Designing for Precision: Building Accurate Motion Systems
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A high-resolution encoder or low-backlash gearbox is only part of the equation. Achieving the required positioning performance depends on how the entire motion system works together—from motors, drives and bearings to linear guides, machine structures, feedback and controls
Join Aerotech’s Brian Fink and Bosch Rexroth’s Sean Barunas for a practical roundtable on where positioning errors originate, how engineers should approach component selection, and when better feedback can help—or a mechanical redesign is needed. The discussion will examine the tradeoffs among accuracy, repeatability, speed, stiffness, vibration, thermal effects and cost, with insights relevant to robotics, inspection, semiconductor equipment, medical devices and other precision applications.
Inside the Discussion: Engineering Takeaways:
- Identify common sources of positioning error across the motion system.
- Understand the tradeoffs between component selection, feedback, mechanical design and system performance.
- Evaluate motion-system performance under real operating conditions while balancing precision, throughput and cost.
Speakers:
Brian Fink
Senior Product Manager
Aerotech
Brian Fink is Aerotech’s senior product manager for stages, motors, hexapods and other mechanical devices. With more than 15 years of experience in precision motion control, he’s also held roles in research and development, applications engineering, sales and marketing. Fink holds master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
Sean Barunas
Sales Product Manager
Bosch Rexroth
Sean Barunas is a Sales Product Manager for linear technology, actuators and systems, at Bosch Rexroth. He has worked for Bosch Rexroth for 3.5 years and in his career spanning nearly 20 years has worked closely with manufacturing in continuous improvement, quality, technical operations, leadership and management positions.
Moderator: Rehana Begg
Editor-in-Chief
Machine Design
As content lead at Machine Design, Rehana Begg champions the perspective of design and multidisciplinary engineers as they navigate digital transformation and engineering innovation. With more than 26 years of editorial experience, including over a decade covering industrial manufacturing, she brings a cross-industry view of the technologies, design decisions and operational challenges shaping engineering.
Her B2B journalism has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering automation and IIoT, robotics, mechanical design, plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement. She specializes in connecting emerging technologies with practical engineering applications, helping readers understand not only what is changing, but what it means for design, performance and the future of industry.
Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. A lifelong learner, she stays close to the ideas and people shaping engineering through industry conferences, trade shows and ongoing exploration of innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication.