Technology in Motion

Motion Control Products

Series Simplifies Multitasking Setups for Turning, Milling, Combined Operations
The family of multitasking technology products has expanded with the addition of the Integrex j-Series. The j-Series performs 4-axis simultaneous machining with 5-axis tool tip positioning, providing significant advantages in productivity, accuracy, and flexibility. Unlike Multi-Tasking machines with a drum turret type, Mazak’s Integrex j-200 accommodates 20 tools in a tool magazine (36- and 72-tool optional), and increases versatility in part production. The machine’s main turning spindle, with C-axis control, features an 8" chuck mounted on a 15hp, 5,000rpm integral spindle motor, generating 119ft/lb of torque.

The Integrex j-200 also includes a 7.5hp, 12,000rpm milling spindle that can be indexed in 5° (or optional 1°) increments from –30° to 190° (B-axis control), making it possible to perform outer diameter machining, as well as turning, facing, grooving, and threading with the same flash tool. It also easily makes it possible to perform incline machining and all other conventional machining processes. Additionally, radial indexing and clamping of the milling spindle enables use of the same tool for turning in both forward and reverse directions.

Though the Integrex j-200 is compact, it offers a maximum machining diameter and length of 19.7" with minimum tool interference for large workpieces. Its long axis strokes of 17.7" (X) and 7.87" (Y) allow face milling, end milling, and drilling above and below the centerline without C-axis indexing. In addition, the true Y-axis design allows for a larger machine envelope and tool reach, reduced interference and excellent chip evacuation when compared to conventional machines.


Mazak Corp.
Florence, KY
mazakusa.com



Miniature Powerhouse
Ledex B12 Series Box Frame Solenoids – at just 2.0" (50.8mm) x 1.25" (31.75mm) – are specifically engineered to fit where space is at a premium – providing fast actuation times, and high performance in applications where battery powered operation may be required. Pull versions are standard; push versions are also available. B12 Series box frame solenoids weigh just 0.3oz (8.5g), provide dielectric strength of 500VRMS for one second with holding force of 7.7oz (2.1N) at 20°C, and provide 100% continuous duty cycle operation at 20°C ambient temperature.


Johnson Electric
Vandalia, OH
johnsonelectric.com



UV Sterilization System
Developed by Science and Light Technology, and designed by Product Development Technologies (PDT), 3-D Clean offers a sterilization process with a small size and sleek exterior. The sterilization system utilizes ultraviolet (UV) light to purge 99.99% of bacteria, mold, and viruses from medical tools and food products. 3-D Clean brings technology, convenience, and style to in-home and medical facilities. As a countertop unit the size of a microwave, 3-D Clean utilizes patent-pending 360° Core UV Technology that disinfects and sterilizes the 360° surface of any item placed on the unit’s propriety quartz glass shelf. With self-adjusting capabilities, the machine alters UV exposure time based on an object’s size, UV absorption, and the lamp’s UV output, providing a sterile item in a matter of seconds. The UV disinfection machine now boasts a brushed metal exterior that is both highly durable and non-toxic.


Science and Light Technology
Ft. Pierce, FL
scienceandlight.com

Product Development Technologies Inc. (PDT)
Lake Zurich, IL
pdt.com



Standard for T-slot Magnetic Field Sensors
With the introduction of the BMF 235, designed to fit a wide variety of T-slots, the line of magnetic field sensors has grown. Cylinder position detection on virtually any aluminum walled pneumatic cylinder with integral T-slots, including short stroke cylinders and grippers. The GMR (Giant Magnetoresistive) electronic sensor features an extremely short 23mm housing and an ultra bright LED for easy diagnostics.

The BMF 235 easily drops into the T-slot from above, secured using a standard screwdriver or an Allen wrench. The sensor installs flush in the slot with nothing protruding for safe secure mounting in space restrictive applications. Provided with the sensor, for strain relief and ease of cable routing, is a cable clip. This mini-sensor features high accuracy, short over travel, and low hysteresis. The BMF 235 is available in PNP normally open and normally closed versions in a tough IP67 housing, each with cable or pigtail M8 or M12 connectors. Balluff magnetic field sensors include short circuit reverse polarity protection.


