Articles and News

Research engineers have devised a new method for estimating the charge state of batteries used in electric vehciles using fractional order calculations.

Compared to 2017, where revenues associated with industrial robots increased by 20%, forecasted declines of 4.3 per cent in 2019 have caused some concern.

A certified public accountant, Seliga holds a master’s degree in business administration from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University.

With 5G’s increased bandwidth and ultra-low latency, NNS will be equipped to meet network connectivity demands and will test new ways its engineers can use augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) to support everything from architectural design to employee training.

Once a problem is identified in an industrial process, data must be gathered and analyzed to determine a viable set of potential actions and solutions.

The joint whitepaper, “Advancing the Industrial Internet of Things,” written by the IIC and oneM2M, demonstrates how these two IoT organizations are working together to advance the IIoT and digital transformation, through the creation of an interoperable, flexible and efficient IIoT ecosystem.

According to the report, ABB’s presence in many end-user industries was a major factor in this success. The DCS market saw its main growth in oil & gas, chemicals and refining, where also ABB has a strong footprint.

Within five years, the country has doubled its number of industrial robots. Following Japan and China, the country ranked third in 2018. But the dynamics of robot installations has decreased in recent years and for 2019 a continued decrease is expected.

ATS will support Senseye's clients with the design, implementation, or integration of automated machine data systems such as historians or manufacturing execution systems with its predictive maintenance software suite, Senseye PdM.

The joint whitepaper, “Advancing the Industrial Internet of Things,” written by the IIC and oneM2M, demonstrates how these two IoT organizations are working together to advance the IIoT and digital transformation, through the creation of an interoperable, flexible and efficient IIoT ecosystem.

The platform offers the a hardened real-time, Linux capable, RISC-V-based microprocessor subsystem on the mid-range PolarFire FPGA family, bringing class-leading low power consumption, thermal efficiency and defense grade security to embedded systems.

The ControlEdge Safety PLC was chosen as the winner in the Embedded Device category due to many problem-solving capabilities while demonstrating security and resilience.

Machine vision systems saw a decrease of 2% year over year, at $599.9 million. This category includes smart cameras and application specific machine vision (ASMV) systems. The machine vision components market (cameras, lighting, optics, imaging boards, and software) dipped 4% to $92.1 million in the same time. Total machine vision financial transactions fell 2% to $694.1 million.

Ferrero needed a way to confirm that all its employees could be safely accounted when an emergency evacuation was underway.

This decision validates the IKEA’s commitment to universal open IoT standards for its smart home product offerings and complements IKEA’s overarching vision to create a better life at home for as many people as possible.

By Mark Howard, EU Automation It is vital to understand how cleanrooms truly operate if you are to get the best out of yours. This article explains the key considerations when specifying a cleanroom.

NUM AG has opened a branch in Bangalore in November 2019. With this expansion in Asia, the international company with headquarters in Teufen, Switzerland, intends to reinforce its position in the field of CNC controls.

Their most recent endeavor involves the installation of 2,194 solar panels on the building’s recently replaced roof.

The platform offers the a hardened real-time, Linux capable, RISC-V-based microprocessor subsystem on the mid-range PolarFire FPGA family, bringing class-leading low power consumption, thermal efficiency and defense grade security to embedded systems.

A common issue in a lot of pipeline work is ensuring the physical line data and operating data are consistent.

Line Stigen Raquet joins Creoptix from Mettler Toledo, where she has most recently served as Vice President of Business Development Life Sciences.

Hannover Messe 2019 created a buzz with the 5G Arena showcasing the latest 5G developments, products and solutions for the industry. 5G is starting to make the goal of wireless industrial automation a reality. Companies are already starting to deploy private 5G networks within plants and are seeing increases in performance, determinism, low latency, and reliability.

Siemens introduced the Sinumerik Motion Control (MC) open, industrial PC-based CNC for fabrication and metal-processing machines at Fabtech 2019. The introduction is an affirmation of the growing trend to use Edge Computer platforms to integrate all control & automation functions in a machining work cell including CNC, PLC, Drives, motors, safety and other production related functions to achieve higher levels of productivity and profits.

Simcoa Operations sought the expertise of the local ABB Transformer Service team in Australia to perform an internal inspection for one of their power transformers that handles 50% of the facility’s production capacity.

By Robert Glass, Exel Composites From window and door manufacturers to the professional tree surgeon, weighing up material options usually comes down to cost —but there are a variety of factors to consider before making a purchase.

UL 508A certification is an industrial control panel directive certifying an assembly meets the standards of electrical inspection.

Collaborative robots employ technology that enables safe contact with humans, improving productivity. Appropriate risk assessments and workspace planning is required for safe collaborative operation.

