CNC, Motion Control
CNC technology developments help engineers cut corners in all the right ways
Cover Story: Automation technologies continue convergence across platforms and computer numerical control (CNC) technology advances, along with faster control hardware and software, allow engineers to complete more accurate cuts in less time.
Top 5 Control Engineering articles June 3-9
Articles about the Career and Salary Survey, CNC digitalization, alarm management and process safety, process instrumentation education, and asset performance in refineries were Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from June 3-9. Miss something? You can catch up here.
Is automation going too far?
International: Just because something can be automated doesn’t mean it should. Pay attention to the details. High-profile mission-critical automation applications and smaller-scale control systems should optimize reliability, safety and efficiency.
Using motion control to upgrade motors for machine design
Inside Machines: Motion control product demand has increased for many machine design applications as the economy has improved. However, different markets have different expectations and needs, forcing suppliers to be flexible.
Easier CNC programming, probe system integration
Cover Story: Computer numerical controls (CNC) trends for machine control include easier integration of systems, such as measuring probes, to save up to 90% setup time.
Standard interface simplifies CNC digitalization
Cover Story: VDW, the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association, said the first concrete OPC UA companion specification based on a realistic set of parameters will be presented at EMO Hannover 2019 in September. The interface allows data exchange from and among machines with different control systems. See more answers in “Flexibility in a marketable standard.”
Bringing human-like reasoning to autonomous vehicles
MIT researchers have developed an autonomous control system that “learns” the steering patterns of human drivers as they navigate roads in a small area, using only data from video camera feeds and a simple GPS-like map. See video.
Guiding vibration simulations for turbines
The Duke-led GUIde Consortium develops faster, more accurate simulations of turbine blade vibrations to help aeronautical engineers develop safer jet turbines with lower maintenance costs.
Researchers develop portable hyperspectral camera for imaging, research applications
Rice University engineers are building a portable hyperspectral camera, Tunable Light-Guide Image Processing Snapshot Spectrometer (TuLIPSS), which allows researchers to instantly capture data across the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
Machine tool industry orders expected to drop in 2019
Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the first quarter of 2019 were 21% compared to the same period last year due to a cooling global economy and other challenges.