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Motion Control NewsJohnson Electric Launches Motors for HVAC Valve Actuators Shelton, CT - Johnson Electric announced the first of many new electronically commutated (EC) motors that are under development. This new brushless DC motor product line is designed for high efficiency, long life and precision détente torque performance in critical HVAC valve and damper control applications. The HVAC valve motor product line comes in two versions, low détente torque and high detente torque in three packages, 24mm, 30mm and 38mm diameter. The low détente torque motors are for spring-return applications, while the high détente torque versions are for non-spring return applications. ...More >> More Safety More Operating Comfort from HBC Radiomatic HBC-radiomatic, one of the world's leading suppliers of radio controls for industrial applica-tions, is presenting a diverse assortment of new products Hebron, KY - Be it Automated Racks, Robots, AVG's, or other special machinery - an increasing number of users are depending on proven HBC radio technology to control their machines. The advantages are clear: The operator can freely move with the remote control. He saves himself a great deal of unnecessary movement because he is not required to constantly return to a fixed control console or a cable control. At the same time, with the radio controller he always has the STOP button at hand. This results in greater safety because the operator can instantly activate the switch in the event of an emergency! The new transmitters keynote, patrol D, patrol S and vector pro are the latest examp¬les of the quality and diversity of HBC machinery control. ...More >>Magnetek, Inc. Launches New BrakeMD Comprehensive Brake Repair and Recertification Program Menomonee Falls, WI - Magnetek, Inc., (NYSE: MAG) a leading designer and manufacturer of power control and delivery systems for the overhead material handling industry, announced the launch of its new brake repair and recertification program, BrakeMD. This brake repair program covers the Company's entire line of Mondel brakes. Customers will receive a repair quote upfront by phone, and repair work is completed at the Company's facilities located in Menomonee Falls, Wis., or Mississauga, Ontario. ...More >> ASPE 2010 Spring Topical Meeting – 3rd Meeting on the Control of Precision Systems Sunday-Tuesday, April 11-13, 2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts USA The 3rd Meeting on the Control of Precision Systems will focus on new developments and fundamental techniques in feedback control as applied to precision motion control systems. The control of precision systems encompasses a wide range of applications in high-speed, high-accuracy manufacturing and automation. The growth of nanotechnology and nanoscale manufacturing has further raised the positioning requirements for machine designers. The performance of such systems, instruments, devices, and processes depends intimately upon the innovative application of feedback principles due to the large dynamic range of controlled variables and the sensitivity to effects which might be ignorable in conventional systems. ...More >> Time-To-Market Solution ProtoFast Custom Rubber Parts Molded and Manufactured to Color and Design Specification Shakopee, MN - Need production quality molded rubber parts quickly? Do you require fast turnaround in custom molded thermoset materials, silicones, fluoroelastomers, fluorosilicones, liquid silicone rubber and TPR? What about specified colors for your parts? Rubber Industries provides all of the above - your parts molded from print to production in just 10 working days. This ProtoFast service utilizes production grade tooling and dedicated molding equipment. Not the conventional prototype process, ProtoFast is a unique process that allows for faster and more accurate evaluations of the component design. Where time-to-market is crucial, bypassing a not always reliable prototype process can save weeks and even months otherwise lost with re-work and failed prototype designs. All of this at production speed and with specified color, too. With product color increasingly important to brand enhancement, Rubber Industries includes this important feature in its ProtoFast service. ...More >> 466 Million Electric Two-Wheel Vehicles to Hit the Road by 2016, Forecasts Pike Research Boulder, CO - While the electrification of the automobile has captured strong attention over the past few years, a significantly higher volume market opportunity lies with a different kind of EV - the electric two-wheel vehicle. According to a new report from Pike Research, unit sales in this category, which includes electric bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters, will grow at a rapid pace over the next several years. