On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:50:27 -0500, Spehro Pefhany
wrote:

Bit of a long shot here.. anyone know of such a thing (as title) for
sale or otherwise available within a few months -- able to digitally
position up to maybe 10,000-40,000 lbs in all six degrees of freedom?

Accuracy requirements are not very stringent, mm not microns.

They look like this:
http://www.mathworks.com/access/help...ch_drawing.gif

or this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gough-platform.jpg
============
A little more digging indicates these are also know as

stewart platform mechanism
also gough-=stewart platform
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_platform
http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg/EResnews/0602/rd/rd12.html

and

mechatronics

in different areas.

Try these URLS

Siberia-Mechatronics
http://www.ici.ro/ici/revista/sic1999_1/art03.html

http://nvl.nist.gov/pub/nistpubs/cal...7/971103-t.htm

http://www.manufacturingcenter.com/t...rticle026.html


Unka' George [George McDuffee]
-------------------------------------------
He that will not apply new remedies,
must expect new evils:
for Time is the greatest innovator: and
if Time, of course, alter things to the worse,
and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better,
what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman.
Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).