Latest News from around the industry.

When the need arises for linear motion or positioning, there are many choices. One can use an Acme screw, ball screw, rack & pinion, or belts. The cost of a linear motor solution is generally greater than a mechanical linear product, but when one needs highly accurate, repeatable, high-speed motion, then the answer may be a linear motor.

It's no secret that conveyor systems are the primary market for gearmotors, and so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that gearmotor manufacturers are looking for ways to cater to that market's needs. From Brother's new VFDs to Siemens' Simotics S-1FG1, a lot of the new solutions in the industry have their own unique quirks, but all fall into a few common veins.

Pack Expo takes place November 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago. With 2,100 exhibitors, it’s the world’s largest most comprehensive processing and packaging trade show in 2016.

Kate, a sophomore studying engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, has a genuine interest in manufacturing, so it was natural that she attend IMTS. But the other three? My kids? Well, let’s just say that their interests lie elsewhere. Matt, also a sophomore, is studying business at UW-Platteville. Emily, a sophomore in high school, wants to join the Peace Corps. Renee, an eighth grader, wants to be a surgeon.

Here’s what we know about Tremont, Illinois: It’s a small village in Tazewell County, (population 2,400+), holds an annual summer turkey festival (quite popular) and the courthouse is a famous historic site where politician James Shields challenged an “up-and-coming” lawyer named Abraham Lincoln to a duel with cavalry broad swords (they showed up, but the duel never materialized). In 2016, you can add FIRST Robotics Competition World Champion to the village’s rather eccentric list of accomplishments.