the integrated control environment of Omron's Sysmac platform let all these different motion types run on the same system — even with the same mechanical solution.

Schneider • Parker Hannifin Spurring the trend towards more smart devices is the falling cost of embedded sensing as evidenced by SoCs embedded in smartphones and other relatively inexpensive consumer products. The natural question is, ‘If we can have sensing and smarts on a phone that's a couple hundred dollars, why can we have them onboard motors and actuators?’ In fact, one example that’s already helping on this front is the enhanced encoding technology of HIPERFACE DSL that allows for local memory and additional diagnostics.

Evans • Kollmorgen Motion control (where Kollmorgen lives) has always been a strong supporter of IoT. We handle a lot of sensors in and around the motor and load, and control torque, velocity, and position (and other machine-control functions) based on feedback from those sensors ... and we’ve gladly passed the terabytes of data we see upstream to whatever can handle it. We see a fair number of Big Data companies trying to drive standardization around units and word construct so these data can be managed and analyzed (rather than just stored). One example is the standards OPC UA is trying to establish.

Kowal • B&R We were one of several automation suppliers that committed to commercialization of products based on TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) and OPC UA at the SPS/IPC/Drives show last fall.

This is going to enable better synchronization, data acquisition, OEE and management of machinery from different OEMs using different control platforms ... and will be a key enabling factor for IIoT on the plant floor.

How are online configuration tools changing how engineers specify controls and other components?

Chip McDaniel | engineer • AutomationDirect There is a trend to simplify design engineers’ work when specifying and purchasing motion-control hardware by using a variety of online and downloadable software-based selection tools. At AutomationDirect, these tools help designers find optimum motion hardware for an application from a single 58

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source. Designers can select among three standard drives, eight standard motors from 100 W to 3 kW, and over 50 gearboxes, both inline and right angle with multiple ratios.

Evans • Kollmorgen Kollmorgen has offered online design, configuration, selection, and purchasing tools for years.

Motioneering is our online tool that makes sizing frameless motors and drive systems easy by using a mechanism project concept (for collecting and saving multiple axes of load information and automatically calculating application results). We’ve also offered oncomputer apps for those who don’t have reliable or fast Internet connections — though we’re seeing more online use even in high-growth regions, presumably as infrastructure improves.

McDaniel • AutomationDirect Using VisualSizer-SureServo, a motion-design engineer can set up mechanical systems that use components such leadscrews, timing belts, gearboxes, and so forth — along with electric motors and drives. Part of the process is determining the right motor for an application. This is where VisualSizerSureServo helps users model mechanical systems very specifically.

Then the tool recommends motors from multiple manufacturers that best fit the application.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/10/17 2:37 PM

CONVEYORS

EMERGING TRENDS IN

CONVEYOR DESIGN Demand for motion designs offering simplicity has touched conveyor applications in several ways. Recently we asked Kate Nadeau, engineer with mk North America, about this and other trends in material handling. Here’s what she had to say.

We’re satisfying market demands (including those for turnkey solutions) with a variety of standard conveyors as well as custom-designed (engineered) solutions that are fully assembled and tested prior to shipping. We’re also offering more in-house services to support these customized solutions. We’ve added engineering-department staff and have a new sales and application engineer for the concept and quoting phase. For skilled labor on the assembly floor, we’ve hired and promoted from within. We also work with integrators nationally for integration and installation services ... as well as several local motion and control-design professionals for applications that warrant it. We understand and value our integrator customers ... and know sometimes they too need suppliers to assume some of the integration work. We believe in working with end users and integrators large and small, knowing designs are never one-size-fits-all.

Thi

s is

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When asked about challenging industries and what conveyor designs are unlike anything done before, here’s what Nadeau had to say.

It’s impossible to say which industry is most challenging from the motion-design point of view, as each has unique needs. In addition, some of what we do is build reorders of jobs, while elsewhere we’re designing and delivering conveyors that were impossible 10 years ago.

We’ve done defense projects that were highly challenging because of their needing explosion-proof designs.

We’ve also done several automotive projects — challenging because their pallets and loads exceeded maximum values for our VersaMove Ultra system (of 1,200 x 1,200 mm and 700 lb per pallet) but they still needed high throughput. This made for the unique challenge of needing to move and control large and heavy pallets both accurately and quickly.

This is a singulating device on a design from mk North America.

One last example: We’ve done projects in the food industry that were highly complex due to their many concurrent and complex processes that had to happen quickly — combined with the need for the entire solution (including controls) to be food-safe and washdown compliant.

better products.

Aluminum Conveyors

Pallet Conveyor Systems

Here’s what Nadeau had to say about the topic of online configuration tools and software.

Clearly these tools have been around for a long while, and they are not going away. While we have a tool for designing and pricing standard belt conveyors online, we’re also considering new and innovative ways to bring more complex conveyor and pallet-handling systems directly to the engineer’s screen.

Oftentimes we see engineers more interested in obtaining a model of a possible solution before worrying about the cost associated with it. While cost can often be a deciding factor, it’s by no means the only factor — and it must work with the design software.

www.mknorthamerica.com

Stainless Steel Conveyors

Aluminum Framing

better solutions.

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4/24/17 8:42 AM

COUPLINGS

In 2016, Helical introduced a dedicated prototype cell for small-batch prototype runs to let customers test new concepts.

Here is a one piece custom coupling designed to decrease part count.

COUPLING

TRENDS IN 2017

OVER THE NEXT few years, IoT development, in-house customization and new materials will drive coupling innovation. To get a better understanding of what these trends will look like, we asked coupling industry professionals for their take on 2017 and beyond. Here’s what they had to say.

CUSTOMIZATION FOR COUPLINGS Today’s motion system designs are spurring advances in material capabilities as well as geometries. But to ensure increasingly custom setups work, coupling manufacturers are taking preventative measures during the design phase. Here, upgraded analysis capabilities are helping satisfy increasing demand for better firstpass results.

“One element of our design process is to learn as much about our customer’s application as possible to help them get the best solution. Many times this view from outside the box yields benefits for all of us,” said Yamil Guerra, Helical Products domestic representative from Design Components.

In 2016, Helical introduced a dedicated prototype cell for smallbatch prototype runs for customers to test new concepts quickly. It has considerably reduced lead times on prototypes giving our customers the R&D advantage to quickly bring concepts to market.

Engineering consultations are free-of-charge both at the customer’s site through our international representative network, and in-house through our Applications Engineering Department.”

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TB Wood’s is using advances in rubber technology to improve the performance of its Sure-Flex coupling.

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Image courtesy Ringfeder

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As mentioned, fast development during the design phase is critical— and industry-wide, coupling manufacturers are hearing that the coupling is often the culprit for long lead times on a project. So to ease this particular pain point, Ringfeder came up with a solution.

“We continue to expand our Rapid Response Program (RRP). The basis of the program is getting the customer up and running which means either keeping a project on track or getting an end user operating quickly. Our RRP covers metal bellows and servo insert couplings of all sizes of the four most popular hub types. We’ll soon be expanding the program to include certain gear and Nor-mex couplings,” said Ringfeder Power Transmission President, Ross Rivard.

There is no real challenge for manufacturers to provide price or product to a customer. The customer also usually assumes quality. The challenge is to provide a seamless customer experience start to finish. Current consumers now expect nothing less.

“Companies that are providing true value are focusing on the quality of the customer experience. Simplifying the work of our customers must serve as the driving force and is a driving force behind nearly every program or advancement Ringfeder is pursuing,” said Rivard.

Some companies, such as Stafford Manufacturing — cover most application needs with an existing range of shaft collars and rigid shaft couplings.

This manufacurer’s product line is comprehensive from its continuously adding items in response to requests from customers for specific capabilities. That said, as motion systems continue to increase in complexity — so complete customization is of increasing interest to engineers.

That’s why the manufacturer recently began selling products with myriad mounting options, adjustments, clamping varieties, and other application-specific features.

“We’ve also sought to provide a ‘friction-free’ path to providing complete specials and have invested heavily in methods and equipment that let us manufacture complex parts, large and small, in any quantity, with precision. Our customer service specialists and engineers have years of experience translating engineering requests into on-time finished parts. Recent introduction of our SPARC system and 3-D prototyping also lets us offer almost immediate feedback on ambitious and complex challenges,” said Arthur Stafford, president at Stafford Manufacturing.

4 • 2017

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 3:54 PM

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TRENDS IN COUPLING MATERIALS Over the last few decades, coupling design hasn’t seen nearly the advances that the coupling materials themselves have. The raw materials of which couplings are made are usually what help the components satisfy the needs for greater strength, durability, corrosion resistance, lightweighting and more.

“New materials and technologies continue to push the automation industry towards weight reduction, smaller footprints, and greater efficiencies. To get ‘more with less, from any motion control system, we must move towards component integration and overall less moving parts,” said Guerra.

