The Bearing Show is North Americas newest exhibition and conference, connecting the evolving needs of bearings end-users with the latest technologies serving, OEM development, maintenance professionals and R&D engineers. Meet visitors from OEM’s, machine manufacturers, industrial plants, global distributors, and more. Matching the needs of end-users with the innovation and opportunities occurring throughout the supply-chain is essential. PTE recently interviewed Thomas Harris, event director, Lubricant Expo and The Bearing Show North Americas, to discuss the evolution of the event and what to expect from the show in late March.

B&D Industrial has announced the recent acquisition of American Gear & Engineering, Inc. (American Gear), a premier gear manufacturing organization located in Westland, MI. This strategic move marks a significant step in B&D Industrial's commitment to vertical integration, enabling the company to provide an expanded range of offerings and greater value to its customers. 

Igus announces its new iglide i230 3D printing material for selective laser sintering (SLS). This new powder material can withstand temperatures up to 110°C, expanding the use cases for SLS-printed polymer components.

During his inaugural tour, Canadian Ambassador to Austria Troy Lulashnyk recently visited the B&R headquarters in Eggelsberg. With B&R CEO Joerg Theis he discussed the future of automation technology in Canada and learned about the company's latest innovations and vision for growth in the North American market.

IIjin Electric's collaboration with Siemens began with the company's efforts to effectively integrate electrical design with mechanical design. “This collaboration went beyond simply changing tools. It represented a major advancement in the company's design approach and methodology.

Complementing the OES (Optimal Engineering Systems Inc.) growing line of single and multi-axis positioning stages is the Allegra Series of Stored Program Motion Control Systems Controllers. The Allegra Series of Controllers is available as a desktop (pictured) or 19-inch rack mount system.

ABB and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, have identified significant energy-saving potential through a strategic research partnership focused on the cooling and ventilation system at one of the world’s leading laboratories for particle physics institutes, located in Geneva, Switzerland. The study included energy efficiency audits which have helped to identify a savings potential of 17.4 percent across a fleet of 800 motors.

Artists Bruce Rosenbaum and Ben Cowden earned film credits recently for prop design on the PBS documentary The Lie Detector: A Truly Unbelievable Story. This ambitious historical account of real-life inventors, marketers, law enforcement professionals, and snake oil salesmen traces the interconnected lives of John Larson, William Marston and Leonarde Keeler. 

Steel, iron, and aluminum are the dominant materials in the mechanical power transmission industry for good reason: high power density requires the high strength and stiffness of metallic materials. Plastics, however, offer valuable features that should be utilized for good gearbox design.

When motion system designers need complex, high-speed, multiaxis motion, they might first think of elaborate, prepackaged robot arms. Or, if they need only a few axes, they might configure a separate profile or round rail for each axis. But hiding between those options is simple and proven ball spline technology. This multiaxis motion solution has existed for years and is still highly relevant to today’s complex motion schemes. Ball splines use a unique architecture integrating rotary and linear motion on a single shaft. This gives them more flexibility to implement complex motion schemes in tighter spaces, providing a two-for-one deal in motion control.