October 18, 2012

A Penton Media Publication

Tune in to EngineeringTV.com

Special issue
on MOTION
CONTROL

A OFF TILT: WHERE

Robot
INDUSTRIAL MEMS
GYROSCOPES EXCEL,
page 34

SIMULATION HELPS
CALCULATE TRAJECTORIES,

Revolution
page 20
page 40

PROTOTYPING WITH
SPRINGS, page 44

CLOUDBASED HELP
FOR MOTION SYSTEM
DESIGNERS,
page 50
 [ MOTOR TRUTH #7 ]

Can I save
energy by using
a VFD (inverter)?
YES

NO

MAYBE

The truth is that it depends on your

application. If you have a high-cycling
application, a VFD can reduce the
starting current on each cycle.

If you have a hoisting application, a

VFD can provide energy regeneration.

If you have an oversized motor on a

small load, a VFD with ux control can
maximize the motor efciency.

Otherwise, a VFD is a load and

actually consumes energy - especially
if you use a high carrier frequency.

Visit sewmotortruth.com/truth7 to
get the whole story on VFDs and
energy-efcient drivetrains.

sewmotortruth.com/truth7
864-439-7537
RS# 101
 www.theleeco.com

Go ahead, push us to your limits.

We love a good challenge.
If you need a fluid handling component for whatever reason, no matter
how extreme, talk to The Lee Company. Weve been solving complex
fluid control problems in all kinds of industries for more than 60 years.
Our extensive family of precision fluid control products offers unsurpassed
reliability in just about every configuration you could imagine, including:
RS# 102
Were not just talking about off-the-shelf solutions, either. A Lee
engineer will be happy to discuss your application, and develop
a custom design if needed. From managing nanoliter droplets to
creating fully integrated fluidic systems, were unsurpassed in breadth
and experience to deliver the precise, reliable performance you require.

Miniature Solenoid Valves Whatever problem you face, make the solution easy.
Contact The Lee Company today.
Fixed and Variable Volume Pumps
Atomizing and Dispense Nozzles Innovation in Miniature
Micro Dispensing Valves
Integrated Fluidic Manifolds
Custom Engineered Designs The Lee Company 2 Pettipaug Road | Westbrook, CT 06498-0424
Tel: 860-399-6281 | 800-533-7584 | www.theleeco.com
See us at MD&M Minneapolis, Booth #636
Westbrook London Par is Fr ankfur t Milan Stockholm
 VOLUME 84
ISSUE 16
OCTOBER 18, 2012

CAE CAE

Building a
BETTER
SPACECRAFT CAE software tests
hypersonic-reentry-
vehicle designs

FEATURES The European Space Agency

launch of Thales Alenia Spaces
Intermediate eXperimental
Vehicle aboard the Vega
small launch vehicle is
planned for 2013.

mensions and material attributes
of the shell and thermal-protection
system. Other variables include the
Authored by:
trajectory (comprising the vehicles
Kyle Indermuehle speed, altitude, and angle of attack),
Aerospace Lead
As CAE software becomes increasingly sophisticated, the thermal conditions for the ve-
Simulia
ferent codes, and aide in the under-
standing of results from all of the
tasks. The software helped us cre-
ate flexible simulation workflows
and automate the exploration of so-
lutions for the large design matrix,
The MDO workflow
for the reentry vehicle
in Isight comprised
several analysis tasks
such as grid generation
and trajectory
computations. It used

20 AA relatively
robot for the rest of us Providence, R. I
engineers can now refine designs to their nearly final hicles windward, leeward, and nose says Chiarelli. a variety of commercial
form. This lets engineers test physical prototypes later zones, and the thermal loads the ve- To conduct a feasibility study of and proprietary codes
Edited by Leslie Gordon in the product-development cycle. The use of CAE soft- hicle encounters. The final design their new MDO approach, engi- and input and output
leslie.gordon@penton.com ware is critical in the space industry, where its difficult accounts for all variables, with a fo- neers chose a theoretical hypersonic file types. Engineers
Key points: to create test settings that simulate real-world condi- cus on the 150 sec that make up the reentry vehicle and applied simpli- used the software to
Process-automation software can link design and simulation tions. Vacuum chambers and wind tunnels help, but they most-critical portion of reentry. fied assumptions. Further stream- tie together separate

low-cost factory-floor robot

models to automate the execution of hundreds or even
thousands of simulations.
The software can help designers improve designs by
improving them in terms of performance or cost variables
through statistical methods.
cannot account for all conditions at the same time. Thats
why spacecraft producer Thales Alenia Space Italia
(TAS-I) in Italy used CAE software in the design, testing,
and building of its hypersonic reentry vehicles for the
European Space Agency.
To improve designs, engineers
conducted separate simulations for
each of the physics disciplines. They
used a collection of software pack-
ages and divided the analysis into
lining the process, they decided to simulations and
optimize globally for all variables automate the analysis.
combined, rather than locally for
each individual variable. To mini-
mize costs, engineers applied the

thatcan be trained or programmed by Resources:

Simulia, www.simulia.com
For more on simulation software, scan this
code or go to: http://machinedesign.com/
Head of aeromechanics and propulsion at TAS-I,
Cosimo Chiarelli helped design and test the vehicles. He
explains that the physics of atmospheric reentry are com-
plex, so vehicle analysis required a multidisciplinary opti-
seven major computational tasks
and 40 subtasks, many with their
own input and output file types. En-
gineers used Isight process automa-
process-automation softwares adap-
tive simulated annealing algorithm,
a statistical technique that searches
the envelope of design solutions.
mization (MDO) approach to account for all the variables. tion software from Simulia, Provi- Isight performed 200 iteration cy-

afactory-floor worker.
article/software-automates-the-execution-
of-thousands-of-simulations-0609 Variables include aspects of the spacecraft structure dence, R.I., to organize the tasks, cles in only a day, assembling several
such as geometry (length and shape), as well as the di- manage the execution of TAS-Is dif- designs that satisfied requirements.
40 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012 OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 41


34 Taking aim with MEMS gyros
Superaccurate MEMS gyroscopes
40
simplifythe motion-sensing tasks
ofindustrial robotics.

40 Building a better spacecraft

CAE software tests hypersonic-
MECHANICAL

Here are some tips when using

reentry-vehicle designs. Working springs for prototyping and design.

with
STOCK SPRINGS
Mechanical equipment and related hardware routinely proven components. Springs operating within their design

44 Here are some tips when using springs

Working with stock springs
include springs in their designs. And in a perfect world,
knowing the load and travel, an engineer can adjust the
mating parts so that the design can use a stock spring.
However, that is usually not the case, and springs are fre-
quently an afterthought.
Often this is because springs are well-engineered and
parameters will last a long time. And they come in thou-
sands of different sizes and versions. Most common are
compression and extension springs, made from various
materials, with or without a finish.
Stock springs are often used for applications requiring
less than 500 springs per year. Generally, however, it is not


only better but more cost effective to
contact spring manufacturers with
specific requirements. From there,
the manufacturer may recommend

forprototyping and design.

a new design and make a customized
spring for little or no cost premium.
One cannot emphasize enough
the importance of discussing de-
sign requirements with a spring
manufacturer. Stock springs are
great for prototyping, but their use
in production often compromises
other aspects of a design.
This article is meant to help size
springs for prototyping, prior to seek-

50 Motion design gets Authored by:

Norman Ellis
Ellis & Associates
Laguna Hills, Calif.

help from the cloud

Edited by Kenneth J. Korane
ken.korane@penton.com
Key points:
Stock springs are generally intended for
prototyping, and their use in production
can compromise designs.

Free and simple cloud-based analytic
Stock springs are useful for
prototyping, but altering mating
Experts recommend discussing specific
design requirements with a spring
manufacturer.
Resources:
parts to accommodate a stock

toolshelp designers quickly analyze
spring can compromise other Spring Manufacturers Institute, www.
aspects of the final design. smihq.org. The SMI is a good source
for information on spring design and
capabilities, as well as for locating spring
manufacturers.

motion-system performance in both 44 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

thetimeand frequency domains.

44
Access our Reader Service
Web site to quickly find and
request information on the
products and services found
in the pages of MACHINE DESIGN.
www.machinedesign.com/rsc

2 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012



 Air Pilot Valves



 
Weve got the pneumatic parts you need, and they ship
the same day.* New air pilot valves are a basic component
of many pneumatic systems; our AVS-5 series can be used
individually, or multiple valves can be assembled on
manifolds available in up to 8 stations.
Manual control valves are designed for non-electrical
operator control applications. These basic valves are
available in toggle hand lever, push-pull, and rotary
hand lever styles, as well as foot pedal valves.
See everything at:
www.automationdirect.com/pneumatic-parts
Also Available
Tubing and Hose
- start at: $14.00
Body ported five-port (four-way) spool valves
1/8 to 1/2 NPT port sizes
Single or double pilot operation
Manual Control Valves
- start at: $14.00
Toggle hand lever and push-pull styles with body ported
five-port spool valves, in 1/8 and 1/4 NPT port sizes
4-port rotary valve stye in 1/4 and 1/2 NPT port sizes
Foot pedal valves with guard are 5-port spool valves with
1/4 NPT ports, momentary or latching models
Solenoid Valve Cables & Air Valve Connectors
- start at: $4.75
8, 10 and 18mm (pin spacing) DIN 43650 form cables;
9.4 and 11mm DIN style cables
24, 110 and 230 VAC/DC models available
PVC jacketed cables in 1, 3 or 5 meter lengths
Brass Threaded Fittings
- start at: $4.00 (5-pack)
10 different styles, including Tee and elbow
Male and female connectors in 1/8 to 1/2 NPT sizes
Work with water, oil, air and other gases
Maximum pressure 800 psi

Quick-disconnect Air Couplings

- start at: $5.00
Fittings and Pneumatic
Air Cylinders Plugs and couplers for 1/4 and 3/8 inch hose sizes
Air Couplings Male and female NPT threaded
Compatible with three of the most popular
connection styles

www.automationdirect.com
Pneumatic
Solenoid Valves Go online or call to get complete information,
and Manifolds Air Preparation request your free catalog, or place an order.
1-800-633-0405

RS# 103
 ON THE COVER
Baxter, a robot from
DEPARTMENTS Rethink Robotics.

For customized article reprints and permissions

please contact: Penton Reprints, 1-888-858-8851,
8 EDITORIAL e-mail at reprints@pentonreprints.com or visit
Antidote to innovation Six Sigma pentonreprints.com.
Editorial content is indexed in the Applied Science
10 EDITORIAL STAFF Technology Index, the Engineering Index, SciSearch
and Research Alert. Microfilm copies available from
12 LETTERS National Archive Publishing Company (NAPC), 300
N. Zeeb Rd., P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-0998,
16 SCANNING FOR IDEAS Ph: 734-302-6500 or 800-420-NAPC (6272), extension
6578.
Going big with ultrasmall ball screw Permission to photocopy is granted for users
Rotary motion with speed and precision registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
Inc. to photocopy any article, with the exception of
20 REPORTERS NOTEBOOK those for which separate ownership is indicated on
the first page of the article, provided that the base fee
24 LOOKING BACK of $1.25 per copy of the article, plus $.60 per page is
paid to CCC, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923
(Code No. 0024-9114/12 $1.25 + .60).
31 COMMENTARY
Subscription Policy: MACHINE DESIGN is circulated
So much for the idea of putting a hex on your boss to research, development, and design engineers
Stephen J. Mraz primarily engaged in the design and manufacture
of machinery, electrical/electronic equipment, and
33 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN mechanical equipment. To obtain a complimentary
subscription see our Web page at submag.com/sub/
Making cheap products look expensive mn. For change of address fill out a new qualification
form at submag.com/sub/mn.
63 ORR ON ENGINEERING
Printed in U.S.A., Copyright 2012. Penton Media, Inc.
Whats New? All rights reserved. MACHINE DESIGN (ISSN 0024-9114)
is published semimonthly except for a single issue
64 SOFTWARE PRODUCTS in January, February, June, July, and December by
Penton Media, Inc., 9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park,
66 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT KS 66212.
Hydraulic & pneumatic cylinders Paid subscriptions include issues 1-18. Issue No. 19
(OEM Handbook and Supplier Directory) is available at
68 PRODUCTS additional cost. Rates: U.S.: one year, $139; two years,
$199;. Canada/Mexico: one year, $159; two years, $239;
All other countries: one year, $199; two years, $299. Cost
74 DATA FILES for back issues are U.S. $10.00 per copy plus tax, Canada
$15.00 per issue plus tax, and Intl $20.00 per issue.
76 BUSINESS INDEX Product Locator, $50.00 plus tax. Prepaid subscription:
Penton Media (MACHINE DESIGN), P.O. Box 2100, Skokie
77 AD INDEX IL 60076-7800. Periodicals Postage Paid at Shawnee
Mission, Kans., and at additional mailing offices.
78 CLASSIFIEDS Can GST #R126431964. Canadian Post Publications
Mail Agreement No.40612608. Canada return address:
78 BUSINESS STAFF Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, Ont., N6C 6B2.
Digital subscription rates: U.S.: one year, $69; two
79 BACKTALK years, $99;. Canada/Mexico: one year, $79; two years,
$119; All other countries: one year, $99; two years,
$149.
POSTMASTER: Send change of address notice to
Customer Service, MACHINE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2100, Skokie,
4 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012 IL 60076-7800.
 Secure your operations
with proactive maintenance
Imagine the conditions in the North Sea. They take their
toll on all types of equipment. Bearings are no exception.
At one of the major production platforms, failing motor
bearings used to cause gas compressors to break down
as often as every third month. Each time, that meant
25% lost production for several days.
Jim Marnoch and his team provided SKF ProActive
Reliability Maintenance services. After thorough analysis
of the vibration signatures and the damaged bearings,
they found a long term solution. SKF NoWear bearings
along with a new sealing arrangement made all the
difference, allowing the compressors to run 6 times
longer than before.
At todays high oil prices, for every breakdown that
can be avoided, the platform operator saves tens of
million dollars. On top of that, these improvements
also reduce health, safety and environmental risks.
Its another great example of knowledge engineering
at work. Find out more at www.skf.com/poke

The Power of Knowledge Engineering

Gas Export Compressor SKF ProActive Reliability Jim Marnoch, SKF

Maintenance

NOWEAR is a registered trademark of the SKF Group. RS# 104

 Whats new online machinedesign.com
Free Webcasts:
Designing Effective Safeguarding for Machines
Thursday, October 18, 2:00 p. m. ET
Attend this Webinar to learn how to design effective machine safeguarding.
Experts from Schmersal will discuss types of hazards, various options for
separating guards and devices, different levels of circuit design, and how to
engineer a complete safety system.

Making 3D Printed Parts Real

Thursday, October 25, 2:00 p. m. ET
Rapid prototyping now called additive manufacturing has had a profound
impact on the product design/development process across many industries.
This presentation from GreatBatch Medical and Objet will explore recent
advances and benefits of AM, including:
Materials that range from rigid to flexible, high temperature, and clear.
Time and cost savings using Polyjet technology.
Example applications.
A Q&A on equipment and capabilities.
Learn more and register for these events at http://machinedesign.com/training.

Environmentally safe cryogenic machining

The chief technical officer of MAG IAS explains the benefits of using
cryogenic machining on composites and ultrahard metals, and how
environmentally safe cooling fluids
eliminate waste-disposal problems
manufacturers face with traditional
coolants. View it at www.engineeringtv.
com/video/Cryogenic-Machining-Using-
Envir;International-Manufacturing-Tec.

Actuators and drives App simulation images and striking videos

EDITORS WEB PICKS

Bosch Rexroths GoTo Products apps for
iPhone and iPad provide quick access to
information on more than 3,500 linear
motion, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric
drive, and control products. Content
includes technical data, dimension
and specification tables, and product
visuals, as well as video clips explaining
key features of various motion and
control technologies. The iPhone version
takes advantage of GPS and autodial
features to simplify ordering from the
nearest distributor. Learn more at www.
boschrexroth-us.com/gotoapp.
Simulation Hall of Fame
Do you consider your simulations
prize-worthy? The Ansys Hall of Fame
competition showcases eye-popping
RS# 105
6 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
that illustrate real-world multiphysics
applications using the companys
software. Winners will be selected based
on the project and resulting benefits,
with Apple iPads as the top three prizes.
Deadline is November 23. Learn more and
view previous winners at www.ansys.com.
Elastomers and
thermoplastics for vehicles
Minnesota Rubber and Plastics has a
new brochure on molded components
and assemblies for motor-vehicle
applications. Charts list a wide range of
products, compare the performance
of amorphous and semicrystalline
polymers in relation to cost, and provide
selection criteria for high-temperature
thermoplastics. Get a copy at www.
mnrubber.com.
ITS MOTION
CONTROL VERSUS
MOTHER NATURE
ON CENTRE COURT.
2010 Moog. All rights reserved.

RS# 106

WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTION CONTROL, MOOG EXPERTS ARE THERE.

When design engineers sought the best way to control the new retractable roof at Wimbledons famed Centre Court, they turned
to Moog. The result was an innovative all-electric installation that provides 148 axes of control via high performance electric
actuators, servo motors, servo drives, closed-loop controls and software. Now, more than 1,100 metric tons (1,212 tons) of steel
and 5,200 square meters (17,060 square feet) of fabric move swiftly and safely to prevent rain delays.

Moogs combination of motion control expertise and world-class solutions

can make the difference for you toono matter what industry youre in.
For more information call 866-580-7610.

How can we improve your machine design?

View our Wimbledon video at http://info.moog.com/wimbledon/1

WHAT MOVES YOUR WORLD moog.com/industrial


Reliability
in a Clutch
...a clutch, brake or power
transmission part for that
matter. Since 1903 Carlyle
Johnson has solved some of
historys toughest motion
control challenges its what
we love to do. Our precision
electrical, mechanical, air and
hydraulic power transmission
products consistently prove
reliable and dependable in
every application. Underwater,
on the ground and in the air,
CJM is everywhere.
Standard and Custom Clutch, Brake
& Power Transmission Solutions
291 Boston Turnpike Bolton, CT 06043
Phone: 860-643-1531
www.cjmco.com
RS# 107
8 MACHINE DESIGN.com
EDITORIAL
Antidote to innovation
Six Sigma
There has been a lot of soul searching in the U.S. about a perceived lack
of innovation among domestic manufacturers. One sign U.S. manufac-
turers have trouble innovating comes from the management consulting
firm Booze & Co.s annual report on the 1,000 companies that spend
the most on research and development. Last year, only one company
among the top 10 R&D spenders (Microsoft) made the list of the top-10
most innovative companies. In a nutshell, Booze points out that a lot of
companies spend piles of money on R&D that dont result in innovative
products.
In the quest for things to blame for this poor performance, Six Sigma
programs seem to be one of the latest scapegoats. The case for Six Sigma
as a cause of mediocre research is made by Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu,
and Simone Ahuja in a book called Jugaad Innovation, which outlines
ideas for innovating more frugally.
What convinced these three business consultants that Six Sigma kills
the innovative spark was 3Ms experience applying Six Sigma processes
to its R&D labs in the early 2000s. By 2005, 3Ms share of revenues from
new products had dropped from the 30% it had seen for decades to
21%. The reason: 3M engineers became risk averse and played it safe,
the consultants say. The situation turned around when 3M rolled back
the program and reinstituted an old practice of giving employees 15% of
the their paid work time to pursue pet projects without worrying about
whether such efforts could be immediately commercialized.
But Six Sigma is just a symptom of what ails R&D in most compa-
nies, the consultants insist. It is a manifestation of an approach to R&D
structured so that it lacks flexibility and is insular. Companies that run
R&D under rigidly structured schemes like Six Sigma seem to think that
innovations can be scheduled, say the consultants.
Another problem: Western companies often measure innovation the
wrong way, by the number of patents they file. Big mistake, the consul-
tants claim. The patenting process costs a lot, is time consuming, and
often mires the patent holder in lawsuits. Better to not bother with pat-
enting at all. Instead, focus on commercializing developments fast rather
than trying to erect barriers around them.
Maybe so, but having heard these arguments, I am convinced the real
obstacle to innovation in many companies lies elsewhere: In the ranks
of top management. Even when an innovative product gets developed,
bottom-line oriented managers are likely to axe it before consumers can
venture their opinion. Thats because ivory-tower managers often dont
know their own customers, so the only thing that can convince them an
idea is good is a spreadsheet full of data. But there wont be any such data
for something that is a real innovation. (After all, the market for MP3
players was microscopic prior to Apples invention of the iPod.) And by
the time theres enough evidence to justify an innovative project, it may
be too late to commercialize it.
Radjou, Prabhu, and Ahuja seem to agree. They say top managements
overreliance on formal data shows why 90% of all consumer-product
R&D goes into tweaking existing offerings, and why big R&D spenders
leave the door open to competitors with truly innovative ideas.
Leland Teschler, Editor
OCTOBER 18, 2012
 air cylinders
More Sizes More Styles More Accessories
Performance that Engineers havee Learned to Trust.
40

H     
VRI
DY
35 7KH\K R  6 KLSWKH

\  W
5HDG
,WHPV
H  ' D \
6DP
30

HDEOH 
F K D Q J
25
,QWHU
7RWDOO\ H1RZ
8 S J U D G
20

15

10

For the past 50 years, Clippard has been providing

quality cylinders for thousands of applications around
the world. Cylinders that are responsible for millions
of production cycles.s. Cylinders that pr
rovide
provide
mance and payback.
outstanding performance paybackk.