For example, engineers now have access to new advances in rubber technology for their designs. John Smihal, Product Manager for elastomeric couplings at TB Wood’s says this has directly impacted his client base.

“We’ve used new advances in rubber technology were to improve the performance of our Sure-Flex coupling. This Sure-Flex Plus product improvement let a leading pump systems provider improve certain ANSI pump packages by dropping down to a smaller size coupling while still meeting the torque requirements. The reduction in coupling size was a huge benefit for their customers.”

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This LU-Series linear ballscrew actuator from Delta Products Corporation reduces installation footprint when compared to traditional ballscrews by eliminating the coupling. This leads to greater performance through reduced settling time and higher accuracy. Combined with the company’s A2 Series drives with setup wizards to activate and sequence built-in parameterized Motion MACROs, it makes for a leaner and simpler control footprint.

DRIVE

MANUFACTURERS DELIVER MORE INTEGRATED, I o T-READY DESIGNS

MACHINES with greater intelligence have long been the hot new “trend” across industries. And there’s no change in that today, as the pace of adding intelligence continues. That intelligence can come in a number of forms, including in so-called smart motors as well as in drives and controls.

Along with the demand for smarter devices and machines comes the added demand for easy integration. As Bill Faber, Director of Industrial Automation Product Marketing in the Americas, at Delta Products Corporation says, “with the trend towards smarter machines, mature markets are demanding greater integration of components designed for specific applications to allow them to focus on the value that the machine offers to their customers – rather than efforts to integrate controls and mechanics.” What is driving this? According to Faber, “shortages in engineering staff, pressures to reduce overall machine costs, and the need to get to market quickly.”

As a result, Delta Products has responded to this market shift by offering products such as HMIs, VFDs and drives with higher levels of integrated control. The company’s A2 Series Servo Drives, for instance, come with higher-level pre-engineered application solutions. Pre-engineered and parameterized Motion MACROs can be sequenced internally to solve a complete rotary knife cutting or random rotary placer application.

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motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 12:37 PM

ONE FOR ALL

Robots, Servos & Drives, now Controlled by ONE SOFTWARE Yaskawa introduces Singular ControlTM: robotics, servo systems and variable speed drives working together under one software package. Singular Control uses the same ladder logic you’ve used for years, allowing you to develop new automation without the need for a robot programmer.

Pick, pack and palletize with new programming power, superior speed and industry-leading effectiveness, thanks to an innovation that puts Yaskawa performance and reliability into more innovative automation designs than ever before.

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yaskawa -- motion control handbook 4.17.indd 67

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and configuration. Notes Faber, “this all-inclusive operation is causing OEMs to rethink their system architecture to allow for a leaner control footprint, faster time to market, and simplified field maintenance.”

Along with the move to smarter machines is the ongoing trend for machines with smaller footprints. As Matt Wiese, Servo-Motion Product Manager at Delta Products notes, “adding floor space often involves a premium capital cost, so that the machines that OEMs are tasked with producing must become smaller and more feature-rich in order to stay competitive. New, innovative designs to not only save space, but to also increase product performance are required to support OEMs and end users alike.”

A new linear ballscrew actuator developed by Delta Products to integrate with their A2 and B2 Series drives addresses both space and integration issues. The new patented motor design means the carriage block can be directly controlled without adding a coupling. “This increases performance by reducing torsional backlash that results in a highly rigid design for reducing settling time by 20 mec and producing repeatability within +/- 3 micrometers,” says Wiese.

The new actuator “is fully integrated into the A2 and B2 Delta Servo Drives featuring plug-n-work commissioning and setup,” notes Wiese, adding that “with this type of high-value linear application solution, customers are able to increase performance while also reducing their footprint.”

A related trend is the interest in the IoT and its cousin the industrial IoT. Motion control companies are getting on board, offering components with built-in IoT functions. As Matt Prellwitz, Motion Product Specialist with Beckhoff Automation, notes, “there is certainly growing demand for integration of IoT concepts, as the data generated by a motion system provides valuable insight into the performance and efficiency of machinery.”

For Beckhoff, EtherCAT, the industrial Ethernet protocol, is a natural link with the IoT. “EtherCAT provides a simple, streamlined tiein to IoT applications, given the flexibility and openness of the protocol to work with higher level communication standards such as OPC UA,” notes Prellwitz. In fact, the company is seeing increased interest in IoT across industries as manufacturers look to gain insight into their operations promised by IoT connectivity. “Generally, we’ve seen that the larger the end user manufacturers and OEMs are, the more likely they are to benefit from benefits offered by IoT,” adds Prellwitz. “These concepts are easily implemented in an industrial PC-based control system because of the open flexibility of the platform. Any application that uses an industrial PC has the inherent ability to adapt to changes in connectivity demands from the market.”

Prellwitz adds “as is the case with EtherCAT industrial Ethernet technology, the close association of IT standards with PC-based motion control technologies plays well with IoT developments.” And this systemintegrated approach as championed by Beckhoff leads to industrial systems that are far less complex and easier to manage.

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motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 12:37 PM

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keb america -- motion control handbook 4.17.indd 69

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4/10/17 10:20 AM

ENCODER MANUFACTURERS OFFER MORE CUSTOM, FLEXIBLE DESIGNS

In response to their customer’s requests, encoder manufacturers continue to offer more customization options. We asked encoder manufacturers for their input on encoder trends as well as trends in the motion control industry in general. Here’s what they told us.

Has your company added or expanded services to provide more in-house engineering support and upfront customization for your customers or their end users?

Christian Fell | VP, Technology and Custom Solutions Posital Fraba A core feature of POSITAL’s product strategy is expressed by the term “mass customization”. Our products are based on a modular architecture with common technology platforms and extensive use of ‘variability through software’. This means that we can offer customers what amounts to custom configurations while taking advantage of economies of scale to keep prices down.

The entry point for customers is the POSITAL Product Finder, a web-based tool that makes it easy to explore the full range of POSITAL position and motion sensor products, including rotary encoders, inclinometers (tilt sensors) and linear position sensors.

With over a million possible product configurations available, the Product Finder enables potential users to efficiently zero in on a device that will meet their exact requirements, based on their choice of measurement parameters, mechanical features and electronic interfaces. Once a suitable product has been identified, it can be ordered from POSITAL or from one of the company’s value-added distributors. Devices are custom-assembled through a computer-controlled manufacturing system that ensures quality,

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The MRP series of modular angle encoders from HEIDENHAIN can take axial and radial load, while the encoder disk is mounted to the bearing supplied by HEIDENHAIN. They are available in three different sizes with varying line counts, loads, and accuracies.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 12:09 PM

Innovative Sensor Technology

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traceability and rapid delivery of the final product at prices comparable to standardized mass-produced items.

This approach is highly flexible and can accommodate orders of any size, down to ‘MOQ1’ (minimum order quantity – one).

For customers with special requirements, we offer customization support, based in each of the regions where we operate (Americas, Europe and Asia). The helps ensure that customers can get help in a language and time zone that works for them.

The POSITAL product portfolio includes many devices that are field programmable, which extends the idea of customization, as performance characteristics can be fine-tuned to meet specialized requirements.

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ENCODERS

LOOK TO POSITAL FOR ALL OF YOUR POSITION AND MOTION SENSOR NEEDS

Do you see the same or more demand for motion designs offering design simplicity or turnkey operation?

If you see more demand, what kinds of pre-engineered solutions are you offering to satisfy this change in the marketplace?

Kevin Kaufenberg | Product Manager HEIDENHAIN Yes, we clearly see a trend in the motion design area for a turnkey product. For example, many OEMs now realize that the task of marrying an angle style encoder to their rotary bearing can sometimes be tedious, and the end resulting accuracy may not be the same from one axis to the next.

This task takes varying amounts of time on the production floor and therefore production costs are not necessarily fixed. For this reason, HEIDENHAIN now offers a series of modular angle encoders that can take axial and radial load, while the encoder disk is mounted to the bearing supplied

by HEIDENHAIN, and a guaranteed accuracy is ensured on this system. Called the MRP series, there are three different sizes with varying line counts, loads, and accuracies, all supplied with an accuracy chart that measures the system in five dimensions and includes non-repeatable run outs of the bearing. Our OEMs like to order this type of product since its just one part number and they can simply install into their axis of rotation and be ensured that the axis is of high quality and long life without servicing.

With POSITAL’s outstanding range of configurations and performance characteristics, it’s easy to find sensors that meet your exact requirements.

Absolute and incremental rotary encoders

What kinds of large-scale industry moves are you seeing to miniaturization, System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies, automation, efficiency and customization? How do these trends relate to the configurable components your company sells?

