Motion, Drives & Automation Conference

Penton Media's Design Engineering Group and the National Fluid Power Association will present two in-depth conference tracks — 1) Motion Control in Automation, and 2) Hydraulics and Pneumatics in Automation — for engineers and individuals tasked with improving performance, productivity, life, efficiency, and environmental footprint of manufacturing equipment and industrial automation systems.

  • Conference Dates: September 10 - 11, 2012
  • Conference Location: McCormick Place - East Building Room 353

The Motion, Drives & Automation Conference will highlight innovations in electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic motion systems, as well as electronic control, sensing and vision, condition-monitoring, and safety considerations.

Topics will include machine efficiency, noise and vibration, predictive maintenance, closed-loop control, and software and simulation tools for effective system design.

Motion Control in Automation

  1. Techniques for boosting machine efficiency
    A look at motor/drive efficiency, gears and drive trains, lubricants, etc.
  2. Security in industrial automation
    A hot topic, considering Stuxnet and Duqu. Advice on how to protect your
    equipment, and a look at evolving standards and competing networks, field
    buses, and wireless protocols.
  3. Making machinery safer
    Steps to ensuring worker safety, minimizing downtime, and evolving standards.
  4. Promoting "healthy" equipment
    A look at condition monitoring, remote monitoring and predictive
    maintenance.
  5. Trends in high-speed bearings
    High-speed spindle design: bearings, vibration, chatter, and dynamic
    characteristics, and effects on cutting speed, depth, and material.
  6. Eliminating unwanted effects from machine structures
    Causes of vibration, thermal deformation and other factors that lead to a loss of
    precision; and how to compensate for or totally eliminate.
  7. Think like a machinist
    How engineers and CAD/CAM users can make easier-to-manufacture designs
    that cost less.
  8. Next generation CNCs
    A look at "Intelligent" machine controls, artificial intelligence, adaptive control,
    and low-cost controllers with advanced functions.

Hydraulics and Pneumatics in Automation

  1. Closed-loop position and force control
    Considerations and techniques for successfully closing the control loop of electrohydraulic systems, including the valve, actuator, and controller.
  2. Energy-efficient hydraulic drives
    Simple, yet effective hydraulic components and circuits can be incorporated into a hydraulic system to total cost of ownership, especially energy consumption.
    buses, and wireless protocols.
  3. Controlling hydraulic contamination to improve reliability
    Contamination of hydraulic fluid is the top cause of equipment malfunctions, so this session explores techniques to achieve and maintain fluid cleanliness within a tight budget.
  4. Save energy with variable-speed pump drives
    Applying variable-speed electric motor technology to a hydraulic power unit can yield impressive energy savings with no sacrifice in performance.
    maintenance.
  5. Performance and comparison of hydraulic fluids
    You can improve the efficiency of a hydraulic system simply by switching to a different type of fluid that's more suited to the application.
  6. Reducing noise in hydraulic systems
    Noise generated by hydraulic systems can be significantly reduced by following simple design and component selection techniques.
  7. Electronic control options for pneumatic systems
    Today's pneumatic systems can operate directly from fieldbus systems, all the way down to switches, relays, and even manual operators. This session summarizes control options and how to determine which is best suited to an application.
  8. Reducing the electrical costs of pneumatic systems
    Virtually every manufacturing plant has multiple compressed air systems, which hold potential for huge reductions in electrical consumption.

Registration Information

Motion, Drives & Automation (MDA) Conference: Early Bird Rate $165 per person. Price will increase to $195 per person after August 10, 2012

  • Includes access to the Motion, Drives & Automation Conference (2 days)
  • Includes access to the exhibit hall floor for all 6 days of the show
MDA & IANA Discount Package: $295 per person

Special Combo Conference Pass
Full Access IMTS/IANA Combo Conference Pass - $695

Register Now.

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