877-245-6247 the finest. On-li

ne c
www.clippard.com/cylinders fast! make onfigurato
Cincinnati, OH s ord r
simp ering
le!

RS# 108
 EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR
Leland E. Teschler
leland.teschler@penton.com
GRAPHALLOY

BEARINGS CAN MANAGING EDITOR

Kenneth J. Korane
ken.korane@penton.com
TAKE THE HEAT.
SENIOR EDITORS
HANDLE HIGH TEMPERATURE AND HARSH Leslie Gordon
OPERATING CONDITIONS WITH EASE leslie.gordon@penton.com
GRAPHALLOY bushings, Stephen J. Mraz
bearings and components: stephen.mraz@penton.com
Survive when others fail
Run hot, cold, wet or dry
Excel at -450F to 1000F ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Corrosion resistant Lindsey Frick
Self-lubricating
Non-galling
GRAPHITE METALLIZING lindsey.frick@penton.com
Low maintenance CORPORATION Robert J. Repas, Jr.
Ovens, dryers, pumps, valves, Yonkers, NY 10703 U.S.A. robert.repas@penton.com
turbines, mixers, conveyors ISO 9001:2008
H06a

TEL. 914.968.8400 WWW.GRAPHALLOY.COM/MD INDUSTRY COVERAGE:

AUTOMOTIVE, PACKAGING,
RS# 109
MEDICAL
Stephen J. Mraz

CAD/CAM, MANUFACTURING
Leslie Gordon

ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS
Robert J. Repas, Jr.

FASTENING & JOINING,

MATERIALS
Lindsey Frick

FLUID POWER
Kenneth J. Korane

MECHANICAL
Lindsey Frick
Kenneth J. Korane
U`iiii
U*iV}-i EDITORIAL PRODUCTION
Denise Greco
U-i*>V>}i
VV>V Editorial Production Manager
U>+}E-i Randall L. Rubenking
Art Director

1300 E. 9th St. Cleveland, OH 44114-1503

RS# 110
10 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

"D,"D
,"

Z"
"

>D/"^
" ^Z&
" 3 
3 
 > 3 D
 ^ 3 Z
3 
 
Dd&K^
h^ "


RS# 111
 LETTERS
An engineer is
an engineer . . .
Having run an engineering and
design business for over 40 years,
I have followed with amusement
t h e C A D J o c k e y d i s c u s s i o n
(The Attack of the CAD Jockey?
Aug. 23). We design and build
commercial products and pro-
duction machinery, and I find
that a persons title or degree
doesnt matter. It is what comes
out at the end of a project thats
impor tant. We let people do
whatever they can and benefit
from their experience.
Harold Parks
A good engineer must be both
a good engineer and a good de-
signer. A good designer is not an
engineer (and is not expected, or
required, to be one).
Dayle D. Winnie
Anybody can learn CAD and cre-
ate geometry. But not all people
can design. Designers have cre-
ativity and some sense of what
will make a product work. Ive
been on all sides of this designer/
engineer debate for many years
and have met many design en-
gineers who could not design
something as simple as a pin. On
the other hand, Ive worked with
designers who understood ba-
sic principles and could engineer
and design products.
In companies, there is a mix of
people. There are those who can
analyze things once they are de-
signed, those who can take some-
thing from concept all the way
through manufacturing, and those
who create geometry from con-
cepts sketched out on napkins.
It is not incorrect to state that
design is simply creating geom-
etry. I realize that in some places,
CAD jockeys are called design-
ers, but nothing could be further
from the truth. It takes someone
with engineering-design knowl-
edge to create designs.
Jaime Robledo
12 MACHINE DESIGN.com
Job-title controversy
Readers are still hashing
out the meaning of
the terms designer
and engineer. And
although they have
no problem defining
ethical behavior,
they also think
ethical behavior is
disappearing.
Over the last 25 years I have gone
from a technical illustrator to an
automation design engineer
without an engineering degree.
However, it is important to note
that at some companies I would
not be considered an engineer
without an engineering degree.
Prior to the meltdown of 2008,
I was a special projects engineer
at a company that was growing
and letting HR control titles. As
a result, HR personnel would not
consider anyone without an en-
gineering degree for any engi-
neering positions and were forc-
ing people with 10 to 15+ years
of experience but no degree out
of engineering positions.
At another company, I was
given the title mechanical de-
signer because I do not have an
engineering degree. Those with
engineering degrees were called
mechanical engineers.
My experience indicates that
the term designer has two ba-
sic definitions. The one used in
the editorial refers to the person
responsible for the look, touch,
and feel of the product. The sec-
ond is the person who does the
same functions of an engineer
without an engineering degree.
The second definition is the one
most of your readers are most
familiar with. Another way to
look at it is that the first defini-
tion refers to industrial design,
while the second refers to me-
OCTOBER 18, 2012
chanical design.
As a side note, I found the def-
initions for designer frustrating
during a job search. A thorough
and specific list of job duties and
responsibilities is much clearer
than just a title with generic
qualifications.
By the way, I have continued
my education by earning Associ-
ates degrees in technical illus-
tration and math, a BA in Family
Studies, an MBA, and a graduate
degree in accounting. It would
be nice if engineering classes
were offered in the evenings like
so many other programs.
John E. Melton
CAD jockeys are computer-age
draftsmen and draf tswomen.
They are not designers unless
they have additional training in,
knowledge of, and aptitude for
one or more of the numerous
fields of design. Even sketching
or drawing free hand requires
talent not necessar y for good
CAD jockeys. Indeed, I am a CAD
jockey and I cant draw a pretty
picture to save my life.
Bob Vanstone
Farewell ethics
Our societ y has gone from a
Christian-based one in the ide-
alistic past to the if it feels good
do it attitude in the 60s, to our
current and cynical get it while
 Sapa Introduces
TM

The Core of Consistency

for Machine Grade Products
Sapa ACC-U-LINE aluminum rod and bar products assure next-level quality ACC-U-LINE 6061
in tolerances, mechanical properties, machinability and surface finish. Rod and Bar Core
Tolerances for size, flatness, straightness and twist are 1/2 or better than
Aluminum Association Standard Tolerances.
Faster, precision machining with a cleaner surface finish, increased scrap
recovery and lower operating cost

Its Whats Inside That Counts!

ACC-U-LINE features consistent, controlled grain structure
Sapas extensive use of indirect extrusion technology makes it possible.

ACC-U-LINE products are produced in rod, plate, and

hex, square and rectangular bar, available exclusively
from Sapa Extrusions North America and its
authorized Premier Distributor Partners.
For machining performance with
accurate, consistent results,
specify ACC-U-LINE. Competitors Core

RS# 112

Scan for more information

One Company, One Call, Unlimited Solutions

800-233-3165 l www.sapagroup.com/NA
NorthAmerica.Sales@sapagroup.com
 LETTERS
you can mood today ( Where
Did Ethics Go? Sept. 6).
There is a tendency to push
morals to the side when it comes
to personal responsibility in so-
ciety. Why are we surprised to
find out it carries over into pro-
fessional careers? Or, if we take
the Darwinistic approach of sur-
vival of the fittest, instead of tak-
ing care of the least among us,
did Madoff actually do anything
wrong other than get caught?
Mike Bartle
Ethics went to the same place
morals and principles went. Our
nation has been in a state of de-
cline for many years now as we
stand idle watching entertain-
ment, and political and other
institutions raise our kids to be
what we see today. This will not
stop until we get off the sidelines
14 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
and get involved. Thanks for your
words of wisdom, I was feeling
like a loner in this new world.
Felix Ronmint
Curing the U. S. blues
More engineers, greater encour-
agement of the entrepreneur-
ial spirit, and most importantly,
fewer MBAs (Made in America?
June 14). This is what we need for
manufacturing to thrive in this
country.
Joe Bonasses
This is one of the best and most
encouraging articles I have seen
in a long time regarding the state
of American manufacturing. We
need more forward thinkers like
the folks mentioned here. Buy
American. Be American.
Bill White
RS# 113
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Please include your name, address, and
daytime phone number. Letters may
be edited for brevity and to focus on
essential points.
Mail: Letters, MACHINE DESIGN,
1300 E. 9th St., Cleveland, OH 44114-
1503, Fax: 216-621-8469
E-mail, Editorial:
mdeditor@penton.com
Conversion error
If the Super Draco can develop
150,000 lbf of thrust, then the
metric equivalent should be
670,000 N (Spacetruckin with
SpaceX, Sept. 6).
Dennis McKee
Good catch. The correct figures
for the Super Draco should be
15,000lb of thrust or 67,000 N
Stephen J. Mraz
RS# 114
 SCANNING FOR IDEAS
Edited by Stephen J. Mraz

Going big with

ultrasmall ball screw

Wiper
Return

Screw shaft

Ball bearings

Engineers at Steinmeyer Inc., Burlington, Mass.

(www.steinmeyer.com), recently added a new
Nut device to its line of precision balls screws, the
Ultraminiature, which the company claims is the
worlds smallest commercially available ball
screw. Its diameter can be as small as 3 mm and
have a pitch of 1 or 0.5 mm. This makes the de-
vice well suited for medical applications such as
dispensing exact amounts of liquids.
The ball screw can be ordered in several sizes
ranging up to 16 mm in diameter with a 30-mm
pitch. The screws come with one of four types of
ball nuts and with or without preload. The actua-
tors are made of precision-ground,
For more information on rolled and ground hardened tool steel. Stainless steel is
ball screws, scan this an option. The screws can meet ISO
code or go to: http:// tolerances from P0 to P5.
machinedesign.com/ RS# 401
article/how-rolled-and-
ground-ball-screws-
stack-up-0708
r
formation via ou
Request free in Web site at
Reader Service
c
design.com/rs
ww w.machine

16 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

 N OW I T H I N K I N 3 D.
AND MY DESIGNS JUST KEEP GET TING BET TER.

With our Dimension 3D Printer, I know my model will represent my idea exactly.
And that makes it easier to improve my design with each iteration. Our Dimension
is right here in the ofce, and that helps us get our
products to market faster. And, with the Dimension Print
TM
Pack we got everything we needed to start printing immediately.
The Dimension models we create are made in ABS, so theyre
also tough and durable. Overall, Dimension gives me an amazing
sense of freedomand creativity.

Find out more at www.dimensionprinting.com/macd4

RS# 115 2012 Stratasys, Inc.

 SCANNING FOR IDEAS

Rotary motion
with speed and precision
Dial-plate Gear teeth
mounting holes

Large central opening

formounting equipment
or cabling

Gearbox

Pinion

Precision Ring Drives from the
Nexen Group Inc, Vadnais
Heights, Minn. (www.nexen-
group.com), combine a rolling
pinion with a precision-grade
bearing and gearhead. There
are four drives in the series
with ratios ranging from 64:1 to
220:1. Peak torque goes from
563 to 1,936 Nm. And accuracy
ranges from 11 to 35 arc-sec,
with repeatabilities of 4.2 to
1.2arcsec. The drives can han-
dle peak-torque inputs at any
time, which lets it index at twice
the speed of traditional cam-
driven systems.
The rolling pinion is 99%
efficient, while the gearbox is
96% efficient, making the rotary
device an energy saver. And the
bearing-supported pinion rollers
move smoothly across the face
of each tooth, so it generates less
noise and vibration than conven-
tional rotary devices.
The drive mounts on a table
supported by cross-roller bear-
ings rated for 1,575-kN loads.
RS# 402

The new 955 eBrik linear displacement transducer.

Price and performance

so well balanced,
it just might displace
potentiometers.
At last, theres a purely electronic solution to position sensors. Our new
955 eBrik uses magnetostrictive technology so theres no contact, no
moving parts, nothing to wear out. No erratic position signals. Available
in 1" to 72" stroke lengths, its economical and versatile enough for
many applications, field-programmable, and the perfect replacement
for old-style potentiometers. Learn more at our website.

ametekapt.com

RS# 116
18 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
These new generation CD Couplings feature zero
backlash precision and high torsional stiffness.
They answer todays demanding servo motor
applications with high reverse loads and
positioning requirements. New clamp style
hubs handle increased torque on shafts
without using keyways. Manufactured of
RoHS compliant materials.

Now, size, select and see the right

CD coupling solution for your coupling
application with Zero-Max 3D CAD files.

Check our FAST deliveries.

www.zero-max.com 800.533.1731

2010 ZERO-MAX

RS# 117
REPORTERS NOTEBOOK

A robot for the rest of us

An industrial robot can cost hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars just
for the hardware. It can cost three
to five times more to add it to an
assembly line and get it working.
Thats why industrial robots are
typically only used by large, well-
capitalized manufacturers. Thats
also why Rodney Brooks, one-time
robotics professor at Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology and
Director of its Computer Science
and Artificial Intelligence Labora-
tory, founded Rethink Robotics
in 2008. He wanted to develop a
relatively low-cost factory-floor
robot that could be trained or
programmed by a factory-floor
worker.
That $22,000 robot, Baxter, is
now rolling off the U.S. assembly
lines and is ready to go to work.
Baxters basics
Baxter is equipped with two
arms on a turnable torso. Each arm
measures 41 in. from shoulder to
wrist and has seven degrees of
freedom (dof). The arms move at
up to 3.3 fps empty and 2 fps when
loaded. They come with two inter-
changeable hands or end effectors
that can pick up 5-lb payloads.
Electrical parallel grippers
with interchangeable fingers of
different lengths, as well as in-
terchangeable fingertips, can be
customized to pick up and handle
specific objects. The grippers add
1 dof and open or shut within
1sec. They include a force sensor,
which detects when an object is in
the robots grasp and how much
force it is exerting on that object.
Vacuum-cup grippers work
on smooth, hard-to-grab objects
such as mirrors, plastic sheets,
and larger packages. The cups
come in a variety of sizes and an
air-pressure sensor detects when
they have grabbed an object. The
cups reduce the risk of marring an
20 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
Baxter can be set up and trained by factory workers to help them load and unload
boxes one day, then rolled to another workstation to sort and align products the next.
objects finish, but they do require IP50, which means it is protected
that users hook the robot to an air- against dust but not water and
pressure supply. other liquids. It runs on 120 Vac
The arms can be trained or and 10 A, and is rated for 6,500 hr.
programmed to work together, or
they can each carry out tasks inde- What makes Baxter
pendently of what the other arm different
is doing. Baxter is different from other
The torso can be bolted to a industrial robots in that it uses be-
table or other stable surface, but havior-based intelligence, a con-
can also ride on a 141-lb pedestal cept Brooks developed through-
from the company. The pedestal out the 1980s and 1990s. He used
has two adjustable heights and
is sized to fit through standard
doorways. It lets the 165-lb robot
be rolled from workstation to
workstation on industrial-grade
casters. The casters come with legs
that lock it into place and adjust to
level and stabilize the robot.
For safety and to carry out tasks,
Baxter has 360 sonar and machine
vision with one main face cam-
era and access to four others. The
wrists, for instance, carry a camera
so Baxter can closely monitor what
its end effectors are doing. Each
wrist also carries a range finder.
Baxter operates in tempera-
tures from 32 to 104F and is rated
 What Baxter
can do
Rodney Brooks tells
of how his team
Resources: regularly takes
Rethink Robots, www. Baxter out of its
rethinkrobotics.com packing crate at a
RS# 406 customers facility
and has it set up and
working on a line
theyve never seen
before within an hour. But what
kinds of tasks does Brooks believe
Baxter will be widely used for, at
least at first?
Material handling: Moving
objects from one location to an-
other, counting, and reorienting.
Loading and unloading lines:
Baxters computerized eyes do more than try to humanize the robot. The robot will Putting parts on or removing
first look in the direction it will be reaching with its arms, and workers quickly pick them from conveyor belts or
up on those cues. The eyes never looks angry, but can look puzzled if you dont fully fixed surfaces.
explain what you want the robot to do. And the eyes will close when the robot is off Inspecting, testing, and sort-
the job or sleeping. ing: Checking parts for weight
or shape, evaluate them against
the concept for all the robots de- Later, Baxter will be able to visually a criteria, and perform different
veloped and built at his previous identify the object, even if its in a actions depending on results.
company, iRobot (makers of the different orientation and amidst Operating machines: Watch-
Roomba). You program in a col- other objects and clutter, and pick ing machinery and performing
lection of parallel behaviors, each it up. sequences of actions based on
running independently, that look Another one of these basic in- input or alarms. For example,
at the environment and input con- stincts is self-preservation, For ex- it could insert a part into a ma-
ditions, then decide if they have an ample, the arms never collide with chine, push a button, then re-
action to perform. one another, thanks to the pre- move the part.
Conventional robots come with programming, says Brooks. Even Packing and unpacking: Pick-
little or no programming, so users if you grab both arms and try to ing up an object, bag, box, or
have to define and program all error bring them together, you will feel tray and arranging them in an
conditions. Baxter comes prepro- a force, one that gets stronger the array for packing. It can also un-
grammed with certain instincts closer the arms get to one another, pack containers.
right out of the box that always run resisting you. This behavior keeps Light assembly: It can be
in the background the robot safe from itself. quickly trained to align and snap
when Baxter is Another built-in behavior is fit parts together and insert
working. This lets that Baxter knows it cant put them into containers.
users program something down if it doesnt Finishing: Grinding, polishing,
tasks rather than a have something in its hand, says and other finishing operations.
string of repetitive Brooks. So if the robot picks up
Baxter is motions. an object to place in a box, and a
already
handling
For example, worker grabs the object from its
simple tasks if you show gripper, the robot doesnt try to then lifts the arm. The robot now
at companies Baxter an object put that object in the box. Instead, knows it is supposed to pick up
supplying and position its the robot goes to the designated one of these objects in this area.
parts to gripper so that area to pick up another object. And if youre training the robot
Rethink it can pick the To get the robot to pick up an to pick up an object and put it in
Robotics. So, in object up, the object, a worker simply takes its a box, you can first train it to put
effect, robots robot builds a gripper and places it over the ob- the object in the box, then where
are helping visual model of ject, says Brooks. Pushing a but- to pick it up, explains Brooks. You
build robots. the object and ton on Baxters sleeve closes the dont have to do it in order. Baxter
stores this data. gripper on the object. The worker
Continued on page 26
OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 21
 REPORTERS NOTEBOOK

The politics of engineers

Engineers tend to view themselves as much less liberal and slightly more
conservative than the general public, according to a recent survey of
over 1,200 readers of MACHINE DESIGN and Electronic Design magazines.
The same survey also found that engineers say they are more likely to
be Republican (42.1%) or Independent (33.7%) voters, as opposed to
Democrats (14.5%). And although over a
third of the engineers think Republicans
represent the best interests of the
engineering community better than Political aliation
Democrats, a majority of engineers
(48.1%) believe neither party is really
on the side of engineers. MD
Republican
Democrat 42.1%
14.5%
Political outlook
Other
9.4%
Independent
Moderate 33.7%
Liberal
11.9% 40.7%

Conservative
47.4% Compared to the general public,
engineers seem to be twice as likely
to be Independents and only a third
as likely to be Democrats. A recent
Gallup poll found that the public
Engineers skew more toward the divides into 43% Democrat, 40%
moderate and conservative end Republican, and 15% Independent.
of the spectrum than the public.
42% of the public considers itself
conservative, 37% thinks of itself
as moderate, and 21% claim to be
liberal, according to a Gallup poll.

Which political party

best represents the
Republican interests of engineers?
37.8%
Engineers exhibit some healthy
Democrat skepticism in their answers to
10.2% this question, with 48% saying
Other 3.9% that neither of the two major
political parties represent the
best interests of engineers.
Neither
48.1%

RS# 118
OCTOBER 18, 2012
 Do you approve
of the way
Congress is
doing its job?
Engineers, Approve Disapprove
like much of 2.5% 87.9%
the public, are
frustrated by a
seemingly inept
Congress. Over Would term limits on
two-thirds agree
that term limits members of Congress
for Congress help get things
would lead to a
more-capable done in Washington?
political body.

Yes No
64.7% 35.3%

How would you grade

C President Obama
B
23.5% in his rst term?
20.5%
A little over half the
engineers (51.7%)
A D taking the survey gave
7.7% 20.3% President Obama a C or
better on his first term.
F But the most popular
28% grade was an F, awarded
by 28% of the engineers.

Would a win by
Romney improve
the economy?
Yes
No 48.1% A slim majority (51.9%) of
51.9% engineers do not think Mitt
Romney would improve the
economy if elected. But almost
the same number (48.1%) think
he would.

RS# 119
OCTOBER 18, 2012
 REPORTERS NOTEBOOK
LOOKING BACK
10 YEARS AGO 2002 and electronics.
Make way for 42 V: Say one thing for new 42-V automotive The report sees more demand
electrical systems: Battery makers will cheer as more vehicles for unusual electronic products
start carrying dual batteries. And consumers should get ready that may open doors for new manu-
for more-expensive, 36-V car batteries. This according to a new facturing companies to enter the
report titled, Impact of 42-V Electrical Systems on North American automotive market.
Automobiles, from Frost & Sullivan, San Jose. It examines how the According to analysts, manufactur-
move to higher-voltage systems will affect alternators, starters, batteries, ers have their work cut out convincing
automakers of potential benefits of
42-V systems, which include better
fuel economy and lower emissions,
among other things.

30 YEARS AGO 1982

Fluorescent bulb for an old socket:
When a new 15-W fluorescent bulb
from Interlectric Corp., Warren, Pa.,
is screwed into a standard (medium-
base) incandescent-lamp socket, it is
said to produce the light output of a
60-W incandescent bulb for an aver-
age life of 10,000 hr. Phosphors give
the 8-in.-long bulb color similar to

incandescent lighting, and an efficient

solid-state ballast is credited with
eliminating hum and flicker. The bulb
can be operated in any position.