By Mark Howard, EU Automation Augmented intelligence is one of the few technologies named on the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2019 that are predicted to reach expectations, over the next two-to-five years. This article explains how augmented intelligence could assist with human and machine collaboration.

To receive the AWS Industrial Software Competency designation, APN Partners undergo rigorous AWS technical validation related to industry specific technology as well as an assessment of the security, performance, and reliability of their solute

An executive summary and bullet-item lists for an automation project allows managers them to understand the basic outcomes and conclusions of your project.

Pepperl+Fuchs Comtrol and Callisto work with each manufacturing customer to deliver initial solutions that have tangible results, and then collect more data from more sources, provide more insight and analysis, roll out to more manufacturing lines and plants, and provide a roadmap to a full manufacturing execution system for true automation.

More than 30 other educational institutions have benefited from ST Robotics’ systems. These include: MIT, Cambridge University, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Lyon, Newcastle University Australia, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Antwerp, St Andrews University, and Queens University Belfast, and the University of Waterloo.

Senet has certified the Zenseio LSMP2 - Professional Multi-purpose Telemetry Station, providing the agriculture market with a pre-integrated, network-tested solution designed to modernize how soil conditions, water usage, weather conditions, and other parameters are monitored.

This deepened strategic partnership expands PRG’s services for Arena customers that desire assistance or simply have limited internal resources. These services enable companies to optimize product development, establish quality systems, and design for manufacturing, then establish strong supply chains and transition to manufacturing.

To select a batch automattion solution for an industrial platform, start with the evaluation of the end user's short- and long-term requirements.

The acquisition will enable MET to introduce electrical upgrades of Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) using KraftPowercon’s technology ‘SmartKraft’ and ‘MicroPulse’ power supplies.

Twelve ABB robots are interacting with visitors to Bloomingdale’s holiday celebration at their 59th Street flagship store. ABB’s robots are the main attraction in three of Bloomingdale’s twelve holiday window displays on Lexington and Third Avenues

The Indegy Industrial Cybersecurity Suite integration with Tenable.sc, for on-prem vulnerability management, is available today. The Indegy integration with Tenable.io, for cloud-based vulnerability management, and Tenable Lumin will be available in the first half of 2020.

Applicants must write a minimum one-page paper as to why they like cars and racing and what they think they will learn from the program that will be meaningful to their lives. Also, why they would be a good person to be accepted into this Genius Garage program.

The PLCopen organization and Automation.com conducted a joint survey of PLC programming preferences. Here are some of the results to inform you of current trends in PLC programming and users thoughts on vendors.

Senseye’s operation in Paris is led by Peter Livaudais, VP Strategic Accounts, who has 30 years of experience working in the European technology industry. The company has strengthened its team in France with the recent appointment of condition monitoring specialist Guillaume Lavergne, who joined Senseye in September from Air Liquide.

Despite a small decline in 2019 (-3.8%) the report outlines how the market for motion control products will grow strongly, ultimately exceeding $15bn in 2023.

The published enhancements to The EtherNet/IP Specification outline integration of NAMUR NE 107 diagnostics for process automation into CIP architectures. The addition of this capability provides industry standard diagnostic information for process users while leveraging the benefits of industrial Ethernet.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Today’s plant managers are faced with a dearth of automation technologies but it’s not always obvious what will work best. There is rarely, if ever, a one-size-fits-all approach. This article discusses what manufacturers should consider when choosing which type of robot to invest in.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but GCG has stated that RCD will maintain its operations in Manchester as well as their support facilities in the Caribbean and Asia. In addition to RCD’s facilities, GCG has seven other manufacturing and design facilities located within the United States.

Industry 4.0 initially focused on discrete manufacturing, and now there is an additional focus on process automation

Instrument location plans are most often used to support new plant installations and give the installer information about the actual physical location of the installation of an instrument.

The annual leadership conference was the largest in many years, with discussions on strategic objectives, goals, tactics, and key performance indicators.

The 5G network was installed in Siemens’ Automotive Showroom and Test Center in Nuremberg. Automated guided vehicles are (AGV) displayed here which are primarily used in the automotive industry. New manufacturing options and methods are also developed, tested and presented before they are put into action on customer sites.

It is time to think of a drone as more than a flying camera. It is a mobile platform for easily delivering sensors to various locations.

Total E&P Denmark is replacing the existing wellhead platforms with new and elevated topsides. The 13-meter-high jacket extensions and new topsides will be installed on top of the existing jacket structures.

The TC Router permits remote access to SCADA networks and control systems over the cellular network. Since these networks typically involve critical infrastructure, the TC Router VPN and firewall have been updated to increase network resiliency and protect against cyberattacks.

