There’s a seemingly endless list of benefits attributed to the Internet of Things. Increased efficiency, lower costs, and more responsive manufacturing are just a peek behind the curtain for what awaits the manufacturing industry. Increased safety for workers is another one of the potential benefits that can come from IoT technologies, and it may be… Read more »

Industrial automation has been around for more than half a century. As revolutionary as it was when it was first introduced, industrial automation continues to change manufacturing to this day. Technologies in motion control and robotics are becoming more advanced and more capable, and the costs of producing and implementing those technologies is getting cheaper…. Read more »

You never know what the future will hold. That’s why motion control systems can’t be built with all future technologies in mind. Since those technologies don’t even exist at the time a controller or drive is being made, there’s no way to accommodate for them without the aid of some clairvoyant. However, new technologies and… Read more »

Unless you count the calculator watch, wearable technology has been almost exclusive to fiction until the last decade or so. Dick Tracy had his two-way wrist radio, Maxwell Smart had his shoe phone, and the crew on the Starship Enterprise had their communicator badges. Today there are a number of people using wearable technology on… Read more »

When you think of servo motors, you almost certainly do not think of sword-wielding Japanese warriors. It would be strange if you did. When most people think of servos, they think of industrial automation, or the packaging industry, or maybe even the servo motors found in everyday items like a DVD player or an electric… Read more »

Flexibility is typically regarded as a good thing. Flexible schedules allow for spontaneity and provide you with time to smell the roses. Flexible people have unique career opportunities (contortionists, gymnasts, etc.) and are less likely to pull a muscle while dancing. And of course, flexible waistbands are the pinnacle of comfort in the world of… Read more »

Ever since robots were first introduced to science fiction, there’s been the thought that robots could potentially pose a threat to humanity. Typically this threat comes in the form of enslavement or eradication of the entire human race. But as you know, the robots that you see in science fiction are quite different from the… Read more »

The robots used in manufacturing are large and loud, and sometimes a little bit hazardous. That’s why there are safety equipment protocols, guard barriers, and emergency shut off switches in plants that implement industrial machinery. The industrial robots used in manufacturing are much different from the increasing number of humanoid robots that are being developed… Read more »

Indramat drives and motion control are perfect for printing, which is why you find so many Indramat systems in the printing industry. But the printing industry now isn’t the same as the printing industry of the past. Sometimes it’s easy to take automated tasks, like those found in printing, for granted. You think nothing of… Read more »

The manufacturing industry is changing. There was a time when motion control was groundbreaking, and automation was remarkable. Now automation is the standard in manufacturing, and wouldn’t draw so much as a murmur at the water cooler. As technology advances manufacturing continues to benefit. For example, 3D printers are becoming more and more common in… Read more »