Kit encoders for motor feedback Inclinometers Linear position sensors

Christian Fell | VP, Technology and Custom Solutions Posital Fraba At POSITAL, we have been on a consistent course of replacing complex electromechanical assemblies with components based on solid-state electronics. For example, for our rotary encoders, we’ve developed high-precision devices that make use of simple Hall-effect measurement technologies in place of more delicate multi-component optical systems. By harnessing the potential of high-performance microprocessors to run sophisticated signal processing software, we’ve been able to achieve performance levels that approach the accuracy of the more expensive optical technologies, but

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in more compact, robust and versatile packages. If we need to change device characteristics (e.g. number of pulses per turn for an incremental encoder), it’s a simple matter of updating the device firmware, with no need to modify mechanical components. Embedded microprocessors also enable us to support a variety of higher-level communication protocols (such as various flavors of industrial Ethernet) into our products.

We’re particularly excited about the possibilities of adapting our new measurement technologies to areas such as servomotors. There are currently two dominant technologies in this area. Resolvers are simple, robust and inexpensive.

However, these are analog devices that require an A/D convertor to participate in a digital control system. They are also limited to a single-turn measurement range.

On the other hand, optical encoders are available as high-precision devices, digital, multi-turn transducers, but are relatively costly. Our newest products combine magnetic measurements with microprocessor-based signal processing to fill the gap between these approaches. They’re cost-effective and zero maintenance, but

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ENCODERS

To accommodate varying design requirements, encoder manufacturers such as Posital-Fraba are offering a wide variety of encoder options including shaft and shaft-less designs and different mounting configurations.

(CONTINUED)

with performance levels that will meet all but the most extreme requirements.

Our absolute versions have a multi-turn measurement range based on a selfpowered rotation counter system. By harvesting energy from the rotary motion of the shaft, we ensure that absolute position measurements always reflect the full operational history of the device, even if rotations occur when instrument power is unavailable. As a result, there is no need for backup batteries.

Where do you see the Internet of Things, IIoT, Industry 4.0, or Connected Industry changing motion system design?

Christian Fell | VP, Technology and Custom Solutions Posital Fraba Terms like IIoT and Industry 4.0 are new, but the trends that they describe have been developing for several decades. A key foundation technology for the new world is the data communications networks that form a backbone. This started with fieldbus communications (PROFIBUS, CANopen) that were designed to simplify wiring in work cells or vehicles.

They were followed by various forms of industrial Ethernet which expanded the available address space and opened the door to vertical integration with corporate ERP and other higher-level systems.

Coming back down on the factory floor, an important characteristic of networked systems is that they enable two-way communication between controllers and “edge” devices such as sensors, actuators and drives. In addition to reading sensor data and issuing commands, the controller can monitor the health of all of the devices in the network and predict maintenance requirements. Of course, to make this dialogue meaningful, the devices at the workface need to have an adequate level of embedded intelligence.

4 • 2017

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This stainless-steel reducer from Cone Drive is suitable for sterile manufacturing environments. The smooth housings make for bacteriafree surfaces and allow easy cleaning.

GEAR DESIGNS

PUSH THE ENVELOPE THANKS TO NEW MATERIALS AND EXACTING MANUFACTURING

THE FUNDAMENTAL TRANSMISSION of mechanical power hasn’t changed in several hundred years. “Coupled to most rotary electric motors is either a chainsprocket drive, a belt-pulley drive, or a gear drive,” said Brian Dengel, general manager of KHK USA. "Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but none of them have become obsolete,” he added. Nevertheless, gear design has seen the recent rise of custom gearing; a trend towards manufacturing for better gearboxes and servogear sets; and industry migration towards helical gearing and other efficient choices.

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“Many things in power-transmission design for automation have changed over the past decade,” said Marc Halliburton, engineering manager at Motion Index Drives, manufacturer of precision indexing machinery and seventh-axis robot transfer systems. “We’ve seen a huge shift to smaller OEM and end-user designs and applications, which in turn allows use of smaller transmissions and servomotors in automation,” added Halliburton. For electric motors, many engineers specifying indexing machinery are concerned about motor efficiency and want to ensure the ac motors used are more than 90% efficient to conserve electricity. “Here, the power transmissions we use as gear reducers have improved integral designs for space savings as well as efficiency.”

That’s just one example of the move to have motion-component suppliers do more integration and design work to meet user objectives such as efficiency — and one would be hard pressed to find a geared design not touched by the near-universal OEM and plant-engineer demand for upfront engineering to satisfy specific geometries as well.

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So with more such requests, gear makers have devised ways to simplify gear integration. Case in point: Around 2000, GAM Enterprises was a cost leader on several motion components, but saw the rise of low-cost overseas manufacturing was going to change that. “So we shifted to offer mass customization, which lets engineers configure end product from a broad range of standard components — a new concept then,” said Craig Van den Avont, president at GAM Enterprises.”In fact, we took the concept a step further to design even custom motion components quickly.”

The company has its origins in the sale of bellows couplings, but is now known for its gear products, which it began making in 1998.

Its customized gearboxes came to dominate the expansion into customized products; its latest suite of offerings addresses trouble in another area ... that of linear-actuator installation.

“A supplier could get a standard actuator in one or two weeks, but if they needed a motor mount to go on that actuator, especially one that wasn’t part of a standard product line, it could take six or eight weeks,” explained Van den Avont.

“So we replicated what we were doing with gearboxes to offer motor-mount kits. Today, we can take anyone’s actuator, anyone’s motor, and anyone’s gearbox and we can custom-design that mount, machine it, and ship it in a week.” As a testament to how useful that is to industry, today myriad actuator companies source standard and unique motor mounts from GAM. Others also serve the uptick in demand for semi-standard products.

“Traditionally, we supplied a large selection of gears with minimum plain bores and oversized hubs to let end users modify our stock gears,” said Dengel.

“Users could turn the hub down, open the bore, add a keyway, tap threads for set screws, or otherwise modify the stock gear to meet their design requirements. But with significant demand for finished-bore products, we established a line of value-added gears to meet this need. We looked at the most common bore and key sizes for each gear we offer and established a semistandard product that we call our J series,” said Dengel.

These just-in-time products are made-to-order items with standardized bores and keyways produced within two to three business days from stock gear product — so the specifying engineer doesn’t need to allocate shop time to that, and it goes directly into assembly.

“Many of our system designs are modular, and we sell less costly solutions to complex gearmotor integration — especially if the designer knows upfront what problems were solved in previous iterations and talks to us prior to finishing the design of their new machine or product. After all, why reinvent the wheel?” said Gabriel Venzin, president at Cincinnati-based ABM Drives.

Expanded services are required for such in-house engineering support. “We reorganized our technical sales support to ensure maximum response time of 24 hours to customer or field-sales requests. Plus we expanded our global footprint with a technical center in China. It’s important to have a local presence, speak the language, and understand customers’ culture,” Venzin said.

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Oriental Motor BMU Series gearheads now include a foot-mount JB, flangemount JV, and right-angle hollow-shaft JH. They pair with 200-W (1/4 hp) or 400-W brushless dc motors to boost allowable load; torque isn’t saturated with the high-strength gearheads, so maximum output torque is available at all ratios. Wider speed, torque, and ratio ranges make these suitable alternatives to both servo brushedmotor and ac three-phase inverterdriven applications.

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PLQE

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“We believe to sell proper products to end users, a gear maker must have experienced engineering staff to support end users and confirm the gears they select are suitable for the applications at hand. We let design engineers download 3D CAD models from our website so they can pick what they need and avoid designing something from scratch — a great timesaver. We’re currently working on adding a custom-gear CAD-model generator which will let end users view their design before requesting a quote — which will shorten the time to quote once we review their design,” said Dengel.

Certain industries — including e-mobility, packaging, and offroad equipment — are currently prompting the newest gear design. “Electric vehicles will continue to push the industry with the need for lightweight high-efficiency drives and motors. This applies to human-powered material handling and UTVs as well as autonomous in-plant vehicles and AGVs,” noted Venzin of ABM Drives.

“We find the packaging-equipment industry is the most dynamic regarding custom-product requirements,” said Dengel. “Many machine builders have a standard design but customize every packaging line to their customers’ specifications. This results in a custom setup in almost every case.

Although some of the components are interchangeable, design differences can require custom product for each machine.”

One specific application showcases where engineers use myriad gear components to improve a given design. “Nobody likes noisy heating and cooling systems, and that goes for biomass systems incorporating auger

Here Van den Avont of GAM Enterprises points to an example of a gearbox that the company customized with design features and modifications. More specifically, the GAM included redundancy in the form of twin keyways; internal component connections; and a modified input adapter to boost design safety.

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GEARING

drives. Over the last ten years, ABM Drives has combined many technologies to make super-quiet and highly efficient drives — including aluminum cases and helical, beveled, self-centering gears.

