maxon has released a handbook to help users choose DC motors and drive system products. Called Selection of DC Drives – Guidelines with Calculations, the book o ers a systematic approach to drive selection, and explains relevant formulae. It includes a six-step owchart, showing how choose a drive system for an application. Along with an overview of kinematics, force, torque, and power, and the mechanics of drive systems, the book includes details on choosing components such as DC and BLDC motors, gearheads, encoders, and controllers for speed, position and multi-axis applications. It replaces maxon’s earlier Formulae Handbook. You can request a hard copy from www.maxongroup.com/en/contact or see an online version at https://online. ippingbook.com/view/72734 West Midlands RAS Cluster launches Web site The West Midlands RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) Cluster – a collaborative group founded in 2024 by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and University of Birmingham – has launched a Web site. The cluster, which now has 18 partner organisations, aims to raise industrial productivity and competitiveness in the West Midlands, and to create well-paid, skilled employment. Prof Mike Wilson, chief automation ocer at the MTC, says the site “marks a signicant milestone” and will make the cluster’s resources, research and initiatives more accessible. https://westmidlandsrascluster.org Sensor report outlines risks and possibilities The German AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement and VDI organisations have published an 180-page study, prepared by 69 authors from research and industry, that highlights developments and challenges in the sensors sector. Called Sensor Trends 2030, it warns that technological progress in Asia is increasingly overtaking European innovation. The study says that optimising measurement precision is a dominant driver of developments in this eld. It adds that AI-driven pattern recognition and self-learning systems are revolutionising sensing. https://sensortrends.ama-sensorik.de/en Online resource explores predictive maintenance techniques The distributor Mouser Electronics, has launched an online resource which explores the opportunities and benets of predictive maintenance. Although developing predictive maintenance models requires considerable time and research, the e orts can yield substantial cost savings and improvements in productivity. The resource includes links to relevant technologies including PLCs and variable-speed drives. www.mouser.co.uk 5 n NEW PRODUCTS n DESIGN DATA AND MULTIMEDIA May 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Mitsubishi Electric has unveiled an enhanced lifecycle management suite to help production plants achieve high quality and sustainable performance by maintaining key production assets, managing automation obsolescence, and reducing downtime. The suite includes 24/7 service and robot maintenance contracts, system health checks, obsolescence reporting, legacy migration solutions, power quality and harmonic surveys, energy management surveys, consultancy services, spares inventory management services and people development training. www.gb.mitsubishielectric.com/fa Kollmorgen servomotors are now available with fourth-generation SFDM smart multi-turn feedback devices that oer four times greater positioning accuracy and use energyharvesting technology to track absolute multi-turn positioning, even when the system is turned o. It allows machine-builders to achieve high-resolution multi-turn feedback with absolute positioning information available at system startup. The encoder costs no more than earlier SFD models. www.kollmorgen.com/en-us Antaira Technologies has launched an advanced network management software suite designed to streamline, optimise and enhance large-scale deployments of its industrial switches. The a.NMS software provides a centralised, Web-based platform that simplies critical network administration tasks, improves visibility, and ensures seamless device management. It oers a structured approach to fault, conguration, accounting, performance and security management. The downloadable software supports up to 1,000 nodes. www.antaira.com/antaira-nms Beckho has launched a function for its TwinCat 3 automation software package that integrates machine learning (ML) capabilities into industrial automation processes. The TF38 function oers a highperformance execution module, or inference engine, designed for realtime application of trained ML models. It enables the execution of a wide array of ML algorithms within the automation environment, allowing enhanced data analysis, predictive maintenance and optimised production processes. www.beckho.com/en-gb Handbook helps to choose DC motors and drives Baumer has announced a series of heavy-duty incremental encoders for applications such as asynchronous motors. The robust, 84mm-wide HOG800 encoders o er enhanced protection against corrosion, shaft currents, overvoltages and mechanical stresses. Their “smart” functions include intelligent parameterisation of resolution, output level and rotation direction. It is also possible to monitor the sensors’status, temperatures and operating times. There are four versions: the corrosion-protected HOG840, which can operate in temperatures from –30 to 85ºC with cable lengths of up to 200m; the HOG860, designed for more challenging applications using asynchronous drives; the HOG870 for safety applications, which o ers redundant sensing and evaluation, and incorporates six extra outputs; and the HOG890, which has three digital switches for long-distance transmission to controllers of standstill, speed, direction and status information. Baumer 01793 783839 www.baumer.com/gb/en Smart heavy-duty encoders handle tough applications
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=