• IDEA! Awards photo collage

    2021 IDEA! Awards: Announcing the Winners

    Nov. 10, 2021
    We asked you, our readers, to weigh in on the best product innovations of the year, and you most certainly delivered.

    At a time when manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to improve productivity and better manage costs, the 2021 IDEA! Awards provided a variety of great new solutions to review.

    The IDEA! Awards, presented by Machine Design and Hydraulics & Pneumatics, offered engineers from all over the world a chance to review the latest product advancement. They also got to vote on those products they felt best fulfilled the promise of greater operational effectiveness.

    Gold, Silver and Bronze winners have been selected in six categories (click each category name to view the winning products and their descriptions):

    The Branson GMX-20DP ultrasonic metal welder from Emerson received the Big IDEA! Award, presented to the product that received the highest number of votes from all product categories. Click here to view its description.

    The formal announcement of the awards was made Nov. 10 at the 2021 IDEA! Conference, part of the Manufacturing & Technology Conference in Cleveland.

    Full List of Winners

    BIG IDEA!

    Branson GMX-20DP Ultrasonic Metal Welder

    Emerson

    AUTOMATION & SOFTWARE

    Gold: Studio 5000 Design Software

    Rockwell Automation

    Silver: Sitara AM2x MCU

    Texas Instruments

    Bronze: OPTIME

    Schaeffler Group USA Inc.

    FLUID POWER

    Gold: SLV20 load-sensing proportional directional valve

    Danfoss

    Silver: MXT-XTP Hydraulic hose

    The Gates Corporation

    Bronze: Cartridge Flow Transmitter (CFT)

    DGD

    FLUID POWER MACHINES & COMPONENTS

    Gold: har-Modular

    HARTING

    Silver: Antimicrobial Food Grade Type LAFG

    Electri-Flex Company

    Bronze: Four Outlet Gen4 Power Supply

    EXAIR Corporation

    MOTION CONTROL

    Gold: PGVA pressure vacuum box

    Festo

    Silver: SmartStage XY

    Dover Motion

    Bronze: Electrak LL Electric Actuator

    Thomson Industries, Inc.

    MOTORS & DRIVES

    Gold: Hägglunds Atom

    Bosch Rexroth

    Silver: Twin Multi-Drive

    One Motion

    Bronze: DS2020 Digital Servo Drive

    Moog Inc.

    SENSORS

    Gold: AWR Antenna on Package Sensor

    Texas Instruments

    Silver: Cordis Electronic Flow Controllers

    Clippard

    Bronze: SBV-01

    INXPECT

    Bronze: Tag-It Program

    Regal Beloit

    About the Author

    Bob Vavra | Senior Content Director, Power & Motion and Machine Design

    Bob Vavra is the Senior Content Director of Power & Motion and its sister publication Machine Design. Vavra has had a long career in publishing, media and events. He has covered all aspects of manufacturing for the past 20 years and is a regular attendee at events such as IMTS and Hannover Messe. Vavra is also a sought-after webcast moderator and event emcee, and has presided over events in the U.S., Germany and China. 

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