Since OpenAI’s public introduction of ChatbotGPT, the Internet has been abuzz with talk about artificial intelligence and the implications of machines that can think and write and carry on conversations at least as well as some humans.

With its flexible multiproduct line for rotary encoders, Sensata has developed a sustainable solution. The heart of the precise sensor assembly system: The Smart Function Kit for pressing processes. The complete mechatronic package with preinstalled software reduces the programming to a minimum. Engineering, commissioning, and quality assurance become quicker, easier, and more cost-effective.

More than a billion people around the world unite to ring in the New Year, their eyes set upon the glittering New Year’s Ball in Manhattan. Thousands are gathered at Times Square — the famed “Bow Tie” of Midtown — braving the December cold and peering through glasses with numerically shaped frames. Millions more tune in from their various screens at home.
With so much riding on its descent, the Ball, along with the mechanical and electrical systems responsible for its operation, must operate like clockwork.

Hannover Messe 2023 provides the latest technologies in robotics, automation, motion control, IIoT, fluid power, e-mobility, material handling and more. 

Precision flexible shaft couplings come in two basic forms, both of which are designed to operate without backlash or excessive inertia while compensating for inevitable misalignment offsets between motor/gearbox and load. Torsionally stiff couplings are made with metallic flexible elements and with the intent to eliminate as much twisting deflection as possible so that the rotation of both shafts is kept as well synchronized as can be. 

NYCU (National Yang Ming Chia Tung University) Vulpes Racing—founded in 2008—is a Formula Student Team that combines mechanical engineering, industrial design, public relations, video production and marketing expertise. 

Unlike HVAC applications, servomotors are not normally operated at the same speed or torque for extended periods, thus the overall efficiency of a servomotor is not easily given a single numeric value. The efficiency varies greatly with the application, and thus different applications favor different types of servomotors.

Welcome back to Part 2 of our inner ring and creep discussion. We left off with our creep calculation resulting in a 10.5 µm minimum inner ring fit to avoid creep. For the sake of making clean dimensions, let’s call it 10 µm on the lower end and the upper end is simply whatever your manufacturer can hold.

The earliest example of a gear train dates to at least 2,000 B.C. when Chinese engineers built a chariot that used a complex planetary mechanism made of wooden gears to let a dragon head continuously point south when driven around (Ref. 1). In Greece, a surprisingly advanced Antikythera gearbox mechanism, incorporating at least 37 precisely crafted bronze gears, was built years later, between 205–60 B.C. (Ref. 2).

Small component, significant impact: The Smart Flex Effector, a new, sensor-based compensation module from Bosch Rexroth, gives robots and Cartesian linear systems human-like sensitivity and thus offers new opportunities for factory automation. Processes that are difficult to manage can now be automated, optimized and monitored through simple retrofitting. Thanks to a kinematics system that works independently in six degrees of freedom, the tactile device with sensitive touch precisely records the position of the work piece and passes the information to the robot control unit for active compensation purposes.

The capabilities of servos are advancing at an accelerating pace, driving the rapid growth of next-level motion control systems. These devices can enable innovative industrial automation applications and processes thanks to cutting-edge hardware, software and, most importantly, communications technologies that support data-intensive operations.

Ruland recently expanded their range of quick clamping shaft collars with clamping lever to include bore sizes up to 3 inches or 80 mm. These shaft collars allow the user to install, remove, or reposition the collar without the use of tools. The user simply turns the lever to loosen and tighten the collar on the shaft. 

Regal Rexnord Corporation introduces its new Rexnord Curve System with 1540 Series MatTop Chain for conveyor lines requiring a zero tangent 180 and/ or 90-degree curve. The system offers the tightest inner radius (420 mm) and smallest transfer (15 mm) in the industry, for greatly improved space utilization and package handling. 

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed its own “Green Index” to ascertain the greenhouse gas balance of materials.

ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division has further underlined its commitment to advancing ‘Next Generation Mobility’ by investing in cutting-edge 5G digital connectivity. Equipping its commercial vehicle test track at Jeversen, Germany, with its own powerful campus network enables enhanced testing of ‘Big Data’ backed solutions which are increasingly facilitating the next levels of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Transportation as a Service (TaaS). 

Forest City Gear recently completed and passed its annual AS9100/ISO 9001:2015 quality system audit. The third-party audit company, Quality Systems Registrar (QSR), evaluated Forest City Gear’s quality management systems to ensure compliance with AS and ISO standards. 

The Timken Company has acquired the assets of American Roller Bearing Company (ARB), a North Carolina-based manufacturer of industrial bearings. ARB's offerings join Timken's industry-leading portfolio of engineered bearing solutions. ARB, which boasts a large U.S. installed base and strong aftermarket business, generated sales of more than $30 million in 2022.

Bonfiglioli has agreed to acquire Selcom Group from funds controlled by Avenue Capital Group and Europa Investimenti. Selcom Group specializes in the design, production and sale of electronic boards, electronic products, as well as software and solutions for customers in the industrial, biomedical, automotive, intra-logistics and home-appliance automation sectors. 

Southern Gear, a veteran-owned small business specializing in the manufacture of precision gears, is pleased to announce its certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) business by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).

Nidec Leroy-Somer has signed an agreement with Airbus to develop an electric motor for its hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine prototype, as part of Airbus’ ambition to bring the first zero-emission commercial aircraft to market by 2035. The long-standing expertise and extensive know-how of the French electric motor manufacturer, who already provides proven advanced technologies to many demanding industries, such as Navy, Nuclear, Railway, Automotive and Robotics is now collaborating on Aviation decarbonization. 

It’s called the d2, a small, lightweight, nanoliter microplate dispenser—say that five times fast— used in lab automation to handle a variety of liquids. Created by UK Robotics, the liquid handler was launched in 2022 to shakeup the possibilities of moving liquids around the lab on a budget.