Articles and News

The companies have completed testing which is intended to assure customers that both solutions can bidirectionally share information to detect, respond and mitigate security threats across their entire attack surface, including industrial control system (ICS) devices.

Energy management, access control, lighting control, asset management, communications, life safety, fire alarm, and HVAC controls are all of interest when designing a building automation system

Learn why improving the accuracy of ten fluid flow & level measurements enhances process control and quality while lowering cost.

Researchers develop a method for controlling the load speed of a mechanical transmission system using both motor and load speed feedback, and design an adaptive feedforward action to reject load torqu

MicroWatt specializes in flame and gas detection, burner control application consultation, training, and on-site installation assistance, as well as calibration and repair services.

The annual awards program honors the work of Bentley users advancing design, construction, and operations of infrastructure throughout the world.

By Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, IDTechEx In this article, we draw from that report to consider developments in price-performance ratio of hardware components to make up a new robotics: transistors, memory, sensors, energy storage, and electric motors.

By Harel Boren, CEO, Inspekto As the machine vision industry goes on to embrace Autonomous Machine Vision, misconceptions remain. This article explains the truth behind some common machine vision misconceptions.

BrightSparks 2019 is open now to nominees who are based in the UK and are aged between 16 and 30; nominations can be submitted via www.electronicsweekly.com/brightsparks/. The closing date is Friday 15th February 2019

The first Compac product resulting from this partnership is Smartline, which is built on Wonderware by AVEVA. Smartline features an operational dashboard for visualisation of line performance and a user interface designed to facilitate line control for packhouses of all sizes.

High-temperature applications are found in the metal processing, power, refining, and other industries. Sensor type will usually be a thermocouple, and selecting the right type is the first step when

The time it takes for the PLC to complete its scanning of all program steps in one operating cycle is called the scan time.

Replacing HIT 2.0, this online training program is launching a revised 3-axis machining learning program. With the new guided programming function, the user is able to gain realistic practice with Klartext programing and DIN/ISO programming within the learning packet.

By Robert Cohn, Direct Recruiters, Inc. As job vacancies continue to exceed the number of available employees, manufacturing organizations are forced to adapt the way they hire.

The IIC Resource Hub references IIC resources including knowledge and expertise from IIC foundational documents, testbed insights, toolkits, demos and relationships with global standards and industry groups, and also provides actionable intelligence.

There will be two different kinds of dev kits - community and commercial. For options in the community track, the bill of materials will be purchased independently online, the code will be downloaded straight from a special repository on the project GitHub, and questions will be answered through forums like the EdgeX Rocket Chat.

Supported by AI-based machine-vision technology, the novel “WiseEye” can be installed in a weaving machine to help fabric manufacturers to detect defects in the production process.

The total number sold in this robot category rose by 85 percent (2017). Logistic systems show the strongest demand, accounting for 63 percent of the total units and 36 percent of the total sales (in value) of professional service robots. Prospects for service robots remain positive, as it is also a primary field for start-ups.

The project is part of the 'Mission Electrification' initiative of the Indian Railways, which aims to convert an additional 24,000 kilometers of railways from fossil fuel to electrification.

The iModel.js library is a collection of JavaScript packages that build on standards for modern cloud and web development.

A collaborative robot is a robot that is aware of its environment. The big concern revolves around how these robots operate alongside humans, making sure each operation is safe.

By Florian Haas, TRACO POWER GROUP It is well-known that there are many manufacturers out there, so the quality, as well as price of a specific product, can vary greatly.

The bell ringer, Universal Robots’ UR5e, is a collaborative robot – or cobot – able to work alongside people with no safety guarding, giving watchers worldwide the opportunity to see just how cobots interact with humans.

The companies intend to offer a solution to create and operate digital twins on behalf of industry and infrastructure asset owners.

The podcast discusses a range of topics with business and academia thought leaders – from how industrial technologies, such as blockchain, will transform supply chains to how academic and business partnerships address workforce and upskilling challenges.

