A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called ...

Over-engineered automation systems create hidden costs and delays. Right-sizing, openness and resilience offer a smarter path ...

Using pulse outputs from a PLC is a cost-effective way to get simple motion. Most, if not all, PLC manufacturers provide a way to control servos and steppers using a pulse train signal. So when a ...

A simple machine is a tool that helps us do work. They use clever shapes to help us move, lift, cut and other types of work. Learn more about the inclined plane, the pulley, the lever, the wheel and ...

Whether you're designing a packaging line for the beverage industry or a lithography machine for the semiconductor industry, you want flexibility in selecting your own platform for the control system.

Indexing systems remain the norm in many assembly applications, and those that involve dispensing a liquid into a product container are no exception. However, in many cases, continuous motion assembly ...

Perhaps the most persistent nonsense in physics: the perpetual motion machine. Bad ideas come and go in physics. But there’s one bit of nonsense that is perhaps more persistent than all others: the ...

Continuous-motion assembly engineering can be performed concurrently with new product design or to make existing manufacturing systems more efficient. John Giacopelli Increasingly, manufacturers of ...

Perpetual motion machines are impossible, right? They violate the laws of thermodynamics. And yet people have been trying to engineer one for centuries. YouTuber gzumwalt posted a video of what looks ...

A continuous passive motion (CPM) machine is a motorized device that passively moves a joint through a pre-set range of motion. These devices may be used after surgery to reduce joint stiffness and ...

Conservation of energy isn’t just a good idea: It is the law. In particular, it is the first law of thermodynamics. But, apparently, a lot of people don’t really get that because history is replete ...