Know About the New Trends in Motion Control and Motion Control Technologies

Motion control devices such as linear actuators have been an integral part of several industries for a long time. Today, it is common to find different types of motorized linear actuators. As the name suggests, these devices are fitted with different types of electric motors, which makes them more productive, capable, and smarter than their earlier counterparts. Like any other motor-driven device, these motion control systems have immensely gained from the advancements in motor technology. Do you want to know the trends driving motion control and the motor industry? The post will help you understand it better because it focuses on the same.

Gain a Brief Understanding on Motion Control:

What do you mean by motion control? Is it only about a linear actuator or is it something else? Motion control is a collective term for the motion created by several components in a machine. This may involve a linear actuator, too. The following information will help you understand it better:

• Controller: This device serves as the fulcrum of the motion control system. It mainly controls the motor and motor drives.
• Motor: Most motion control devices are either of the two motors – servo motor or stepper motor. The stepper motor features magnets within, which enables the precise positioning of product line components. However, servo motors are designed to control angular motion.
• Motor Drive: This serves as a bridging device between the controller and the motor. It follows the instructions from the controller and provides the required power to the motor to ensure its efficient functioning.
• Linear Actuator: This device is designed to convert the rotational motion of a motor into a straight linear motion.

Latest Trends in Motion Control Devices and Motors

It would be easier to relate to the trends in motors and motion control devices. Here are some of them:

• Increasing Use of Brushless and Frameless Motors: Over the years, motion control devices equipped with brushless and frameless motors have gained popularity, owing to typical advantages offered by them. The following points will help you understand the differences between these electric motors for motion control:
  • Brushless Motors: Brushed motors are equipped with commutator contacts that resemble brushes. These commutator contacts provide current to the motor windings. However, brushless motors have no commutator contacts. These motors have high speed, high power-to-weight ratio, and low maintenance, which makes them popular over their brushed counterparts.
  • Frameless Motors: These motors comprise a rotor and stator assembly with permanent magnets. They feature no endbells, bearings, and shafts. Frameless motors improve the rigidity of the device onto which they are integrated. Also, they provide excellent torque density, and allow OEMs to achieve a weightless and compact footprint.
• Compact Sized Motor Drives: With the world driven towards miniaturization, there is increasing demand for compact sized linear motion actuators and other motion control devices. Thus, there is an increasing demand for compact-sized motor drives. The role of these motor drives has intensified over the years. They are designed with processing power and onboard memory, owing to which they perform more functions than just driving current to the motor. These drives help operators detect operational defects and clear the congestion without taking out the lockout tag.
• Improved Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC): They are used for motion control in electric linear actuators. These controllers provide accurate control over acceleration, speed, and torque. However, today, with improvement in the processing power of these PLCs they can handle motion control tasks much efficiently. PLCs now enable better connectivity than their earlier counterparts.

All the above-discussed trends will help you understand how motion control systems or motion products like linear motion actuators are gaining from the changing trends. So, if you plan to incorporate these advanced motion control systems in your applications, you must source your linear motion products from a reliable manufacturer. Venture Manufacturing Co. is one of the leading manufacturers of linear motion products in the US. The company has been continually following the newest trends in motion control and motor technologies, which has allowed them to provide performance-driven products to their customers for various mission-critical applications.