Balluff
Florence, KY
balluff.com



Hybrid Coupling Combines Into an Integrated Connector
The Hybrid Connector integrates fluidics and electronics into a single connection point. Combining dual flow paths into an integral hose assembly eliminates the need for multiple connections and simplifies the user interface between modular tools, umbilicals, or hand pieces and a device. Integrating high-cycle electrical contacts directly into the connector eliminates the need for a separate power cable to remote tools. The Hybrid Connector can simplify connections in a wide range of applications including diagnostic equipment, surgical tools, analytical instrumentation, and hospital beds.


Colder Products Co.
St. Paul, MN
colder.com



Rod-Type Electric Actuator
Designed, built, and tested to deliver long life, great durability, high speed, and the most thrust per dollar is the Original Line Electric (OLE) first ever, rod-type electric actuator . With speeds up to 22ips, strokes to 18" standard, and thrusts up to 350 lb, these actuators address a wide range of applications. The modular design may be ordered with or without motors and drivers, enabling engineers to use their preferred stepper or servo brand. The OLE product line is available in 1.5", 2", and 3" diameters with standard options including trunnion, block front, clevis, pivot, and foot mounts; reverse parallel motor mounts with rear pivot or clevis; step motors, drivers, encoders, brakes, wash down ratings, female rod threads, and switches.


Bimba Manufacturing
Monee, IL
bimba.com/ole



Single Component Snap Cure Epoxy
Master Bond EP17HT-3 is a one-part epoxy that sets up in 20 to 30 seconds and snap cures in only two to three minutes at 250°F to 300°F. As a one-part system, no mixing is required and the epoxy is curable in sections up to 1/4" thick. Moreover, its working life is indefinite – as it will not gel until heated above 200°F.

With a volume resistivity of greater than 1,014 ohm-cm, EP17HT-3 has excellent electrical insulation and chemical resistance characteristics. It is resistant to a wide range of chemicals including water, oil, and most organic solvents. Other typical features include a Shore D hardness that exceeds 85 and a tensile lap shear of 2,100psi. Master Bond’s EP17HT-3 adhesive has superior temperature resistance with a service operating temperature range of -60°F to +400°F. It is 100% reactive and contains no solvents or diluents. It is also available in a paste version called EP17HT-3ND and a slightly toughened variant called Supreme 17HT-3, which is ideal for bonding dissimilar substrates and applications subject to thermal cycling.


Master Bond Inc.
Hackensack, NJ
masterbond.com



3D Scanner Captures Color and Texture
The Artec MHT 3D Scanner is capable of capturing surface color and texture information in addition to the 3D geometry of the scanned object. Artec MHT 3D Scanner captures a brilliant spectrum of colors (up to 24bpp). Capturing both color information of the object’s shape, and its geometry, results in fine textured models, which can then be opened and post-processed by a number of 3D software packages. As with other Artec 3D Scanners, the MHT requires no mounts or markers. It works just like a regular video camera, but instead of a 2D image, the result is a 3D image captured at speeds of up to 15 surfaces per second. The scanning process is extremely straightforward: simply walk around the object and scan it from various angles, while the accompanying software combines all the scanned images into one image.


Exact Metrology
Cincinnati, OH
exact3Dscanner.com



Sixty-Gallon Sump Cleaner
The 60-gallon Sump Shark Sump Cleaner is designed for cleaning machine tool sumps in shops with limited space. The Sump Shark’s vertical design allows it to squeeze into tight spots, fit through crowded aisles, and easily move around corners. Fork pockets allow easy transport by fork truck. The air-operated venturi generates suction to 26" Hg or 350" water and a pumping rate of 70gpm. The Sump Shark sucks fluid, chips, and sludge out of a sump in minutes. With twice the power as most wet/dry vacs, the Sump Shark can remove even the heaviest of sludge from the bottom of a sump. The CECOR filter catches metal chips, fines, and sludge. Two-way pumping means after emptying the sump, you can pump coolant back to machine tool or transport for central recycling.


