Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, cost effective, industrial automation nj/ny, automation solutions, intelligent actuator

Topics: manufacturing, robotics, automation control, electric cylinder, motion, engineered solutions

Topics: manufacturing, industrial automation nj/ny, automation solutions, robotics, motion control, solutions, automation

Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, cost effective, automation solutions, robotics

Using pneumatic motion control is not only a safer and cheaper way of operating equipment, but it is also more reliable, much simpler to use, and it can even be used in the case of a power failure.

Topics: manufacturing, technology, pneumatic motion control, air cylinder

Plant managers and engineers know the importance of safety. OSHA regulations are always at the forefront of safety related decisions, but there are additional precautions that help not only with OSHA compliance but with overall plant and production line safety.

Topics: manufacturing, industrial automation nj/ny, aluminum extrusion in nj, aluminum extrusion, machine guard, Machine Guarding

Welcome to Automation 101, a weekly "tips and tricks" post where we will discuss technologies and programming of today's top automation products.

Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, industrial automation nj/ny, technology, automation control, electric cylinder, motion control

It is becoming an increasing important question when building automated machines. What is best for my application? Pneumatic or Electric actuator.  Both actuators have their pros and cons.  When it comes down to it, there are a handful of reasons why to use one over another.

While they are different as night and day, the way you size them is very similar.  You just need to know some basic information to start the decision process.

• Load
• Speed or cycle time
• Stroke

Once you know this information you can size your cylinder as needed.  Beyond that information, air and electric start to differ.

Air will never be replaced.  No matter what anyone says, air does have its place and it has some key features that eclectic just can’t match up to.

• Speed
• Power
• Size
• Simplicity

To get an air cylinder to move faster, the air flow needs to be increase.  The size of the unit versus the power it puts out can’t even be matched by an electric cylinder.  If all you need is two points then air is the way to go and simple compared to electric.

Like air, electric cylinders do have their merits.

• Multiple Positions
• Overall Cost
• Acceleration and deceleration
• Accuracy and Repeatability
  

These are just a few aspects that air can’t match electric.  With an electric cylinder, you have complete control over the acceleration and deceleration. An application example for acceleration and deceleration is handling of liquids or fragile materials.  Electric cylinders give you the ability to program and control multiple positions with high accuracy and repeatability.  And last, there is the ‘Green’ factor.  The overall operating cost of electric can be anywhere from 1/3 to 1/10 the cost of air.  

So overall they both have their benefits over each other and it really comes down to if it fits the application.  If they both fit the application, then it really just comes down to what the user prefers as well as the application.  Air or electric?

Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, cost effective, industrial automation nj/ny, technology, electric cylinder, air cylinder, knotts company

In these times of economic uncertainty, outsourcing has become a popular option to have a small, or sometimes not so small, set of components assembled off-site.  “Outsourcing” used to mean cutting local jobs, but not today.  A more accurate term in today’s market is external resource.   Using external resources offers many benefits to your business.  Below is a short list detailing the top reasons companies have shifted to using external resources.

Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, cost effective, industrial automation nj/ny, resource, external resource, outsource, outsourcing, technology, core competencies, assembly