This issue’s emphasis on motion control prompts some reflection on how people learn about motion technology. Often theoretical training isn’t enough to grasp what’s really going on when, for example, a beefy industrial motor couples into a gearbox that weighs more than your car. The real insights come from hands-on work. Problem is, ...

Most Machine Design readers could give a detailed explanation of what goes on in a typical manufacturing plant. But here is how a kid might describe a factory: It is a big ugly building surrounded by a wide berm and a barbed-wire fence. It has small windows, and security guards at all the doors to keep people out. With that image in mind, ...