An essential part of the manufacturing process is the ability to control the movement and motion of production equipment efficiently and accurately. What may seem to be an obvious principle requires planning, design, and engineering to ensure that each device interacts without interfering in the overall process. To accomplish the proper level of productivity, motion control devices are used to regulate and monitor machine movement.
The number of motion control mechanisms covers a wide array of technologically advanced methods that have been perfected to precisely control how a machine performs its part of the manufacturing process. Included in the many motion control devices are air cylinders, electric motors, fractional horsepower motors, and linear actuators and sliders. Each of these motion methods is capable of being programmed and adjusted to control and create proper machine performance.
The mechanism of an air cylinder includes a shaft, rod, and plunger where the plunger is attached to the rod that is in the shaft of the cylinder. Motion is created when compressed air presses against the plunger, which causes the rod to extend outward to activate or control another operation. Air cylinders have varied uses in several industries.
A more complicated type of motion creating device is assembly machinery, which includes programmable CNC machines. Describing assembly machinery as assembly units tends to limit the many operations that programmable equipment can perform. After a computer aided design (CAD) is created, it is downloaded into the machine that can complete every part of the production process.
Electric motors have been a vital part of product production for hundreds of years. They are a dependable and reliable method for providing power to a wide range of equipment using either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). The power from an electric motor is provided by electromagnetic action between coils and magnets to create mechanical force. The flexibility and adaptability of electric motors makes them suitable for any application that requires power.
The tiny fractional horsepower motor (FHP) provides power for commercial, residential, and industrial applications. Though they supply less than one horsepower of energy, they are capable of running kitchen appliances, conveyor belts, and cleaning equipment. The size of FHPs makes them useful in operating very small and compact devices and equipment.
A major component of many commercial, industrial, and residential products is the linear actuator that provides motion in one direction. When studying the function of a linear actuator, it may seem to be a simple and uncomplicated device. Though this may be true, linear actuators are an essential part of the motion control of a wide array of machinery.
The term linear actuator is a descriptor for a set of small machines that control the motion and performance of large devices. Included in the group of actuators are linear bearings and linear slide devices that perform the tasks of a linear actuator.
One of the most widely used and dependable devices that is part of a huge number of operations and processes is the linear actuator that assists in changing the direction and force of power. Though the function of a linear actuator can easily be understood, applying an actuator to an application requires great skill and engineering know-how. Engineers and designers have depended on linear actuators for years as a central and crucial part of equipment operation and performance.
A product related to linear actuators is linear bearings that create the same motion as other actuators but do it with greater fluidity and uniformity of motion. Added to the smooth and reliable motion of linear bearings is the lack of friction in their precise movements, which adds to the lifetime of their usefulness.
The linear slide, which produces the same single axis motion of linear actuators, contains a plane and rolling element where the plane is fixed, and bearings are the rolling element. Like linear bearings, the motion of a linear slide is smooth and friction free.
There are two central elements to all motion devices, which are smooth motion and friction for stopping. Bearings are used to provide smooth motion while various forms of friction materials slow or inhibit motion. Bearings and friction materials work together to assist in maintaining proper control of mechanical motion.
Air cylinders, also known as pneumatic cylinders, use compressed air to move objects.
Assembly machinery is a large category of machinery that encompasses all computerized machines used in the manufacturing industry.
One of the biggest perks to using these machines is the brief amount of human contact required to run one. Therefore, assembly machinery is more cost effective then a machining system that requires constant surveillance.
Electric motors are used to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. These motors are comprised of electric coils and magnets.
A fractional horsepower motor (FHP motor) is a small electric motor. Its power output is measured as a fraction of one horsepower.
Typically, fractional horsepower motors are mounted on frames. Though no formal standard specifies a minimum size, most fractional horsepower motors are too large to fit into a pocket. Almost all have a power rating below that measures below one horsepower; larger motors are referred to as integral horsepower motors, and their power ratings are specified by integer multiples of one horsepower. Notably, motors on frame sizes 42, 48, and 56 are considered fractional horsepower motors even if the motor's power exceeds one horsepower.
Friction materials are products used to slow or inhibit movement, and they are used in many different types of machinery to control or stop processes. The two main criteria for good friction materials are a high coefficient of friction and good energy absorption.
Electroless nickel (EN) plating is an auto-catalytic chemical reaction that results in a layer of nickel alloy, typically nickel-phosphorus or nickel-boron, to be deposited onto a solid substrate like a metal or plastic workpiece.
Linear bearings are often used when an object is moved along a straight line with high precision in an industrial or manufacturing setting. 
Linear slides are devices used to allow free movement along a single axis. These devices consist of two main components: the plane and the rolling element.