This Intellidrives waterproof and dust-resistant linear slide motion axis is engineered for reliability in harsh environments. With IP43 ratings, it withstands water and dust ingress, ensuring seamless operation in wet or dusty conditions. Ideal for outdoor use, marine applications, or industrial settings prone to moisture and debris. These axes offer precise and smooth linear motion control, enhancing automation systems' performance. 

Gear drives are fundamental in most processing operations, connecting the prime mover to the driven equipment and ensuring that the system has enough torque to effectively move product. Correctly specifying and selecting the proper gear drives for critical applications leads to reliability, greater uptime, and profitability.

igus has announced the winners of its 2024 vector awards, a biennial competition that honors bold, exciting projects that incorporate igus e-chain cable carriers made of high-performance plastics. A U.S. company, TDK RF Solutions, took the silver vector award for its automotive test rig.

Automate, North America’s biggest robotics and automation trade show, will open its doors on May 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Stäubli Robotics will present exhibits, live demonstrations, and experiences at Booth 2250, featuring flexible robots adapted to improve safety as well as productivity in a variety of manufacturing environments, from heavy industry to highly aseptic, and meet user needs across sectors.

Registration has officially opened for Pack Expo International, scheduled for Nov. 3–6 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event is the largest and most comprehensive packaging and processing show worldwide for 2024. According to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the industry's growth underscores the need for manufacturers to access innovative solutions tailored to their diverse needs. From sustainability initiatives to automation advancements and AI integration, businesses now more than ever seek a central hub to discover solutions, stay abreast of the latest topics and trends, and build impactful connections.

It’s common to hear the metaverse described as a 3D experience layer of the internet. The “industrial metaverse” is a more difficult concept to define. According to Forrester, it’s an umbrella term for a collection of different technologies. Some of those technologies have existed for years just waiting to come together.

Following a previous blog on the topic, Understanding the Industrial Metaverse, in this blog Stephen Graham, executive vice president and general manager, Nexus, takes an introductory look at the four building blocks, highlighting some of the key issues.

As engineers, we all know how to quickly create a sketch of a gearbox or transmission using a few lines. Using maybe black for shafts, green for bearings, blue for gears and red to indicate the power flow. We do this to remember a great idea, communicate with customers or to pass time waiting at an airport. 

KISSsoft emulates this approach in a much more orderly fashion. Using only the mouse, complex schematics can be drawn and edited, thereby converting the structure of a gearbox into a logical and 3D model. The schematic in the Sketcher also serves as a navigation and visualization tool and is complemented by an overview of some of the key data (e.g. module and number of teeth) of the components making up the gearbox.

A wide range of medical devices, digital imaging or scanning applications, and laboratory automation rely on linear motion. For laboratory automation, the need for increased productivity, higher accuracy, and better reproducibility of experimental results are driving the increased use of linear motion. Sophisticated medical devices and digital imaging or scanning applications are increasingly relying on linear motion control systems which have become crucial for the successful development, progress, and deployment of these vital medical tools. Here are some examples from PBC Linear:

Gear backlash in precision applications is a critical element of gear system performance. Too much backlash can result in inefficiencies of motion in the gear train and will ultimately damage a gear’s teeth. Too little can mean the gears bind up and cause excessive wear to the tooth’s surface and the root of the gear, or even the fracturing of a tooth. Establishing and setting the appropriate amount of backlash is essential in gear design and manufacturing, according to Berg, a Regal Rexnord Brand.

Siemens Mobility has been chosen by Metrolinx, the regional public transit operator for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, to handle their track, signal, and right-of-way maintenance for the Central Region of Toronto's passenger railway infrastructure system. This partnership builds upon Siemens Mobility's existing maintenance services in the West Region and signal and communications services at the Metrolinx Network Operations Center.