50 YEARS AGO 1962

All-aluminum telescope built by
Itek Corp., Lexington, Mass., for space
tracking has a 240-in. optical path
which folds" into the 45-in. instru-
ment. It can discern a 12-in. object
100 miles away. The telescopes two
mirrors are cast aluminum coated with
nickel
phos-
phide.
A com-
parable
glass and
metal in-
strument
would
weigh sev-
eral hundred pounds; this one weighs
50 lb. With stable and vibration-free
mounting, it could be carried in an air-
plane above atmospheric turbulence,
haze, and clouds to obtain clear views
of missiles and satellites. MD
24 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 7HFKQRORJ\E\7+(,1129$7256

*HQHULF
0RWLRQ&RQWURO
` 0D[LPXPV\VWHPSURGXFWLYLW\WKURXJKH[FHSWLRQDO
SHUIRUPDQFHDQGV\VWHPV\QFKURQL]DWLRQ
` 6XSSRUWVDGYDQFHGPDQXIDFWXULQJWHFKQRORJLHVE\
LQWHJUDWLQJ&1&URERWLFVDQGPRWLRQFRQWUROZLWK
LQWHJUDWHGVDIHW\WHFKQRORJ\
` (DV\LPSOHPHQWDWLRQRIPDFKLQHRSWLRQVEHFDXVHRI
VRIWZDUHFRPSDWLELOLW\DFURVVDOOGULYHWHFKQRORJLHV
` 6XSSRUWVDOOPDFKLQHWRSRORJLHVWKURXJKWKHXVHRI
FHQWUDOL]HGDQGGHFHQWUDOL]HGGULYHWHFKQRORJ\
` 5HGXFHGKDUGZDUHFRVWVDQGVLPSOLHGVHUYLFH

3HUIHFWLRQLQ$XWRPDWLRQ
RS# 120 ZZZEUDXWRPDWLRQFRP
 REPORTERS NOTEBOOK
Continued from page 21
figures out the proper sequence.
Baxter is also adaptable. If you
train the robot to pick up an object
from a moving conveyor belt and
place it in a box, you dont have to
tell the robot how fast the belt is
RS# 121
26 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
moving or exactly where the belt
or it, the robot, is stationed. You
can even change the belt speed.
Baxter can see the belt and object
and adjust to pick up the object.
A line worker can quickly and
simply program Baxter for new
tasks, explains Brooks. You dont
need an engineer, and you dont
need to set up the environment
or have accurate metric data for
the workstation. You just show
the robot what to do and it adapts
through vision and its other
senses. And if you move the robot
a bit, it keeps on working job be-
cause it uses task coordinates, not
robot coordinates.
Baxter is said to be safe for hu-
mans to be working around it. Its
sonar and moving-target indicator
alerts it to where people are and
the robot avoids those areas. If
one of the robotic arms happens
to strike a human, a wall, or practi-
cally anything of size, sensors in its
joints immediately signal Baxter to
go into zero-force mode. This elim-
inates any forces on the arms. The
robot also compensates for gravity
and the arms remain motionless.
(They can be gently pushed or
nudged into any position and
will maintain that position.) This
protects nearby workers and the
robot itself. Another safety feature
slowly lowers the arms if power is
removed or lost.
And theres no reason for work-
ers to override or work around
safety measures. Theres really
nothing for workers to bypass,
says Brooks. If they throw a bag
over the ultrasound sensor, for ex-
ample, the robot just shuts down.
Weve tried to make it as safe and
foolproof as possible.
I have worked in industries
where people were paid piece-
work, and they did try to get
around safety devices to work
faster, notes Brooks. But with
Baxter, bypassing safety features
doesnt speed production or im-
prove performance.
Baxters future
Baxter is designed for expan-
sion and growth. Its wrists, for
instance, have end-effector plates
that accept third-party grippers.
Theres also Ethernet and USB con-
nections which will let users plug
other devices and capabilities into
 the rst self-contained
wireless
photoelectrics.

ZLUZPUN\UWS\NNLK

The worlds rst self-contained wireless

standard photoelectric sensor solution,
SureCross Q45 is designed for your
Wireless Range:
+3000 ft line-of-sight* most challenging data acquisition,
control and monitoring applications:
Battery Life: up to 5 years*
t $POOFDU
MPDBUJPOT
BOE
BQQMJDBUJPOT
Response: 250 ms* previously impractical or impossible
True Wireless: no cables, cordsets t &MJNJOBUF
DBCMF
SVOT
BOE
DPOEVJU
QMVT
or external power associated labor, costs and downtime
Radio: secure 27-channel t
4PMWF
DIBMMFOHJOH
SFNPUF
SPUBUJOH
PS
frequency hopping moving applications, or add sensing
Multiple I/O: up to 47 sensors to existing systems in minutes
per gateway
Antenna: built-in
Rating: IP67
Four models: Polarized
Retroreective, Convergent
Visible, Contact Closure,
Fiber Optics
Self-contained: Sensor, Standard SureCross Q45 Gateways
Proprietary Radio, Power support up to six sensors
Management and Batteries

*Performance subject to application,

environment and configuration Customers First
Integrity Always
Quality in Everything
New Solutions Every Day

RS# 122  |IHUULYLUNPULLYPUNJVT

2012 Banner Engineering Corp., Mpls, MN USA
 REPORTERS NOTEBOOK
the robot. And Rethink Robotics
plans on releasing new software.
Next year we will release soft-
ware that lets researchers use the
hardware platform to program
new capabilities using our low-
level software, says Brooks. And
RS# 123
28 MACHINE DESIGN.com
later we will have an app-level kit
that works with high-level software
for new manufacturing features.
We also plan on bringing out
software next year that lets Baxter
understand how to pack boxes,
says Brooks. If you show the robot network around that plan. We have
OCTOBER 18, 2012
a box and train it to pack items in a
3 4 array, it will do so even if you
turn the box 30.
The company is targeting smaller
companies as its first customers, and
theyve built a scalable distribution
gotten interest from larger com-
panies with national brands, notes
Brooks. But those companies dont
buy one or two robots, they buy doz-
ens, even hundreds. So it takes time
to make a sale as they want to try out
the robots, evaluate them, and see
how the robots might work in their
plants.
But there can be problems
with small companies as well. It
can be a challenge convincing
owners and managers that they
wont need expensive consultants
or nonstop maintenance to keep
Baxter up and running.
At one small plastics factory,
the manager watched as one of
our engineers went up to one of
our robots that was packing boxes
and moved it by about half a foot,
recalls Brooks. The managers
face fell and he said, Well now
you will have to teach that task
to the robot again. He was quite
surprised when the robot kept on
packing boxes. Seeing that the ro-
bot adapts to its environment and
doesnt need specialists really gets
the message across.
One of reasons Brooks is so ada-
mant about his new robot is that he
believes it can bring manufacturing
jobs back to the U.S. This may seem
counterintuitive as many people
take it for granted that robots re-
place human workers.
But our robot is not made to
replace people, just like the PC
didnt replace office workers, says
Brooks. This robot can change
factory workers jobs, letting them
offload simple, repetitive, dull
tasks, and let them cognitive
beings with dextrous hands do
the higher-value-added work and
thereby be more productive. So
its a tool ordinary workers can use,
not a way for management to dis-
place workers. MD
RS# 124
Innovation distinguishes between
a leader and a follower.
- Steve Jobs

As the leading manufacturer of OEM pumps

and compressors, our innovation in design and
technology has helped our customers create
new innovative products and become leaders
in their marketplace.

For more information on

how Thomas innovation
can help you lead
your industry, go to
gd-thomas.com/md10.

Improving Lives through InnovationTM

RS# 125
 COMMENTARY
2250 SERIES BLDC PUMP

So much for the idea An Illustration

of putting a hex in Innovation
Stephen J. Perfect for medical,
on your boss Mraz
Senior Editor analytical, air sampling and
office machine applications,
I read an article the other day that had some good news, some bad news, and the innovative 2250 Series
some disturbing implications. It seems eBay is banning the sale of spells, pressure/vacuum pump
curses, hexing, conjuring, magic, prayers, magic potions, and healing ses- combines long-life and
sions. eBay says the policy is part of its effort to build trust in the market- high-efficiency.
place and support sellers.
Kudos to eBay for putting an end to scammers selling worthless merchan- Lightweight 2.5 lbs/1.1 Kg
dise to an all-too gullible public. Those unscrupulous sellers were proving the
Variable output flow steplessly
old saying popularly attributed to P.T. Barnum, but which actually came from
controlled to application need
his competitor, David Hannum: Theres a sucker born every minute.
The bad news is that eBay is interfering in the sale of legal and harmless items 24V efficient BLDC motor
between willing sellers and buyers. If somebody wants to buy what another of-
fers, why should eBay stand in the way? (Not that there arent other sites on the Maximum pressure
Web eager to sell you a spell or a South American charm vial. Check out the 17 psi/1.17 bar
Lucky Mojo Curio Co. at www.luckymojo.com.) After all, the folks selling spells
and hexes on eBay garnered comments from satisfied buyers that included, Maximum vacuum
Best spell-caster on eBay, and We bought four spells! Highly recommend! 22 in.Hg/-745 mbar
And the disturbing implication is that the people buying all this junk are
allowed to vote, drive a car, and have children. The fact that they grew up to be For more information on
adults with their heads still filled with so much misinformation is a pretty strong the innovative 2250 Series
indictment against our schools in America. BLDC pump, go to
I also wonder if eBay will continue its efforts toward building trust in gd-thomas.com/md10.
the marketplace. It doesnt look like it. A quick search through its inventory
revealed:
79 listings for dowsing rods. One model, going for about $55, had
special proportions based on the Pythagorean Theorem and sacred
geometry principles found in nature.
51 listings for ear-candling paraphernalia, including a $57 book
titled the Practical Guide to Ear Candling: A New Twist on an Ancient
Practice. After all, if ancient people used it, especially the Chinese, it
must work.
401 Homeopathic medicines. One, a cure for dizziness, advertises
that its a 55 dilution, which is homeopathic jargon meaning theres a
1:10-55 ratio between its inert and active ingredients. That breaks down
to 1 10-55gm/ml. Im pretty sure science cant even detect the active
ingredient in this concoction, whatever it is.
107 listings for ghost detectors. These are mostly gauss meters and
handheld devices that detect microwaves and EMF repackaged to
appeal to modern-day ghostbusters and people paranoid about health
damage from cell phones and power lines.
133 listings for relics of the True Cross. Some of these have historic
value in that famous figures (aka suckers) have owned them. My Improving Lives through InnovationTM
favorite is a holy card with a piece of cloth that once touched a piece of
the Holy Cross (only $15).
It seems odd that the Internet, a marvel of science, engineering, and ra-
tional thought, is being used to peddle such nonsense. But thats life in a free
country. MD

RS# 126
OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 31
 Aerotech Cartesian Robots
Maximize Your Application Throughput

Get our free brochure

Cartesian Robots at
www.aerotech.com

Aerotech supplies Cartesian robots for Benefits:

many of the worlds largest manufacturers. Minimal Tracking Error Lowest Cost of Ownership
These systems are carefully engineered to Flexible Design Configurable
provide superior performance in a variety
of applications. With our extensive line of
Applications:
Component Inspection Stencil Cutting
products, Aerotech can deliver the ideal Component Assembly Flat Panel Processing
gantry customized to meet your unique PCB Marking Laser Cutting
application requirements. Visit our website Fuel-Cell Manufacturing Laser Welding
or contact an Aerotech Application Device Assembly Laser Micromachining
Engineer today to learn how an Aerotech Dispensing Robocasting
gantry can provide your application with Printed Electronics Profiling
a competitive advantage. High-Speed Component Flat-Panel Inspection
Pick and Place
Photovoltaic Manufacturing

Dedicated to the Science of Motion

Aerotech, Inc., 101 Zeta Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Aerotech Worldwide
United States France Germany United Kingdom China Japan Taiwan
Ph: 412-963-7470 Fax: 412-963-7459 Email: sales@aerotech.com
www.aerotech.com AF0610B_ASG

RS# 127
 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Making cheap products

look expensive
For everything from coat
hangers to cars, industrial
designers use tried-and-
true tricks to make eco-
nomical products look
expensive. For example,
how do designers create an
attractive coat hanger for
mass production that can
be sold for $15 each? To
start, they use an inexpen-
sive hardwood with a high-
gloss finish and use simple
pegs that require minimal
tooling to hold the parts
together. They also design
hangers to be lightweight
to keep down shipping.
Those tips alone helped
designers create a coat
hanger thats been bought
by the hundreds of thou-
sands at big-box stores.
Some companies such
as housewares supplier Authored by:
InterDesign in Solon,
Ohio, demands this simple, mod- The clean, modern shape and Craig Miloscia
ern approach. Thats why the Mercedes-silver powder-coat fin- Optic Lingo Inc.
Akron, Ohio
housewares section at your local ish make them look costly.
Target features so many low-cost Its also a good idea to check Edited by Leslie Gordon
items with trendsetting finishes out car interiors to see how dif- leslie.gordon@penton.com,
and textures, sleek styling, user- ferent materials enhance users Twitter @Leslie.Gordon
friendly operation, and colors that experience. For example, Kia Rio Resources:
work well together. designers created new colors from Optic Lingo Inc., www.opticlingo.com
Target recently selected scratch, mixing and matching
InterDesigns Buzzo rack for its Cool them with different textiles, fab-
Stuff Collection. The rack is made rics, and materials, all to please the interior colors. They came up with
of stylish silver-plated, low-carbon drivers eye. Armani Black, which has hint of
steel wire and wood balls. The bars In trying to create the right col- deep blue that is said to glisten
are flattened and pierced for a ors, designers took into account in a soft light, and a grayish beige
cost-effective, yet elegant mount. the surroundings of would-be thats supposed to convey the feel-
Designers extended the line simply drivers as well as cultural color ing of urban luxury.
and inexpensively by adding a two- codes. Designers wanted the Even areas in the car where
hook rack with the same distinct colors to scream luxury while drivers rest their hands came
look as the larger four-hook rack. evoking a feather-soft sensation. under close scrutiny. The crush
Also consider InterDesigns They created Wendy Brown, a rich pad on the steering wheel sports
Seville Bath Hardware, a line of chocolate color, for instance, to in-mold graining to give a more
matching towel bars, towel rings, target stylish and chic fashion- luxurious feel to the touch and in-
tissue holder, and multipurpose forward drivers. Designers also cludes Nano PU material that pre-
hook, all made from braided steel. searched long and hard for the vents damage from daily wear. MD

OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 33

 MOTION CONTROL
Taking aim
with
MEMS
GYROS
Solid-state gyroscopes arent just
for video games and smartphones.
Industrial-grade devices can handle tasks
that demand superaccurate sensing.
Examine smartphones and advanced video-game con-
soles and youll find MEMS gyroscopes giving feedback
for a variety of tasks involving orientation and position.
Yet the MEMS devices in these consumer products fall
short for a number of industrial uses where the gyroscope
sees conditions much rougher than those characterizing
living rooms or the pocket of a cell-phone user.
Full 3D motion-sensing applications require a com-
bination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses and
pressure sensors. Accelerometers measure linear accelera-
tion along the X, Y or Z axis, and can be used to measure
gravitational acceleration. They have served for many
years in products such as automotive air bags and PC note-
book disk-drive fall-protection systems. Compasses sense
the earths magnetic field to provide an absolute heading.
Pressure sensors measure atmospheric pressure and can be
used to determine altitude. Gyroscopes measure rotational
motion around the X, Y and Z axis and are used for appli-
cations such as stability-control systems in aircraft, stabili-
zation systems for satellite receivers, and to augment GPS
navigation systems.
A wide range of industrial applications now need
MEMS gyroscopes. These industrial-grade MEMS sen-
sors differ from consumer-grade devices in that they can
accurately perform in harsh conditions characterized by
extreme temperature ranges, despite shocks and constant
vibrations. But industrial-grade gyroscopes also tend to be
costly and bulky. The typical way of making an industrial-
grade multiaxis gyroscope has been to combine discrete
34 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
Authored by:
Kapil Kamra
Vishal Markandey
InvenSense Inc.
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Edited by Leland Teschler
leland.teschler@penton.com
Key points:
Gyroscopes found in consumer devices lack
the precision (bias stability) to handle critical
positioning tasks that characterize industrial
robotics.
Early industrial gyroscopes were discrete
devices that often demanded precision
alignment on a PCB to eliminate the
possibility of cross-alignment errors.
Resources:
InvenSense, www.invensense.com
For more information on
microelectromechanical
systems, scan this
code or go to: http://
machinedesign.com/
article/inclination-and-tilt-
detectors-0719
single-axis packages. This approach has entailed a signifi-
cant integration effort and forced developers to have more
system-level expertise than when working with consumer-
grade devices. But this situation has changed with the in-
troduction of industrial gyroscopes that employ MEMS
technology to handle multiple axes.
Industrial applications for motion sensing include plat-
form stabilization, land, air, sea, and space navigation sys-
tems, precision agriculture, precision robotics, unmanned
aerial (UAV) and nautical vehicles, construction equip-
ment, offshore drilling, borehole survey, and handheld
inventory-control systems to name just a few.
Industrial applications have different needs than the
consumer space. Specifically, there are four basic areas
where an industrial gyroscope must outperform a con-
sumer-grade gyroscope: temperature range, bias instabil-
ity, noise, and vibration performance while maintaining
small form factor and low cost.
In agriculture, for example, farmers must maximize
crop yields. One pass of a tractor through a field must
align with the next to within a few centimeters. The task
requires use of a precision gyroscope able to accurately
measure the tractor heading despite vibrations from mov-
ing machinery, heat from its engine and the environment,
and location noise from the uneven ground. Marine-based
satellite antenna stabilization is another good example,
where a boat must constantly communicate with a satel-
lite. Industrial-grade gyroscopes counterbalance boat mo-
tion caused by the oscillation of the waves. Additionally,
Going to Electronica?
The Design Engineering and Sourcing Group, featuring Electronic Design,
Microwaves and RF and Electronic Design Europe has some exciting things planned.
Make sure to come to Hall A5, Booth 279 at the show and You can also pick up our Electronica Show Issue of Electronic
enter to win an ipad every hour. Design Europe. This special issue will be distributed
in the publication bins and at our booth during
YESYOU HEARD RIGHT. the show (where there will be lots of
We are giving away an ipad every hour excitement!).
during the show!! Now thats excitement
at Electronica. Not going to the show? A PDF
version will also be available for
Sponsored by download on www.electronic
: design.com

RS# 128
WHERE TECHNOLOGY COMES FIRST
 MOTION CONTROL

Inside an industrial gyroscope

InvenSense MotionTracking devices are
CMOS-MEMS gyroscope structure built with the patented Nasiri-Fabrication (NF)
process, which combines MEMS on CMOS (also
Core MEMS known as CMOS-MEMS). Use of the NF Platform
MEMS wafer MEMS makes possible the MPU-3300, an industrial
silicon
External structure three-axis gyroscope that is up to 10 smaller
connection than other industrial gyroscopes, measuring just
4 4 0.9 mm. It also offers 2 less noise than
alternative offerings and has a bias instability of
CMOS 15/hr. It runs on just 3.6 mA when fully active,
making it a candidate for handheld battery-pow-
ered industrial uses. Its single-package design
Eutectic CMOS-MEMS Vacuum-sealed
eliminates alignment errors. It is priced at $35
metal seal interconnect cavity
USD in 1,000-unit quantities.

the gyroscope must overcome noise from smaller waves
and the vibration of the boat engine all while maintaining
accuracy over the long term.
There are different types of gyroscopes, but MEMS
devices are generally preferred because of their high per-
formance, affordability, and small size. Industrial-grade
MEMS gyroscopes can overcome extreme environmental
conditions and can address the need for better bias insta-
bility, a wider temperature range, and better noise and vi-
bration rejection.
Bias instability
The bias of a gyroscope is its output in no-rotation
mode. Bias instability is how the bias changes over time
at a constant temperature. While a gyroscopes constant
bias could potentially be calibrated out, bias instability
introduces an error that may not be easy to calibrate. This
is why bias instability is important when selecting a gyro-
scope. The longer a gyroscope operates, the greater its bias
error. So a low bias error is critical for applications that
need excellent accuracy over long periods.
Bias instability is measured in terms of the standard
deviation of the gyro output averaged over fixed blocks of
time. The typical approach is to plot these standard devia-
tions for different sizes of blocks of time versus the sizes of
the corresponding blocks of time. This generates what is
called an Allan Variance plot. The minimum point on the
curve designates the gyroscopes bias instability value, the
greatest stability the gyroscope can achieve. The lower this
value, the better the bias performance. A gyroscope with a
lower Allan Variance curve performs better than a gyro-
scope with a higher Allan Variance curve.

MEMS gyroscopes use

Block diagram, MPU-3300 a vibrating structure
to sense motions
Clk in Interrupt Int
Clock status register in three axes. The
Clk out /CS underlying physical
Slave I2C AD0/SDO
& SPI serial principle of a MEMS
Self- SCL/SCLK gyroscope is that
test X gyro A/D FIFO interface
SDA/SDI a vibrating object
Signal conditioning

tends to continue
Self- Config Master Serial- vibrating in the same
test Y gyro A/D
registers dc interface plane as its support
serial bypass AUX_CL
interface mux
rotates. As the plane
Self- Sensor AUX_DA of oscillation is
test Z gyro A/D registers FSYNC rotated, the response
detected by the
Temp Factory transducer results
sensor A/D calibration from the Coriolis
term in its equations
Charge Bias & LDO of motion (Coriolis
pump force).
Vdd Gnd Regout

36 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

I T S S H O C K I N G H O W M U C H W E A B S O R B !

