Servo systems aren’t the only solution for precision motion control applications. Other gear products can fit the bill when more traditional drive technology is desired. A Real-World Motion Control Problem We recently had a customer inquire about a solution for a motion control problem he had in his production of precision bellows. The design was a continuous process of feeding a substrate that was systematically folded and then cut off into either standard or custom lengths. His problem was that the material length between folds was inconsistent, which affected the proper compression of the bellow. [...]

With energy efficiency, a hot topic, designing hybrid power plants for vehicles is growing in popularity and cost-effectiveness. But the gearing necessary requires special consideration. We had a customer recently request a right-angle spiral bevel gear design that was to be incorporated into a hybrid diesel/electrical power package to drive a bus. Much like a train power supply, this hybrid diesel bus engine was to drive a generator that supplied energy to electric motors that powered the vehicle. Designing a gear system to achieve this presented several challenges. The first challenge is that diesel engines [...]