In-Motion Blog

What's the Difference Between a Servo Drive and a Servo Amplifier? A lot of motion control terminology is used interchangeably, situationally, and sometimes incorrectly. We'll be the first to admit that it can be a bit confusing at times, and understandably so. Some of the motion control lingo has changed over time, and it hasn't changed the same way in…

Determining the start date of motion control greatly depends on your definition of motion control. An argument could be made that it started with the invention of the mechanical cam. Others might say it didn't start until PID control was introduced. There's no definitive beginning, but we're just going to start with electric motors, just under 150 years ago. You…

Most motor control systems use couplings such as gears, ball screws, belts and other methods to transmit the forces from the motor to the load.  They're used for various reasons, such as to increase the torque through gear ratios, change rotary motion to linear motion or change the angle of the applied torque.  Along with their benefits these transmission systems…

2020 is shaping up to be an exciting year for new servo drive technologies and capabilities. Continuing with the trend from the past few years, servo drives in 2020 will have even more power and more features packed into the micro-sized form factor that's becoming popular in the industry. Mobile robotics and tightly integrated machines are driving forces for miniaturization.…

When searching for a servo drive, you'll be able to find thousands of options. ADVANCED Motion Controls alone offers over 200 servo drive models, and that's without considering custom options. But finding one that meets all the needs for your application can be a bit more complex. Servo drives have different power ranges, sizes, network options, intelligence, form factors, digital…

We might not manufacture motors at ADVANCED Motion Controls, but we work with them every day and build servo drives to make them run, so you might say we know a thing or two about them. We take a lot of pride in being able to serve any application, and that means we have a drive for just about every…

3D printing used to be an abstract concept. It was something out of science fiction. Or it was what a child thought would happen when they put their favorite toy under the lid of their parent's copier and expected another one to come out...no? Just me? Today, 3D printing is very much a real thing. What was once rare and…

The year is half over and it seems like a great time to review the servo drive trends we've seen so far in 2019 and to go over what we expect to see for the rest of the year. Latest Trends Smaller Miniaturization has been an ongoing trend for at least 15 years and so far 2019 hasn't disappointed.  Warehouse…

Above all else, military and aerospace equipment needs to be reliable and responsive when in the line of duty. Because of this, ADVANCED Motion Controls® has become a trusted motion control supplier for many defense contractors. Using logic controls, robust system architectures, and custom-built servo drives, our products offer the defense industry far more flexibility in control, allowing for advanced…

Automation is the way of the future,  and it relies heavily on the motion control industry. That's why ADVANCED Motion Controls® offers an automation architecture designed to answer the growing complexities of motion control systems. At first glance, Click&Move looks like a software package. It's not just software; it's a complete control system. What Can Click&Move do? Whether it's completing…

Servo drives for medical devices need to meet stringent requirements to be cleared to work in hospitals. That's why ADVANCED Motion Controls manufactures servo drives for MRI and diagnostic imaging that are a breed apart. Medical devices and the servo drives installed in them need to meet high standards. Primarily, servo drives must be reliable enough to maintain operation of…

When dealing with a digital servo drive system, the last thing you want is network bus traffic and interference impeding your machine's ability to operate efficiently. Smart servo drives can take the load off the controller and the network by closing the feedback loops on their end instead. However, different tasks are best suited for different drive-operating modes, and that…

Servo drives are not simple pieces of equipment, and they certainly aren't everyone's game. Some machine-building companies think they can save money by designing their own servo drives in-house, but the time and monetary investment often isn't worth it. In many cases, we've seen these companies come to us because their own design lacked the required features and reliability. We…

You can't afford to be bogged down in the technical aspects of configuring your digital servo drive, especially if they aren't your area of expertise. Servo drive configuration can be quite complicated and oftentimes require multiple trials to identify and rectify problems in commutation, tuning, etc. Any downtime spent trying to configure and troubleshoot a bad robotic arm, printer, or…

The entertainment industry blends an unconventional mix of art, physics and engineering to create experiences that viewers will never forget. Behind the scenes of your favorite movies, plays, and rides, motion control applications are actively assisting in creating unforgettable moments that you might not even realize. So what do movie studios and amusement parks use to make these motion control…