ENERGY CONTROL SOLUTIONS

FROM TAYLOR DEVICES
Solving your unique energy control challenges is the hallmark of Taylor Devices. We can adapt our proven energy management technology
to meet the precise requirements of your application. One of every six Taylor employees is an engineer with the expertise to analyze your
problem, establish your needs, and design the most efficient answer. When you need to tailor a unique solution, you need Taylor Devices.

1. Fluid Viscous Dampers /Massive Loads

Taylor Fluid Viscous Dampers are engineered for trouble-free protection of building
and bridge structures subject to seismic, blast or high wind loading.

2. Hydraulic Buffers /Heavy Duty

The highest capacity standard absorbers manufactured. Over 60 sizes are available
in capacities to 60 million in.-lbs. Oversize stainless steel piston rods are non-exposed
for long, zero-maintenance life in adverse environments.
1.
3. Fluidicshoks Compact Capability
The most compact hydraulic shock absorbers available, in both self-adjusting and
custom-orificed styles. Twenty-six standard sizes are offered with capacities from
3 in.-lbs. to 56,000 in.-lbs. An exclusive non-exposed stainless steel piston rod is
featured on many models. Reset by coil, air or our exclusive liquid spring. 2.
Pure damper styles also available.

4. Shock Isolators
These devices protect sensitive systems from multidirectional seismic or
weapons grade shock. After the shock transient has passed, the isolator
automatically repositions the system. 3.

5. Uni-Shok Self-Adjusting
The unique self-adjusting industrial shock absorber for high speed, automated
machinery. Fourteen basic models provide up to 5000 in.-lbs. maximum capacity.
Patented self-adjusting fluidic metering eliminates downtime for adjustment.
Standard features include a stainless steel piston rod, internal coil spring reset,
bronze bearings, silicone fluid, and threaded body for easy mounting. 4.

6. Aerospace and Custom Products

Taylor Devices products easily lend themselves to custom applications on
aerospace and related applications. Active and passive Shock Isolation Systems,
Liquid Springs, Machined Springs, Single/Double Acting Dampers, Snubbers,
Linear Accelerators, Elastomeric Products, and other custom components
5.
are available on a design-to-order basis. Turnkey analysis, design, and
manufacturing capability for blast, ground shock, recoil, and MIL-S-901
naval pulses are available.
6.

RS# 129

www.taylordevices.com

North Tonawanda, NY 14120 - 0748

Phone: 716.694 .0800 Fax: 716.695 .6015
 MOTION CONTROL

The accompanying figure shows a bias instability as low
as 15/hr for an industrial gyroscope from InvenSense,
Sunnyvale, Calif. It is a three-axis device that measures the
rotation rate in the X, Y, and Z directions.
Another important measure of performance is the
noise that the gyroscope exhibits. At short averaging
times (horizontal axis of the Allan Variance plot), sensor
noise dominates the Allan Variance. A measure of gyro-
scope-noise performance, known as Angle Random Walk
(ARW), can be obtained from the Allan Variance value at
the 1-sec crossing time. It is measured at 1 sec so it can be
multiplied by any time value, t, to obtain the noise contri-
bution of the orientation error at that value of t. For exam-
ple, if t = 100 sec and ARW = 0.2/sec, the noise contribu-
tion of the orientation error over a period of 100sec would
be 0.2 (100) = 2.
There can be a large noise variation among the various
industrial gyroscope vendors, so designers typically pay
MPU-3300 gyro Allan Variance
2
10

Allan deviation, mdps

Angle random value
Y gyro
Noise performance 101
Bias instability
Z gyro minimum performance
Raw data, consumer device
0.4 X gyro
0.2 100
Noise, /sec.

0
0.2 Bias instability = 15/hr (MPU-3300)
0.4 10-1
10-2 10-1 100 101 102 103
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Integration time, sec
Time, sec
Bias instability for three axes of an industrial-grade
MPU-3300 raw data
gyroscope. The Allan Variance is a measure of frequency
0.4 stability due to noise processes and is defined as one-
Noise, /sec

0.2 half of the time average of the squares of the differences

0 between successive readings of the frequency deviation
sampled over the sampling period. The Allan Variance
0.2 is displayed as a graph rather than a single number. A
0.4 low Allan Variance is a characteristic of a clock with good
6 7 8 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 stability over the measured period. The minimum point
Time, sec on the curve provides the bias instability value for the
gyroscope. This is the greatest stability the gyroscope
InvenSense industrial gyroscopes display a noise can achieve. A measure of gyroscope noise performance,
performance that is about 3 better than that of known as Angle Random Walk (ARW), can be obtained from
those designed for consumer goods. the Allan Variance value at the 1-sec crossing.

Thousands of enclosures
Hundreds of options
Designed and delivered in 10 days

ENCLOSURES POWER DISTRIBUTION CLIMATE CONTROL

 Noise performance in the time domain
extra attention to this param-
eter. To see why, consider a 10-1
Gyroscope-noise
precision robotics application performance is
where the robot attaches a

Noise density, /sec-rms/Hz

Noisy competitor often represented
windshield to a car. The glass in the frequency
must accurately align to the 10-2 domain as a noise
Z gyro density plot.
car frame. Too much gyro- Y gyro
scope noise may not give the Depicted here
X gyro
required accuracy, resulting in is a comparison
MPU-3300 between the noise
a poorly installed windshield. 10-3 spectral density
plot measured
Temperature and for an industrial
vibration gyroscope (MPU-
-4 3300) and a noisier
10 -1
Industrial applications 10 100 101 102 103 competitor.
generally entail a 40 to 105C Frequency, Hz
temperature range versus the
40 to 85C range for con-
sumer-grade devices. Gyroscope qualities degrade over general, its better not to be forced into limiting where the
temperature, so the challenge for gyroscope manufactur- gyroscope can go. Other design considerations, such as ag-
ers is in ensuring all characteristics stay within a reason- gressive antialias and decimation filtering, can help mini-
able range. Parameters sensitive to temperature include mize vibration issues. But the less sensitive the gyroscope
bias instability, noise, and sensitivity. System integrators is to vibration, the less aggressive these filters need to be.
should characterize all these parameters over temperature Device accuracy is important but highly accurate de-
to confirm performance will meet system targets. vices dont necessarily guarantee a highly accurate motion
Vibration performance can be important in many in- sensing system. Many modern industrial gyroscopes have
dustrial applications. And it can be challenging to ensure been restricted to one or two axes. Thus, they have had to
a gyroscope performs accurately in the presence of a hum- be combined when needs called for three axes. This re-
ming motor or similar noise sources. Consider the exam- quires a precise 90 alignment on a PCB. Otherwise, cross-
ple of a gyroscope on a tractor with a motor that vibrates axis alignment errors propagate to the final representation
the chassis where the rate of vibration varies with the rate of the motion. To minimize the cross-axis errors, develop-
at which the operator revs the engine. This vibration can ers must implement system-level calibration routines.
be modeled as noise in the gyroscope output, possibly re- In contrast, a single-chip three-axis MEMS gyroscope
sulting in inaccuracies that are too large to accommodate. is calibrated during its manufacture to cancel out all cross-
To address the issue, the designer can improve the perfor- axis errors. This eliminates a calibration step for system
mance by locating the gyroscope in a spot where vibra- integrators. And, of course, a single-chip three-axis gyro-
tions are dampened (e.g., within the tractor cab). But in scope will be much smaller than a multichip solution. MD

IT INFRASTRUCTURE SOFTWARE & SERVICES

RS# 130
 CAE

Building a
BETTER
SPACECRAFT CAE software tests
hypersonic-reentry-
vehicle designs

The European Space Agency

launch of Thales Alenia Spaces
Intermediate eXperimental
Vehicle aboard the Vega
small launch vehicle is
planned for 2013.

Authored by:
Kyle Indermuehle
Aerospace Lead As CAE software becomes increasingly sophisticated,
Simulia
Providence, R.I
engineers can now refine designs to their nearly final
form. This lets engineers test physical prototypes later
Edited by Leslie Gordon in the product-development cycle. The use of CAE soft-
leslie.gordon@penton.com ware is critical in the space industry, where its difficult
Key points: to create test settings that simulate real-world condi-
Process-automation software can link design and simulation tions. Vacuum chambers and wind tunnels help, but they
models to automate the execution of hundreds or even cannot account for all conditions at the same time. Thats
thousands of simulations. why spacecraft producer Thales Alenia Space Italia
The software can help designers improve designs by (TAS-I) in Italy used CAE software in the design, testing,
improving them in terms of performance or cost variables and building of its hypersonic reentry vehicles for the
through statistical methods. European Space Agency.
Resources: Head of aeromechanics and propulsion at TAS-I,
Simulia, www.simulia.com Cosimo Chiarelli helped design and test the vehicles. He
For more on simulation software, scan this
explains that the physics of atmospheric reentry are com-
code or go to: http://machinedesign.com/ plex, so vehicle analysis required a multidisciplinary opti-
article/software-automates-the-execution- mization (MDO) approach to account for all the variables.
of-thousands-of-simulations-0609 Variables include aspects of the spacecraft structure
such as geometry (length and shape), as well as the di-
40 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 CAE
mensions and material attributes
of the shell and thermal-protection
system. Other variables include the
trajectory (comprising the vehicles
speed, altitude, and angle of attack),
the thermal conditions for the ve-
hicles windward, leeward, and nose
zones, and the thermal loads the ve-
hicle encounters. The final design
accounts for all variables, with a fo-
cus on the 150 sec that make up the
most-critical portion of reentry.
To improve designs, engineers
conducted separate simulations for
each of the physics disciplines. They
used a collection of software pack-
ages and divided the analysis into
seven major computational tasks
and 40 subtasks, many with their
own input and output file types. En-
gineers used Isight process automa-
tion software from Simulia, Provi-
dence, R.I., to organize the tasks,
manage the execution of TAS-Is dif-
ferent codes, and aide in the under- The MDO workflow
standing of results from all of the for the reentry vehicle
tasks. The software helped us cre- in Isight comprised
ate flexible simulation workflows several analysis tasks
such as grid generation
and automate the exploration of so-
and trajectory
lutions for the large design matrix, computations. It used
says Chiarelli. a variety of commercial
To conduct a feasibility study of and proprietary codes
their new MDO approach, engi- and input and output
neers chose a theoretical hypersonic file types. Engineers
reentry vehicle and applied simpli- used the software to
fied assumptions. Further stream- tie together separate
lining the process, they decided to simulations and
optimize globally for all variables automate the analysis.
combined, rather than locally for
each individual variable. To mini-
mize costs, engineers applied the
process-automation softwares adap-
tive simulated annealing algorithm,
a statistical technique that searches
the envelope of design solutions.
Isight performed 200 iteration cy-
cles in only a day, assembling several
designs that satisfied requirements.
OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 41
 CAE
The Isight workflow Chiarelli says the software handled
to verify a theoretical
reentry vehicle
all the simulations and improved the
included proprietary workflow, helping TAS-I unify its
scripts, applications, processes and slash analysis times.
and databases. The After engineers had established a
softwares unified way to efficiently improve designs,
process flow has they had to verify that the result-
eliminated data- ing vehicle would survive during
transcription errors. the harsh conditions of reentry. The
Engineers used the simulation involved a large number
softwares standard of related variables, and engineers
library of process
building blocks, along
again used Isight to manage the
with drag-and-drop workflow.
functions, to construct In past projects, once engineers
the analysis process had defined a trajectory, they iden-
flows. tified extreme thermal loads on the
design, dividing the procedure into
steps. But this approach only let en-
gineers see specific points on the ve-
hicle during worst-case scenarios, so
they typically made overly conserva-
tive design assumptions, which hurt
the crafts performance.
To apply real-world conditions,
engineers plugged a large, proprie-
tary database containing all 25 flight-
condition measures into Isight. The
goal of the analysis was to assess each
time step, for every possible trajec-
tory for every zone on the vehicle.
Engineers relied on the softwares
capability to combine the separate
steps and run the entire process flow.
The software first performed a
Monte Carlo simulation that eval-
uated the models performance for
42 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
the 25 flight parameters during 1,000
sample trajectories. The software
postprocessed results for critical vari-
able time histories at 100 different
locations on the vehicle for all 1,000
trajectories (a total of 300,000 time
histories). Last, it analyzed all the
time histories to identify maximum
heat loads and fluxes for every point
on the vehicle during each trajectory.
As the engineers had hoped, the
MDO approach made it easier to
calculate loads on the vehicle sur-
face while accounting for inaccu-
racies affecting the trajectory itself.
MDO took only about 48 hr, as
compared to the traditional sequen-
tial process of design, analysis, and
optimization, which would take two
weeks, says Chiarelli.
Because of success of the studies,
TAS-I engineers now use higher-
fidelity codes and apply MDO to
more complex reentry vehicles. En-
gineers estimate that man-hours for
simulation iterations in these cases
could be reduced by about 80% be-
cause of fewer manual errors from
data transcription, increased design
efficiency, and better collaboration
between engineering disciplines
and departments. Because engi-
neers can address the many design
uncertainties of hypersonic reentry,
more deep-space probes will return
to Earth with valuable payloads. MD
75D61CD Actuatorline has all the precision you need and wont keep you waiting

s QUICK DELIVERY TIMES

s WEB-BASED DESIGN TOOLS
s LIVE TECHNICAL SUPPORT

SC 60 with
500mm of travel

ROBOT 130 with

2 meters of travel

Learn Fast Design Fast

For data sheets, application guides and Contact one of our applications engineers
white papers, visit our Technical Resource for help selecting an Actuatorline module.
Center at www.actuatorline.com Call 1.877.976.5566

VISIT US AT IMTS BOOTH #E-4351

RS# 131
 MECHANICAL

Here are some tips when using

Working springs for prototyping and design.
with
STOCK SPRINGS
Mechanical equipment and related hardware routinely
include springs in their designs. And in a perfect world,
knowing the load and travel, an engineer can adjust the
mating parts so that the design can use a stock spring.
However, that is usually not the case, and springs are fre-
quently an afterthought.
Often this is because springs are well-engineered and
proven components. Springs operating within their design
parameters will last a long time. And they come in thou-
sands of different sizes and versions. Most common are
compression and extension springs, made from various
materials, with or without a finish.
Stock springs are often used for applications requiring
less than 500 springs per year. Generally, however, it is not
only better but more cost effective to
contact spring manufacturers with
specific requirements. From there,
the manufacturer may recommend
a new design and make a customized
spring for little or no cost premium.
One cannot emphasize enough
the importance of discussing de-
sign requirements with a spring
manufacturer. Stock springs are
great for prototyping, but their use
in production often compromises
other aspects of a design.
This article is meant to help size
springs for prototyping, prior to seek-

Authored by:
Norman Ellis
Ellis & Associates
Laguna Hills, Calif.
Edited by Kenneth J. Korane
ken.korane@penton.com
Key points:
Stock springs are generally intended for
prototyping, and their use in production
can compromise designs.
Experts recommend discussing specific
design requirements with a spring
Stock springs are useful for manufacturer.
prototyping, but altering mating
parts to accommodate a stock Resources:
spring can compromise other Spring Manufacturers Institute, www.
aspects of the final design. smihq.org. The SMI is a good source
for information on spring design and
capabilities, as well as for locating spring
manufacturers.

44 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

 &86720(1*,1((5('
63,1'/(6 6/,'(6
'(6,*1(' 0$18)$&785('
72<28563(&,),&$7,216

ZZZVHWFRFRPVSHF
/HW8V+HOS<RX


RS# 132
 MECHANICAL
ing the expert advice of a spring
manufacturer. Here are some impor-
tant decisions engineers must make
when choosing a spring.
Stock versus special
One way to compare stock and
custom springs is to look at load
tolerance. If a catalog spring has a
theoretical spring rate with a tol-
erance, but is not designed for a
particular load, the actual load at a
given distance can vary three times
as much as a spring specifically
made to meet that load.
This means a stock item with
specific dimensions and spring
rate may not work in the field even
though some samples perform well.
For example, a spring specially made
to produce a 10-lb load at 1.0in. will
hold the load 1 lb. A stock spring,
on the other hand will vary 3 lb.
So prototype testing might succeed
with springs actually running at 7
to 8 lb or 12 to 13 lb, leading one to
assume the 10-lb load was correct.
In reality, the springs were only in
the ball park. And if stock springs
didnt work, perhaps the 10-lb load
was correct but the springs were too
far off. Remember, catalogs are sales
tools, not design tools, and are con-
trolled by the sales department, not
engineering.
If springs are used in applica-
This is an air bearing cylinder?
Yes! with zero friction. And guaranteed to outlast any machine you put it in.
I magine positioning, tensioning, counterbalancing or clamping: all
force controlled with unmatched resolution. With virtually
innite cycle life. And no wear. None. EVER.
We can guarantee it.* Visit
airpel-ab.com to
learn more.
*Airpot
The ne print: Just use in accordance with handling and installation guidelines.
Corp. 800-848-7681. Airpel-AB & Force Without Friction are registered trademarks of Airpot Corporation.
46 MACHINE DESIGN.com
Step-by-step sizing
Here is an example spring-design project with a 1-lb load and 0.054-in. re-
quired travel. Spring rate is 1/0.054 = 19 lb/in. From one manufacturers catalog,
a stock precision-compression spring with 18-lb/in. spring rate serves as a good
reference. This gives free height, OD, wire diameter, and solid height as datums,
letting one calculate the prototype spring size as follows:
From the catalog, free height = 0.500 in. and solid height = 0.145 in. The avail-
able stroke is therefore 0.355 in. Calculating 15% of available stroke as the mini-
mum deflection for preload,
0.355 0.15 = 0.053 in.
This establishes the minimum deflection for first load (preload). Its the weakest
load point.
Subtracting this from the free height,
0.500 0.053 = 0.447 in.
gives the maximum installed height.
Next calculate the maximum usable stroke, at 85% of available stroke:
0.355 0.85 = 0.302 in.
Beyond this stroke the spring will not have repeatable loading.
Finally, subtract the maximum usable stroke from the free height to find the
minimum operating height = 0.198 in. This exceeds the 0.145 in. solid height by
about 27%.
Spring load at the preload distance (0.053 in.) is about 0.95 lb; 0.054 in. required
travel has 0.97-lb load. This gives a total load of 1.92 lb at 0.107-in. stroke. Given
the size, shape, and loading, one can approach a manufacturer about making a
spring. The key is to avoid extremes near the solid height and full extension, and
to use as little of the available stroke as possible.
Determining the spring size also establishes an approximate working area.
From this, one can design internal shafts, counterbores, and other required
features.
The results can be fine-tuned for more-precise loading by using a stronger
spring or limiting movements with a stopping device. If the spring doesnt fit into
the allotted space, one option is to divide the load among several springs. Multi-
ple springs can also provide more-even load distribution or manage higher loads.
Once a spring has been selected, create a prototype to verify fit and function.
Airpel-AB
Force Without Friction
RS# 133
OCTOBER 18, 2012
 Good intentions gone bad
A major spring manufacturer relates this anecdote regarding cus-
tom versus stock springs. One of their customers, in a cost-saving move,
decided to redesign all of their products to use only stock springs. They
purchased some 600 different springs, all in small quantities of 500 per
year or less, and felt 90% could be converted to stock items.
After 10 or so redesigns, spring costs for each fell from about $600
per year to $375. But costs increased approximately $3,000 to $5,000
per device in new tooling to change the mating parts to accommodate
new springs. It took only a year for them to scrap the project.
It will almost never make sense to change mating parts to accom-
modate a stock spring. Use stock items purely for testing to see if they
are in the ball park, not with the expectation of actually using them in
real applications.
Experts typically
recommend
custom springs
unless loads are
not critical and
the application
does not
demand specific
materials, plating,
dimensions, and
tolerances.
Accurate Force Pneumatics:
L et it move you.
I n matters of motion, when your inventive vision requires unparalleled
degrees of accuracy and the kind of pigheaded force consistency that
can be almost impossible to nd, look no further than AirpotCorp. Our
problem-solving line up of instrument-quality products will keep
your project moving.
And our Accurate Force Pneumatics is the key.
With a precision glass cylinder/seal-free piston technology, coupled
with ultra-high quality pneumatics, youll nd products that give you
levels of force and motion control nearly unobtainable by any other
pneumatic means.
Whats more, many of our products can outlast any machine you
put them in. And thats something we can guarantee!
So, when your specications call for a damping, actuation, pressure
Airpot Corp, Norwalk CT USA Learn more at Airpot.com
Airpot & Airpel-AB are registered trademarks of Airpot Corporation
RS# 134
tions where loads are not critical, then stock
springs are acceptable. And remember, most
stock springs are based on the original World
War ll design standards, MIL-STD-29.
Material
Knowing the springs operating en-
vironment helps determine material re-
quirements. The most-common material
is carbon-steel music wire, ASTM A228.
Specifying the correct material keeps costs
in line. For example, opting for a slightly
higher modulus could increase material
costs many times over. And as a springs
maximum operating temperature in-
creases, so does the material price. (The
accompanying table compares the cost of
various raw materials.)
Also note that compression and ex-
tension springs use shear modulus (G),
whereas torsion, flat, and spiral springs
use Youngs modulus (E). And tensile
strength for all spring wires differs with
wire diameter. The smaller the diameter,
the greater the strength and unit load capa-
bility. Thicker wire makes a spring stiffer,
but more coils and a larger outer diameter
(OD) make it weaker.
Corrosion protection
After selecting the material, engineers
should next address corrosion protection and
aesthetics. Springs are available with many
different finishes which are not standard.
Most stock items receive some type of fin-
ish. If you do not specify plating, the price is
sensing, or displacement device that is optimized for exceedingly accurate
and repeatable force control and at a cost lower than other methods
providing comparable function and performance give one of our
application engineers a call.
Lets get started. Whether youre designing or improving a product
line to better serve your customers, or building specialized equipment for
research, high-level testing, or precision assembly, get AirpotCorp
involved early in your process. Call 800-848-7681.
We will move you in ways you might never have imagined.
Airpot Corp
Motion Controlled. Problem Solved.
OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 47
Our New Standard in Geared AC Motors
2 Times More Torque
High Strength, Long Life
Quiet Operations
Same Price As
Conventional Models
V Series geared
AC motors offer
distinct advantages
over conventional
geared AC motors
and now they are
offered at the same
price as our
conventional models.
Quick & Stable
Lead Time.
Visit
www.orientalmotor.com
Technical Support Tel: 800-468-3982
7:30am- 7:00pm, CST (M-F)
Stepping Motors Servo Motors AC Motors Brushless Motors
Linear & Rotary Actuators Cooling Fans
RS# 135
MECHANICAL
Comparing spring materials
Maximum
Modulus of elasticity, Cost,
Material operating
psi 106 $/lb
temperature, F
Torsion (G) Tension (E)
Music wire 11.5 28.8 250 0.70
Alloy steel (chrome silicon) 11.5 29.5 475 1.00
302 stainless steel 10.0 28.0 550 2.00
17-7 PH stainless steel 11.0 29.5 650 3.50
High-temperature alloy
(Inconel X-750 and 12.0 31.0 750 to 1,100 80.00
superalloy)
A comparison of common spring materials shows higher strength and
temperature capabilities can dramatically increase costs.
for a plain finish. And ordering a plated spring is not sufficient, as there are
several different standard types of plating. Preplated wire is also available, but
this always provides less protection than plating afterwards.
Temperature effects
Its important to know if the spring will experience temperature variations.
High temperatures weaken all materials (except some expensive, specialty ma-
terials). High stresses make the problem worse. (Note that the maximum oper-
ating temperatures listed in the table are based on extremely low stress levels.)
Almost all stock items are made from music wire or Type 302 stainless steel.
Music wire and most carbon steels are considered room-temperature materi-
als, generally 40 to 212F. Even then, the metal will still suffer some slight load
loss as temperature rises, dependant on stress. At 250F, music wire theoretically
loses approximately 4.5 to 10% of its load capability at 80,000-psi stress. For a
0.062-in.-diameter wire at 110,000 psi, expect an 8 to 14% loss, assuming approxi-
mately 100hr at this stress level. Chrome silicon wire (alloy steel, generally not
used for stock items) theoretically loses only 1 to 2% at 80,000 psi, and 1.5 to 5%
at 110,000psi.
Type 302 stainless is not even tested at 250F. However, it can be used at some-
what higher temperatures, provided one reduces stress levels. At 350F, stainless
steel gives approximately 1% loss at 80,000 psi, and 4% loss at 110,000psi. But
the design should use only approximately 50% of the available stroke at 350F.
This can continue to 450F with even shorter strokes.
This recommendation makes some assumptions about stock-spring design
stresses that are not necessarily true in every case. Stock items are not designed
for higher temperatures, so always consult a spring manufacturer to get the best
possible result.
17-7 PH stainless steel performs better at higher temperatures but is more
expensive and generally not used for stock items. At 600F, 100 hr under load,
and 80,000 psi, it experiences approximately 3.5% loss, and a 5.5% loss at
110,000 psi.
Nonferrous materials are generally not used to make stock items and tem-
perature ratings vary widely. So-called superalloys are never used to make stock
items. They can be heat treated for specific high-temperature behavior, depend-
ing on requirements.
Note that approximately 95% of the loss a spring will suffer occurs in the first
hour. The Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) defines spring failure as a loss
of 10% or more of its load.
Simple sizing methods
Here are a few guidelines when sizing a spring. In the best case, load require-
ments and mounting locations will be set beforehand. Knowing the preload
OCTOBER 18, 2012
 Brushless Motor Advantages
Whats the
spring index?
Manufacturers sometimes refer to the spring index, a term
not commonly used by design engineers. Spring index indi-
cates the ease of manufacturing as a function of cost. Springs
with smaller indexes, under approximately 3.5, will increase
costs, and it is impossible to go below approximately a 2.5 in-
dex. Larger indexes are only constrained by the spring manu-
facturers equipment. If a specific size spring uses standard
diameter wire and has a spring index of 6 to 10, there will not Compact, High Torque
be a manufacturing or cost issue. Just remember, tightening
tolerances on the diameter also increases costs.
Wide Speed Range

