Industrial Factory Automation

Advance Design Industries (ADI) in Sheffield Village, Ohio, has used PBC Linear 's Simplicity bearings in a de-burring system that removes burrs from hobbed gears. The de-burring system was made using a series of drive platforms, a robot with grinding-tool attachment and brushing stations. To accurately and repeatedly position the various stations in a multitude of pre-programmed locations, ADI required a linear motion system that could endure the contaminated environment and heavy loads of the application. To accomplish this, it turned to PBC Linear products. For the de-burring system to succeed, ADI required a linear-motion technology that could perform less than 50,000lbs (22,680kg) of load in a dirty, industrial machine-tool work area. De-burring is the process of removing burrs, or excess protruding material, from large gears (70-120in [1778-3048mm] in diameter). Eventually these gears will be utilised as the driving mechanism for applications such as crane turn tables and ene...

Analog Devices has introduced four energy-metering ICs (integrated circuits), designed to improve the accuracy and performance of commercial, industrial and residential smart meters. A smart meter accurately measures how much electricity is consumed or generated and communicates with the local utility for power monitoring, billing and other purposes. ADI's energy metering ICs enable smart electricity meters to deliver improved customer-billing accuracy, advanced power-quality monitoring and reduced operating costs for utility companies. Ronn Kliger, energy group director, ADI, said: 'They are able to measure total active and reactive energy with accuracy and dynamic range exceeding Class 0.2 specifications for energy meters. 'One device also offers capabilities to measure fundamental-only energies, which is critical for power-quality measurements,' he added. ADI has formed a dedicated energy group to address the growing technology needs for electric metering, substatio...