CECOR
Verona, WI
cecor.net



Micro Series Lead Screws
Kerk Micro Series Lead Screw Assemblies have standard configurations that include 2mm diameter screws with leads ranging from 0.3mm to 2mm per revolution and a variety of nut configurations of self-lubricating acetal and Kerkite high performance composite polymers.

The Micro Series allows the miniaturization of products, reduced power consumption, and weight reduction without sacrificing performance or reliability. Developed in response to growing demands in many markets, Haydon Kerk has offered micro screws on a custom basis for more than 10 years. Now, with the introduction of the Micro Series, anyone can take advantage of standard designs, existing tooling, and quick delivery to bring their products to market swiftly and cost effectively.

The Kerk Micro Series Lead screws are available as stand-alone components and integrated into the high performance Haydon linear actuators. Manufactured of premium grade 303 stainless steel, Kerk Micro Series Lead Screw Assemblies provide performance and long life and require no maintenance. High accuracy threads with superior excellent uniformity deliver precise motion while reducing noise and vibration. Optional Kerkote TFE coating, a dry lubricant, extends nut life while reducing friction and drive torque requirements.


Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions Inc.
Hollis, NH
HaydonKerk.com



Servo Drive Delivers Up to 3.3kW  Peak Power
The Whistle 20 A/100 V – a miniature servo drive that delivers up to 3.3kW of peak power – is particularly attractive for DC bus applications of up to 96VDC due to its compact size, high power density, intelligence, efficiency, and rich motion control capabilities. Whistle is a series of intelligent miniature digital servo drives for DC brush and brushless motors, linear motors, and voice coils. The matchbox-sized servo drive weighs just 1.8oz (50g), supports up to 20A of continuous current, and operates from a power supply of up 100VDC. Its high power density allows the drive to deliver up to 3.3kW of peak power and 1.65kW of continuous power. The Whistle is a PCB-mounted device that enables efficient and cost effective implementation.

Because the Whistle is based on Elmo’s SimplIQ core motion control technology, the Whistle benefits from advanced programming capabilities, versatile power capabilities, and communication support. The Whistle is capable of operating in position, velocity, and current modes and contains a wide range of feedback and I/O options. 


Elmo Motion Control
Nashua, NH
elmomc.com



250°F Electric Shelf Oven
No. 881 is a 250°F electric shelf oven for drying water from medical equipment, with workspace dimensions of the unit measuring 68" x 30" x 66". A 1,000cfm, 1hp recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow across the workload while a 12kW installed in Nichrome wire elements heat the workspace, while. This shelf oven features an aluminized steel exterior, a Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior, a disposable fresh air filter, a 20" x 60" double-pane Lexan window in each door and an interior oven light with two 40W 48" long fluorescent bulbs. No. 881 also includes a 325cfm powered forced exhauster and recirculating blower airflow safety switch.


The Grieve Corp.
Round Lake, IL
grievecorp.com



Solenoid Operated Accurate Micro-Pumps
BCF solenoid-operated Micro-Pumps offer accurate, discrete dispense volumes from 4µl to 250µl, making certain that downstream instruments receive an accurate volume of liquid. Pumps with dispense volumes of 20µl and larger are self-priming and do not require a separate priming cycle. All of the pumps’ wetted parts are constructed from non-metallic, inert materials for zero metallic contamination to the fluid stream passing through the pump. BCF Micro-Pumps are capable of continuous duty operation with a high degree of repeatability.


Bio-Chem Fluidics
Boonton, NJ
biochemfluidics.com



Software, Controllers for Marking Machines 
I-Mark software and control system for Columbia Marking Tool’s standard and specially designed marking machines also provides the marking machine industry with a software/controller retrofit package that will allow I-Mark to control other manufacturers marking equipment. Customer benefit includes the ability to have easier programming, operate faster, and provide additional capabilities to incorporate testing, loading/unloading, inspection, and vision verification. I-Mark software offers a tremendous amount of horsepower, while remaining extremely Windows user-friendly and easy to operate.