height and required travel also helps.

Continuous Duty
Use Hookes Law:
F = -kx No Maintenance
to determine spring rate or spring constant. Here, F = force exerted on the
spring, x = displacement, and k = spring rate, typically in lb/in. or N/m.
Theoretically, spring rate is linear, provided operation does not get too close
to the free length or solid height. Compression springs are weakest in the first 15
to 20% of available stroke. This portion of the stroke provides preload tension
and prevents shock loads. A spring reaches the strongest point as it approaches
the solid height when all coils are fully compressed and in contact. Not
crowding the solid height is critical, and it is important not to travel beyond this
point. Most stock compression springs take a set (in other words, get shorter
and, therefore, weaker) even before reaching the solid height.
Accounting for free length and compression height leaves a 60 to 70% maxi-
mum operating range. In general, the shorter the actual stroke within this range,
the longer the life. Finally, never let a spring act as its own stop. Limiting travel
with a stop also increases spring life. Brushless Motors
offer all the design
Hole or rod clearance
Another design consideration is hole and/or rod clearance. A common er- exibility needed for
ror when designing with springs is crowding the OD and ID too tightly with
surrounding parts and expecting tight tolerances from a stock spring to suffice.
many different types
Generally, use shaft and counterbore clearances of 0 .015 in. for spring ODs to of applications.
0.375 in. with larger clearances as the OD increases, to perhaps 0.031-in. clear-
ance at 2.00-in. OD. Learn more about the
These are gross approximations that assume stock springs tend to be cen- Brushless Motor
tered, and they do not account for design or manufacturing variations. For
example, considering tolerances, the nominal diameter of a 0.240-in. spring Advantages from
approaches the limit for a 0.250-in. hole. More clearance is encouraged. Some
companies include counterbore or rod size in their catalogs. There again, dis- Oriental Motor.
cuss requirements with the manufacturer. The space needed for the spring and
its mating parts is predicated on the springs actual dimensions.
Quick & Stable
The bottom line: Gather as much information as possible about the intended Lead Time.
application. Contact a manufacturer and explain your requirements and learn
their capabilities. Remember, stock springs are intended for testing and proto-
typing, not for production. Always use custom springs unless youre certain the Visit
requirements arent warranted. www.orientalmotor.com
Good spring companies will do the design for free, but remember them Technical Support Tel: 800-468-3982
when it is time to buy parts. There are over 10,000 spring companies in North 7:30am- 7:00pm, CST (M-F)
America, about 250 of them are capable of aiding you with a design. If you con-
Stepping Motors Servo Motors AC Motors Brushless Motors
tact one who cannot, keep looking. MD Linear & Rotary Actuators Cooling Fans
OCTOBER 18, 2012 RS# 136
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

MOTION
gets help
DESIGN
from Cloud-based applications help analyze high
performance in positioning systems.
the Many positioning stages used in process applications such as semicon-

cloud
ductor manufacturing, microelectronic assembly, lab automation, and light
machining are characterized by attributes such as light inertial loads, short
travel, small footprints, and low cost. But these same tasks may demand high
throughput, high jerk, high acceleration, high velocity, high precision, and
smoothness of motion, all with high reliability.
Authored by:
Boaz Eidelberg Positioning-system model
Engineered systems analyst
Parker Daedal/EMN Controller, amplifier Motor, actuator, load
Irwin, Pa. Xr F X position
Edited by Robert Repas PID Stage
robert.repas@penton.com
Key points:
Many positioning stages are characterized by Feedback
attributes such as light inertial loads, short Reference
travel, small footprints, and low cost.
Cloud-based simplified graphical tools similar F
The block diagram
to Mathcad and Matlab are now useful for of the model of a Stage M
motion analysis. positioning system X
Resources: used in the analysis
Parker Hannifin Daedal Div., www. of positioning-system B K
parkermotion.com RS# 621 design.

System-parameter entry

Data entry of system-model parameters to the Web-based analysis tool.

50 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

 RS# 137

TAILORED.
AVNET SOLUTIONS MEET YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS

From big to small we do it all.

Even big products begin small, with millions of sizes in between. We see them all. Here at Avnet, no
order is too small. Avnet provides products and services to match your needs. No matter the location;
whether you are in the new product introduction phase or extending a products life. If you need
design support, or supply chain assistance were here to help. With Avnet, you determine the scale
of interaction or complexity and we will support you every step of the way, so its a perfect fit!

What can we do for you? www.avnetexpress.com

Accelerating Your Success!

1 800 332 8638 | www.avnetexpress.com | @avnetdesignwire
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE Control buttons

System variables

Control buttons of the cloud-based analysis tool.

It can be tough to design a motion system that meets Kf

both sets of constants. The challenge lies in optimizing the Gstagen :
M

nat 2


n 2 

2



nat

n
i 
system while keeping costs down. System analysis tools  
such as Mathcad and Matlab may help by modeling per- the open-loop transfer function,
formance as a function of various system parameters and
operating conditions. Gsys _o1n :
Gbeltn
Gpid n
But, by turning to the Internet cloud, its possible to de-
and the closed-loop transfer function,
velop a simplified graphical tool resembling Mathcad and
Matlab in concept that engineers can use interactively to Gsys_o1n
Gsys_cln :
quickly analyze various positioning stage configurations.
1
Gsys_o1n 
The tool can quickly estimate answers to questions such where nat = natural frequency, = damping coeffi-
as, What is the settling time of a Parker LCR30 ball-screw cient, and n = sample point. The four equations simulate
stage and LCR30 belt-driven stage, on a 3-mm move, with the time response of the stage with a Runge Kutta
3-kg load, to an accuracy of 150 m? Getting such an- fourth-order numerical integration.
swers with tools like Matlab may require expert modeling
and costly, licensed software. It may be time consuming For the frequency-response analysis, the gain and the
and expensive to test individual stages. On the other hand, phase angles in the equations were determined as follows:
cloud-based tools may give good estimates within a few G = (R2 + I 2)
minutes of trial-and-error runs. Ph = Tan-1(I/R)
Such tools have several advantages. First, in many cases
the tool is free to use on the Web. Second, operation is usu-
ally self-explanatory with 24/7 availability in the cloud. Step response
Third, the tool is usually accessible by PC, cell phone, or 0.0012
Displacement (m)

even tablet. Combined with a manufacturers database of 0.0010

related components, the tool can help choose the opti-
mum product for an application. 0.0008
0.0006
Model description 0.0004
At Parker, we model our positioning-system analysis
0.0002
tool as a closed loop. It consists of two blocks, one for the
controller/amplifier and another for the stage that includes 0
0.10 0.05 0.15 0.20
motor, actuator, and a moving load. The operation and in- Time (sec)
teraction of these block is defined by: the controller trans-
The graph shows the output of the positioning system in
fer function, the time domain as the response to a step input. Note that
 K i
K d 

n 2 
(K p 
n )i the user must enter the time interval and the settling time
Gpid n :  
with the results of the calculation shown in the yellow

n i
boxes. The blue boxes reveal maximum amplifier current
and maximum motor power needed to make the move.
the stage transfer function,

52 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

RS# 138
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

PID frequency response

120
Plant-frequency response

Gain (dB)
80 80
100
Gain (dB)

40
120
140 0
160 1 10 100 1,000
180 Frequency (Hz)
1 10 100 1,000
Frequency (Hz)
100
50

Phase ()
0 0
50 50
Phase ()

100 100
1 10 100 1,000
150 Frequency (Hz)
200
1 10 100 1,000 PID tuning is critical to optimize system performance.
Frequency (Hz) As seen here, the PID gain has a trough shape with
the bottom determined by its proportional gain.
The plant-frequency response is a quick graphical Integral gain ramps up at a rate of 20 dB per decade
means of presenting stage characteristics with a corner frequency of 31.8 Hz.

where G = gain, R = real component of the complex
transfer function in the four equations, I = imaginary
component of the complex transfer functions, and Ph
= phase.
System parameters
The stage is characterized by its moving mass, stiffness,
structural damping coefficient, and motor constant. The
controller is characterized by its proportional, derivative,
Closed-loop frequency response
20
0 The application output first shows the output variables
Gain (dB)
and integral gain settings and the step function setpoint.
These parameters may be changed interactively by trial-
and-error iterations to either represent known system
parameters of potential stages or as trial parameters. Trial
parameters may help reach and confirm desirable system
characteristics or a desirable performance variable.
Operation of the application is controlled by a set of op-
erating buttons. Once the system parameters are entered,
either manually or by clicking the Example button, a click
on the Run button lets the engineer observe the results. A
Clear button erases the input variables permitting a new
start from scratch.
System variables

20 that the tool generates, including stage characteristics and

40 controller-filter characteristics. Stage-characteristic vari-
60
ables include natural frequency and structural-damping
1 10 100 1,000 coefficient. The controller-filter characteristics include a
Frequency (Hz) corner frequency for the integral gain and a corner fre-
quency for the derivative gain.
Note that once the moving weight is known, the
0 damping coef-
ficient and the
50 Typical
Phase ()

stiffness may Typical

settling time
100 be estimated to Stage position
to 1-m
150 generate the de- configuration bandwidth
window
sired stage char- (Hz)
200 (msec)
1 10 100 1,000 acteristics by Belt-driven
iteration. Here 10 0.1
Frequency (Hz) stages
are the typical Ball-screw
50 0.08
Lower frequencies in a closed-loop system produce a gain
stage character- stages
close to zero up to the corner frequency. As frequency istics derived Linear-motor
100 0.04
rises, the shape becomes similar to the open-loop chart. from the work- stages
ing example:
54 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 06')4#6'&16+101.76+105

(Purchase Order to Shipment)

Groschopp uses the Fast Track department to quickly build motors/gearmotors to meet customers demands. Because
Groschopp stocks components rather than nished motors/gearmotors, we can easily make modications to the motor/
gearmotor to meet your requirements. Modications include:

t
Various bolt hole patterns

t
Face/foot mountings with special ange
t
Shaft size/diameter/shape
t

t

Special bearings and seals
Terminal box 48 HOUR
t
Insulation Fast Track Gearmotors
t
Keyway
t
Threading

Because our Fast Track designs are based on standard product lines our experienced, on site machinists can quickly
alter bolt hole patters, create custom shafts, threadings and more.

After the entire build process is complete the Fast Track department has two rooms designated for testing the motors/
gearmotors. Computers and high tech testing equipment allow them to perform accurate tests on the hand-built motors.
From there the motors are packed with the help of a sophisticated Styrofoam packaging system.

Need a few motors quickly? Submit your application specs at www.groshcopp.com/specs or call (800) 829-4135 and
ask to speeak with a regional account manager.

999T)415%*122T%1/
)3/


Groschopp Inc.
420 15th St. NE
100'%69+6*75U !.
!'%
-%.4

3
9
-

34
$
15!,)49

%-

Sioux Center, IA 51250-2100 USA

(712) 722-4135 Phone

&)%
4)

2
800.829.4135 Toll Free #%

(712) 722.1445 Fax 2%')34%2%$

sales@groschopp.com Email

RS# 139
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE
The choice of PID variables automatically deter-
mines the corner frequencies of the controller. The
corner frequencies assist the tuning process in select-
ing the PID gains for the desired stage performance.
System performance
in the time domain
With the response plotted in the time domain, the
graph shows the position response of the stage to a
step input. It should be noted that the user needs to
indicate the time interval for the step response and
the settling window for which settling time will be
calculated in the yellow boxes. The results in the
blue boxes include the maximum amplifier current
required to make this move, along with the maxi-
mum power that the motor needs to generate. The
results also indicate the maximum values of the jerk,
acceleration, and velocity of the stage. Finally, the
results show the settling time to the desired precision
window.
Settling time is an important variable of position-
ing systems. Many positioning applications, such as
auto focus in scanning microscopes, may operate
in repetitive small steps many thousands of times
an hour. This requirement means that throughput
critically depends on settling time and that optimum
performance demands a minimal settling time. The
tool lets the user quickly try out various stage con-
figurations, with various controller parameters, in
an attempt to optimize the desired move. Users can
optimize for minimum settling time subject to con-
straints such as maximum current, maximum accel-
eration, maximum velocity, or maximum jerk.
Plant-frequency response
The plant-frequency response is a quick graph-
ical means of presenting the stage characteris-
tics. As shown in the gain chart, the corner fre-
quency is close to 10 Hz. The exact value is 13 Hz.
The structural damping is high as indicated by the
low amplification. Up to the corner frequency the
gain which is the ratio of the current amplitude
and the output position amplitude is relatively
constant. For frequencies higher than the corner
frequency, the gain drops at a rate of 40 dB per
decade. The phase, as expected for a second-or-
der system, starts at 0 in low frequencies, passes
through 90 at the corner frequency and ends up
at 180 at high frequencies.
PID tuning may not be an easy task. However,
it is critical to optimize system performance. Al-
though the literature is saturated with examples
of PID analysis, it is quite difficult for a nonservo
expert to follow its principles in a relatively short
time. It should be noted that most modern ser-
vocontrollers have one form or another of PID
filters. And many widely used controllers, such as
the Parker ACR, include additional filters such as
56 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
Open-loop frequency response
20
0
Gain (dB)
20
40
60
1 10 100 1,000
Frequency (Hz)
80
100
Phase ()
120
140
160
1 10 100 1,000
Frequency (Hz)
Open-loop gain is the sum of the plant gain and the
controller gain. Important system variables include
the position bandwidth and the stability margins.
feed-forward observers and notch filters, which
are outside the scope of this article.
The first observation is that the PID gain has a
trough shape. The bottom is determined by the pro-
portional gain. For example, a proportional gain of
10,000 sets the bottom of the Gain graph at 80 dB.
Recalling that the definition of a dB = 20 log of the
gain, it implies that dB = 20 Log 10,000, which is
equal to 20 4 or 80 dB.
The next observation is that the left side of the
trough is a low-pass filter which boosts the gain of
low-frequency inputs. This result is from the integra-
tor gain. The integrator operates over a long period;
therefore, the lower the input frequency the lon-
ger the time before position change takes place and,
therefore, the higher the gain. It should also be noted
that the integral gain drops at a rate of 20 dB/de-
cade, crossing the bottom of the trough, as set by the
proportional gain, at the corner frequency around
10Hz. The exact value in the example is 19 Hz.
Similarly, the right side of the trough is the deriva-
tive gain. It is in fact a high pass filter, which ampli-
fies the high frequency gains. Intuitively, the higher
the frequency the higher the rate-of-change of posi-
tion and, therefore, the resulting derivative gain is
higher. Notice that the integral gain ramps up at a
rate of 20 dB per decade. The corner frequency of
the derivative gain is around 100 Hz. Once again,
the exact value of the derivative corner frequency is
31.8 Hz.
A closer look at the phase chart reveals that it
starts at 90and gradually increases to 90. Between
these two limits, the phase chart goes through 45
at the integral corner frequency. It then continues
 :KHQWKHWHPSHUDWXUHLV)
4XDOLW\DQG3UHFLVLRQDUH&ULWLFDO

)OH[LEOH&RXSOLQJVIRUPRWLRQFRQWUROV\VWHPV
UHTXLULQJDFFXUDF\UHOLDELOLW\DQGYDOXH

+HOLFDO3URGXFWV&RPSDQ\,QFDQGLWVHQJLQHHULQJWHDPKDYHRYHU
\HDUVRIH[SHULHQFHGHVLJQLQJDQGPDQXIDFWXULQJLQQRYDWLYH
SURGXFWVIRUFRQWUROOLQJPHFKDQLFDOPRYHPHQWLQFOXGLQJKHOLRVWDWV
WUDFNLQJWKHVXQ

2IIHULQJDYDULHW\RIPDWHULDOVIRUFKDOOHQJLQJHQYLURQPHQWDO
FRQGLWLRQVDQGWKHRSWLRQRILQWHJUDWLQJVHYHUDOSDUWV
LQWRRQHSLHFH+HOLFDOVH[LEOHFRXSOLQJVSURYLGH
\RXWKHSHUIHFWGHVLJQVROXWLRQIRU
DWLQJDQJXODUPLVDOLJQPHQW
DFFRPPRGDWLQJDQJXODUPLVDOLJQPHQW
HWDQGD[LDOPRWLRQ
SDUDOOHORIIVHWDQGD[LDOPRWLRQ

VXFFHVVIXO
:LWKRYHUVXFFHVVIXO
G
GHVLJQVDQG
VWRPHUV
VDWLVHGFXVWRPHUV
\QRWOHW
VHUYHGZK\QRWOHW
FRXSOLQJ
+HOLFDOVWDUWFRXSOLQJ
VZLWK
\RXUGUHDPVZLWK
\
UHDOLW\WRGD\

32%R[:HVW0F&R\/DQH
6DQWD0DULD&DOLIRUQLD
)D[

$6& ,62&HUWLHG

RS# 140
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

through 0, at the center of the proportional gain
region, and through 45 at the derivative corner
frequency.
We may use these corner frequencies of the inte-
gral and derivative gains and the bottom trough of
the proportional gain as cornerstones to shape up
the PID frequency response and reach the desired
performance.
it is not relevant because the phase diagram does not
cross the 180 line.
In summary, the objective of PID controller tun-
ing is to shape the open-loop diagram to maximize
the position bandwidth while maintaining good sta-
bility margins. Different stage types produce differ-
ing position bandwidths with times to settle within a
1-m position.

