Centa Gears

Renold Chain

ABB Drives and Motors


Technology News Archive

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

  2007
  Febuary 2007
Copper rotors boost hybrid truck efficiency by 40%
PI extends Profinet into process automation
"98% efficient" motors will be based on spinning discs
Modular motor controller "more efficient than a VSD"
World's largest wheel prepares to spin in Beijing
In Brief
January 2007
3D camera system could revolutionise safety technology
Silicon carbide drive is "world's first"
Sercos opts for CIP Safety
Safety encoder is "the first"
PLC squeezes onto a chip
Safe braking stops vertical axes from dropping
Program your PLCs in PowerPoint
In Brief

  2006

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  November 2006
Novel pneumatic cylinder design could halve air losses
Digital technology cuts 1-phase motor energy use by "up to 30%"
Maglev stage promises nanometre precision
Two-cable connection will add security to control systems
Free pulley tester "could save thousands"
Four-tonne cloned wormwheel is a record
In Brief
  October 2006
Hydrostatic bearings mount a challenge to roller guides
Will you have industrial software under your Christmas tree?
Industrial wireless sales head for $1bn
VSD controller squeezes injection moulding costs
Axial flux motors "will be 98% efficient"
In Brief
  September 2006
Hybrid ball-roller bearing promises 'the best of both'
Siemens plans to cram everything into wheel hubs
Ethernet-based I/O shoots ahead
High-speed sensor network gets the go-ahead
Actuators tell you when they need maintenance
In Brief
  July / August 2006
Digital technology will cut energy use by constant-speed motors
FDT group targets factory automation
Vibration-powered generator could shake up the market
ISA extends and overhauls its batch standard
Stick-on chips will store data anywhere
In Brief
  June 2006
Pneumatic fish is "more efficient than a propeller"
Google pioneers back an electric sportscar
SafeyBus p hops aboard Ethernet bandwagon
Motion profile will support 100 axes on standard Ethernet
Robot-makers turn to materials handling
In Brief
  April / May 2006
"Ultra efficient" motors have copper rotors
Torque control function gives a lift to hoisting
Superconducting bearing is "world's first"
Ethernet Powerlink standard promises "true interoperability"
RFID gets a Profinet link
"Embedded automation" is a new class of controls
In Brief
  March 2006
Open-loop drive technology "comes closed to closed-loop"
Sensors market is "exploding"
Library will simplify packaging applications
Wire-free safety system has added fibre
Roller bearings "last twice as long"
Functional safety standard is "a first"
In Brief
  February 2006
Darts machine scores a bull's-eye every time (almost)
SCADA-DCS boundary blurs as retrofit booms
Simpler escalator drive is easier to maintain
How fast are your PLCs?
Safe machinery guide gets an update
Networks will promote sensors and materials
In Brief
January 2006
Mega-motors will liquefy Norway's natural gas
Safety becomes the new networking battleground
Profidrive now works with Profinet
Light curtain has 'world's first position-based muting'
330mpg hybrid coupé will cost $20.000
In Brief