There are two different modes of operation for the software. The first one is the basic program where the operator easily creates a layout for a mark with any combination of graphics, text, date codes, proprietary fonts, or 2D IUID codes. It also has the ability to store a wide variety of marking programs. The second is an advanced mode, which includes the ability to control other machine I/Os like automation, machine motions, part handling, gaging, and vision cameras.

Simple drag-and-drop functionality makes program creation and entity sizing easy. Also provided is a variety of other non-printable marking utilities to set waypoints, inputs/outputs, and even programmable dwell times. After configuration of the marking program, the operator can preview the sequence of operations before actually marking and can modify the sequence if necessary.


Columbia Marking Tools, Inc.
Chesterfield Township, MI
columbiamt.com



Cam-Driven 6-Spindle Lathe
The ZPS 620 cam-driven 6-spindle automatic lathe with 20mm bar capacity is designed for continuous or series production of precision turned parts. Solid base casting ensures maximum rigidity and stability. The line of cam-driven multi-spindles can accomplish a wide variety of precision metalcutting operations very quickly, consistently, and accurately. The machine includes six frontal slides with up to 110 working strokes, and six cross slides plus four compound slides with clamping and bar stop in the sixth station. An independent cam controls each slide. Stroke is adjustable on the rocker arm of the corresponding drive. Four safety clutches prevent the slides from overloading. A Hirth coupling delivers spindle drum locking for repeatability and precision. The bar stock guide is standard, while the machine additionally includes automatic bar loaders and bar magazines for long, unattended operation.


ZPS America
Indianapolis, IN
zpsamerica.com



Benchtop Optical Comparator
Focus Specialist is a premium benchtop optical comparator designed specifically designed to verify critical dimensions of orthopedic implants such as intervertebral disc spacers and artificial discs; the stem, ball and cup of prosthetic ball joints; tibial and femoral knee implants; and tibial and talar ankle implants; as well as syringe components and fluid flow components.  Its completely telecentric optics yield upright and reversed images that are crystal-clear and undistorted.  Its dedicated 5x lens allows 3.2" of a part to fill its evenly illuminated 16" (406 mm) diameter screen – more than could be seen on a 30" comparator using a 10x lens. With new eCAD, a CAD model presents a virtual chart on the Focus screen, essentially eliminating traditional overlay charts.


Optical Gaging Products
Rochester, NY
ogpnet.com



Comprehensive Inspection of Round Parts
The O-Inspect multi-sensor measuring machine allows the easy, accurate, and efficient inspection of small and complex parts, and now has a rotary table available. The rotary table, developed specifically for O-Inspect, can be mounted and removed by the measuring machine operator, and it can be positioned horizontally and vertically for added benefit. In particular, it enhances the effectiveness of the measurement of round parts, which no longer have to be reclamped for the optical measurement. Additionally, with multiple sensors on the O-INSPECT, operators can alternate between optical and contact measurements in one measuring run. Optical measurements are performed using the 2D camera sensor with the image processing function contained in the Discovery zoom lens, while contact measurements are the domain of the VAST XXT scanning probe.

 

Carl Zeiss IMT
Maple Grove, MN
zeiss.com/imt



42mm Automatic Bar Loader
The Hydrobar Sprint 542 automatic bar loader feeds 12ft round, hexagonal, or square bar stock with diameters from 1/4" to 1-5/8" (5mm ­to 42mm) into fixed or sliding headstock turning machines. A programmable, fully-automatic, hydrostatic front stabilizer dampens vibrations between the bar feed and the lathe spindle, enabling users to operate at optimum spindle speeds while maintaining cutting accuracy. Hydrobar Sprint 542 uses round, elongated guiding elements that open for new bar loading and then close for the entire machining process.


