A guest blog from Jeff Naymik, Marketing Manager at Nook Industries

We’re witnessing an era of technological advancement at a speed so great, it will make your head hurt. And linear motion systems, which include motors, drives and controls are at the center of much of it. They are being integrated into high technology products like MRI machines and other medical related devices, as well as industries as diverse as aerospace and packaging to military and machining.

On the other side of the technology coin is the Internet of Things. These linear motion systems can be controlled from one location so that actuators in a manufacturing facility can be altered for a product change-over with the click of a mouse. Then the speed and tolerance can be adjusted to the fraction of a millimeter.

How does an engineer keep up with all this? Fortunately there’s many resources available to assist in the calculations and selection of the right product. Your first resource should be the new 2015 Motion Systems Handbook from Design World. This book takes the systems approach and covers everything including motors, controllers, drives, actuators, ballscrews, bearings, brakes, couplings, and gearing, as well as integrating it all into one total solution.

Anyone going into a project with a preconceived mindset that a certain component is the solution is being short sighted. You need to look at the values and outcome you desire and use those criteria to analyze multiple possibilities in order to find the right solution or system. A great way to do this is the Motion Analyzer from Rockwell Automation. This online tool will walk you through all the steps and provide the solution AND part numbers to create your total system solution.

There is also a new addition to the Nook Engineering Tools website. The NEW DesignGuide Pro app. This powerful tool puts all the linear motion system calculations in the palm of your hand. You can now design your linear motion system while on the go or access our other engineering tools right from anywhere.

Speed to market is key in every for any project or business. You’ll need to partner with the right supplier to give you the competitive edge. Creating your linear motion system may seem like a daunting task at first, but when you have access to all these resources, finding the right system will put you miles ahead of the competition.

The Journal, which was recently named the best custom magazine for B-to-B for the 9^th time in 10 years, has done an excellent job of recapping last year’s Automation Fair, both in print and online.

Click here to see see just one of the excellent videos Editor Theresa Houck has put together.

Danielle Collins, the Senior Editor of Linear Motion Tips, recently posted a great article that covers the basics of stepper motor design, types, and application considerations.

For applications that don’t require position feedback, stepper motors offer excellent performance at a lower price and with simpler controls than servo motors.

A must read article, you can find it here

And for help designing your own Stepper Motor system, click here

Worm Gear Screw Jack Sensing Made Easy & With Zero Maintenance

Newly developed sensor systems offer designers a low cost, highly accurate position sensing solution for worm gear screw jacks. They offer repeatability up to +/- .004” (0.1mm) and a feature easy installation and adjustment of sensors. Best of all, they offer zero maintenance, saving time, money and production.
Systems come with 2 PNP or NPN (normally open) switches. They can, however, be ordered with additional, or normally closed switches.

Ease of Use in the Field

These new sensor systems are specifically designed for easy adjustment in the field. Two magnets are secured to the end of the lift shaft to ensure a positive response once it passes near the position sensor. To adjust techs simply position the lift shaft in the correct position, loosen the locking screw, and slide the sensor to the desired location until the sensor indicates a response. Sensor systems come with 3 slots in the stem cover, and 2 position sensors. Additional sensors can be added to any of the 3 slots, and it is possible to add multiple sensors to the same slot.

Inch & Metric Sensor Systems are available, for specifications, images and configuring help, please click here