There’s a reason you don’t make bells out of aluminum,” noted Venzin.

HOT TOPICS: 3D PRINTING NO — NEW MATERIALS, YES Gear design shows mixed adoption of new manufacturing options and tools. “Industry 4.0 has already increased connectivity demands for manufacturing and conveying lines, as well as the monitoring of individual critical gearmotors. In contrast, 3D printing allows much quicker prototyping, but because most gearbox and motor components are produced in high volumes, I don’t see 3D to be competitive now,” Venzin said.

“Regarding additive manufacturing and 3D printing, these technologies are great for prototyping for fit, feel, and proof of concept, but they’ve not yet advanced to the speed of traditional manufacturing,” agreed Dengel. “As such, they’re useful in gear R&D but not production. We’ve had customers tell us that they can produce a gear in four hours; we produce 100 of the same gear in one hour. The efficiency is not there yet.”

New materials are on the horizon, though. “We see carbon fiber making large inroads in automotive, and there’s no reason that better and lowercost processing won’t prompt the introduction of composite gearing. Weight is always a concern, and any technology that helps reduce it will be quickly embraced when the economics make sense,” Venzin said.

Again, other industry experts agree with Venzin.

At the recent MD&M West in Anaheim, Calif., KHK displayed prototype gears it’s made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), a material increasingly common in sports equipment and performance vehicles and yachts. (The KHK samples are of PA6/CF20% thermoplastic from Toray Plastic Precision.) So CFRP may soon offer another advanced gear option for aerospace, drone, and automotive applications. CFRP gears are costly but extremely light and (in many cases) many times stronger than steel.

Here, a PLE80 Economy planetary gearbox from Neugart is part of a long-stroke belt drive. The gearboxes are light and powerful but work on complex production cycles due to low-friction bearings and optimized lubrication.

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DESIGN SIMPLICITY TOPS

GEARMOTOR TRENDS THIS YEAR, one of the top trends in gearmotors is design simplicity. This consists of many things including easier integration into mechanical designs as well as newer software programs to speed up the selection process.

These trends are driving gearmotor manufacturers to offer their customers more simplicity. “We have seen an increase in demand for design simplicity,” says Jason Oakley, Electronics Product/Application Engineer, at SEW EuroDrive. “Specifically in regards to the software and programming of motion control applications. To handle this demand we’ve focused on perfecting our software application modules which allow customers to easily configure and develop working motion control programs without having to be a programming expert.”

Along these lines, suppliers are offering their customers more in-house engineering resources to help them with their designs. For SEW EuroDrive, this means having an in-house engineering group called Maxolution. This group, consisting of several system engineers, works with customers to create custom solutions for their applications.

“From plant layouts and drawings to software interfaces, our Maxolution team provides solutions for motion control applications along with developing custom interfaces at the request of the customer,” adds Oakley. “When developing solutions such as AGVs, and monorail systems, our Maxolution team provides simulations and emulations of the complete system to the end-user or OEM allowing them to see system performance prior to installing any hardware.”

A range of offerings from Bodine Electric includes inline and right-angle gearmotors as well as speed controls.

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This CAD image shows a recent sample prototype where Bodine Electric added a brushless dc speed control and a speed readout to a brushless dc gearmotor.

In particular, the automotive industry is helping to change the design of motion components, using more custom components than in the past. That industry “is constantly evolving, therefore requiring new and/or custom motion component design,” continues Oakley. “With an increase on demand, and the desire to increase production without sacrificing quality, automotive customers have asked for new and custom designs to achieve applications that are integral in their production lines.”

As for wider, more general trends such as the industrial IoT (or IIoT), some gearmotor manufacturers don’t see it significantly impacting their business. At least at the component level. “While an OEM’s machine might be designed to communicate via the internet, those same requirements do not necessarily translate down to the component level like gearmotors, encoders, brakes, etc.” notes Mike Gschwind, VP of Sales/Marketing at Bodine Electric.

“Our view is that an internet-connected gearmotor by itself will have limited value to a machine builder,” adds Gschwind. “While it might be able to respond to inquiries for data (i.e. speed, torque, temperature, vibration, etc.), it cannot do anything in response to that data (like change speed, limit current, turn itself off, etc.). The ability (or lack thereof) to change the gearmotor’s operating point illustrates the need for some sort of motor control – and that is likely where the ‘connection’ would need to reside.”

In Bodine’s experience, they’ve worked with a few customers that wanted smart gearmotors but with no networking needed. That is handled at the machinecontrol level. “While that is generally the case (for now), the industry trends could change overnight and we’re continually re-evaluating and researching new options to meet those new customer requirements when they come our way,” adds Gschwind.

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Designed to Perform Our gearmotors, motors and controls are engineered to give you flawless performance year after year. From design to delivery, you can count on Bodine for the best gearmotor solution.

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NEW TRENDS IN

LINEAR SYSTEMS FOR MOTION DESIGNS

This SupraJunction contactless transport stage includes two support plates hover above superconductors thanks to magnetic rails fitted underneath them. Designed by Festo, it transports small glass containers from one superconductor element to the next element on another handling system.

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OVERARCHING TRENDS in motion design include more simplicity in linear-component integration as well as options for combining linear axes into positioning stages, gantries, and Cartesian systems impossible just years ago.

Today’s linear guides (including guide rails, slides and ways) take many forms, including myriad profile rails and linear bearings with guide wheels and plain bearings. Both rails and shafts as well as carriages and runner blocks that traverse them are now increasingly configurable. That’s to satisfy increased reliance on flexible machines that reconfigure or reconstitute as processes change — especially for designs for packaging, materialhandling machinery, and factory automation.

Also new this year is increased focus on pre-engineered subassemblies. “We see increased demand for design simplicity or turnkey operation,” said Phil Faluotico, V.P. of HaydonKerk Pittman Engineering. “That’s spurred greater complexity as we integrate subcomponents into turnkey setups with optimized design performance, footprint, and cost,” added Faluotico.

So as component and system manufacturers aim to eliminate problems for OEMs and end users, they’re assuming more of the design work. Here, think of a motion solution as a black box: Designers have an idea of the input and output — but not all the expertise in-house to design the electromechanical system inside the box. “We have all that technology and expertise at HaydonKerk Pittman, so can generally devise faster and more efficient solutions than they can,” said Faluotico.

According to some we surveyed, system integrators are driving product selection with their customers because they must do more with fewer resources. “Integrators are concentrating on their core competencies as much as possible, relying on vendors

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to provide solutions that can be developed quickly,” said Rick Wood, managing director of Rollon Corp. Companies that are doing more robotic and automated assembly operations are driving this trend, according to Wood. “Engineers in leading industries also want parts with only the specifications they need for their applications without extra features.”

Faluotico believes it’s industries subject to increasing wages that are driving the outsourcing trend most. That’s because these industries are employing new forms of automation to reduce labor costs.

“The food-and-beverage industry is one leader, because it’s subject to increasing minimum wages in a lot of regions in the U.S. Manufacturers are also looking to streamline the dispensing of products and preparation of services to save end-customers money,” said Faluotico. More specifically, the industry is using more motor technologies (including brush, brushless, and step) as well as leadscrews, rails, nuts, rotors, gearboxes, brakes, and drives to make multi-axis systems for automation.

“We’ve been expanding applications involving our engineering staff to meet customer needs,” said Douglas Biggs of Gilman Precision, supplier of linear and rotary motion. “We find that we can provide expertise in linear and rotary motion to let design engineers at our customers focus on other aspects of their project.”

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LINEAR SYSTEMS

Demand for more motion-design simplicity is also driven by a lack of time rather than a lack of expertise in linear systems. “We accommodate this trend with a hierarchy of solutions to meet engineers at their level,” said Wood: •

•

•

•

Telescopic rails and linear bearings. These support linear movement systems at the component level. Some telescopic rails provide low induction and high stiffness and load capacity, while some linear bearings ensure parts motion with a low coefficient of friction.

Actuators. A combination of drive, guidance and structure, creating a component group for ready-touse linear movements. They move, push or pull loads in automated packaging and assembly lines, industrial machinery, and robots.

Actuator system line. Consisting of several assembled actuators to simplify automation tasks. These preconfigured robots work in seventh-axis robotic assemblies, press feeders, and assembly-line transfer setups.

Rollon’s Motion Box. This robot moves defined loads over defined distances in defined amounts of time. With this

solution, customers get a complete a pre-engineered and pretested three-axis motion system — including HMI and Ethernet connections to eliminate potential failure points when machine building in-house.

Expanded services also provide more in-house engineering support. “Our offerings are available in multiple CAD formats online to let engineers design and model solutions more quickly,” said Wood of Rollon. “Because everything is online, customers don’t have to draw designs themselves or send off for them –– a process that could take several days. Plus our regional sales engineers can work with customers face-to-face at all points in the design process.”

