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The Right Linear Drive Starts With the Right Questions

Thomson Industries deconstructs drive technology selection

Engineers rarely approach a linear motion project without some idea of the drive technology they expect to use. Previous experience may suggest a ball screw for an application requiring high precision, a lead screw where simplicity and low maintenance are priorities, or a belt-driven system for a long, high-speed axis. Motion designers therefore often begin discussions with manufacturers by requesting a particular solution. The questions that follow, however, are largely the same regardless of the technology specified. Instead of confirming the requested product, the focus tends to be more on understanding what the machine is expected to accomplish.

The Predictive Maintenance Playbook

How HECO keeps critical components one step ahead of failure

The Search for Flexible and Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Pack Expo International 2026 aims to tackle operational challenges

Systematic Solutions

Schaeffler Showcases Motion Technology at Automotive Symposium 2026

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Feature Articles

The Big Squeeze

Few things say good morning like a glass of fresh orange juice. Thanks to the rise of in-store juicing machines, you no longer need an orange grove out back, let alone a hand press and strong forearms to enjoy one. Just walk into any Sam’s Club in the country and you’ll find gallons of fresh juice in the cooler, squeezed on-site that same day.

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Building an Automated Community

MotionTech, headquartered in Stockholm, recently announced its entry into the United States market. The launch marks a significant milestone in the company’s international growth strategy, bringing a proven portfolio of automation and packaging technology to North American customers.

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Make it Your Own

Customization may not always be top of mind when machine designers are selecting motion control vendors. The hope is usually that they will find exactly what they need in the catalog and avoid what they believe to be the higher costs, delays and risks associated with custom solutions. But, given that more than 25 percent of motion system projects end up requiring at least some degree of customization, it could be beneficial to prepare for that eventuality from the outset.

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Industrial Strength Reliability

SEW-Eurodrive is helping power one of the most ambitious bulk material handling projects in North America through its contribution to the Dune Express conveyor system, a record-setting 42-mile single-flight conveyor designed to transport frac sand across the Permian Basin. Developed by Atlas Energy Solutions in collaboration with system integrator Voith Turbo, the Dune Express system is designed to move up to 13 million tons of frac sand annually from Kermit, Texas, to the New Mexico border.

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Gear Drives

The path toward success in mechanical power transmission today hinges on an organization’s ability to provide smart and digital automation solutions. Customers are looking for system components boasting more performance, precision, and cost effectiveness in robotics and industrial automation applications. Schaeffler, the global technology company specializing in solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, offers a strong and diverse product range not only for large industrial robots, but also for lightweight and collaborative robots (cobots).

Gears

In the highly competitive gear manufacturing industry, Master Power Transmission (MPT) recognized the need for innovation. To achieve this, MPT partnered with Ready Robotics, undertaking a transformative journey into advanced automation through their Automation Readiness Assessment (ARA).

Bearings

The SKF Lincoln SL-6 metering device is a single-line automatic lubrication system injector. Its proven design is thoroughly updated to meet new demands on maintainability, leakage-protection and long-lasting performance even with harsh extreme pressure greases. Today’s manufacturing environment demands less maintenance time, higher productivity demands and little to no tolerance for unplanned production stops.

Motors

Curious about the state of robotics and automation? A day or two at Huntington Place in Detroit this spring should clear everything up. Automate 2025 attendees might see robots serving coffee, robots maintaining shop floors, robots building other robots. We have officially crossed the threshold from future possibility to practical application. 

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Videos

Gear Manufacturing Partner | Vector Companies

Vector Companies is a global platform of gear, shaft, and custom component manufacturers that helps innovators move faster from print to production with dependable, high-quality parts.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Oct 28, 2026

Schaeffler has opened a state-of-the-art lighthouse factory for humanoid robotics in Taicang, China. It houses an intelligent assembly line, a training and data acquisition center, a platform for digital twins, and a data center across approximately 7,500 square meters of floor space. The building covers the entire process from testing of individual robot skills to application in the actual manufacturing environment, showing what “humanoids making humanoids” looks like in practice: humanoid robots assembling key joint modules – including actuators – for the next generation of humanoid robots

PRODUCT NEWS

At the Assembly Show, booth no. 1337, EMG PRESSES launched an innovation dedicated to the needs of monitoring and total traceability of industrial processes. This new equipment enables permanent and accurate quality control and anomaly detection on rack and pinion, toggle or pneumatically operated bench machines used in manual, automated or semi-automated workstations.

CALENDAR

MDSM 2027

Feb 17, 2027 - Feb 19, 2027

Motor, Drive Systems and Magnetics (MDSM), Orlando, features the latest technical advancements in motor, drive systems, motion control, magnetic applications, technology,
and rare earth materials. 

Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2027

Feb 23, 2027 - Feb 25, 2027

AIoT World Expo

Feb 9, 2027 - Feb 11, 2027

CES 2027

Jan 6, 2027 - Jan 9, 2027

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Power Transmission Engineering magazinePower Transmission Engineering is THE magazine of mechanical components. PTE is written for engineers and maintenance pros who specify, purchase and use gears, gear drives, bearings, motors, couplings, clutches, lubrication, seals and all other types of mechanical power transmission and motion control components.

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