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that more than 466 million e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and e-scooters will be sold worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2016. "Demographics and economics are aligning to create a strong market opportunity for two-wheel electric vehicles," says industry analyst Dave Hurst. "In some countries, these vehicles will be engines of economic growth, while in others they will be signals of broader consumer behavioral shifts." ...More >> Wrightspeed, Chrysler, The Hansen Report, Daimler Trucks and Mentor Graphics among the speakers at the 10th IESF Conference Wilsonville, OR - Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) announced the agenda for the tenth Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) program. IESF is a full one-day conference that has become one of the leading forums for electrical and electronic systems design, network design, wire harness engineering, simulation and analysis within the automotive, commercial vehicle and off-highway industry. IESF 2010 takes place on March 18th, 2010 at the Hyatt Dearborn, Michigan. IESF consists of numerous industry presentations, including guest keynote speakers, breakout tracks of specialist topics, an industry roundtable hosted by Daimler Trucks North America, a solutions exposition, demonstrations, and networking events that offer managers and engineers the opportunity to explore issues, examine solutions, and network with peers. The program includes several keynotes: ...More >>Power Efficiency and Macel Elevation Engineering Sign Agreement to Provide Motor Efficiency Controllers Las Vegas, NV - Power Efficiency Corporation (OTCBB: PEFF), a clean tech company focused on efficiency technologies for electric motors, has entered into a formal distribution agreement with Macel Ingeniería de Elevación S.L. (Macel Elevation Engineering) to supply Motor Efficiency Controllers (MECs) to the elevator and escalator markets in Spain and Portugal. The MECs will feature Power Efficiency's E-Save Technology®, a patented and patent-pending technology platform that has been demonstrated in independent testing to improve the efficiency of electric motors by up to 35% in appropriate applications. ...More >> Parker Scheduled to Present at Barclays Capital Industrial Select Conference on February 18th Cleveland, OH - Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH), the global leader in motion and control technologies, announced that it is scheduled to present at the Barclays Capital Industrial Select Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, February 18, 2010 at 1:55 p.m. Eastern time. Parker's scheduled presenter is Thomas L. Williams, Executive Vice President and Operating Officer. A live webcast of the presentation will be accessible on Parker's investor information website at ...More >>Pacamor Kubar Bearings (PKB) Expands Aerospace Bearing Cleanroom Capabilities Troy, NY - In response to growing demand by Aerospace OEM and MRO customers, Pacamor Kubar Bearings (PKB) www.pacamor.com in Troy, NY, has expanded its Class 10,000 Cleanroom Environment. The new ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100:2004 certified manufacturing cleanroom space has been dramatically increased, effectively doubling the size. It has been equipped to provide complete bearing assembly processes including component inspection, bearing assembly, lubrication, specialty inspection processes, secondary operations, test and packaging capabilities. New equipment for the expanded cleanroom includes a state of the art Running Torque Tester complete with tooling for every bearing size manufactured by PKB; a new heated vacuum impregnation chamber and a new high speed centrifuge for lubrication processes; a new nitrogen gas backfill system for specialized packaging processes; and many other specialty instruments and production tools. Also contained in the new cleanroom, an automated bearing wash system, numerous Class 100 laminar flow benches for ultra clean processing, numerous gages and precision inspection instruments. ...More >> Ducommun Announces New Contract Award to Support NASAs Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Program Los Angeles, CA - Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE:DCO) announced that its Ducommun Technologies, Inc. (DTI) subsidiary, a long-time supplier of stepper motors, resolvers and actuators for space applications, has received a new contract from Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems (NYSE: BA). The initial purchase order is for the design and manufacture of a new resolver to be used on the TDRS K/L satellite mission. This resolver will be required on future launches of TDRS satellites and is expected to be inserted on other programs. With this order, Ducommun adds another new design of a space-qualified resolver to its existing product family as well as broadening its business with Boeing. ...More >> Misumi USA to Conduct Booth Demonstration of Single Axis Robot RS Series Actuators in Action Schaumburg, IL - Misumi USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Misumi Corporation, part of Misumi Group, Inc. (TOKYO:9962) announces that it will highlight a live booth demonstration of its new Single Axis Robot RS Series Actuators at Booth #4411 at ATX West in Anaheim, February 9th to 11th. Introduced in late 2009, Misumi's Single Axis Robot RS Series Actuators are designed for use in a broad range of automated machinery and devices requiring extremely precise motion