LNS America Inc.
Cincinnati, OH
lns-america.com



BX4 Motors with Integrated Compact Electronics
The BX4 Series from Faulhaber has grown by 12 new 32mm brushless DC servomotors. Features of the BX4 line are long operational lifetime, a high cogging-free output torque, and no adhesive bonded joints. Available in two lengths, 42mm or 68mm, and in 12V or 24 V windings, the BX4 demonstrates excellent linearity with an impressive torque-to-volume ratio and provides a continuous output torque of 56mNm or 97mNm. Besides Faulhaber's wide array of external control electronics, the BX4 series is now available with an integrated Speed Controller (SC) version, a typical ± terminal (SCDC) version, and an integrated Motion Controller (CS) version. All products with integrated electronics are equipped with current limiting capabilities (peak and continuous) to provide extra protection to motors and electronics. All BX4 models are reversible and a separate power supply is now available upon request. With only a dual terminal power supply connection on the back of the motor (typical ± configuration), it can easily replace brushed type motors in applications demanding greater longevity. Furthermore, the SSDC version includes built-in reverse polarity protection.


MicroMo Electronics Inc.
Clearwater, FL
micromo.com



High Torque Elastomer Coupling
In steps to complete the offerings of precision couplings is a new line of high torque elastomer insert couplings. The growing popularity of curved jaw (elastomer) style couplings for precision applications has driven the need to expand beyond R+W’s traditional torque capacity of 2,150Nm. Available now are couplings with up to a maximum torque of 25,000Nm. Offered with split clamping collars, or keyway and set screw connections, the three new body sizes allow for backlash free, vibration damping power transmission paired with strong torque density. Dual flexture and jack shaft versions are also available for spanning longer distances and compensating for larger misalignments. Unlike the pre-existing range of elastomer couplings – which use a single spider element between the new hubs – the larger sizes use individual vibration damping compensation elements to fit between each mating set of coupling teeth.


R+W America
Bensenville, IL
rw-america.com



Work Cell Robotic Blast Machine
Model RB-RSSA-6 robotic blasting system incorporates a Fanuc LR Mate 200iC robot and is designed for work cell blasting operations, such as blast cleaning, cosmetic finishing, and technical surface preparation. The 42" wide blast chamber of the RB-RSSA-6 houses a single rotary spindle on which an interchangeable component-holding fixture is mounted. Parts are loaded in the blasting machine through an automatic vertical sliding door that is 18" in width. A full-depth hinged door on the side of the cabinet provides access for inspection and maintenance.

When the blast cycle is initiated, the load door closes and the component is rotated at controlled and adjustable speed as a single suction-blast gun is directed at target surfaces by the 6-axis robot. Programmed robotic motion of the blasting nozzle ensures that a specific stand-off distance and angle of blast media impingement  is constantly maintained, even as the blast gun manipulator follows the contours of complex-shaped components. The robot also directs a blow-off nozzle during the timed air wash cycle that follows media blasting.

The rear of the RB-RSSA-6 robotic blast system is sealed by a custom-tailored skirt made of multi-layered laminated fabric. The protective suit fits tightly around the end of the robot arm, yet allows the full range of motion in all axes, as it isolates the precision manipulator from the potentially harsh abrasive environment of the blasting chamber.


Guyson Corporation
Saratoga Springs, NY
guyson.com



High Performance Micro-Decimal Milling Solutions
A wide selection of micro-decimal endmills in one-thousandths increments, ranging from 0.005" to 0.060", are specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements for medical manufacturing. Niagara Cutter also designs, develops, and tests proprietary tools to meet any specific high performance tooling needs. Manufactured from the highest quality micro-carbide substrate, these tools are also available in a wide range of geometries and coatings of TiAlN, TiCN, TiN, AlTiN, AlCrN, and CVD diamond for overall increased consistency, accuracy, and production.


Niagara Cutter
Amherst, NY
niagaracutter.com

July 2010
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