What’s been big news this year in motion control? Here’s our Top Five: Energy efficiency Economic upturn Safety focus Skills gap Cloud potential Did we miss your favorite? Add it in the comments!
Hot Topics in Motion Control for 2012
Rexroth Joins an Adventure
Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ polar expedition, The Coldest Journey, will be the first attempt to cross the Antarctic during winter. Previous attempts have made it no further than 60 miles, but this expedition plans to cover 2,000 miles over a period of six months, mostly in the dark and at temperatures nearing 200 degrees below zero…. Read more »
Motion Study
http://youtu.be/k9vIhPszb2I Here we learn how engineers used to amuse themselves at dinner parties… and why it’s better to automate.
The Skills Gap
We specialize in Indramat servo motors, drives, and controls. Usually, new clients find us when they open a cabinet and find a component that says “Indramat” on it. It’s often older than the engineer on the floor, and since it has never broken down before, nobody knows how to troubleshoot it. If you ever find… Read more »
Color of the Year, and Why We Don’t Care
International color authority Pantone has announced the Color of the Year for 2013. It’s Monaco Blue, the shade you see here. While many of us already have overalls in this trendy shade, we mostly don’t care. Oh, we might care on a personal, non-work level. I mean, I don’t know anyone who does, but I’m… Read more »
Good News for Motion Control
The Motion Control Association says shipments of motion control products are up over last year. It’s about a 2.3% increase, the same as the U.S. GDP. Some categories of products are higher — feedback and sensor devices, for example, are up by more than 22%. It’s good news, and we can all use some good… Read more »
Flying Robots
http://youtu.be/TI760jcFV2s Motion control films are an under-appreciated genre, as we’ve pointed out before. Here, the edgy choice to shift POV during the film balances the whimsical decision of the robot to pause briefly for a still shot before placing the brick. While an attempt to add a bit of emotion at the end is not… Read more »
Thankfulness, part 2
Having expressed thankfulness for electricity in its harnessed form, we should now also express thanks for engineering. It’s one thing to have power and another to be able to do anything with it. Energy and power is all around us. Getting it from the wind, water, sun, and stored carbon is only the first half… Read more »
Thankfulness, part 1
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, you’ve probably been thinking about the things for which you’re thankful. After all, someone might ask you at the groaning board on Thursday. You’ve probably already felt grateful for your family, your friends, your health, and your job. But have you expressed your gratitude for electricity? If you had to… Read more »
Getting the Most from a Trade Show
It’s trade show season. Most companies get that sending team members to trade shows is at least in part a perk, a matter of R&R as well as R&D. At today’s prices, though, you ought to be able to demonstrate some ROI as well. How can you make sure that you get the most out… Read more »