INTERNET OF THINGS, IIoT, INDUSTRY 4.0 IN LINEAR SETUPS No survey of industry trends is complete without touching on the rise of IoT. “I tend to think of IoT as creating greater automation. But at some point, one must create some type of motion from input — so that mechatronics between user and output is where we get involved,” said Faluotico. In the supplier’s area of work with rotary motors, unless it’s destined

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for a pump, fan or blower, it's generally a motor (often a step, brush or brushless motor in projects HaydonKerk Pittman Engineering serves) connected to a mechanical device to produce linear motion.

Another caveat: The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is driving a lot of data collection, but the challenge for manufacturers is to ensure the right data is collected. “Products such as our Motion Box Cartesian robot system can function as an IoT node,” explained Wood — “and there are advantages to that connectivity ... but it’s important to be selective about what we collect and not waste time or energy collecting irrelevant data.” As soon as data becomes available online, it becomes vulnerable to hacking, so there are security implications as well.

NEW APPLICATIONS — EXAMPLES SHOW TOP TRENDS Defense is constantly advancing linear-motion design, usually to get lower friction. Elsewhere, washdown applications (in food and beverage and medical industries) test the limits of linear-component reliability. Here, FDA-compliant slides are stainless. In contrast, linear guides (instead of sliding-contact linear-motion bearings) excel in machine-tool setups because they endure high temperatures and the challenges of ever-increasing feed speeds. Medical equipment such as CAT scan, MRI, and X-ray machines more commonly use square rails. That said, round rails can offer several advantages, including the ability to run smoothly when mounted to less-than perfect-surfaces, defined as having a flatness error exceeding 150 μm/m.

Bishop-Wisecarver UtiliTrak industrialgrade linear-motion guides use wheels with ball bearings to ride linear tracks for precise motion.

RELATED TREND: FASTER LINEAR-ACTUATOR PROTOTYPES — AND THE ROLE OF 3D PRINTING It’s not just linear systems that design engineers want supplied faster; they also want quick turnaround on the actuators that drive so many motion axes. No wonder that many suppliers see increased demand for prototypes with concurrent demand for shorter leadtimes — so now the expectation is almost out of stock.

“The expectation is that engineers can have within a week or two anything they can imagine,” said Phil Faluotico, V.P. of HaydonKerk Pittman Engineering.

“With certain hardware that’s possible, and with others it is not. One of the ways we’ve attempted to expand the scope of what’s possible is through our electronics design. We created a GUI-driven IDEA drive that gives designers flexibility in system setup,” added Faluotico. It’s easy to use and programmable right out of the box to let engineers (whether mechanical engineers or electrical engineers who’ve never programmed before) quickly setup systems and get them running. The GUIs also let engineers record data and understand whether a design is oversized or undersized — and whether the project is feasible or not.

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Another tool to satisfy demand for quick prototypes of linear-motion designs is 3D printing. “We currently have two 3D printers; our first printer was purchased more than 15 years ago, and it’s seen significant improvements in resolution and material characteristics. There are still areas of need in terms of materials — particularly for material lubricity. More specifically, our rotary-to-lineardevice nut products must have a certain amount of lubricity to be successful,” said Faluotico. “To address that, we’ve invested R&D into a hybrid product that lets us use a combination of our typical nut material in a 3D-printed part so that we can offer customers the sizes and performance they want in quick-turn offerings.” That addresses OEM need for quick design validation.

Other see the technology’s promises on the application side as well. “The current trend is to use hobby tabletop 3D printers that consist of weaker components of lower accuracy,” said Wood. “But there’s demand for more robust linear-motion components on the industrialmaterials side, which is where our products and others like them will soon go.”

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 4:15 PM

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This UtiliTrak linear guide system from Bishop Wisecarver Group includes vee rails. Its open rails for misalignment float so the assembly allows smooth and accurate motion despite uneven mounting structures.

“Recently, Rollon’s linear actuators went into in a pick-and-place setup for moving test-tube containers for blood in a refrigerated warehouse. A robot moves along a network of axes to reach shelves positioned along the warehouse corridors, adopting a perpendicular trajectory and changing direction by 90° ... further complicating the situation was the possibility of irregular surfaces where the rails slide,” explained Wood.

Rollon identified a design for the handling operation and a reliable configuration for the whole system. “Our compact rails manage its robotic movements,” said Wood. “Made from hardened steel, their hardened raceways and precision radial ball-bearing sliders absorb system surface misalignment.”

This application speaks more to the market demand for high-volume warehouse automation rather than the technological improvements themselves.

Elsewhere, in cleanroom and food-processing applications that can’t tolerate contamination, linear guides using rolling elements or certain plain bearings are unsuitable due to their reliance on lubrication.

Particularly demanding applications use fluid-floated bearings. Carriages in these hydrostatic or aerostatic bearings ride on high-pressure fluid between rail and carriage; though costlier than other options, they deliver maximum precision and accuracy.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE FOR FORGIVING LINEAR SETUPS Other designs also serve the trend towards forgiving and easy setup. Recall that linear guides must sometimes deliver accurate motion even when mounted to inaccurate assemblies. Consider how hard it can be to install and adjust two parallel linear guides for smooth and precise motion. Here the most common obstacle is binding because mounting surfaces aren’t exactly parallel.

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“UtiliTrak linear guides compensate for mounting surface errors so absolute parallelism isn’t required, to save time and frustration,” said Brian Burke, senior product manager, BishopWisecarver Group.

As Burke explains, UtiliTrak (available in several sizes) industrial-grade linear-motion guides include ball bearings that roll inside linear tracks for precise motion. Polymer wheels pair with aluminum guide rails for light applications, and steel wheel-rail pairings are for heavy loads.

The linear guide rails are made from long profiles and have mounting holes along the inside surface through which simple bolts mount the guide. Bearing blocks (wheel or carriage plates) are aluminum with attached guide wheels; they have threaded holes for attaching equipment. There must be at least three guide wheels per carriage (though versions with four or five wheels are common for carrying larger loads). One design variation has vee rails with twin opposing 90° running surfaces accommodating 90° vee guide wheels. Another has an open profile with twin flat-running surfaces to accommodate wheels called crown rollers that move with compliance.

Reconsider crown rollers and how they accommodate guide-rail misalignment. The surface of the guide rail is flat, but the outer diameter of the crown roller is curved — and only rolls on one flat surface. That way, a skewed center axis is acceptable. Open rail has flat surfaces, so the rail itself can mount out of perfect parallel down its length. In this situation, the crown roller just rolls more deeply or shallowly on the rail surface.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/10/17 4:21 PM

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TRENDS IN

POWER-TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS AND MECHANICAL PARTS POWER-TRANSMISSION (PT) components include essentials such as chain, springs, seals, and retaining devices, to name a few. There are three main trends that have dominated recent innovation in their design and application. New materials in mechanical parts continue to expand the applications in which all components operate effectively. Compression and wave springs are specified in more customized versions than ever, tying to a larger move away from off-the-shelf components. Finally, demand for longer life is spurring advances in lubrication to 21st-century formulations.

In fact, all mechanical designs must satisfy ever-changing industrial design needs, but here we detail advances that industry professionals see dominating these powertransmission assemblies.

IoT ON BELT DRIVES AND DIGITAL DESIGN HELP ELSEWHERE Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 functionality is touching even mature powertransmission technologies to boost design performance.

“The rising tide of IoT could mean that larger (and more mission-critical) power-transmission drives could soon include widespread placement of sensors,” said Arron Ryan, product engineer at Thermoid, manufacturer of rubber products including belting and hose. “On conveyor belting as well as power-transmission belting, the sensors would fit onto pulleys to measure performance and wear factors — including changes in groove ride height and rates of efficiency,” Ryan continued.

There are already sensor systems available (albeit at higher price points) that can capture inputs such as run time, temperature, and

Here Kevin McBarron at Nye Lubricants adjusts pins for an electricalconnector application test.

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Coatings of zinc thermal diffusion weren’t commercially viable for small components until recently. Now processes and equipment from SPIROL allow for this coating on small mechanical parts and fasteners. Shown here is a base layer of a part followed by alpha, gamma, delta, and zeta layers of the sacrificial zinc coating.

Notice the uniformity.

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vibration. “But technology enhancements such as this on a large scale could soon provide designers of drives with big data to design longerlasting products with higher efficiencies and reduced maintenance,” Ryan of Thermoid concluded.

Another form of improved service from digital data is the proliferation of online configuration tools. These are changing how design engineers specify all offerings in the power-transmission and motion-control space — in part because service expectations in the industrial market are ultimately influenced by what’s come to be expected from the consumer market.