control. The robotic actuators can be used to perform part assembly, pick-and-place, stacking, inserting, inspection, alignment and testing, and other functions. The actuators, which are available in six small sizes (RS) and six large sizes (RSH), as well as in Clean Room Class 10 versions, are CE compliant. The small units are driven by stepper motors, the large units by AC servo motors. ...More >>Bison Gear Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence St. Charles, IL - Today, over 200 employees of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the St. Charles, Illinois headquartered gearmotor manufacturer. Bison was established in 1960 by three Chicago area entrepreneurs who derived the company's name from their last initials of B-S-N. The company began as a producer of gears and today manufactures gearmotors, electric motors and gear reducers for hundreds of customers ranging from successful entrepreneurial OEMs to many multinational industrial and commercial equipment OEMs. As one example of its success, Bison gearmotors are used in a wide variety of foodservice equipment found in virtually every fast food establishment throughout the world. ...More >> Misumi USA to Hold “Go Configure” Contest at 2010 ATX West Schaumburg, IL - Misumi USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Misumi Corporation, part of Misumi Group, Inc. (TOKYO:9962), is pleased to announce that it will hold its highly popular "Go Configure" contest at the 2010 ATX West show February 9th to 11th at the Anaheim Convention Center. A daily 3:00 p.m. drawing for a $50 American Express Gift Card will take place at Misumi's Booth #4411. In addition to the daily prize, a First Prize of an iPod Nano, Second Prize of a $200 American Express Gift Card, and Grand Prize of an HP Mini Netbook will be awarded during the 3:00 p.m. drawing on the last day - Thursday, February 11. ...More >> Test System Ensures that SERCOS III Slave Implementations from Different Manufacturers are Interoperable Santa Rosa Beach, FL - The SERCOS III Slave Conformizer is a new, powerful test tool for slave devices on the SERCOS III Ethernet-based automation bus. It ensures that SERCOS III slave implementations from different manufacturers are compatible and interoperable. The certification test software is available to manufacturers who wish to pre-test SERCOS III slave devices in their facilities prior to the formal testing at the SERCOS test lab. This provides a high assurance of passing the formal test at minimal time and costs. ...More >>Haldex to Consolidate Manufacturing at Two Production Units in the US Stockholm, Sweden - Haldex (STO:HLDX) continues to optimize its production structure. During the coming months, manufacturing in two of Hydraulics Divisions' production units in the US will be consolidated into one plant. The plant in Statesville, North Carolina, will be closed following the transfer of manufacturing to the Haldex plant in Rockford, Illinois. Following the merger and investments, the plant in Rockford will be a state-of-the-art operation with world-class processes in line with the lean manufacturing principles for production, development, quality, logistics and customer support. ...More >>PMD Enhances Its Prodigy Family of Motion Cards with New Features and Peripherals Lincoln, MA - Performance Motion Devices, Inc. (PMD) continues to enhance its Prodigy® family of motion control cards with new features and peripherals. The added capabilities will benefit both development and production applications by simplifying the programming and connectivity of the Prodigy motion controllers. All Prodigy/CME controllers have been upgraded to include user accessible on-board non-volatile memory (NVRAM). This new memory area allows users to store configuration parameters, program variables, and other data items directly on the card so that they do not need to be loaded as part of the power-up sequence. Information stored in the non-volatile memory area is not lost when power is removed from the card. ...More >> Mitsubishi Electric Develops Energy-saving Elevator Technology Tokyo, Japan - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced that it has developed a new multi-elevator smart-control technology that can reduce energy consumption by up to 10% compared to current elevator systems, enabling building owners to cut energy costs without sacrificing passenger convenience. Mitsubishi Electric will incorporate the technology in its elevator systems starting this April, beginning with limited models and then gradually extending to other models in the company's lineup. In line with increasing concerns about global warming, the operators of tall buildings and large facilities have shown strong interest in elevator systems that can help reduce energy consumption. Currently, however, most multi-elevator control systems require a trade-off between passenger convenience and energy saving, because they focus mainly on the reduction of passenger waiting time, which can lead to increased energy consumption. ...More >> Adept Technology Announces Receipt of $3.2M Order from Major OEM of Test Automation Equipment Pleasanton, CA - Adept Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADEP), a