Open-loop transfer function Closed-loop transfer function

The open-loop gain is the sum of the plant gain The closed-loop frequency response of the sys-
and the controller gain. Similarly, the open-loop tem shows the gain for lower frequencies is close to
phase chart is the algebraic sum of the plant phase zero up to the corner frequency. Then it gradually
and the controller phase. changes its form and starts resembling the shape of
The important system performance variables the open-loop chart at higher frequencies.
drawn from the open-loop diagram are the position Similarly, at lower frequencies the phase is close
bandwidth and the stability margins. The position to zero and, as the frequency rises beyond the corner
bandwidth is the cross over frequency at which the frequency, it starts to resemble the shape of the open-
gain crosses the 3 dB line. In the example its about loop chart.
20 Hz. The stability of the system is measured by the The following is an example of a positioning stage
phase margin and gain margin. The phase margin for semiconductor metrology application. The po-
is estimated to be 40, the difference between the sitioning specification is for a stage moving a load
phase at the crossover frequency (140) and the -180 of 15 kg, a step size of 2 mm and settling to 0.05 m
point. The preferred practice is a minimum phase in less than 140 msec with an amplifier current that
margin of 45 for a robust does not exceed 15 A.
design. Robust servosys- Typical The simulation ran as shown us-
tems are defined as sys- Typical ing the tool at http://www.optineer.
settling time
tems that display minimal Stage position com/Analysis/formulations/pid_con-
to 1-m
sensitivity to changes in configuration bandwidth trol.aspx.
window
(Hz)
parameters. (msec) Within 10 min, trial-and-error
The gain margin is an- Belt-driven
1 1,000
testing determined the least-expen-
other stability variable de- stages sive motor that will do the job. It has
termined from the open Ball-screw a force constant of 54 N/A, equiva-
5 200
loop diagram as the dis- stages lent to the Parker Trilogy 310-4. The
tance between the gain Linear-motor simulation assumes ~92-Hz natural
50 20
at 180 phase and the stages frequency for the stage with a typi-
0-dB line. In the example cal linear motor structural damping

How do you
select the ideal
positioning
sensor solution?
2012 TURCK RS# 141 askTURCK.com
 IF YOURE STILL USING A TYPEWRITER...

Linear & Angular Position, EZ INDEXER

Velocity & Gaging Transducers :[H[LVM[OLHY[ZLY]V
KYP]LU[LJOUVSVN`
4PJYVZVM[,_JLSIHZLK
Position & Velocity Sensing, ZWYLHKZOLL[ZMVYZPTWSLZL[\W
*VTWSL[LZ`Z[LT
Control & Gauging -VYSVHKZMYVTV\UJLZ[V
[LUZVM[OV\ZHUKZVMWV\UKZ
7YPJLKYPNO[
AC and DC Versions
Wide Range of Strokes
& Angles
Excellent Linearity & Repeatability
Low Temperature Coefcient
Custom Congurations by Request
Perfect for machine control, parts inspection, R&D ,HZ`[V0U[LNYH[L9VI\Z[*VUZ[Y\J[PVU
and testing, including servo valves; actuators; hydraulic 5V4HPU[LUHUJL
cylinders; dancer arm; medical devices; robotics; et al.

800/828-3964 www.lvdtsensor.net

Free 76-page catalog and technical assistance
RS# 142
Patented actuators from
Exlar utilize planetary roller
screws to outperform ball
screw actuators in life, load,
speed and acceleration.
^^^JLU[YPJP[`UL[ZHSLZ'JLU[YPJP[`UL[
RS# 143
Controller
Linear or Rotary Actuator
Solutions Available
Amplifier
Motor
Actuator
Or try our totally-integrated
electric actuator solution
Save time and development costs.
Eliminate complex engineering and achieve signicant savings with our
low-maintenance Tritex II motion solutions. These include an integrated controller,
amplier, motor and robust roller screw actuator, all in one efcient, sealed package.
Highest power density, smallest footprint, most durable.
Unrivaled power, performance and compactness comes from our T-LAM
stator design and rugged roller screw technology.
Compare and learn more at www.exlarcorp.com
RS# 144
 MOTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

of ~0.03. The resulting maximum current was ~12.5 A and
the move and settle of a 2-mm step to 50 nm completed in
81.2 msec. The simulation also shows the PID gains used
to get this performance. The results indicate a bandwidth
around 15 Hz.
As demonstrated, simple analytic tools may reside on
an internet cloud server and be available for users 24/7 as
free promotional support. It should be made clear, how-
ever, that such tools depend on the assumptions used.
Therefore, these tools, such as the one presented in this
article, must be used with caution and their results should
always be validated by other tools or actual testing. MD

Output of the analysis tool located at www.optineer.com. Simple trial-and-error calculations yielded within 10 min the
least-expensive motor that could perform this job.

Introducing the
fo
N 20
ew 12

EC35
r

Optical Commutation
!

Kit Encoder
 High performance 35mm encoder
for BLDC motors
 Visit usdigital.com/ec35 or scan the
QR code below for more information 

Order today,
usdigital.com/ec35
get it tomorrow. 360.260.2468
Orders placed before
Proud to manufacture
11 A.M. PST, ship same day.
in the USA.

RS# 145
60 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 seethe
light
UV Curable Epoxy Has
Enhanced Thermal Stability
Adhesive/Sealant UV15TK
Tough
&KHPLFDOO\UHVLVWDQW
(OHFWULFDOO\LQVXODWLYH

154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA

PDLQPDVWHUERQGFRP

www.masterbond.com
RS# 146

RS# 148

RS# 136

RS# 147
 Vesconite Micro
Electric
Hilube Clutch

Up to ten
times the life
of bronze
41/6*'914.&5.#4)'56
/#07(#%674'41(914.&g%.#55
'.'%641/#)0'6+%%.76%*'5 ,SLJ[YVTHNUL[PJJS\[JOLZ IYHRLZ
#0&$4#-'5 MVY]PY[\HSS`L]LY`HWWSPJH[PVU

 No grease needed 19%156X*+)*81.7/'&'5+)0

'41$#%-.#5*#4/#674'
 Ideal in dirt and +g&+4'%6+10#.12'4#6+10
4'g#55'/$.'&X10'2+'%'%105647%6+10
underwater 7561//1.&'&)'#461;17452'%5

 Small to XXL sizes

866 635 7596 ENN#0&1.2*1#&1/'45'6XNLLKG
*10'UKGFgFKEgKGJE
#:UKGFgFKEgKILN
vesconite.com '$5+6'U*662U1)74#g%.76%*T%1/f/+%41
/#+.U+0(1u1)74#g%.76%*T%1/

RS# 149 RS# 150

,W2QO\/RRNV6PDOO
With a prole less than 1/2" square,
it can deliver precision even in tight spots.

Mini Cylinder

RCD
DSEP
Controller www.IntelligentActuator.com/RCD
RS# 151

IAI America, Inc. California: 800-736-1712 Illinois: 800-944-0333 Georgia: 888-354-9470

 ORR ON ENGINEERING R

Whats new? ([WUHPHO\UREXVW6HQVRUV

In the engineering and investing worlds, there is confu- IRUDQJOHLQFOLQDWLRQ
sion about the meaning of innovation and inven- Joel Orr SRVLWLRQPHDVXUHPHQW
tion. The trend is to consider an invention as a new Copywriter,
creation, and an innovation as a variant of an existing www.joelwritescopy. 326,7$3( :%
product or process. Unfortunately, dictionaries dont help com 7DSH([WHQVLRQ
much. Many definitions of innovation readily reduce (650) 336-3937 3RVLWLRQ6HQVRUV
to making something new, which sounds much like the x0HDVXUHPHQWUDQJH
LQ
definition of invention. x$QDORJP$66,
Linguistic quibbles aside, the distinction between invention as new and &$1RSHQ-
innovation as improved is important from a business point of view. For ex- x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3
,3
ample, many years ago, Jon Hirschstick,
who later started SolidWorks, founded 326,&+521 3&)3
a company called Premise. Its product, 0DJQHWRVWULFWLYH
DesignView, introduced on the Micro- 3RVLWLRQ6HQVRUV

It is easier soft stage by Bill Gates at the Windows

2 launch, was a novel conceptual 2D de-
x0HDVXUHPHQWUDQJH
LQ
x$QDORJP$66,

to succeed sign tool. Companies loved the demo,

but none bought the software. When he
&$1RSHQ-
x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3
later sold the company at fire-sale terms, ,3.
with an Hirschstick said, Never again will I try to 326,&+521 3&67
sell a product to manufacturers that has 0DJQHWRVWULFWLYH

improvement not already been included on their line-

item budgets.
3RVLWLRQ6HQVRUV
x0HDVXUHPHQWUDQJH
LQ
than with In contrast, Hirschstick pitched Solid-
Works software as an improvement to ex-
x$QDORJP$66,
&$1RSHQ-
isting feature-based packages. The com- x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3
something pany became successful and was later ,3.
acquired by Dassault Systmes. 326,527 35$69
completely This is an object lesson on the theme
of invention versus innovation. The story
0DJQHWLF$QJOH6HQVRUV
xDQJOHVHQVRU
supports the view that it is easier to suc-
new. ceed with an improvement than with
x$QDORJLQFUHPHQWDO
66,&$1RSHQ-
x:LWKLQVKDIW
something completely new.
x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3
What does this mean to working engi- ,3.
neers? A commonly cited aphorism says,
You can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs. Many people miss the 326,7,/7
irony of the last words: The arrows come from your own team, not from the bad 37$037'0
,QFOLQRPHWHUV
guys out in front of you. xD[HV
Therefore, if you are attempting to introduce a new device or process, be sure x,Q0(06WHFKQRORJ\
to lay the groundwork carefully. Educate potential customers and show them x$QDORJRXWSXW
&$1RSHQ-
why it is in their interest to use the new tool. Engage opinion leaders whose x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3
approval and thoughts are sought by others. Also make sure management sup- ,3.
ports the change. Nothing kills an initiative faster than a thumbs down from
management. 326,7,/7 37$037'0
The idea that innovation can be more promising than invention for busi- ,QFOLQRPHWHUV
nesses (using the common distinction between the terms) is just a starting xD[HV
point. It is also important to manage innovation. Most programs try to create an x$QDORJRXWSXW
atmosphere that welcomes novelty and evaluates it fairly, rather than rejecting &$1RSHQ-
it out of hand. Other programs monitor, measure, control, and encourage R&D x3URWHFWLRQFODVV,3

processes.
RS# 152
So, whats new with you? And is it better? MD
$606HQVRUV,QF
Edited by Leslie Gordon
leslie.gordon@penton.com, Twitter @LeslieGordon ZZZDVPVHQVRUVFRP
LQIR#DVPVHQVRUVFRP
OCTOBER 18, 2012 7HO$6086$
 SOFTWARE PRODUCTS
Software for transmission design
RomaxDesigner is for the design, analysis, and optimization of transmis-
sions. The software includes everything from concept design tools to de-
tailed microgeometry tools. According to the developer, the software is
validated by 16 of the worlds top 20 automotive OEMs.
Romax Technology, Nottingham, U.K., www.romaxtech.com

Nesting
software
ensures efficient
material use
NestlibOnline is online nesting
software for optimizing material
use. It helps users fit 2D shapes on
large sheets. Users can easily get
)*(+,"-$,%
$&-&& )*%,! nested layouts by loading 2D DXF
2&30.
)+'&""-'*,- )+$'&-%,()%'*(& parts and specifying sheet sizes.
'+ +,&,("-   The software provides nested
'*11/-( layouts and nest summary in PDF

 
 format. To download nested lay-
4.1201/-(4#/1$4
'214.1*42-,43-,/-(4#/1$ outs in DXF format, users must opt
241 '204&20141$/.4&0*3..4%/-/%/
3. for a paid subscription. Visit www.
%2130/2'4#2.13 nestlibonline.com
Geometric Americas Inc.,
402#4%2130/2'4/.4#*04$20,3-3,4,0/-(41$3 '1/&'3
50 Kirts Blvd., Suite A, Troy, MI
,02#/-(4&0*3..403,/-(41$34-33,4
*0 /2%3130.
.3*-,204$321410321/-(4*-4%*.14&201. 48084, (248) 404-3500, www.
geometricglobal.com RS #429

Free CAD
 2 . plug-in for
&"%!,&)" custom parts
* &-%( 32, Print3D software, a free plug-in,
/2%3130. works with Pro/Engineer, Solid-
Works, and Inventor to provide
0/%& real-time feedback and quotes
*0%/-( for custom manufactured parts
directly in the CAD program. The
software makes it unnecessary to
+-+)&) export .STL files or upload files to
external Web sites. Non-CAD users
!+-(+

can also benefit by downloading

#)*(+,!#'+%( $2&3, the stand-alone plug-in. To down-
$2&3, /,3 '2-(3.
+)-'*-  *'3. load Print3D, visit http://tinyurl.
/30/-(
com/cft5lov
Quickparts.com Inc., 301
)*(+,-*,$*'($)%,!-+#-,'# Perimeter Center N, Suite 500,
21301*#-444) 44443'4)"! " + Atlanta, GA 30346, (877) 521-8683,
www.quickparts.com
)*(+,-*,$*'($)%,!-+#-+-*%+),%*-,'# RS #430
.1/-444 ! )44443'4 +")" ) r
formation via ou
Request free in Web site at
Reader Service
c
RS# 153 design.com/rs
ww w.machine
64 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 maxon EC 22 HD
Highly robust.

RS# 154

maxon drives in deep drilling technology.

When it really
matters.
Our drive systems also go to great depths inside the
earth. They are used, for instance, in drill heads and
help to open up hard-to-reach deposits.

The maxon product range is built on an extensive modular

system, encompassing: brushless and brushed DC motors
with the ironless maxon winding, planetary, spur and special
gearheads, feedback devices and control electronics.

maxon motor is the worlds leading supplier of high-precision

drives and systems of up to 500 watts power output. Rely
on the quality of the highly specialized solutions which we
develop with and for you. www.maxonmotorusa.com

RS# 156
RS# 155
 SPOTLIGHT HYDRAULIC & PNEUMATIC CYLINDERS

Tie-rod Pneumatic
cylinders stopper
The MH Series of metric hydraulic
tie-rod cylinders feature pistons
cylinders
that offer a unique combination of Stopper cylinders are
cast-iron rings and polyurethane U- available in seven rod-
cup seals for excellent load holding. end styles with strokes
The piston rod and rod bearings of 20 and 30 mm and in
are constructed with hard-chrome- 32, 40, and 50-mm bores.
plated/polished high-strength steel Shock absorbers are stan-
and bronze. Medium carbon-steel dard on lever/roller-style
tie-rods with rolled threads extend models; direction of roll-
cylinder life. The units are designed ers is adjustable. All styles
to ISO 6020/2 160 bar standards for feature magnetic pistons
the global metric market. so magnetic sensors can
be mounted on cylin-
der surfaces when input
signals are required for
controllers. The devices extruded aluminum body has counter-
bored through holes for rigid mounting in limited space. Units
can be double acting or single acting with spring extended
rod. The double-acting models are available with a built-in fail-
safe extended rod.
Fabco-Air Inc., 3716 N.E. 49th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609, (352)
373-3578, www.fabco-air.com
RS# 447

Dual-rod-guided
air cylinders
The cylinders are available in The E-Series dual-rod-guided air cylinders joins the NITRA
bore diameters of 25, 32, 40, 50, pneumatic line for applications requiring precise alignment or
63, 80, 100, 125, 160, and 200 mm that have large side loads. Interchangeable with other brands,
with working pressures up to 210 the double-acting cylinders feature a high-quality extruded
bar. ISO MP1, MP3, MP5, MT1, MT2, aluminum housing
MT4, ME5 and ME6 mounting con- and switch-mounting
figurations are available. Double- tracks, dual chrome-
rod versions of the MT1, MT2, MT4, plated stainless-steel
ME5 and ME6 are also available. guide rods, and
Male or female threaded-rod op- bronze bushings.
tions are standard, and standard With a maximum
porting is BSPP for leak-free con- operating pressure of
nections. 142 psi, the cylinders
Milwaukee Cylinder, 5877 S. Penn- are available in eight
sylvania Ave. , Cudahy, WI 53110, bore sizes from 12 to
(414) 769-9700, www.milwaukeecy- 63 mm, and depend-
linder.com ing on bore size,
RS# 446 stroke lengths from
10 to 250 mm.
r AutomationDirect, 3505 Hutchinson Rd., Cumming, GA
formation via ou
Request free in Web site at 30040, (770) 889-2858, www.automationdirect.com
Re ad er Se rv ice
c RS# 448
design.com/rs
ww w.machine

66 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

 Powerful,
clean, efcient.

OFFERS QUALITY MOTOR SOLUTIONS!

Since 1917, Ohio Electric has produced a full range of standard
and custom DC motors. Shown below are two types of the
many choices of motor products available from Ohio Electric:

High performance
drum motors
r:WHJLZH]PUN
r9L]LYZPISL EXPLOSION PROOF WOUND FIELD
r4HPU[LUHUJLMYLL MOTORS MOTORS
r  TLJOHUPJHSLMJPLUJ` Available in NEMA 48 to 56 Frames Available in 5, 6.7 & 8" Diameters
r/PNOHJJLSLYH[PVUHUKKLJLSLYH[PVU Output Ranges from 1/8 to 1.25 HP Output Ranges from 2 to 10 HP
r/PNOU\TILYVMWYLJPZPVUZ[HY[ZZ[VWZ High Start-Up Torque Speed Range: 500 to 4,000 RPM
r<S[YHO`NPLUPJ0707 2WYV[LJ[PVUYH[PUN Volts: 12-180 Volts: 72 to 260
r(Z`UJOYVUV\ZHUKZ`UJOYVUV\ZTV[VYZH]HPSHISL
Motors - UL and CSA Approved Motors - UL and CSA Approved
r:PUNSLWOHZLHUKWOHZLJVUN\YH[PVUZ
r7OHZLPUK\Z[YPHSTVKLS\W[V/7 Other Options Available Other Options Available
r:[HUKHYKKPHTL[LYZTTTTTTTT TT WE MANUFACTURE RELIABLE, QUALITY MOTORS FOR CUSTOMERS THAT LAST.
r(]HPSHISL^P[OWYVSLKSHNNPUNVYZWYVJRL[ZMVYILS[PUN
r*YV^ULKHUKJ`SPUKYPJHS[\ILZ
r4HKLPZ<:(
ISO 9001: 2008

828/626-2901
www.ohioelectricmotors.com www.hbdindustries.com
RS# 157 RS# 158

RS# 159
 PRODUCTS formation via ou
Request free in Web site at
Se rv ice
r

Read er
c
design.com/rs
ww w.machine

Ac-dc cast joystick tern allows for direct re-
controller placement of competitors
master switches. They are
The NS2/NSB2-KB Series of
environmentally sealed to
heavy mill duty, ac and dc
IP65, providing protection
cast joystick controllers feature
from dust, oil and other non-
corrosion-resistant components.
corrosive materials.
The devices mounting hole pat-
The NS2/NSB2-KB Series
accommodates specific control re-
quirements with a variety of standard
and custom-engineered configura-
tions and the contact drive can be
rotated for panel layout versatility. Op-
tional handle configurations include
pushbutton, mechanical interlock,
and rocker switch. Available propor-
tional and discrete outputs include 4
to 20 mA, 10-V amplifier, and CANbus.
J.R. Merritt Controls Inc., 55 Sperry
Ave., Stratford, CT 06615, (800) 333-

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS 5762, www.jrmerritt.com

RS# 465

to tricky problems Ethernet gateway

The BL67 Ethernet gateway for Ether-
accomplished with proven pneumatic technology net/IP and Modbus TCP/IP provides
a reliable communication solution
Pancake for on-machine, modular I/O applica-
tions. The BL67 handles applications
Air Cylinders requiring digital or analog inputs and
outputs, specialty I/O such as SSI and
RFID, and serial inputs to industrial
Ethernet networks.

Short stroke air cylinders outperform rivals in tough applications.

CNC machined from aluminum billet, these cylinders provide unequalled strength,
rigidity, and piston rod support maintaining perpendicularity and concentricity for
locating, mounting and making attachments to the rod. Heavy wall prevents damage
to the bore from external impacts. Magnetic position sensors feature surge suppres-
sion, polarity protection, LED indicators and extremely fast switching speeds.

 Bores: 1/2" 4"; Strokes: 1/16" 4".