  2005

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  December 2005
Permanent magnet motors 'could replace induction machines'
'World's smallest' piezo actuator targets mass markets
Your word is the machine's command
Energy chain system is a rival to busbar
CIP Motion demo synchronises 16 axes via Ethernet
Telescopic drive is half as deep
Robot keeps pneumatics at arm's length
In Brief
  November 2005
New ODVA sensor network will use Omron technology
Rockwell aims to get factories talking
Common access technology could help to clear wireless logjam
Users "still sceptical about automation software"
ABB argues that FDT/DTM and EDDL both have roles to play
CIA spies a future in wireless networks
In Brief
  October 2005
Failsafe bearing "floats" on superconductors
Tubular linear motors drive all-in-one positioning system
Chips embed self-organising control netwoks in sensors and actuators
Advances in servo technology open up new applications
Robots rival large CNC machines
In Brief
  September 2005
Electric Transport Extra: Motoring towards a new market
Outer-rotor motors power a 4WD sportscar
Interpolation standard gets moving
Free program calculates efficiency savings
Fuel cell boat glides on Ethernet
In Brief
  July / August 2005
Electric motor propels Boeing 767- on the ground
Incompatibility clouds vision systems' rosy picture
5MW super motor passes tests; 36MW version on the way
Vibration damper is great shakes
Motor technology spins off into £1,500 wind turbine
In Brief
  June 2005
Hollow-shaft servo gearheads are "a first"
Integrated sensors keep an eye on bearings
Automatic lubrication slashes oil consumption
Sensor monitors colour intensities
Robotic inspector increases flexibility
In Brief
  May 2005
Anti-slippage bearing marries balls and rollers
40kW ironless motors will propel airships on the edge of space
Industrial Ethernet sales set to soar by more than 50% a year
Sercos III is on the chips - and distributed control is on the way
Automation standard will link "making" with "packing"
Measure your paths without magnets
In Brief
  April 2005
Novel ,pneumatic motor flexes its muscles
Holy screwjacks! It's a self-raising floor!
Nanomotor is "100 million times more powerful than a V6"
IEC accepts Ethernet PowerLink as products make Hannover debuts
Packaging library frees programmers from hardware ties
In Brief
  March 2005
Is this the world's thinnest encoder?
Wireless generators 'harvest' energy from vibrations
Gateway links Modbus to ZigBee
Ethernet PowerLink servo system goes on show
Modified induction motors 'perform like PM machines'
OPC hops aboard EDD bandwagon
In Brief
  February 2005
Motion control at the speed of a human haiir
IEEE supports analogue sensors in digital networks
OMAC gets the urge to merge with ISA
Aluminium rails do not need machined surfaces
Hydraulic-diesel vehicles will be "world's cleanest"
CC-Link extension caters for sensors
Bearings help to bring windpower home, silently
In Brief
January 2005
Memory metal technology challenges traditional drives
Patent portrays valve-free hydraulic drives
Will BiSS lead to encoder interface bliss?
Motion network will be based on CIP
Deal brings the super motor closer
Bend it like carbon
Sensor-based golf club analyses your swing
In Brief

  2004

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  November 2004
MV drive ditches the transformer
Show-goers get DeviceNet Safety previews
Remote monitor 'achieves the impossible'
In Brief
  October 2004
Pioneering servo drive is on a roll
Super motor spins closer to the sea
Aluminium ousts granite to slash air bearing costs
Tiny guides line uip for a world record
  September 2004
Lynch-assisted hybrid coupé will hit 225 km/h
Magnetic bearings give high-speed motors a lift
Robot arm 'walks' like a caterpillar
Holographic HMI is untouchable
TÜV certifies CANopen safety chip
Free tool tests Ethernet timing
RFID moves to UHF for a longer range
In Brief
  August 2004
Hold the presses: it's a printing sensation
Wireless sensor networks will predict motor failures
Industrial Ethernet sales are 'growing at 20%'
Tapered gears pose a servo challenge
In Brief
  July 2004
High-current motors demand novel sensing technology
Automation platform will find bottlenecks
Wireless sensors start to mesh
Encoder profiles extend DeviceNet and CIP
Adapted motors will harvest energy from the sea
Touch-sensitive material wins a gold gong
In Brief
  June 2004
Dyson's 'turbocharged' SR motor can phone home
The PLC is dying, long live the PAC
Clamp-on device doubles AS-i range
New entrant muscles into the market
Motor is 'first with RFID'
Dragline loses its gears
In Brief
  May 2004
Is this the dawn of the matrix converter era?
Low-energy brake wins €100,000 award
A ground-breaking gearbox - but you can't buy it
ODVA moves into motion - and demonstrates safe DeviceNet
Wireless sensors replace vulnerable robot wiring
Motion library gets an extension
In Brief
April 2004
Will this motor-drive buck the trend?
Novel direct-drive motor 'will save $10,000'
Join the Ethernet club
Interbus will be integrated 'by proxy' with Profinet
Ethernet groups will work together
In Brief
March 2004
Pick-and-place system is 'faster than a robot'
Bluetooth system slashes sensor cabling
High-speed motors head even higher
Measuring machine has accuracy taped
Fewer machine operators mean more HMIs
In Brief
January / February 2004
Novel technology 'triples power of standard motors'
Precision air muscle rivals servos and cylinders
UK-China pick-and-place robot 'costs a third less'
New Sercos will join forces with Ethernet
A cool way to eliminate lubricants
In Brief

  2003

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November 2003
Motor with a sideways force is a step forward
One rev per week, without a gearbox
Diamond power devices are a gem of an idea
£100 encoder is an absolute rival
IGBT modules promise higher drive efficiencies
Linear motor guide challenges pneumatics
Low-noise supplies could eliminate filters
In Brief
November 2003
Wireless market is 'riddled with challenges'
Rotary controls give appliances a novel spin
Extension delivers 'first real-time Ethernet'
OPC moves away from components
Crash tests controlled by super-fast PLC
Hydraulics help ferry passengers to board safely
In Brief
October 2003
Piezo actuator offers secure future for electronic locks