“Online configurators for clothing and other consumer products give users quick leadtimes and the ability to get price and delivery without ever talking to someone. Now these B2C online-purchasing trends are informing the design of configuration tools that have become integral to the B2B engineering-design process,” said Mike Parzych of GAM Enterprises.

Right now, a GAM online sizing tool lets engineers specify components that are compatible with their servomotor. The tool is integrated with an online catalog and CAD configurator. The manufacturer is also looking to add options and customizable capabilities to the latter. “Our products are configurable, and we want our models to reflect that,” said Parzych.

Visit motioncontroltips.com and search “trends in online configuration tools” for more on what’s on the horizon here.

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NEW INSTALLATIONS FOR RETAINING RINGS AND WAVE SPRINGS Over the last several years, there’s been a slow trend to replace threaded fasteners (and the tapping and drilling they entail) with retaining rings.

These fasteners installed into assemblies at preset shaft or housing grooves that function as shoulders to keep an assembly together. What’s more, material advancements continue to improve these as well as other spacers, pins, and washers. Case in point: Finishing with affordable zinc thermal diffusion is better than ever for finishing parts with a sacrificial surface of zinc-iron diffusion. Now mechanical-component suppliers are applying one newer patented version of the process called ArmorGalv.

Fastener company SPIROL is one adopter.

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In short, ArmorGalv coating applies at 650˚ F or higher in a closed chamber. The part bakes in a closed environment filled with zinc vapor. Soluble in iron, the zinc diffuses into the ferrous part in a near-zero-emissions process. The coating is anodic to steel, so makes for long-lasting galvanic protection.

After baking, sometimes the parts get additional application of sealant. Benefits include anti-galling, uniform coating, and no embrittlement.

Another trend affecting fasteners is the unabated drive towards miniaturized designs.

This forces the shrinking of assemblies — including all their fasteners and compression and wave springs. Consumer electronics and medical-device industries are driving much of the innovation in this department.

In some cases, simply switching to compact compression springs or from conventional helical-wound springs to wave springs in sufficient. That’s because these apply more load for a given volume — which is useful in the tight spaces inside implantable medical devices, for example. In fact, even disposable surgical applications are driving engineers to design smaller instruments, as there’s more interest than ever in making surgeries less invasive. That’s turning many inpatient procedures to outpatient procedures — a win for all.

Behind some of this is how technological advances now let developers make wave springs smaller than 0.250 in. in diameter ... enabling smaller tools in other industries as well. Even cordless drills and other consumer power-tool designs benefit.

BESPOKE LUBRICATION FORMULAS (AND MECHANICAL DESIGN) FOR BETTER PT PERFORMANCE Some lubricant suppliers are looking to solve mechanical challenges from the tribological front — and they’re taking cues from an industry that’s increasingly service-oriented. “Several years ago, a new concept was born within our technical organization,” said Jason Galary, engineering development and applications manager, Nye Lubricants. The idea was to create technical competency and functionality for bridging a gap between R&D and product development. “This new functionality focuses on developing a better understanding of the fundamentals of applied tribology and combining this with simulations of customer applications,” explained Galary.

Usually in industry, the supplier identifies or develops lubrication solutions for the OEM or end user, and then ships

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TOP: Jason Galary and Gus Flaherty of Nye Lubricants study data from their laboratory’s particle-generation tester. The ADVT lab is Nye Lubricants’ response to the trend towards increased in-house engineering expertise and support through collaborative efforts with end users to solve tribological problems.

BOTTOM: Kevin McBarron of Nye Lubricants lubricates a shaft for a steering system. Component testing is just one form of partnering to trim lubrication development time and cost for users.

Recently, Nye designed a simulation rig around a full-size electronic power steering (EPS) system from customer specifications. Working with the parts manufacturer to develop an accelerated endurance test, the lubricant supplier devised a new formula to meet performance goals and boost system life and quality — so the tribological test validation was satisfied, and the manufacturer could focus development elsewhere.

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PT ESSENTIALS

lubricant samples out to the customer for testing. Such tests are based on physical property data and the experience of technical support and sales engineers. But such an approach burdens the OEM or user with testing and upfront cost.

“We moved away from this by creating Nye’s Applications Development and Validation Testing (ADVT) group,” explained Galary.

The ADVT lab now focuses on two modes of testing — component testing (and simulation) as well as applied mechanics. “Through stronger understanding of how lubrication systems function in dynamic applications, we can more accurately predict performance and supply better lubricant,” said Galary. This helps users trim research, development, and testing time, in turn reducing product cost.

Consider one example for the semiconductormanufacturing industry and how the lubricant supplier developed a particle-generation test method and apparatus.

“The thought of particle generation is one that haunts many engineers’ minds, especially if they’re working on applications in the vacuum industry,” said Galary. Foreign particles of unknown or dubious nature drifting through the air (or travelling through vacuum) might deposit on critical areas such as a semiconductor fab, and cause extremely costly problems as a result. “But our new test method measures the amount of

GAM Enterprises configurator tools are part of the trend towards online configuration. They come in a mobile version so engineers can quickly specify products compatible with a given servomotor. GAM’s sizing tool also integrates online-catalog data and a CAD configurator.

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airborne particulate generated by a lubricant from rolling contact as in a ballscrew or bearing,” said Galary. “That lets us classify a grease to an ISO or federal air-cleanliness standard.” That in turn lets users know just how many particles are being generated in their cleanroom, so they can pick a material to match their cleanliness requirements.

In fact, it’s not just the formulation of lubricants.

All motion-component suppliers we surveyed mentioned some expansion of in-house engineering support. Some who supply mechanical-design services base much of their business on it — mostly to eliminate problems associated in the past with integration.

“Customization is in GAM’s DNA. Our mission is to give customers what they want, even in small batches and at a value,” said Craig Van den Avont, president at GAM Enterprises, manufacturer of gear reducers, couplings, linear-mounting kits, and other automation products. The manufacturer works with design engineers to understand their application, requirements, and machine assembly. Then it seeks

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ways to combine or modify standard products (or manufacture other components) so OEMs or end users can build a better machine or optimize to application requirements.

“We’ve had to align all our business functions to properly support these projects,” said Van den Avont. Last year for example, the company expanded in-house manufacturing capabilities with customization and flexibility in mind. “Ultimately, we act as an extension of our customers’ engineering departments by helping them eliminate components, save space, reduce costs, and increase machine performance,” added Van den Avont.

More motion-component suppliers than ever (including GAM Enterprises) act as extensions of customers’ engineering departments by helping them eliminate components, save space, and boost design performance. Listed here are some ways in which GAM components improve the design of one lift system.

motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com

4/7/17 4:29 PM

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HARSHER ENVIRONMENTS DRIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN

SHOCK ABSORBERS AND VIBRATION DAMPING TECHNOLOGIES AS ABUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS continue to grow, so does the need for ways to reduce shock and vibrations. Industrial shock absorbers and vibration damping devices must be able to withstand higher temperatures, faster speeds, higher number of cycles and corrosive chemicals so they can safely stop systems and prevent dangerous and damaging vibrations.

RESPONDING TO INDUSTRY NEEDS A variety of industries make use of shock absorbers to protect machines and save money in the long run. In one example, shock absorbers prevent machine damage and reduce downtime and maintenance in food and beverage machines, which continue to move faster and produce at higher volumes. This increase in speed often requires frequent maintenance. The challenge for shock absorber manufacturers is to continuously improve their designs to have the longest lasting product on the market. End users demand faster operating speeds, and through continuous improvement of the shock absorber designs the market is becoming increasingly competitive.

In addition to high speeds, shock absorbers must be able to withstand corrosive and high-pressure environments, such as those undersea and in the aerospace industry. When used in oil drilling applications, these devices must be able to operate in saltwater to ensure safety and environmental security.

These harsh environments are the driving force behind many of the big changes in energy absorption devices over the last decade. For example, the demand to use a shock absorber in extreme temperatures, highly caustic wash-down areas, or high cycle-rate applications has led to an evolution of components. Material changes are critical, for example, such as custom improvements on seal designs for durability.

Additionally, there has been a major shift from steel,

Material changes, such as lighter yet stronger aluminums and seal design improvements, have allowed shock absorbers to be used in more harsh environments such as offshore, caustic washdown and high-speed processing. Image courtesy of ACE Controls.

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iron, brass, rubber and petroleum oils to various stainless steels, aluminum, high-strength aircraft-grade aluminum, polymers, synthetic oils, silicones, etc.

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ENABLE BETTER DESIGNS Extending the life of custom high-cycle rate shock absorbers has been more easily done with performance life cycle testing.

Researching improved seal designs, finishes and bearings as well as using lighter, stronger and more efficient materials has had a direct correlation to efficient shocks with long lives. In addition, environmentally safe materials and improvements on the hydraulics all mean a more highly developed shock absorber can continue to be developed.