 Custom cylinders to your specifications.
 Piston rod is 303 hard chrome plated Featuring Multiprotocol technol-
stainless steel shafting.
ogy, the gateway combines multiple
 Non-metallic rod bearing is captured Ethernet protocols in a single device,
internally and can NOT "blow out".
yet only allows one Ethernet master
 Self lubricated, the rod bearing has to control the outputs while the input
a loading capacity of 60,000 psi
vs. 4,500 psi for porous bronze.
and diagnostic data is available to
the other protocols. The device offers
 Low operating pressure allows
isolated power for 16 inputs and 16
for use in vacuum applications.
outputs, in addition to 16 I/O configu-
 Dial-A-Stroke adjusts extend stroke. rations for flexible application require-
 Delivery 1 to 2 days. ments. An Ethernet switch allows
a line topology between multiple
gateways without using an external
switch, eliminating the need for ad-
FABCO-AIR solves problems. Let us help! ditional cable runs to the PLC.
www.fabco-air.com (352) 373-3578 Turck Inc., 3000 Campus Dr., Plym-
outh MN 55441, (800) 544-7769,
www.turck.us
RS# 466
RS# 160
68 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
SPEEDLOC PRECISION MOUNTING SYSTEM... Why send out parts for modification?
AND MORE. Get it done right the first time!
YOUR DETAILS

OUR EXPERTISE
Fixtureworks is your source for precision mounting
systems from Modern Industries. The SpeedLoc locating
and mounting system offers the ability to make fast and
accurate setup changes to improve productivity and reduced
operating costs. Also available are ModLoc modular tooling
columns that utilize SpeedLoc locators to create a highly flexible
tooling column that is as rigid and strong as a traditional cast
tombstone. Fixtureworks is your source for a wide variety of
TIME SAVED!
clamps, fixturing accessories and machine tool components.
Call 800.243.6125 for a catalog.
For our interactive catalog, visit www.pic-design.com
FAX: 203.758.8271 E-Mail: info@pic-design.com
A Division of

From Prototype
through Production
888.794.8687 www.fixtureworks.net
RS# 161 RS# 162

Recipe for Perfect Fluid Control

Step 1: Choose Step 2: Customize Step 3: Win
Choose from the largest range of uid Partner with us to customize our standard Win with Gems: more performance, lower
sensors and controls products to your exact requirements. cost, quicker to market.

RS# 136
LEVEL FLOW PRESSURE VALVES

RS# 163
 PRODUCTS

Slitters
THE Acu-Slit slitter comes in
online and cut-to-length con-
figurations. The multipurpose,
rotary device features a solid,
hardened anvil, and blade ma-
terials are through-hardened
D-2 steel. Both units have pre-
cision bearings to handle high
load forces, as well as precision Crush Cut
machined-steel side frame
plates. The unit mounts on any
production line and per-
forms a variety of tasks
from simple slitting to
motorized slitter that
cut dense materials.
Shear-cut slitters
provide precise cuts
on flexible materials and
have the longest blade life. Shear Cut
Crush-cut slitters cut thicker, low-density materials such as
filter media and nonwovens.
AZCO Corp., 26 Just Rd., Fairfield, NJ 07004, (973) 439-1428, www.azcocorp.com
RS# 467

TEFLON
Low
COATINGS coefficient
of friction
To enhance product
performance
Donwell Company is a licensed
DuPont applicator for all TEFLON
Coatings. These coatings can
improve the performance of your
parts by providing them with one Chemical
resistance
or more beneficial properties.

Non-stick

We coat both small and large parts to close tolerances in

quantities from 1 to 1,000,000. Call Donwell for custom
TEFLON coating services to meet your specifications.

1-800-864-2702
P.O. Box 906, 130 Sheldon Rd.
Manchester, CT 06040
Tel: (860) 649-5374
www.donwell.com Fax: (860) 647-0074
RS# 164 RS# 165 TEFLON is a registered trademark of the DuPont Co.
Positioning system the valve and electronics. A single five-pin M8x1
The S2 Servo Pneumatic Proportional Con- connector lets a single cable carry all signals
trol System is for variable positioning of air to the electrical cabinet. The unit features
cylinders. The all-in-one pneumatic device 10-Vdc excitation for resistive linear feed-
can positioning heavy loads at speeds up to back devices.
100 ips. Handling loads in excess of 100 lb, it can Enfield Technologies, 35 Nutmeg Dr.,
move at 25 ips across a selection of cylinders. Trumbull, CT 06611, (800) 504-3334,
The units controller eliminates external wiring between www.enfieldtech.com RS# 468

Linear-rail system
The BGS04 linear-rail system handles
high moment loads. Its roll, pitch, and
yaw-moment load capability lets it
maintain tight accuracy and repeat-
ability, even for applications requiring
cantilevered loading.
A linear actuator drives a 303
stainless-steel precision leadscrew.
The leadscrew, coated with Black Ice
TFE for permanent wear-resistant dry
lubrication, drives an antibacklash nut

embedded in a machined aluminum

carriage mounted to a stainless-steel
ball rail. Depending on load require-
ments, the linear rail is available with
either the Size 11 (28-mm) double
stack or Size 17 (42-mm) single stack
hybrid linear actuator.
Designed to maintain accuracy
while moving heavy loads, the units
maximum roll, pitch, and yaw mo-
ments are 5.72 lb-ft (7.75 Nm), 4.88 lb-ft
(6.60 Nm), and 5.68 lb-ft (7.70 Nm),
respectively. Maximum horizontal load
is 22 lb (100 N). Leadscrew resolution Martin offers the industry's broadest 6SURFNHWV *HDUV 6KHDYHV
ranges from 0.025 to 1.00 in. (0.635 to product range with fast delivery from stock, %XVKLQJV &RXSOLQJV 6LQWHUHG0HWDO
25.40 mm) per revolution. same day / next day rebores and alterations,
When combined with a 6\QFKURQRXV'ULYHV 3ODVWLF
fast turnaround times on Made-to-Orders.
200 step/rev stepper motor, linear Our broad selection continues to grow with 6FUHZ&RQYH\RUV 'UDJ&RQYH\RUV
positioning resolution is enhanced complete inventories in 30 North American %XFNHW(OHYDWRUV +'&RQYH\RU3XOOH\V
to 0.000125 (0.003 mm) to 0.005 in. branch locations. ,QGXVWULDO+DQG7RROV&DVW,URQ6SURFNHWV
(0.127 mm) per input pulse. Stroke
length is 1 (25 mm) to 18 in. (460 mm).
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions,
1500 Meriden Rd., Waterbury, CT
06705, (203) 756-7441, WWWMARTINSPROCKETCOMs  
www.haydonkerk.com RS# 469 7KH21(<RX5HO\2Q RS# 166

OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 71

 PRODUCTS
Customized plastic tubing
Eight methods to customizing plastic
tubing are now available.
Custom extrusions additives are
blended with raw materials for low-
temperature flexibility, improved elas-
ticity, and antistatic properties.
Hot Bond thermally bonded tubing
Germany | USA | Mexico | China
Planetary Gears.
High quality for all volumes.
IMS Gear offers the optimum solution and the process that you need.
From prototypes to high-volume series.
Unlimited
possibilities.
ITS ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE THE CHOICE. FOR EVERY PROBLEM THERE IS ONE SOLUTION.
With our standard modular system for
Planetary Gears you have over 10,000 con-
guration possibilities to choose from. match your needs. Ultimate flexibility for
Small and medium volume production or
prototypes? Then IMS.baseline is the fast
and reliable solution with a selection of
Standard Planetary Gears.
www.imsgear.com
Gear Technology. Worldwide.
72 MACHINE DESIGN.com
a neat, contained ribbon of tubing
without the use of damaging adhe-
sives or cable ties.
Heat-formed shapes eliminate
problems such as kinking and proper
fitting attachment.
Coiling gives traditionally straight
or semirigid tubing easy movement
Unique solutions.
dial and axial load support for hydrau-
IMS.techline offers the customization of
the modular standard gear drives to exactly
ing, come in over 50 models with
high volume production.
IMS Gear Planetary Gears Inc.
440 Viking Drive Suite 110
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
phone 757-227-5553 x401
RS# 167
OCTOBER 18, 2012
and retraction.
Fabrication printing, striping,
repetitive cutting, slitting, and hole
punching
Overbraiding and jacketing of-
fers heat and friction protection, plus
added pressure capabilities
Hose assemblies reduces on-site
inventories and labor
Dip-molded tubing provides con-
sistent interior dimensions, even flow,
and the elimination of fittings and
clamps
NewAge Industries Inc., 145 James
Way, Southampton, PA 18966; (800)
506-3924, www.newageindustries.
com/custfab.asp RS# 470
Overhung
load
adaptors
Overhung load adaptors increase ra-
lic motors and pumps. The units, de-
signed for either face or foot mount-
input bore sizes from / to 3 in. SAE
mounts available include A, B, C, D, E,
and F with two or four bolt-mounting
flanges. The adaptors are available
with many shaft options including
splined, threaded, tapered, and ex-
tended output shafts. The shafts are
precision machined from high-quality
130,000 PSI stress-proofed steel.
Zero-Max, 13200 Sixth Avenue N,
Plymouth, MN 55441, (800) 533-1731,
www.zero-max.com RS# 471
 Static
Photoelectric sensor
Series 61 photoelectric sensors let users benefit from the
Control
powerful optical performance without the cost. These UL
and cUL listed sensors are available in dc models with a
with
4-in-1 output and ac/dc models with SPDT relay output.
Easy-to-access controls simplify setup and adjustments, Conductive
and color-coded labels make it easy to identify a given sen-
sors sensing mode. Brushes
The 4-in-1 output automatically sinks or sources, de-
pending upon the load detected, simplifying setup by
delivering four output options from a single sensor. The
sensors include standard diffuse mode with a 1 or 4-m sensing range; diffuse with
background suppression mode with a 500-mm or 2-m sensing range; polarized
retroreflective mode with an 18-m sensing range, and a thru-beam mode with a
60-m sensing range.
The ac/dc versions with SPDT relay output offer switching up to 3 A. For harsh
applications, the sensors also come in fiber-optic versions where the sensing
range is dependent on the fiber cable. The fiber-optic fitting is suitable for use
with all universal glass fiber-optic cables.
Ac/dc connection options include a 2-m fixed cable or a five-pin, M12 mini-
style quick-disconnect. Dc connection options include a 2-m fixed cable or a
four-pin, M12 micro-style quick-disconnect. The sensors mount via front and rear
US AT
slots, rear dovetail guide, or M30 1.5 mounting base. JOIN
K EX PO
Pepperl+Fuchs, 1600 Enterprise Pkwy., Twinsburg, OH 44087; (330) 486-0001; A C
P BOOTH: 8
8 8 2
www.pepperl-fuchs.us RS# 472

Sealezes brushes for static control:

t

4JNQMF
CPMUPO
TPMVUJPO
UP
TUBUJD

QSPCMFNT
t

/P
NPOJUPSJOH
PS
BEKVTUNFOUT

SFRVJSFE
t
$PTUFGGFDUJWF

Eliminate Static
t

*NQSPWF
QSPEVDUJPO
TQFFE
t

3FEVDF
DMJOHJOH
QBSUJDMFT
BOE

NJOJNJ[F
TUBUJD
JOEVDFE
EFGFDUT
t

*NQSPWF
PQFSBUPS
TBGFUZ

Call for copies of our technical data

sheets or a free copy of a white paper
describing sealeze soft-fiber brush in
a PETG film narrow-web application.

'PS
NPSF
UIBO

ZFBST

4FBMF[F
IBT
IFMQFE
EFTJHO

BOE
NBOVGBDUVSJOH
FOHJOFFST

EFTJHO
TPMVUJPOT

800.787.7325
FNBJM
JOEVTUSJBM!TFBMF[FDPN
XXXTFBMF[FDPN
*40

$FSUJ
FE

RS# 168 RS# 169

OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 73
 DATA FILE LITERATURE ADVERTISING
RS# 250
New and Improved Seal Design Guide at
applerubber.com
Apple Rubbers Seal Design
Guide has everything you
need for your sealing solu-
tions. With an interactive Tech-
nical Summary and multiple
formulas available, its never
been easier to find the seals
you need. Bookmark the Seal
Design Guide for information
at your fingertips to determine
ader Service
Access our Re
ickly find and
Website to qu
fo rm ation on the
request in d
services foun
products and ACHINE DESIGN.
ge s of M
in the pa
c
design.com/rs
w w w.machine
New ACE Controls Gas Springs RS# 252
ACE expands its Gas Spring product line with 28 new models including
20 new Stainless Steel versions and over 280 additional stroke lengths.
Tandem Gas Springs featuring two pressure tubes with different exten-
sion forces now available. ACE Gas
Springs provide counterbalance motion
control for lifting and lowering covers,
lids, panels, hoods, hatches and guards.
Fixed force and adjustable models with
push and pull type designs. Solid, long-life
construction. Wide variety of end fittings
for ease of installation.
ACE Controls Inc.
Farmington Hills, MI
(800) 521-3320 (248) 476-0213
Email: shocks@acecontrols.com
www.acecontrols.com
RS# 251
New tutorials and podcasts on Learn Web site
326,7$3(
7DSH([WHQVLRQ3RVLWLRQ6HQVRUV What is a PLC plus many more
topics on industrial control prod-
XWLOL]HWKHIXQFWLRQDOSULQFLSOHRIWKH ucts including new videos and
&DEOH([WHQVLRQ3RVLWLRQ6HQVRUV
podcasts on AutomationDirects
&RQVWUXFWHGZLWKDVSHFLDOO\GHVLJQHGVWDLQOHVVVWHHO free self-service learning site.
WDSHWKH\DUHSHUIHFWO\VXLWHGIRUDSSOLFDWLRQVWKDWUH Visit http://learn.automationdirect.com
TXLUHSXOOH\VGXHWRWLJKWORFDWLRQV to watch these and other tutorials
on a range of industry topics.
$606HQVRUV,QF
:*UDQG$YH8QLW
(OPKXUVW,/86$
compression, cross sections,
stretch, and more.
Apple Rubber Products
RS# 253
B&B Electronics is a global source
for rugged, reliable,
edge-to-backbone wired and
wireless networking.
Backed by strong technical
support, B&Bs Ethernet, USB,
Wireless and Serial solutions are
known for being easy to use, easy
to install and easy to order.
Contact:
B&B Electronics
Tel: 888.948.2248
Email: orders@bb-elec.com
URL: http://www.bb-elec.com
Download B&Bs latest white papers:
http://bb-elec.com/technical_library.asp
RS# 256

EJBM
QMBUFT

SPUBSZ
VOJPOT

TMJQ
SJOHT

BOE
NBOZ

RS# 259
Valves & Fittings Provide
Leakproof Protection to
6,000 psi
26HDO 6\VWHP YDOYHV DQG WWLQJV
DUH UDWHG IRU KHDY\GXW\ OLTXLG RU
JDV VHUYLFHV DQG SURYLGH \HDUV RI
UHOLDEOH OHDNSURRI RSHUDWLRQ  7KH
XQLTXH26HDO6\VWHPGHVLJQDOORZV
RSHUDWRUVWRFKDQJHRXWYDOYHVDQG
RWKHU FRPSRQHQWV IRU PDLQWHQDQFH
ZLWKWKHVLPSOHWXUQRIDXQLRQQXW
7KHDWIDFHGWWLQJVDUHMRLQHGZLWK
DUHVLOLHQW2ULQJLQDFORVHWROHUDQFH

LQIR#DVPVHQVRUVFRP
ZZZDVPVHQVRUVFRP
RS# 254 RS# 255
New BEI Sensors Selection Guide Covers Products,
Environments and Technology for Motion Control 0HWDO%HOORZV$FWXDWRUV
BEI Sensors product selection guide :LWKVL]HVOHVVWKDQLQFK
explains the fundamentals of various LQGLDPHWHUEHOORZV
speed and position sensing technolo- DFWXDWRUVFDQUHGXFHWKH
gies and how to choose which is best
VL]HRIWUDGLWLRQDODFWXDWRUV
suited to a particular application. LQK\GUDXOLFDQGSQHXPDWLF
BEIs extensive line of rugged products V\VWHPV%HOORZV7HFKHGJH
include rotary encoders, rotary and ZHOGHGPHWDOEHOORZVDOORZ
linear potentiometers and rotary DORQJVWURNHH[FHOOHQW
Hall effect sensors, all of which are PHGLDFRPSDWLELOLW\DQGKLJK
displayed in easy-to-read charts that WHPSHUDWXUHDQGSUHVVXUH RS# 258
summarize the most critical specifica- FDSDELOLWLHV
tion criteria side-by-side.
www.beisensors.com/guide
ZZZEHOORZVWHFKFRP
RS# 257
Bokers 2012 LARGE ROTARY TABLES - SERVO DRIVEN
Washer Catalog
Bokers complimentary 2012
Washer Catalog offers a se-
lection of more than 26,000
non-standard flat washer sizes
available. With numerous out-
side and inside diameters, a
wide variety of thicknesses
and over 2,000 material op-
RS# 261
tions, Bokers provides endless r
%JBNFUFST
HSFBUFS
UIBO

possibilities. Materials include r
-PBE
DBQBDJUJFT
JO
UIF
UFOT
PG
UIPVTBOET
PG
QPVOET
low-carbon sheet steel, various r
.BDIJOF
CBTFT
spring steels, stainless steel, PUIFST
PQUJPOT
BWBJMBCMF
aluminum, brass, copper, nick-
el silver and non-metallics. ISO r
.PEVMBS
DPOTUSVDUJPO
TIJQT
TUBOEBSE
GSFJHIU
BOE
JT

9001:2008 Registered FBTJMZ
BTTFNCMFE
PO
TJUF
www.bokers.com/mdd
CENTRICITY CORPORATION
contact info: sales@bokers.com www.centricity.net r 330-545-5624
RS# 260
Brushless DC and Intelligent Servo Motors
Dunkermotor releases its 2012 (;&(/*($5,1&
Low Voltage Brushless DC and 
,62  $33529('
,62$33529('
Intelligent Servo Motors catalog.
Expanded catalog includes
specifications on custom config- /
urable BLDC motors, controls,
gearheads, brakes, encoders
'
and accessories. Available for
complimentary download at
Dunkermotor website or email
JURRYHVRWKHKLJKHUWKHSUHVVXUHWKHWLJKWHUWKHVHDO7KHVHW request for hard copy. 
WLQJVDUHUDWHGIRUSVLDWWHPSHUDWXUHVIURPWR)
ZZZ([FHO*HDUFRP
Dunkermotor
CPV Manufacturing Email: info@dunkermotor.com
Web: www.dunkermotor.com/2012_BLDC_catalog

RS# 262 RS# 263 RS# 264

74 MACHINE Design.com OCTOBER 18, 2012
 Wide Opening Grippers
have hard-coated aluminum
body with dual piston
mechanism and high force rack
& pinion synchronized fingers.
Rod scrapers. Magnetic piston
enables open & close position
sensing. Fabco solves problems
Let us help!
FABCO-AIR.COM
Gainesville, Florida
RS# 265
Flexible, LSZH Control Cable for Automated
Manufacturing, Processing & Packaging
The UL/CSA/GOST-R/CE/RoHS approved MEGAFLEX 500 is the perfect
control power cable for machines, conveyor systems, and automated equip-
ment used in plants and warehouses. With flame retardant, oil, grease and
ozone resistant properties, the MEGAFLEX 500 can withstand even the
toughest work environments. The
MEGAFLEX 500-C, a shielded
variant, provides interferencefree
transmission of signals and pulses
during high EMI applications. Both
the 500 and 500-C are jacketed in
a special polymer to resist abrasion
and wear, and are available in sizes
20 AWG to 300 kcmil.
HELUKABEL USA, 1355 Bowes Rd., Unit C, Elgin, IL
60123 (847) 930-5118, www.helukabel.com
RS# 268
Cross-referenced to metal
cam followers for
easy replacement
2QO\RXUSDWHQWSHQGLQJL&DP)ROORZHUV
RIIHUDOOWKHVHDGYDQWDJHVSODVWLFWLUHHOLPL
QDWHVUDLOZHDUQROXEULFDWLRQLVUHTXLUHGLQ
WKHEHDULQJRURQWKHUDLOUHGXFHQRLVHXS
WRG%DEVRUEVKRFNDQGYLEUDWLRQKLJK
ORDGFDSDFLW\EDOOEHDULQJVSHUPLWKLJKHU
OLQHDUVSHHGVOLJKWHUZHLJKWUHGXFHVLQHUWLD
DUHVXLWDEOHIRUXVHLQFOHDQURRPVZDVK
GRZQVZRUNZHOOLQVXE]HURWHPSHUDWXUHV
Galils Pocket PLC New Spring Brochure
New brochure, The spring for the
Has Lots of I/O 21st century, describes Helicals
special expertise in designing and
RIO Pocket PLC is smart, producing single piece, mainte-
compact, low-cost, and packed nance free, machined springs for
with I/O. 32 digital and 16 analog a broad range of applications. It
I/O in 3.9 x 4.3 x 1.3 package. also features examples of integrated
attachments plus data comparing
Ethernet/RS232, RISC processor,
PID process loops, counters, timers, data logging, email wire-wound and machined springs.
Helical machined springs are used
alerts. Network multiple RIOs. $295 qty 1/$195 qty 100. in industries such as medical, aero-
Call Galil at 800-377-6329 or http://www.galilmc.com/ space, military, nuclear, industrial
pocketplc for specs and free tutorials. and electrical/electronics.
Visit: www.heli-cal.com
Galil Motion Control Helical Products Co., Inc
RS# 266 RS# 267
914-(#56'4#0&$'66'4
2CEMGFYKVJGUUGPVKCNEJCTVU
CPFVCDNGU
5RGGFUWRVJGUGNGEVKQPRTQEGUU
1HHGTUEQPEKUGDGUVRTCEVKEGU
HQTOGEJCPKECNFGUKIP
#.51 #8#+.#$.' #5 #0 '$11-
10.; (14 24+06 14 '$11- 8'45+10 RS# 270
999+0&7564+#.24'55%1/
 +0(1"+0&7564+#.24'55%1/
RS# 269
6(/)/8%5,&$7,1**($5
62/87,216&$/&8/$7(')25/,)(
7KH,QWHFK3RZHU&RUHJHDUVDUHSUHFLVLRQ
PDFKLQHGDQGRIIHUVROXWLRQVWRDSSOLFDWLRQV
LQZKLFKOXEULFDWLRQZHDUQRLVHYLEUDWLRQ
LQHUWLDVKRFNORDGPRLVWXUHDQGFKHPLFDOV
SUHVHQWDSUREOHPIRUQ\ORQ'HOULQRUPHWDO
JHDUV0HWDO&RUHSURYLGHVIRUDVHFXUHDW
WDFKPHQWWRWKHVKDIWDQGKLJKHUWRUTXHWUDQV
PLVVLRQ*HDUGHVLJQDQGVL]LQJLVEDFNHG
E\GXUDELOLW\FDOFXODWLRQXVLQJSURSULHWDU\
VRIWZDUH
))RUORDGUDWLQJVDQGVL]HVJRWR ,QWHFK&RUS+HUEHUW$YH&ORVWHU1-
ZZZLQWHFKSRZHUFRPLFDP
,QWHFK&RUSRUDWLRQ
RS# 271
High Strength Adhesive
Non-drip EP33ND
Durable, tough bonds
Resists thermal cycling
RS# 274

