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January 28, 2025 | Volume 21 Issue 04 |
Manufacturing Center
Product Spotlight
Modern Applications News
Metalworking Ideas For
Today's Job Shops
Tooling and Production
Strategies for large
metalworking plants
Automation-Direct CLICK PLUS PLCs, when combined with stepper motors, make advanced motion control and edge integration simple for smaller systems. Learn motion control basics, motor options, motion with micro-PLCs and steppers, and more in this informative whitepaper from AutomationDirect. No registration required.
Get the AutomationDirect whitepaper.
RealMan's ultra-lightweight robotic arms offer unmatched agility, strength, and precision at a surprising price. Designed with cutting-edge materials and advanced motion control, these arms enable lifelike movements, making them ideal for manufacturing, service industries, and even domestic assistance. Among these, GEN72 is a consumer-grade robotic arm with a load capacity of 2 kg priced at just over $1,000. It is suitable for large-scale applications such as personal research and development, and commercial service scenarios. Lots of other options.
Discover what RealMan Robotics has to offer.
igus has launched its latest high-performance 4-axis delta robot, the DR1000. Designed specifically for fast and precise pick-and-place tasks, this new unit sets a benchmark for cost-effective and efficient automation solutions. The DR1000 boasts an impressive working diameter of 1,000 mm and an additional rotary axis that provides four degrees of freedom, enabling users to grip and orient components seamlessly. An ideal choice for end-of-line applications. Fast at 96 picks/min.
Learn more.
Engineers from Performance Motion Devices take a comprehensive look at how to control two-phase stepper motors, beginning with the basics (operations, strengths, and weaknesses) and moving on to traditional and updated advanced techniques for control including closed loop. A very thorough presentation.
Read this Performance Motion Devices article.
Nanotec has added the ASA86 to its family of high-performance stepper motors designed to meet the demands of advanced automation applications. All ASA series motors are UL/CSA-certified and offer IP65-rated protection for reliable operation in harsh environments. For precise positioning, they feature a built-in encoder in incremental or multiturn versions. With a holding torque of up to 933 Ncm, the ASA86 is optimized for dynamic, high-load applications. Comes in two lengths and can be combined with various gearboxes.
Learn more.
Electromate has just announced the availability of advanced UAV and drone subsystems through its partnership with maxon, a renowned Swiss manufacturer of precision drive systems. These durable parts are engineered to meet the specific demands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). maxon's UAV propulsion systems consist of brushless DC motors, electronic speed controllers, and propellers built for the utmost safety and efficiency.
Learn more.
Macron Dynamics' belt-driven X/Z T-Bot systems (TBG line) are perfect for pick-and-place processes. The simple design, where a single belt drives both axes, means there is no need for costly cable carriers. This type of motion can be used for anything pick-and-place oriented, and the extruded construction means it can scale to virtually any application. The architecture of the line allows for smaller travel heights for the Z axis, providing a more compact structure that is easier to integrate into existing designs. Models available to handle max loads from 10 to 100 lb.
Learn more.
Thomson Industries has released what it is calling "the first-ever true collaborative extension of cobots." Adding a horizontal operating range up to 10 m, the MovoTrak CTU (cobot transfer unit) 7th axis sets itself apart with collision detection that stops the cobot when it encounters an obstacle, facilitating collaboration and increasing productivity. An industrial robot transfer unit (RTU) has also launched, which can be easily integrated with a user's preferred motor and drive. Compatible with even the largest cobots, such as the UR20 and UR30.
Learn more.
The GL-N is a versatile actuator from THK that boasts a durable design and high movement load capacity thanks to dual linear guide rails. It is ideal for automation and packaging applications, delivering high precision, durability, and efficiency. GL-N-B features a lightweight, high-rigidity aluminum base with Caged Ball LM guides. GL-N-BS adds a QZ Lubricator for the ball screw for long-term, maintenance-free operation.
Learn more.
The next evolution of the award-winning Aircore EC motor from Infinitum is a high-efficiency system designed to power commercial and industrial applications such as HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and reduced waste. It features an integrated variable frequency drive and delivers upward of 93% system efficiency, as well as class-leading power and torque density in a low-footprint package that is 20% lighter than the previous version. Four sizes available.
Learn more.
