en.Wedoany.com Reported - At the Automate 2026 exhibition in the United States, exhibitors including Bell-Everman, Copley Controls, and KHK USA showcased the latest advancements in motion and automation technologies across various industrial levels. These technologies range from mechanical components to control electronics and precision parts, aiming to enhance system performance, simplify integration, and provide engineers with greater design freedom.
Bell-Everman demonstrated its proprietary ServoBelt linear drive technology, designed to achieve long-stroke precision motion without sacrificing stiffness, repeatability, or speed. The manufacturer of precision linear and rotary motion platforms, based in Santa Barbara, California, explained that ServoBelt belongs to a unique category of linear motion technology. Unlike traditional belt drives, rack-and-pinion systems, and ball screws, this design employs a fixed toothed steel belt acting as a rack and a circulating belt assembly integrated into the carriage. The system uses a "base belt located at the bottom of the platform, a static belt that serves as the rack in a rack-and-pinion system," while "the entire carriage can essentially be viewed as another interpretation of the entire gear." The carriage contains a circulating belt that wraps around idler bearings and engages with the static belt. "When the motor pinion is tensioned upward, it eliminates backlash by pulling the belt toward the center of the drive line." This structure enables virtually unlimited stroke lengths, as the drive does not rely on maintaining tension in a continuous circulating belt across the entire shaft length. Scott Everman, National Business Director at Bell-Everman, stated that ServoBelt can achieve infinite stroke without losing repeatability, drive line stiffness, or speed capability, simply by adding more racks, bearings, and bases for longer strokes. Another advantage is the ability to place multiple independently moving carriages on a single track, thereby increasing throughput. All of the company's products are based on T-slot aluminum alloy profile platforms, configurable for different load and motion requirements, and are assembled on 20-foot granite platforms to ensure extremely high precision and straightness. The company also highlighted large overhead pick-and-place systems as key application areas for ServoBelt technology, which typically require stroke lengths of 20 to 30 meters. The demonstration system on the booth showcased a machine tool loading and unloading application for automotive manufacturing, handling a 70-pound payload. A larger version installed at a customer site can handle approximately 750 pounds of payload, moving at a speed of 3.25 meters per second.
Copley Controls showcased its latest high-power, space-saving motion control technologies, designed for robots, autonomous mobile robots, and other automation equipment. Dan Tripepi, U.S. Sales Manager, highlighted the company's integrated motor drive technology, which integrates the motor, drive electronics, and encoder into a single component customized to customer requirements. The demonstration unit replaced a traditional hub motor configuration with a frameless direct-drive design using a single connector, reducing cables and interconnections while shrinking overall size, improving thermal management, and simplifying the installation process. The company also highlighted its rugged servo drives, offering up to 70A of current in a compact package with EtherCAT communication support, as well as the new high-power Nano drives, providing up to 140A of continuous and peak current for space-constrained applications such as robot joints and mobile robots.
KHK USA highlighted its portfolio of metric gear solutions for industrial automation, offering over 27,000 possible configurations. Linda Dengel, Sales Manager at KHK USA, stated in a social media post: "The exhibits will include a selection from over 200 metric gear types offered by KHK, with more than 27,000 product configurations for engineers to view and consult." The product line includes spur gears and helical gears; internal ring gears; straight and helical racks; as well as straight, spiral, and hypoid bevel gears, along with crossed-axis gears; equal-diameter bevel gears; worms and worm wheels; ratchets and pawls; gear couplings; lubrication systems; and heavy-duty and right-angle reducers. The company offers a wide range of material options for these products, including chrome alloy steel, stainless steel, carbon steel, nylon, polyoxymethylene, brass, bronze, cast iron, and aluminum bronze. Brian Dengel, General Manager of KHK USA Inc., stated that each component comes with detailed technical data, including torque capacity and rated service life. The company also provides free downloadable 3D CAD models, real-time inventory visibility, and 24/7 online ordering through its website.
Mbodi, based in New York, won the $10,000 grand prize at the Automate Startup Challenge, positioning itself in the field of "physical artificial intelligence," a technology aimed at addressing challenges in the practical deployment of robotics and automation. Mbodi has developed a cloud-to-edge system that integrates into existing robot stacks, with a hybrid architecture combining cloud and on-site computing, leveraging multiple AI agents for communication to accelerate task learning in robotic systems. The Automate Innovation Award was presented on-site in a competition format to recognize cutting-edge technologies from exhibitors, with each finalist delivering a brief demonstration in the booth theater. The Automate Startup Challenge, sponsored by NVIDIA and Microsoft, provides a stage for early-stage robotics and automation companies to deliver live pitches.
