Linear motion for the positioning of tooling, or driving carriages, is a common requirement in automated machinery. Where dual drives are required, precision gearing is critical for positioning performance. In many applications, a single linear device, such as a ball screw or belt drive, can be driven by a single servo motor, which may or may not include a gearhead to gain additional mechanical advantage. But, for larger or wider loads dual screws are often necessary to provide even or balanced forces. While synchronized master/slave servo motor controls could be used to drive each [...]

Home improvements, especially kitchen renovations, are hot topics in lifestyle TV shows and magazines. The kitchen is considered to be the focal point of most families' home life. A big decision is the type of countertop to install. There are natural materials, laminates, and solid man-made options. DieQua was called upon to help in the design of a machine to manufacture solid countertop material, one of the more popular choices due to its wear and maintenance characteristics. The design was complex but used a concept that is relevant in a variety of extrusion and [...]

Screw jacks are just one member of the linear motion family, more suitable for relatively low-duty cycles. A customer had a problem we had to troubleshoot that highlighted what not to do. There are two common types of screw jacks. The first type of screw jack is the ball screw jack. They have recirculating balls in the threads that reduce friction, allowing for higher-duty cycles than the other type. The second type is the machine, or acme thread, screw jack that has a sliding action similar to a nut and bolt. This limits [...]