leading provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics and global robotics services, announced it has received a $3.2 million order for high-precision robots from a major international manufacturer of test automation equipment. The order is expected to be fulfilled and recognized as revenue this third fiscal quarter of 2010. The company selected Adept as its automation partner to provide high-speed robot systems for complex, precision handling operations. Adept has been serving the consumer electronics and IT industry with high-precision mechanisms and controls in both standard and cleanroom configurations for over 20 years. ...More >> Tesla Wraps Up Historic Roadster Road Trip on Schedule North American International Auto Show 2010 Detroit, MI - Tesla Motors concluded its historic Roadster Road Trip when the electric sports car arrived in Detroit on schedule and in advance of the North American International Auto Show. Starting at Tesla's retail store in sunny Los Angeles, the 2,700-mile journey was designed to raise awareness about electric cars, greet fans and owners nationwide, and prove that the Roadster is four-season rugged. The Roadster was expected to arrive at its final destination, Detroit's Cobo Hall, at 2 p.m. ...More >>Galil Motion Control Celebrates 100th Profitable Quarter Rocklin, CA - Galil Motion Control is proud to announce that it has completed its 100th consecutive quarter of profitability. Despite several recessions, changes in technology and the competitive environment, since 1985 Galil has always kept its balance sheets in the black. "We have made decisions to keep the company lean and nimble which has enabled us to stay strong despite the challenges in the economy," said Wayne Baron, President of Galil Motion Control. "Our focus has remained on product development and application support based on genuine customer need." ...More >> BNL New Technology Center focuses on new capability development North Yorkshire, UK - BNL is multiplying its capability portfolio with the support of the British Gear Association and the foundation of a New Technology Centre for tribological research. The recently formed New Technology Centre (NTC) at BNL is spearheading the research, development and understanding of polymer tribology and its application to plastic bearings and related components. The initial focus of the NTC will be the expansion of laboratory facilities and the development of BNL's current capabilities, not only in plastic bearings but also plastic shafts and polymer gears. ...More >>Avago Technologies’ Automotive-Grade Optocouplers Selected for Use in Mazda’s New Hydrogen/Gas Powered Hybrid Vehicle San Jose, CA & Singapore - Avago Technologies (Nasdaq: AVGO), a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, announced that Yaskawa Electric Corporation has selected two of its latest R2CouplerTM isolation products for use in the futuristic Mazda Premacy hydrogen/gas powered hybrid vehicle. Yaskawa, which makes the electronic motor inverter system for the Premacy, is using Avago's ACPL-782T automotive grade isolation amplifier and ACPL-312T gate drive optocoupler in its electronic motors. ...More >> iRobot Achieves Milestone in Home Robot Market BEDFORD, MA - iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) announced that it has achieved an industry milestone in the home robot market. The company, which was founded twenty years ago, launched its iRobot Roomba® Vacuum Cleaning Robot in 2002. Since then, iRobot has sold more than five million home robots, making its products among the best-selling consumer robots in history. "This achievement represents a huge milestone for iRobot and for the robotics industry as a whole," said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot. "We set out to create practical robots that help people accomplish tasks they don't like to do, and in many cases, don't have time to do. With over five million home robots sold, we have seen a widespread acceptance of this technology. This further fuels our drive to innovate and provide solutions that make a difference in people's lives." ...More >> Cognex Corporation Promotes Robert Willett to President and Chief Operating Officer Natick, MA - Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX), the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, has announced the promotion of Robert Willett to President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Willett will assume these responsibilities in addition to his current role as President of the Modular Vision Systems Division (MVSD), which is the largest operating division of Cognex. Mr. Willett will continue reporting to Dr. Robert J. Shillman, who remains the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As President of Cognex Corporation, Mr. Willett will oversee both the Modular Vision Systems Division (MVSD) and the Surface Inspection Systems Division (SISD). Thomas F. Nash will continue in his current role as President of the Surface Inspection Systems Division, but he will now report to Mr. Willett rather than to Dr. Shillman. Finance and Administration, under the direction of