Linear actuators with belt drives, ballscrews, or leadscrews for their rotary-to-linear mechanical transmission most commonly pair with servomotors, stepper motors, or brushless motors. Belt-driven actuators frequently employ servomotors with planetary gearboxes for speed and precision. In contrast, ballscrew and leadscrew actuators often integrate servo or stepper motors that are coupled directly or via gear reducers […]
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Linear encoders give it straight
Linear encoders are often essential. Even where they’re not, benefits they offer can justify the additional cost they incur. Linear encoders bypass the mechanical linkages of rotary-to-linear motion axes to directly measure positions of loads. That avoids the effect of backlash, pitch errors, vibration problems, and the way in which heat causes expansion and geometrical […]
How some sensors use giant magnetoresistance
So, what if an application needs a sensor to track an axis 360° and beyond? Absolute encoders need a power source and (for some designs) can be prohibitively costly while potentiometers can lack sufficient resolution. So, for applications not satisfied by these other options, multiturn shaftless rotary sensors are a leading option. These multiturn sensors: […]
Part 2 of 2: Update on electrification
In the first installment of this series, we covered the reasons why off-highway applications are primed for electrification — especially those vehicles with lots of axes that deliver relatively slow yet high-torque (or force) motion. Where the axes on a piece of off-highway or other equipment are linear, electric actuators have in some cases replaced […]
Part 1 of 2: Update on electrification
Advances in electronics, battery technologies, and motors themselves have spurred electrification in various industries. Off-highway applications lead. Electrification in the design-engineering space implies the use of electric motors to replace technologies based on fossil fuels, fluid power, purely mechanical kinematics, or even manual (human-powered) systems. Fields leading in electrification are transportation distantly followed by manufacturing, […]
Electrification from A to Z
Following a few simple steps helps smooth the process of converting from hydraulic to electric actuators. Robert Johansson • Industry Manager | Thomson Industries In the age-old debate about hydraulic vs. electric, present-day consensus is that there is a place for both actuator technologies in a wide industrial landscape. However, increasingly, electric actuators, as they’ve […]
Rollon supports Skyward and the Orion rocket at EuRoC 2025
Rollon and Skyward Experimental Rocketry, a student association at Politecnico di Milano, marked four years of collaboration. Rollon is providing technical support and motion solutions for the team’s Orion rocket, which will be launched at the 2025 European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), a university-level rocketry competition in Europe. Orion, the successor to last year’s Lyra, is […]
Polymer bearings enable realistic simulations
Once a niche hobby, simulation or sim racing has attracted a growing number of enthusiasts seeking virtual motorsport experiences. The popularity surge has fueled demand for professional-grade simulation hardware that accurately replicates real-world racing-vehicle physics, track environments, and driver tactile feedback. Automotive, truck, and flight-simulator R&D and build integrator Sigma Integrale serves this market with […]
Linear position sensors with signal conditioning
The TE1 Series of absolute linear position sensors from Novotechnik U.S. feature an integrated microprocessor and associated circuitry to provide signal conditioning for a current or voltage output signal. The signal conditioned output enables the TE1 Series to have long cable runs without substantial signal loss and can be connected directly to the analog input […]
Polymer linear bearings enable realistic simulations
Once a niche hobby, simulation or sim racing has attracted a growing number of enthusiasts seeking virtual motorsport experiences. The popularity surge has fueled demand for professional-grade simulation hardware that accurately replicates real-world racing-vehicle physics, track environments, and driver tactile feedback. Automotive, truck, and flight-simulator R&D and build integrator Sigma Integrale serves this market with […]
