Does anyone know of a good supplier (preferably made in USA) of fully integrated, light duty positioning actuators?
Here's what I mean by integrated:
All electronic and software components are included in one package. I can do the mechanical side, but the electronics, amplifiers, encoders, shields, wiring, PLC's, networking, and programming are out of my area of expertise. I can design whatever mounts, bearings, ball screws, bushings, washers, screws, etc that I need. But on the electrical side, I'd like to have only 2 plugs: one that goes to a wall outlet for power, and the other that goes either to the Ethernet port of a PC or to a manual controller (knob or push-button).
Here's what I mean by light-duty:
I want to be able to drive adjustment knobs for small machines. One application is positioning a work piece (maybe 10 lbs at the most) under an inspection camera. Another application is positioning a strip of protective tape as it is reeled up, so that it doesn't bind. Think applications that you could do with your hand, and a knob.
One other stipulation:
Though I'm tempted to just use an Arduino board and put it together the hobbyist way, I am a little fearful that such a setup wouldn't last in an industrial environment. If anyone out there thinks it would, what's your setup?
It seems like everywhere I look, all I find is piecemeal solutions. You have to buy the actuator, then the controller, then all the cords, then a software package that is right for it, etc, etc. For high-load applications, I would hire a consultant, or maybe even invest in the time to learn how to put it all together. But for light-duty applications, it often turns into a manual knob instead of an automated system... just because the headache isn't worth the time. But if I had an integrated system at a reasonable cost, that would be well worth it.
Here's what I mean by integrated:
All electronic and software components are included in one package. I can do the mechanical side, but the electronics, amplifiers, encoders, shields, wiring, PLC's, networking, and programming are out of my area of expertise. I can design whatever mounts, bearings, ball screws, bushings, washers, screws, etc that I need. But on the electrical side, I'd like to have only 2 plugs: one that goes to a wall outlet for power, and the other that goes either to the Ethernet port of a PC or to a manual controller (knob or push-button).
Here's what I mean by light-duty:
I want to be able to drive adjustment knobs for small machines. One application is positioning a work piece (maybe 10 lbs at the most) under an inspection camera. Another application is positioning a strip of protective tape as it is reeled up, so that it doesn't bind. Think applications that you could do with your hand, and a knob.
One other stipulation:
Though I'm tempted to just use an Arduino board and put it together the hobbyist way, I am a little fearful that such a setup wouldn't last in an industrial environment. If anyone out there thinks it would, what's your setup?
It seems like everywhere I look, all I find is piecemeal solutions. You have to buy the actuator, then the controller, then all the cords, then a software package that is right for it, etc, etc. For high-load applications, I would hire a consultant, or maybe even invest in the time to learn how to put it all together. But for light-duty applications, it often turns into a manual knob instead of an automated system... just because the headache isn't worth the time. But if I had an integrated system at a reasonable cost, that would be well worth it.