IO-Link to CIP connectivity works to reduce engineering effort and ease the acquisition of data and information, leading to a connected plant that is better able to meet the demands that IT/OT convergence are bringing to the factory floor. IO-Link devices can now be recognized within EtherNet/IP without the end user having the burden of data conversion.

IDTechEx has recently seen competitors joining hands and forming some unlikely-sounding alliances to reduce the cost of autonomous driving development, as well as to share resources and capabilities. In July 2019, BMW Group signed a long-term strategic cooperation with rival company Daimler AG that begins with bringing Level 4 capability to market in the mid-2020s.

By Robert Glass, Exel Composites Composites have transformed the technologies of many industries —although the materials used to manufacture them have evolved. This article examines the progress of composites and their advantages over traditional materials like steel.

The reasons for this downturn are a global economy that is losing momentum and saturation effects in important markets. For example, worldwide sales of smartphones are stagnating, which is also having an impact on investment in machinery.

The future of the oil & gas industry will depend on operators that can survive the industry’s highly volatile nature and still achieve operational excellence in all areas of business, including mainte

As the project’s main automation contractor (MAC), Honeywell will deliver all systems, detailed engineering and lead procurement for the integrated control and safety system. The solution will be based on Honeywell’s flagship control system, the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS)

The certification shows that the security capabilities Rockwell Automation uses when quoting, designing, integrating and maintaining automation systems meet the standard’s requirements. ISA/IEC 62443 is the world’s only consensus-based cybersecurity standard for industrial control applications.

As the project’s main automation contractor (MAC), Honeywell will deliver all systems, detailed engineering and lead procurement for the integrated control and safety system. The solution will be based on Honeywell’s flagship control system, the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS)

The arrival of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is transforming the way industries have been operated from decades. These technologies are bringing revolutionary transformations that are impacting industries at large.

The fieldbus intrinsic safety concept simplifies the rules governing energy storage in field cables and makes more power available to the fieldbus trunk.

The engagement is designed to capitalize on the expertise of both companies to deliver new capabilities for greater industrial supply chain optimization. By providing customers with a single, trusted provider of digital solutions, the collaboration intends to enable clients to leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and ultimately drive measurable growth outcomes.

Siemens’ AM Network is designed for enterprises, suppliers and partners that are looking to accelerate the adoption of AM for industrial processes and applications.

Every motion control problem begins with a need to move a certain payload over a certain distance. However, there are many types of moves possible, and determining the right motion control solution may require some calculations to match the specifications found on a given motors data sheet.

By Jonathan Wilkins, director, EU Automation Errors in the pharmaceutical supply chain can lead to late delivery, increased costs and poor-quality products, which can have a detrimental impact on consumers. This article explains how organizations can use digital technologies to improve the pharmaceutical supplychain and minimize the risk of errors.

The trade show for industrial technology gives attendees a roadmap to tomorrow’s connected, automated and globally oriented industrial landscape, and the show’s forums play a major role in this, as does the Industry 4.0 Forum.

Malone Group will operate as a trusted implementation partner and value-added reseller for Senseye, driving adoption of Senseye PdM with large-scale FMCG producers, packaging manufacturers, and heavy industry organizations.

Through the new partnership, Bastian Solutions will utilize Tompkins Robotics’ t-Sort systems to help its clients optimize warehousing and fulfillment operations across a range of end customer applications and sites.

Industrial automation is no longer limited by the walls of a production facility. More and more automation is being handled via remote communication, whether it’s from the office or from the comfort of your own home. Today’s PLCs give you the ability to access your control system to handle such tasks as monitoring via a website to determine the condition of a machine or check other statistics.

For the first time worldwide, energy companies will be able to access a supply of up to 100 megawatts of power, over distances up to 600 kilometers and down to 3,000 meters water depth, at pressures that could shatter a brick.

Through the Digital Partner Program, businesses can consult with industry advisors to create roadmaps for their digital initiatives and learn how industrial IoT concepts like digital twin, the factory of the future and a connected workforce can improve their uptime and efficiency.

Through the Digital Partner Program, businesses can consult with industry advisors to create roadmaps for their digital initiatives and learn how industrial IoT concepts like digital twin, the factory of the future and a connected workforce can improve their uptime and efficiency.

The Honeywell OneWireless IoT Module will deliver ISA100 Wireless and WirelessHART multi-protocol connectivity, extending the Wi-Fi connectivity delivered via the Cisco Catalyst IW6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Point, the successor to the Cisco Aironet 1552S Outdoor Access Point.

Robotic manipulators in industry perform repetitive tasks in manufacturing processes, and ensure a high production volume along with high quality standards.