r
JOGP!TNBMMFZDPN
r
XXXTNBMMFZDPNHFUDBUBMPH
RS# 277
New Safety Sensing and Signaling Catalog
RS# 280
)D[
ZZZLQWHFKSRZHUFRP
RS# 273
RS# 272
PX709 SUBMERSIBLE PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS
The PX709GW Series submersible level/depth transducers and
transmitters are designed to make precision level or depth measure-
ments in fresh water or liquids compatible with 316 SS reliably for Over 15,000 products +
years in harsh industrial environments. They are also ideal for envi-
ronmental monitoring of job sites and eld locations. The PX709GW everything you need to know
series has the proven Omega micromachined silicon technology as about
its core sensor. The Piezoresistive technology uses precision solid
state strain gages molecularly embedded into a highly stable silicon
wafer. The silicon is mounted in a sealed chamber and protected
- Stepping Motors
- Servo Motors
from the environmental uids by a pressure sensitive stainless steel
diaphragm. A very small volume of silicone oil transfers the pressure from the diaphragm to the - AC Motors
silicon sensor. The cable is molded onto the case using a unique high pressure, high tempera- - Brushless Motors /
ture system to assure the best possible quality seal for long life and durability. This technology
produces a very rugged, high stability sensor with exceptional accuracy, minimal thermal effects
AC Speed Control Motors
and long term reliability. - Linear & Rotary Actuators
Omega | Stamford, CT USA | www.omega.com/px709gw - Cooling Fans
Email: info@omega.com | Twitter: @OmegaEng
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omega-Engineering/121219014465
Phone: 1-800-TC-OMEGA or 203-359-1660 Order your free copy today at: www.orientalmotor.com
www.masterbond.com
RS# 275 RS# 276
New Smalley Engineering
SEALS, ACTUATORS, & Parts Catalog
GRIPPERS AND BAGS Smalleys new catalog combines
Solve difficult closure prob- existing Spirolox Retaining Ring
lems with custom-built, fab- and Smalley Wave Spring selec-
tions with series recently released
ric-reinforced, fully molded from Smalley. Now a single catalog
elastomeric Seal Master includes new: Hoopster Rings, Met-
inflatable seals. With close ric Wave Springs, Constant Sec-
tolerance capability and re- tion Rings and more. Over 10,000
sistance to compression, standard parts in carbon and stain-
theyre ideal for imaginative production and processing less steel; free samples available.
applications too. Engineered specialties include fabric- Specials manufactured with
reinforced bags, bladders, plugs and other custom rubber No-Tooling-Costs from .200-120.
products. Design assistance offered.
Smalley Steel Ring Company
Seal Master Corp., Kent, OH 
RS# 278 RS# 279
Vinyl & Rubber Extrusions
New Tapeswitch Corporation
safety, sensing, and signaling
Trim-Lok Inc. releases a brand new
FREE Catalog 500 featuring How
Encoders Order Today,
product guide features machine
guarding and personnel protec-
to Order steps for the first time
customer, along with an expanded for OEMs Get It Tomorrow
tion, including a complete line of line of complete trims and seals. Orders placed
switches, ribbon switches, safety FREE samples may be requested.
before 11 A.M. PST,
and sensing mats, edges, and Latest additions include our Flap
bumpers, light curtains, safety Seal, Fire Retardanct Trim, adn ship same day.
interface controllers, custom Hatch Seal. Contact us toll fee at
products, power isolation and 1-888-874-6565, e-mail us at info@
access trapped key interlocks, trimlok.com or visit us on-line at
and non-contact interlocks for www.trimlok.com
hard guard and enclosure safety. usdigital.com
Order Free Catalog Today.
360.260.2468
Trim-Lok Inc., Buena Park, CA sales@usdigital.com
www.tapeswitch.com
RS# 281 RS# 282
OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE Design.com 75
 BUSINESS INDEX

3M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Ansys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Apple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
AutomationDirect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Booze & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Bosch Rexroth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

40
years Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Dassault Systmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Discovery Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Advancing Automation
eBay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Ellis & Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
European Space Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  

 Fabco-Air Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Frost & Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
GM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Geometric America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
GreatBatch Medical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
InterDesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Interlectric Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
InvenSense Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
iRobot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Itek Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Lucky Mojo Curio Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
MAG IAS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Microsoft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 63
')#&()#+()*"()%*'+*&+)# Milwaukee Cylinder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Minnesota Rubber and Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
$)+ #')&+
Nexen Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
*&+"(%""+"*!(&%)+(' Objet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
!#%%!%)+%)+&#"*)#+ $ Oldsmobile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
'++*&+#$)+%'+ !($$+"*)%*' Parker Hannifin Daedal Div. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Quickparts.com Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
*')&*!$+('+'#"()% $
Rethink Robotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Romax Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
*&+"*&#+%'*&"()%*' Schmersal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
(!! *#$)* Simulia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40



SolidWorks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Spring Manufacturers Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
#$)* *"$ %(
Steinmeyer Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
!*(!+"('( )&#&+*+&* #$$+ *')&*! Thales Alenia Space Italia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
('+( )*&+()*"()%*'+$*!)%*'$

This index includes all significant references to parent companies mentioned

in feature editorial material within this issue of MACHINE DESIGN. It doesnt cite
companies listed solely in the Products and Lit Section. Page numbers listed
refer to the pages where the articles begin.

RS# 170
OCTOBER 18, 2012

ADVERTISER INDEX
RS#. . . . . . COMPANY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE
127. . . . . . . .Aerotech Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
133-134 . . .Airpot Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-47
116. . . . . . . .Ametek Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
164. . . . . . . .Animatics Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
152. . . . . . . .ASM Sensors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
103. . . . . . . .Automationdirect.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
175. . . . . . . .Avago. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC
137. . . . . . . .Avnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
120. . . . . . . .B&R Industrial Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
122. . . . . . . .Banner Engineering Corporation . . . . . . .27
174. . . . . . . .Belt Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
176. . . . . . . .Bimba Mfg. Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
153. . . . . . . .Braxton Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
107. . . . . . . .Carlyle Johnson Machine Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
143. . . . . . . .Centricity Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
108. . . . . . . .Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc. . . . . 9
154. . . . . . . .Craftech Industries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
165. . . . . . . .Donwell Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
110. . . . . . . .Dorner Mfg Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
113. . . . . . . .Dynetic Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
144. . . . . . . .Exlar Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
160. . . . . . . .Fabco Air, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
170. . . . . . . .Festo Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
161. . . . . . . .Fixtureworks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
138. . . . . . . .Galil Motion Control Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
163. . . . . . . .Gems Sensors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
109. . . . . . . .Graphite Metallizing Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
139. . . . . . . .Groschopp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
140. . . . . . . .Helical Products Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . .57
151. . . . . . . .IAI America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
155. . . . . . . .Igarashi Motor Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
105. . . . . . . .Igus, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
167. . . . . . . .IMS Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
118-119 . . .Intelligent Motion Systems, Inc.. . . . . 22-23
157. . . . . . . .Interroll Automation, Llc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
172. . . . . . . .Kepner Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
102. . . . . . . .Lee Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
171. . . . . . . .Linx Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
166. . . . . . . .Martin Sprocket & Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
146. . . . . . . .Master Bond, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
156. . . . . . . .Maxon Motor USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
114. . . . . . . .MICROMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
159. . . . . . . .MICROMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
111. . . . . . . .Moog Components Group . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
106. . . . . . . .Moog Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
173. . . . . . . .Nippon Pulse America Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
150. . . . . . . .Ogura Industrial Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
158. . . . . . . .Ohio Electric Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
. . . . . . . . . . . .Ondrives.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
135-136 . . .Oriental Motor USA Corp . . . . . . . . . . . 48-49
123. . . . . . . .Otto Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
148. . . . . . . .Peter Paul Electronics Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .61
162. . . . . . . .PIC Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
130. . . . . . . .Rittal Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-39
131. . . . . . . .Rollon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
168. . . . . . . .Santest Co Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
112. . . . . . . .Sapa Extrusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
169. . . . . . . .Sealeze Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
177. . . . . . . .Servometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
132. . . . . . . .Setco USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
101. . . . . . . .SEW Eurodrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC
104. . . . . . . .SKF Group Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
121. . . . . . . .Smalley Steel Ring Company . . . . . . . . . . .26
115. . . . . . . .Stratasys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
129. . . . . . . .Taylor Devices Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
124. . . . . . . .TDK-Lambda Americas Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
147. . . . . . . .Techno Omil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
125-126 . . .Thomas Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31
142. . . . . . . .Trans-Tek Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
141. . . . . . . .Turck Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
145. . . . . . . .US Digital Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
149. . . . . . . .Vesco Plastics Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
117. . . . . . . .ZERO-MAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
RS# 177 RS# 171
 CLASSIFIEDS
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
In most cases, advertisements contained in
the Machine Design employment section
indicate that the companies are equal
opportunity employers. The Federal Civil
Rights Act of 1964, and other laws, prohibit
discrimination in employment based on
race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or
for any reason other than lack of professional
qualification for the position being offered.
It should be noted that employment
advertisements in Machine Design are
published for the readers convenience and, in
no way, to the best of our knowledge, promote
unlawful discrimination.
<W)L^MZ\Q[MQV
5)+016-,-;1/6;
+TI[[QML[;MK\QWV
KWV\IK\8I]T5QTVIUW_I\
  
XI]TUQTVIUW_(XMV\WVKWU
78 MACHINE DESIGN.com
BUSINESS STAFF
EDITORIAL
EDITOR IN CHIEF: LELAND TESCHLER (216) 931-9221, leland.teschler@penton.com
MANAGING EDITOR: KENNETH J. KORANE (216) 931-9412 , ken.korane@penton.com
EDITORIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER: DENISE GRECO 216 9319402, denise.greco@penton.com
ART DIRECTOR: RANDALL L. RUBENKING (216) 931-9857, randall.rubenking@penton.com
A R T D E PA R T M E N T
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: DIMITRIOS BASTAS dimitrios.bastas@penton.com
GROUP DESIGN DIRECTOR: ANTHONY VITOLO tony.vitolo@penton.com
PRODUCTION
GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: CAREY SWEETEN (913) 967-1823, carey.sweeten@penton.com
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: COURTNEY DENISON (913) 967-1738, courtney.denison@penton.com
AUDIENCE MARKETING
AUDIENCE DEVELOPEMENT MANAGER: DEBBIE BRADY (216) 931-9882, debbie.brady@penton.com
ONLINE
ONLINE SALES & MARKETING MANAGER: VIRGINIA GOULDING (216) 931-9893, virginia.goulding@penton.com
CLIENT SERVICES COORDINATOR: JOANN MARTIN (216) 931-9624, joann.martin@penton.com
SALES & MARKETING
BRAND DIRECTOR: PAUL MILNAMOW (312) 840-8462 paul.milnamow@penton.com
AZ, CA, ID, OR, NV, UT, WA, British Columbia: Jim Theriault,
jim.theriault@penton.com (408) 857-0322, Fax: (925) 736-8706
AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, LA, NM, MS, MO, OK, TX: FRANNY SINGLETON,
franny.singleton@penton.com (678) 947-8563, Fax: (913) 514-6884
CO, IA, S. IN, KY, MN, MT, NE, ND, S. OH, SD, TN, WI, WV, WY: PAUL MILNAMOW,
paul.milnamow@penton.com (312) 840-8462, Fax: (913) 514-3957
IL: MELINDA HURLEY, melinda.hurley@penton.com (847) 784-9825, Fax: (913) 514-6625
N. IN, N. OH, MI, NY, PA, Ontario: BILL RODMAN,
bill.rodman@penton.com (216) 931-9636, Fax: (913) 514-6841
DE, DC, MD, NJ, NC, SC, VA: BRANDY BISSELL,
brandy.bissell@penton.com (919) 773-1875, Fax: (913) 514-6357
CT, ME, NH, MA, RI, VT, Quebec: LIZ STOTT, liz.stott@penton.com (857) 636-9737, Fax: (913) 514-6914
INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR: MIKE HANCOCK, mike.hancock@penton.com
011-44-1372-824284, Fax: 011-44-1372-824322
United Kingdom, Scandinavia, France, Spain, Portugal: STUART PAYNE,
stuart.payne@husonmedia.com, +44 (0)1932 564999, Fax: +44 (0)1932 564998
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg: RODRIC LEERLING,
rodric.leerling@husonmedia.com, 011-31-229-841882 , Mobile 31-683-232625,
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: CHRISTIAN HOELSCHER,
christian.hoelscher@husonmedia.com, 011-49-89-95002778, Fax: 011-49-89-95002779
Italy: CESARE CASIRAGHI, Casiraghi Pubblicit Estera, 011-390-31-261407, Fax: 011-390-31-261380
Tokyo, Japan: YOSHINORI IKEDA, Pacic Business, Inc., 011-81-03-3661-6138, Fax: 011-81-03-3661-6139
DESIGN ENGINEERING & SOURCING GROUP
VICE PRESIDENT & MARKET LEADER: RESEARCH MANAGER:
BILL BAUMANN JULIE RITCHIE
GROUP DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS:
CHRISTINA CAVANO
MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER:
ADRIAN PIAZZA
GROUP DIRECTOR OF MARKETING: MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST:
JANE COOPER CYNTHIA RODRIGUEZ
Electronic Design Machine Design Microwaves & RF Medical Design Source ESB Hydraulics & Pneumatics Global Purchasing
Distribution Resource Power Electronics Technology Mobile Development and Design Energy Efficiency & Technology
Defense Electronics Motion System Design Auto Electronics Electronic Design Europe Electronic Design China Engineering
TV Fluid Power Expo Medical Silicone Medical Prototyping One Powerful Day Combating Counterfeit Conference
PENTON MEDIA, INC.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: DAVID KIESELSTEIN david.kieselstein@penton.com
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/EXECUTIVE VP: NICOLA ALLAIS nicola.allais@penton.com
SENIOR VP, DESIGN ENGINEERING GROUP: BOB MACARTHUR bob.macarthur@penton.com
249 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011
OCTOBER 18, 2012
BACKTALK

Worlds rarest car

The worlds rarest automobile
a 1954 Oldsmobile F-88
c o nve r t i b l e c o n c e p t c a r
could have killed the Corvette,
had it been allowed to go into
production.
While Chevrolet was coming
Set in stone out with the six-cylinder Cor-
Designs come in all vette with its two-speed pow-
shapes, sizes, and materi- erglide transmission and side
als. Here are some beauti- curtains, Oldsmobile designed
ful and unique ones de- the F-88 with a big old V8 and
signed by Mother Nature. power windows. In 1954, the
MD F-88 was a Motorama Dream
Car. Only two or three were ever
created.
Chevrolet, GMs big sales and
profit division, campaigned to
kill the car. Ultimately, GM
told Oldsmobile no to building
it.
The car was dismantled and
spent decades as a collection of parts stuffed into
wooden crates. It was then reassembled, and is now

Kep-O-seal 5(/,$%/($&&85$7(
(&2120,&$/
67(33(5027256

6,;7<<($562)5(/,$%,/,7<
1LSSRQ3XOVHKDVEHHQGHVLJQLQJDQG
PDQXIDFWXULQJVWHSSHUPRWRUVIRUWKHODVW
\HDUVHQVXULQJ\RXJHWWKHPRVW
UHOLDEOHSURGXFWDYDLODEOH

&267())(&7,9($&&85$7(
(DVLO\LQWHJUDWHGLQWRDQ\V\VWHPRXU
Ball Check Valves VWHSSHUPRWRUVRIIHUDFRVWHIIHFWLYHDQG
DFFXUDWHPRWLRQFRQWUROVROXWLRQ

Leak tight control for hard to maintain sys- 810$7&+('352'8&76833257

:KHQ\RXFKRRVHD1LSSRQ3XOVHVWHSSHU
tems. A unique conical tension spring com- 7LQFDQ
\RXOODOVRJHWRQHRQRQHSURGXFWVXSSRUW
bined with the Flexible Seal Seat serves to XQPDWFKHGLQWKHLQGXVWU\,I\RXKDYH
eliminate sliding parts and closely mated TXHVWLRQVDERXWLQWHJUDWLQJSURWRW\SLQJ
FXVWRPL]LQJZHKDYHWKHDQVZHUV
surfaces. Allows large unobstructed flow
paths. Brass construction rated 3,000 PSI.
Five sizes, 1/8 to 3/4 NPT.
Visit www.kepner.com for details! +\EULG
/LQHDU
*HDUKHDG 6\QFKURQRXV

130 1LSSRQ3XOVH
<RXU3DUWQHULQ0RWLRQ&RQWURO
ZZZQLSSRQSXOVHFRP_LQIR#QLSSRQSXOVHFRP_

RS# 172 RS# 173

OCTOBER 18, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com 79
 BACKTALK

SIGN IN AT
believed to be the only one of its kind. WWW.SMARTESTDESIGNENGINEER
John S. Hendricks, founder of Discovery Communica-
TO PLAY THE 2012
tions, Silver Spring, Md., acquired the car at the prestigious
Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., for an un- WORLDS SMARTEST DESIGN
believable $3,240,000. ENGINEER CONTEST!
The acquisition made automotive history. The car is now
the cornerstone of the Gateway Colorado Automobile Mu-
seum, in its own special room in a rotating display. MD

STAINLESS STEEL BELTS
Designed For Todays Technology
Complete Conveyor Systems
Automated Assembly
VERSATILE
Accuracy to +/- .001"
Extreme Temperatures
Clean Room Compatible
Precision Indexing
www.BeltTechnologies.com
11 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001 Tel: 413-786-9922 Fax: 413-789-2786
800-732-2358
Teflon is a registered trademark of DuPont. ISO 9001 Registered
READER SERVICES
Letters to the editor: Please
include your name, address,
and daytime phone number.
Letters may be edited for brevity
and to focus on essential points.
Mail: Letters, MACHINE DESIGN,
1300 E. 9th St., Cleveland, OH
44114-1503, Fax: 216-621-8469
E-mail, Editorial:
mdeditor@penton.com
Online forums: To comment
on articles, editorials, and other
engineering topics, go to http://
community.machinedesign.com/
forums/157/ShowForum.aspx and
log in.
Questions about articles:
Denise Greco, 216-931-9402,
denise.greco@penton.com,
Fax questions about releases
& literature to 913-514-6694
Subscriptions: For a subscription
qualification form, see our Web
page at submag.com/sub/mn.
Coated Steel Belts
Subscription problems or
questions: Contact a customer
OPTIONAL FEATURES service representative at
Teflon Coated 866-505-7173 or e-mail:
machinedesign@halldata.com.
V-Belt Tracked
Perforated, Attachments Order a paid subscription:
Smooth Surface 847-763-9670
Circulation:
machinedesign@halldata.com.
Editorial reprints: Contact
Penton Reprints, 1-888-858-8851,
e-mail at reprints@pentonreprints.
com or visit pentonreprints.com.
List rentals: Marie Briganti,
877-796-6947,
mbriganti@meritdirect.com
RS# 174

80 MACHINE DESIGN.com OCTOBER 18, 2012

 Technology You Can Trust

If you have been using US Digital

kit encoders in the past, then youve
been using Avago encoders all along.

Get the Original from

Avago Technologies!
Avago has been making encoder modules
previously used in US Digital kit encoders
for over 25 years. Get your US Digital
replacement kit encoder from the original
source... Avago Technologies.

For further information, visit us at:

www.avagotech.com/encoders

RS# 175
 WE SET
THE STANDARD.
NOW WEVE
DOUBLED THE LIFE.

RS# 176

INTRODUCING THE BLUE & IMPROVED ORIGINAL LINE
FINALLY A CYLINDER THAT GOES THE EXTRA MILE.
After leading the way for more than 50 years, the best just got better. Clocking in at
an industry-leading 3000+* miles of travel, the new Bimba Original Line cylinders are designed
to leave the competition in the dust. These new, non-repairable, round body cylinders are
also lubricated for life to ensure less hassle for the long haul. To follow the new OL on its
cross-country road trip and register for a free sample, visit bimba.com/OLroadtrip

PNEUMATIC t HYDRAULIC t ELECTRIC t WWW.BIMBA.COM

* This life estimate may not include cylinders with design modications, those exposed to harsh operating conditions or any unintended applications.