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With signs that the economy may be turning around and signs that a recovery in the manufacturing sector is, in fact, happening, it is appropriate to take a look at recent developments in motion control and electromechanical systems: What is happening and what can we expect in the near future?
In the early 1980s, we saw explosive developments in the motion market when microprocessor controls and economical high-performance servos became readily available. Recent trends and changes, while significant, are less disruptive and visible even though the worlds of motion and mechatronics continue to evolve, with significant technological advances.
George Gulalo, president of Motion Tech Trends, says that the industry currently "changes at a glacial pace". Yet he observes that fast data-processing capabilities and digital signal processors (DSPs) are changing the performance and reliability of modern electromechanical motion-control systems. Modern control systems are able to monitor and process large amounts of data in real time. The speed of these processors enables the designers to implement advanced control strategies and algorithms, which help to compensate for the shortcomings of the mechanical structures and result in unprecedented accuracy, repeatability, low cost and high performance of today's machinery.
Another trend is that improved magnetic materials and improved electromagnetic designs have significantly increased the power density of modern electrical...