Motion Controls

Prototypes and Production Prototypes and Production

There is a perception that Motion Control technology can be somewhat pricey.   This is a constant challenge to engineers seeking to develop new applications.  The problem is that prototyping a new application may have little or no resemblance to the hardware required in production.  The gap between prototyping and production is quite significant,... [Read more]

Mechatronics and Economic Recovery Mechatronics and Economic Recovery

Mechatronics is a major driver in economic recovery.  That may sound like an extreme claim, but it is something I experience with some regularity.  Every time someone comes up with a better solution for a process or new way to make a piece of machinery, there is economic recovery. Mechatronics doesn’t get the attention of the President of the... [Read more]

American Entrepreneurship 101 American Entrepreneurship 101

In my travels, I continue to find people hard at work doing something that has never been done before.  With the hope of making a profit while doing it.  Just such a situation came up recently when I met with the owner and founder of Transcon Steel. Among the mainstays of an industrial economy is construction, housing and commercial in particular.... [Read more]

Doing More In the US Doing More In the US

The old business school motto, doing more with less, can have some interesting applications.    American manufacturing is going through a renaissance of sorts.  Across many industries there are substantial efforts to bring more manufacturing back to the US. A lot of it is precisely ‘doing more with less’.  How do we make the same quality... [Read more]

Servo or Drive? Servo or Drive?

When does a rotating load require a drive or a servo?  I run into this issue on a weekly basis.  Everyone has their own answer.   As much as this may be a matter of opinion for most people, there are some guidelines that can help make this question more straightforward. Some people define servo’s as closed loop versus drives which are open... [Read more]

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