If you are having a problem with your linear guides not always staying perfectly straight during use, it may be due to a phenomenon called waving -- a problem that is particularly critical in high-precision markets such as semiconductor and LCD equipment-related applications or machine tools. Thankfully, THK has an answer.
Read the full article.
Sanding is now more versatile and precise. Save time and enhance efficiency while maintaining consistent quality. With easy integration, remote monitoring, and dust-free operation, OnRobot Sander is a valuable addition to any workflow. This tool offers precise control over sanding parameters and is suitable for various materials, making it a must-have for professionals in the finishing industry.
Learn how to build your sanding application.
Learn more about OnRobot Sander.
Different automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can require different types of wheel drives. GAM has all your needs covered from standard GML inline planetary gearboxes to integrated strain wave (harmonic) robotic gearboxes to modified and fully custom solutions. Check out all the offerings.
Learn more.
Universal Robots' new UR AI Accelerator is a ready-to-use hardware and software toolkit created to further enable the development of AI-powered cobot applications. Designed for commercial and research applications, the UR AI Accelerator provides developers with an extensible platform to build applications, accelerate research, and reduce time to market of AI products -- ready to use straight out of the box.
Learn more.
PI offers an ultra-low-profile Z-Tip-Tilt stage designed for demanding alignment applications in optics, semicon-ductors, precision assembly, and photonics. Based on air bearings and linear motors, the stage is wear-free, maintenance-free, and cleanroom compatible. High speed is ensured by 3-phase linear motors, while high resolution and precision are provided by closed-loop operation with linear encoders with 1-nm resolution. Comes in 5- and 6-axis combinations.
Learn more.
Sikorsky's optionally piloted Black Hawk helicopter will help the U.S. Marine Corps test flight autonomy for resupply in contested battlespace. This photo shows the uncrewed aircraft at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in 2022. [Credit: Photo courtesy of Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company]
Lockheed Martin company Sikorsky has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to demonstrate the maturity and capability of its MATRIX flight autonomy system, which can be installed by retrofitting aircraft with a fly-by-wire flight control system.
Operationally relevant demonstration flights during 2025 using Sikorsky's Optionally Piloted UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter will aim to inform the service's Aerial Logistics Connector program how autonomous aircraft can resupply and sustain Marines in contested battlespace.
"Aircraft with MATRIX autonomy can safely and reliably perform a variety of complex missions, including internal and external cargo transport with no one on board," said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky. "With the Marine Corps, we will explore how an autonomy-based fleet of uncrewed aerial systems, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft can sustain the expeditionary force with precision resupply during distributed, high-tempo operations."
The Marine Corps demonstrations are scheduled to show how autonomous aircraft can keep future Marine forces supplied, whether operating from Navy ships or expeditionary bases ashore. Marines also will interface with Sikorsky's autonomous aircraft via a tablet to make mission changes before or after takeoff.
Sikorsky Innovations, the rapid development and prototyping group, has already demonstrated mission-relevant capabilities of the MATRIX system in both military and commercial operational environments aboard multiple rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
The uncrewed aircraft handles an external load at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in 2022. [Credit: Photo courtesy of Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company]
Initially intended to improve safety of flight for crewed helicopters, the system matured with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ALIAS program. Advanced features include assisted flight handling for two-pilot operations, virtual co-pilot for a single pilot, or fully autonomous flight with no pilots.
In July 2024 at Stafford Airport, VA, and again in October 2024 at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exposition in Washington D.C., Sikorsky and DARPA demonstrated autonomous flights of the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter to Department of Defense (DoD) officials.
VIDEO: Sikorsky and DARPA Autonomous Black Hawk flies logistics and rescue missions without pilots on board (2023). [Credit: Lockheed Martin]
At the October demonstration, DoD leaders on the AUSA tradeshow floor learned how to send high-level mission goals to the helicopter. Three hundred miles away at Sikorsky headquarters in Connecticut, the aircraft autonomously took off, hovered, flew a short circuit of the flight field, and landed successfully.
These recent demonstrations build on autonomous logistics flights at Project Convergence 2022, when Sikorsky and DARPA successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Army how the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter, operating without humans on board, can safely and reliably perform internal and external cargo resupply missions.
Source: Lockheed Martin
Published January 2025