One example of advanced materials being used is with PAD material, which is more frequently used to isolate noise and vibration in buildings and factories, particularly under electrical transformers and large machines. These simple devices are eliminating this very common problem. Today’s machines are more densely packed into buildings and in some cases buildings are not designed as strong and robust as in the past.

Additionally, isolating vibrations in high-tech applications such as optic measuring or grinding equipment is done with modern Pneumatic Leveling Mounts (PLM) and Pneumatic Isolators with Automatic Level Control (PAL). These high precision equipment and operations can often be disturbed by vibrations from subways, trains or vehicles, but these devices protect by preventing vibrations from equipment transmitting to the rest of the building, in the case, for example, on vehicle or engine dynamometers. As factories are built closer to residential and densely packed areas, there’s an increased need to isolate vibration. These PLMs and PALs are now included in machine designs to make sure vibration doesn’t cause any issues.

New technology is greatly benefiting from the use of wire rope isolators, as well. Without them, the cameras and sensors on autonomous vehicles such as drones would experience extreme vibration.

Used for conducting aerial surveys, positioning agricultural vehicles, military reconnaissance, or cinematic production, these applications would not be possible without the use of vibration isolation mounts tuned specifically for each system. These mounts are typically wire rope isolators and they prevent the disruption of the camera or sensor from vibration of the propeller blades, rough ground terrain and even harsh impact landings.

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STAGES, GANTRIES & TABLES

CHANGING INTEGRATION APPROACHES FOR

STAGES, GANTRIES AND TABLES THERE’S demand for motion designs offering simplicity or turnkey operation, so component suppliers are now doing much more integration for OEMs and plant engineers. Nowhere is this more evident than in the way today’s positioning stages, rotary tables, and gantry setups are built.

“As part of this trend, we’re seeing more demand for our IntelLiGent actuators — in which the linear, rotary, XY, or vertical-lift stage integrates motor, drive, and controller,” said Greg Kane, manager at IntelLiDrives. These quickly connect electrically and mechanically — and easily network to each other and supervisory control systems such as PCs. Of course, increased need for networked controllers and drives has come with ever-faster communication protocols such as EtherCAT. “That’s one reason PI acquired ACS Motion Control — for their knowledge in this area,” Stefan Vorndran of Physik Instrumente (PI). “We also see more demand for complex systems, which is why we offer precision motion and automation in the form of everything from simple gantries to complete purpose-designed multi-axis motion systems,” added Vorndran of PI. Other manufacturers leverage the power of automation controllers designed to control axes of motion as well as the rest of the machine.

These accept all I/O for seamless control of whole operations — which relieves OEMs and plant engineers of the burden of integration.

“We've successfully capitalized on this trend to complete system-level solutions,” said Jeremy Miller, product manager of linear mechanics at the Parker Hannifin Electromechanical and Drives Division. Parker’s electromechanical products come as motion-control components, but the supplier also offers integration services to combine all these components into One Aerotech controller has an Infinite-Field-of-View (IFoV) feature that lets users combine a galvanometer with servo stages to get large field-of-view processing for all sorts of laser applications needing high accuracy and throughput.

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complete turnkey solutions if needed.

“This means combining multiple axes of actuators, motors, drives, and the motion and machine controllers that make them all function — and finishing the machines out with framing and guarding,” said Miller.

About 60% of the business Parker Hannifin’s Electromechanical and Drives Division does is custom systems, and that’s largely to reduce design complexity for customers. “A design team might call us This is a 32UT (ultra-thin) IntelLiDrives rotary with a completely unique application that stage. It integrates precision low-friction bearings and gets sub-arc performance with a directour standard products can't solve. Here measurement ring encoder delivering incremental we’ll leverage the power of our engineering or absolute feedback. resources to build ground-up solutions and then integrate its motion components — sometimes even building the panel and integrating controls,” said Miller.

“In the current automation environment, we also see an increase in simplified, turnkeyoperation indexing devices,” said Marc Halliburton, engineering manager at Motion Index Drives.

SPECIAL CASE OF INDEXING TABLES — LARGE AND SMALL With indexers, there’s continued migration towards thin geometries, direct-drive setups, and fully integrated designs. “The request we’re getting more often now — particularly in the miniature rotary-tables segment — is for high-speed rotary tables that directly compete with servo motors on speed ... while providing all the advantages and features of rotary tables,” said Kane.

To this end, direct-drive rotary technologies first came to the market to improve upon the speed and precision of geared rotary solutions. Consider how some mechanical-transmission mechanisms are limited to 50 rpm and precision of 1 to 2 arc-min. Direct-drive rotary technologies have expanded potential applications with speeds to 200 to 300 rpm and precision of 20 to 30 arc-sec. “Now customers are demanding even higher speeds — above 500 rpm with precision of 5 arc-sec precision for semiconductor and optics applications,” added Kane of IntelLiDrives.

Design engineers are also looking for compact form factors and lightweight rotary solutions to integrate rotaries into host manufacturing equipment ... particularly with precision XY stages. Direct-drive rotary servo stages can fit the bill here as well. “Some large-diameter models of our stages are only 22 mm height but run at 500 rpm — and smaller models run at 1,000 rpm to 3,000 rpm, in the case of our ACR-32UT,” explained Kane. Specialty motoring modules are built into the stage in a planar-like fashion. A zero-cogging and zero-hysteresis magnetic motor imparts speed constancy even from sub-rpm to a few thousand rpm.

Ultra-thin UT rotary stages from IntelLiDrives have center apertures from 32 to 500 mm to support the manufacture of latest-generation 300 and 450-mm semiconductor wafers.

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areas of technical excellence for project and But smaller indexing drives aren’t the only ones that application-engineering staff to pursue. “We’ve are increasingly integrated. Even tables many meters in diameter running at a couple hundred rpm are now bought also expanded the scope of operations for our global technical-support (in many cases) fully staff to provide advanced engineered or setup services to customers for flexible operation. through project startup and “OEMs and plant implementation phases,” engineers are more added Land of Aerotech. frequently asking for In a different move, complete solutions that Motion Index Drives has can simply be powered added capacity to provide and run. We also see more in-house services on machine builders and both the mechanical and end users seeking more controls ends. “The large general solutions that integration sources have can easily adapt to wanted more components future applications,” to be completed when they said Halliburton. For arrive,” said Halliburton. these requests, the “So, we’ve added manufacturer offers design and engineering myriad solutions — of value-added and including fixed RT series customized solutions, index drives with IP20 such as baseplates, riser and IP65 ratings to run weldments, frames, slip indexing devices as rings, and tool-tray transfer standalone machines. systems. We’ve also added “For our TMF series complete control-panel fully programmable delivery with our indexing units, we also offer There’s a trend towards more hexapod parallel robots in devices.” Panels are variations tailored to automotive manufacturing, because traditional robots powered, tested, and tuned different budgets — from can’t maintain the precision needed for some new motion tasks. Image courtesy Physik Instrumente (PI) with the indexing drive prior to an IP20 closed-loop variable shipment, which eliminates a frequency drive (VFD) lot of debugging and startup to a complete NEMA 1 time at the integration source. enclosure with drive,” said Halliburton. The supplier also Acquisitions in the motion-component offers ac motors with encoders, servo motors, and drives to supplier space have let some bring integration of complement the indexing device. specialty subsystems under one roof. “PI recently added a motion-systems engineering group (ACS BRINGING TOTAL INTEGRATION Motion Control) specialized in high-speed airTO OEMS AND END USERS bearing positioning systems. By fully controlling Rotary, linear, and lift and Z-axis positioning stages have all the design and manufacturing of the mechanics, seen more upfront customization over the last few years. controllers, drivers, and software, we can provide “This trend is not unexpected, as it mimics the general integrated solutions with higher performance. move towards higher levels of expertise and abstraction The customer sees reduced risk, cost and time to seen in many industries,” noted Will Land, business market — and only has to talk to only one partner development manager, Aerotech. It’s a common refrain: “Our customers leverage our motion control and precision- for answers and support,” said Vorndran of PI. engineering expertise to free internal resources for higherTAKING THE LEAD: INDUSTRIES SPURRING value process tasks. This lets them bring their process and MOST CHANGE product to bear faster and more efficiently,” added Land.

All industries are changing due to the demand The manufacturer recently changed how it cultivates for faster throughput, higher yields, and and focuses internal knowledge — creating distinct

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more accurate processes. “High-tech industries such as semiconductor, medical, and research, are always pushing technology — and customers here are asking for customization to make their machine, process, or system better,” Brian O’Connor, director of product and market development, Aerotech.

Customization of components themselves is giving OEMs and plant engineers competitive advantage. After all, offthe-shelf components are the building blocks of machines or systems — but sometimes don’t let machine builders get exactly what they need. “So we have systems and applications engineering teams that dedicate their time to servicing this need for custom motion systems,” added O’Connor of Aerotech.