Whatfix is collaborating with Automation Anywhere to streamline customer onboarding during trial and post-trial RPA deployments. The relationship between the two companies is also intended to help improve user engagement and internal sales productivity on Salesforce CRM applications.

By Bill Lydon, Automation.com The 2019 Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference was another high energy, creative, and stimulating leadership event. With the company illustrating the power of the next level of software technology and leveraging this with a new business model, Inductive Automation illuminated their progression to be more responsive to industry and customer requirements.

Whatfix is collaborating with Automation Anywhere to streamline customer onboarding during trial and post-trial RPA deployments. The relationship between the two companies is also intended to help improve user engagement and internal sales productivity on Salesforce CRM applications.

A growing list of partners starting with Jabil, KIMYA, Polymaker, and Mitsubishi Chemical are working to qualify filament for use with the MakerBot METHOD platform.

By Darcy Simonis, ABB food and beverage With research showing that only 21 per cent of all product recalls over the last decade were detected by the company themselves, it is more important than ever that food and beverage manufacturers review and prevent contamination and mislabeling. This article explores the rise of recalls and what food companies can do to mitigate this alarming trend.

The company plans to integrate MultiMechanics into Siemens Digital Industries Software, which will add the ability for customers to create a digital twin of materials by closely integrating materials engineering with part design, performance engineering, and manufacturing through the unique TRUE Multiscale technology for a range of material-driven applications.

This performance includes a year of achievements spanning customers and use cases, innovations designed to accelerate the integration OT and IT systems, and industry recognition for the two companies’ combined industrial software suite, FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC.

Northwest Analytics' board of directors announced that Peter Guilfoyle has been appointed chief executive officer, president and director. Robert Ward, former CEO, will assume an advisory role. These changes were effective November 12, 2019.

The enhancements to the Syncron Service Cloud are designed to work to empower manufacturers to optimize their current break-fix after-sales service operations as they simultaneously lay the foundation for the inevitable shift to servitization and delivering products-as-a-service.

Coriolis meters provide the only true mass flow measurements, which offer a very accurate density measurement as well.

The two companies aim to roll-out and continually develop a microgrid control system that enables the integration of power from renewable energy to a mine's off-grid power supply.

The proprietors of the HARTING Technology Group have expanded the scope of their entrepreneurial activities and will now be active as a partner of PerFact, the software development company, as from December 31, 2019.

This cooperation highlights industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) innovation in scaling Ansell PPE and striving to create a safer work environment. Ansell and ProGlove are working for a breakthrough in enterprise safety management by combining smart PPE to address customer frustrations.

ITM 2019 showcased smart manufacturing and digital transformation in Mexico, drawing more than 30,000 attendees from Mexico and abroad during the three-day event held from October 9-11 at the Poliforum León in Guanajuato, Mexico.

by Gabriel Smith OEE is a quality systems management tool which enables manufacturers to assess a plant’s effectiveness. Used wisely, OEE allows a manufacturer to identify major losses, create a road map to find problems, and enhance capacity.

As part of a joint project, members of the VDMA OPC Machine Vision Initiative together with the OPC UA Foundation, have developed a hardware demonstrator that includes the practical implementation of the "OPC UA for Machine Vision (OPC MV) Part 1 Companion Specification".

Hydraulic actuators are driven by a high-pressure fluid (up to 4,000 psig) that can be delivered to the actuator by a pump that is remote from the actuator itself.

With a maximum annual production capacity of 400 high precision machining centers, the nearly 150,000-sq ft Chiron Precision Factory in located in Neuhausen, Germany.

AutoGuide’s products work to deliver deployment andefficiency of industrial and warehouse material-handling operations.

The tested and certified joint Indegy-Owl solution gives customers the confidence of knowing that their OT network is physically inaccessible from the external network while being monitored by the Indegy Industrial Cybersecurity Suite.

The tested and certified joint Indegy-Owl solution gives customers the confidence of knowing that their OT network is physically inaccessible from the external network while being monitored by the Indegy Industrial Cybersecurity Suite.

Under the agreement, HPS will provide KIPIC with front-end engineering design and advanced process control technology for the complex, which will help KIPIC expedite production start-up and assist with reaching production targets faster and more efficiently.

Under the agreement, HPS will provide KIPIC with front-end engineering design and advanced process control technology for the complex, which will help KIPIC expedite production start-up and assist with reaching production targets faster and more efficiently.

Ricoh approached Evershed Robotics initially, who suggested using a combination of a Toshiba Machine TH650 SCARA robots, a Toshiba Machine Cartesian robot to work with their six bowl feeders and a rotary index table.