Cognex Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Richard A. Morin, will continue to report to Dr. Shillman. ...More >> Timken Finalizes Sale of Needle Roller Bearings Business to JTEKT Canton, OH - The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) announced it completed the sale of its Needle Roller Bearings business to Japan's JTEKT Corporation. Timken received approximately $330 million, including retained receivables, from the sale. These proceeds will be used for general company purposes, while also providing additional liquidity, bolstering the company's financial position in a year it expects to generate strong cash from operations. "The completion of this deal is a win for everyone involved," said James W. Griffith, Timken president and chief executive officer. "The Needle Roller Bearings business' new owner is committed to the automotive industry, which provides new opportunity to customers and the talented associates who are transferring with the deal. ...More >>HEIDENHAIN Offers Safety-oriented Rotary Encoders Schaumburg, IL - Opening up the market for innovations in the automation, medicine and electronics equipment industries, HEIDENHAIN Corporation presents a new generation of rotary encoders with IP 64 protection, absolute position-value formation and functional safety, all within a 35 mm diameter housing size. These small rotary encoders are known as HEIDENHAIN's 1000 Series and designed to be especially useful as single-encoder measurement feedback systems in safety-oriented applications. HEIDENHAIN's safety-oriented position encoders with functional safety provide two independently formed position values via a serial EnDat interface. They are certified according to the EN ISO 13849, EN 61508 and EN 954-1 standard for performance level d, safety integrity level 2 and category 3, respectively. The EnDat 2.2 version of these new absolute rotary encoders with serial data transfer offers a singleturn resolution of 23 bits, and a multiturn resolution of 12 bits. The supply voltage range is from 3.6 V to 14 V. ...More >>HSR Review Period Expires For The Stanley Works and Black & Decker Merger New Britain, CT & Towson, MD - The Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) and The Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) announced that the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust review period for the combination of their businesses has expired. Stanley and Black & Decker previously announced on November 2, 2009 that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine their businesses in an all-stock transaction. The expiration of the HSR review period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is also subject to other customary closing conditions, including foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Stanley and Black & Decker stockholders. Subject to the satisfaction of these other conditions, closing of the transaction is currently expected to occur toward the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of 2010. ...More >>4 Interfaces, Function Generator, Data Recorder, Display, Macro Functionality… Karlsruhe, Germany - The German expert for precision positioning, Physik Instrumente (PI), offers a new digital multifunctional interface for the proven modular E-500 piezo controller system: the E-517. Compared to its successful predecessor E-516, the E-517 is equipped with two additional fast digital interfaces: USB and TCP/IP. More than an interface only, the E-517 provides enhanced functionality for system operation in precision positioning technology. This is, for example, a function generator with freely programmable trigger I/Os, and a flexibly programmable data recorder for control and position signals. The E-500 controller system for piezo positioning systems consists of modules which can easily be combined. Depending on the number of motion axes, on the power and dynamic requirements and on the actuator, the system supports different amplifiers or sensor types. The control input is done with analog signals or via the optional E-517 digital interface module. ...More >> Rexroth Opens Hydraulics Regional Service Center in Dallas Hoffman Estates, IL - Bosch Rexroth announces the opening of the new Dallas Regional Service Center. The Center will provide a state-of-the-art repair, upgrade and maintenance resource for Rexroth industrial and mobile hydraulics components in the region. An open house was held for the service center on December 3, 2009. Berend Bracht, president and CEO of Bosch Rexroth in the Americas, was present at the open house to deliver a presentation to the attendants of the ceremony. "Looking into the future, I am proud to say that this facility is only a starting point when it comes to Rexroth and service," Bracht said. "Rexroth is committed to servicing our customer-owned components and applications, that's why we are so excited to celebrate this milestone in Rexroth's history in the United States." The Dallas Service Center is another step in a planned nationwide network of regional hydraulics service facilities that represent a strategic commitment by Bosch Rexroth to strengthen its successful service business. ...More >>« More News |