Others identified significant changes in automotive manufacturing — especially in the demand for more flexibility. “We’ve seen a large shift over the past few years in the automotive industry — from fixed indexing devices to programmable solutions,” said Halliburton. This shift is industrywide ... with OEMs and their tier suppliers. “Most likely the trend is due to the machine being very versatile in terms of loading capacities as well as being a future asset for reuse in future applications,” he added.

Multi-axis air-bearing positioning systems boost precision in coordinate-measuring machines. Image courtesy Physik Instrumente (PI)

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Automotive manufacturing is also demanding higherprecision motion setups. “We provide solutions for myriad industries — though in the past, our precision positioning systems were considered overkill for the automotive industry. Now that’s changing,” said Vorndran of PI. “So we’re seeing a new demand for hexapod parallel robots in automotive manufacturing, because traditional robots can’t provide the required precision for some newer motion tasks.”

Automakers are also leveraging the increased reliability of today’s indexing tables. “A few years ago, a large automobile manufacturer contacted us to look at replacing some older indexing units, as they had constant failures quarterly,” said Halliburton of Motion Index Drives. “We found the inertial load on the existing indexing devices to be extremely high — greater than 409,200,000 lb-in.-in (120,000 kg-m-m). To solve the issue, we used one of our larger TMF series index drive, driven by a high-efficiency helical bevel-gear reducer with integral ac motor and absolute encoder.” The motor is controlled via a highperformance closed-loop VFD. “10 years ago, we would’ve been unable to solve their problem, as the loading on the power-transmission index drive would’ve been too much for the traditional fixed-style index drives. In addition, the index time would’ve been impossible, as the required would’ve exceeded any possible solution available then,” explained Halliburton. But the manufacturer’s modern programmable index drives with modern controls let it boost loading and speed capabilities in a reliable solution that delivers consistent running without downtime.

Elsewhere, the electronics industry pushes the envelope for precision motion design — as for better galvanometers, for example.

Galvanometer scanners are electromechanical devices that track current through a mirrordeflected light beam. They’re used in general manufacturing and material-processing applications involving lasers — including welding, cutting, and marking.

“Our controller has a feature called InfiniteField-of-View (IFoV) that lets designers use galvanometer systems combined with servo stages to get large field-of-view processing with high accuracy and throughput,” explained O’Connor of Aerotech. “We’ve put significant effort over the last few years into making the most accurate galvo system commercially available. A decade ago, galvanometers had 10s or even 100s of micrometers of image-plane accuracy. But now (using precision engineering principles) we offer a thermally-stable ultraprecise galvanometer scanner with single-digit micrometer accuracy over 100s of mm field-ofview.”

Combining this highly accurate scanner with IFoV has enabled new applications in fields such as electronics manufacturing and direct laser sintering. Customers no longer need to sacrifice laser-spot or field-of-view size to get the needed performance, added O’Connor.

Piezo-inertia motors from Physik Instrumente (PI) are small to integrate into extremely compact positioning systems. Additional advantages are a self-locking direct-drive design with no heat generation at rest; a nonmagnetic drive principle; and low energy use.

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This is PI’s Fast Multichannel Photonics Alignment (FMPA) setup to help with silicon-photonics testing. Such wafers need nanoscale alignments not possible off visual or mechanical references.

Optimization must be through multiple optical inputs and outputs run simultaneously. The PI setup includes high-throughput piezo nanopositioners and a motion control running specialty algorithms.

Another electronics-industry example also involves expanded use of lasers. Demand for higher data-communication bandwidth and faster computing (and the need for energy efficiency) has driven the electronics industry to integrate lasers and optical components into silicon wafers. “This is called silicon photonics or SiP,” said Vorndran of PI. “Industrial production of SiP components needs automated test and packaging equipment two to three orders of magnitude more accurate and speedy than current electronic wafer probing and packaging.”

Now application engineers integrate hexapod alignment systems and ultra-fast piezo-driven scanning and alignment systems to produce these next-generation computer chips.

Others agreed that integrated photonics is a hot market right now. “Putting more features in a smaller area is exactly the mantra of the semiconductor and electronics markets,” concurred O’Connor of Aerotech. Now, suppliers are combining these semiconductor and electronic devices with waveguides and other photonic devices to make an integrated photonics package. “With this miniaturization comes packaging and device-manufacturing challenges. Motion components and systems used in the manufacturing and testing of these components require exacting precision and typically some level of customization to meet the needs of the end customer.”

Other trends in stages for nanopositioning continue unabated. “On one hand, we see a need for complex turnkey systems. On the other hand, we see demand for extremely small components — miniaturized motors, actuators and stages that cannot be met with traditional electromagnetic designs,” noted Vorndran of PI. Here, piezo-electric motors such as inertia drives provide the basis for ultra-small designs with minimized power consumption and excellent size to force ratio. Piezomotors are also self-clamping — so once a position is reached, no power is required to hold it.

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IoT AND 3D PRINTING AFFECTING STAGE AND TABLE DESIGN Burgeoning applications incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) functionality as well as additive manufacturing or 3D printing are changing the design and application areas for stages as well. New additive-manufacturing applications need high-precision motion control. But there’s another effect on the industry.

“3D printing in the past few years has become an indispensable tool in system design and motion design. With 3D printing, miniature scaled prototypes of any motion system can be made — and all designs can be validated for clearances in a dynamic mode ... as well as prove the process,” said Halliburton of Motion Index Drives.

3D-printed parts can also let designers and engineers visualize how things in motion will be manufactured to clear cables, hoses, and other items inside a machine. “Designers’ use of new materials greatly impact our motion design as well. Proliferating use of lighter materials in automation such as aluminum and UHMW allow for smaller and faster indexing devices to comparable designs made of steel,” Halliburton added.

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AD INDEX ACE Controls Inc. ............................................................................ 103 Aerotech .......................................................................................... 107 All Motion ............................................................................................ 4 Altra Industrial Motion Corp. ............................................................. 51 Applied Motion Products .................................................................... 1 AutomationDirect .............................................................................. 55 Bansback Easylist ................................................................................. 8 Beckhoff Automation ......................................................................... 41 BellowsTech, LLC ............................................................................... 63 Bimba Manufacturing .......................................................................... 3 Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. ..................................................... IBC Bodine Electric Company .................................................................. 85 Carlyle Johnson Machine Company .................................................. 53 CGI .................................................................................................... 11 Custom Machine and Tool Co. Inc. ................................................... 49 Del-tron Precision, Inc. ...................................................................... 87 Delta Products Corp. ........................................................................ BC DIEQUA Corporation ........................................................................ 80 Dynatect Manufacturing, Inc. ............................................................ 28 Eaton Hydraulics ................................................................................ 43 ElectroCraft ....................................................................................... 39 Encoder Products Company .............................................................. 72 FESTO ............................................................................................... 25 GAM Gear ........................................................................................... 5 Harmonic Drive .................................................................................. 77 HEIDENHAIN Corporation .................................................................. 9 Helical Products Company .................................................................. 7 IDEC .................................................................................................. 57 igus, inc. ............................................................................................ 47 IKO .................................................................................................... 90

Intech ................................................................................................. 81 ITT Enidine ........................................................................................ 17 KEB America, Inc. .............................................................................. 69 Keubler .............................................................................................. 71 The Lee Spring Company .................................................................. 95 Lin Engineering ................................................................................. 33 LinMot ............................................................................................... 32 Mach III Clutch Inc. ............................................................................ 52 maxon precision motors .................................................................... 31 MICROMO .............................................................................Cover, 37 mk North America, Inc. ...................................................................... 60 Neugart ............................................................................................. 79 Newcomb Spring ............................................................................... 96 NSK Americas .................................................................................... 15 Osborn .............................................................................................. 46 PBC Linear ................................................................................... 88, 89 Physik Insturmente .......................................................................... 109 POSITAL-FRABA Inc. ......................................................................... 73 R+W America .................................................................................... 64 Renishaw ............................................................................................ 74 Rollon Corporation ............................................................................ 93 Rotor Clip .......................................................................................... 97 Ruland Manufacturing ....................................................................... 65 Schneeberger .................................................................................... 21 Schneider Electric IMS ....................................................................... 35 Serapid Inc. ....................................................................................... 99 Servometer® ..................................................................................... 63 SEW Eurodrive ................................................................................... 83 Smalley Steel Ring Company........................................................... 101 Sorbothane ...................................................................................... 104 THK America, Inc. ............................................................................ IFC Tolomatic, Inc. ................................................................................... 13 US Digital ........................................................................................... 75 Yawkawa ............................................................................................ 67 Zero-Max, Inc. .................................................................................... 27

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