The podcast discusses a range of topics with business and academia thought leaders – from how industrial technologies, such as blockchain, will transform supply chains to how academic and business partnerships address workforce and upskilling challenges.

By Lee Sullivan, COPA-DATA UK One of the biggest challenges for manufacturers is choosing from the range of products and services available to protect against these crimes. This article offers three cyber security rules that manufacturers should abide by when selecting vendors.

Use rate limiting when a ripple is significantly faster than a true change in the process variable. The velocity limit is the maximum possible rate of change of the level.

Eaton is expanding its collaboration with global safety science organization UL to continue establishing measurable cybersecurity criteria for network-connected power management products and systems.

By Nina Hesby Tvedt, Secure-NOK As owners and operators find themselves faced with security challenges that were unthinkable to most less than a decade ago, society’s concern is rising for good reason.

The primary focus of Honeywell’s activities in ODVA will be through Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group.

A virtual local area network (VLAN) is achieved through configuration of Ethernet switches and not encryption. It divides a physical network into smaller logical networks to increase performance, impr

By Jason Andersen, Stratus Technologies With today’s increase in frequency and complexity of cyberattacks, security and data protection are suddenly at the forefront of many industries including industrial and manufacturing.

This perspective is intended to help busy industry professionals get up to speed on the safety and cybersecurity lifecycle, keeping their facility safe from devastating cyberattacks using a straightforward, practical approach.

ISA provides opportunities for members and leaders to interact with their peers so they can learn about the latest trends in their industries

As part of AVEVA’s commitment to this initiative, the company has pledged 1% of profit after tax to support employee-led programs, initiatives and causes.

As a web-based solution that leverages the Industrial Internet of Things, data can be extracted from any water network distribution or maintenance-related data source.

By Mille Gandelsman, Indegy Although they have existed for years in manufacturing, advances in technology have escalated their scale and made prevention even more difficult

This marks the first time the WDBC has invited a system integrator to join the Council. Representing TESCO as an allied member on the WDBC Board of Directors is Brian Adams, P.E., Director of Design-Build Projects.

Pipeline leak detection testing provides the assessment of how a system can work, how it’s working now, the tools for analyzing unusual occurrences, and a vehicle for training and testing operators.

The exida Safety Awards honor exida-certified products or processes that best demonstrate new and innovative work in the realm of functional safety and cybersecurity, which improves the application of IEC 61508 or IEC 62443.

The unit is the fourth manufacturing facility that ABB has set up in the country during the last three years as part of a $30 million investment plan. The other units manufacture high-voltage air-insulated switchgear, low-voltage, and medium-voltage switchgear.

The mill – where paper has been made for more than four centuries – makes 980,000 tons of multicoated paper per year for publications around the world. Honeywell will implement a range of upgrades that include server virtualization, process visualization and cybersecurity solutions.

By Rob Sullivan, AutoGuide Mobile Robots The mobile robot proliferation is an extension of lean manufacturing principles. Whether labor savings are from tugger application or with fork attachments, reliable navigation that requires no magnetic tape or RFID tags to guide its way safely through a facility, the growth the automonous environment is unstoppable.

75 percent of industrial companies said they have seen operational improvements resulting from the use of advanced safety technology. Similarly, 60 percent of respondents said they have seen financial improvements resulting from the use of advanced safety technology.

By Mondi Anderson, RealPars A DCS or distributed control system is similar to a PLC in that it has rugged computer controllers, however, the DCS contains multiple autonomous controllers that are distributed throughout a system, also used for automating processes.

At the members’ assembly of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association, the VDMA Machine Vision sector group (VDMA MV) elected a new Board for a three-year term. Klaus-Henning Noffz, CEO of Silicon Software GmbH, Mannheim, was elected Chairman

The German company is part of the Kistler Group with immediate effect. The Swiss measurement technology experts thereby are expected strengthen their portfolio in the area of optical measurement technology.

The cascade dead zones problem in a typical two-stage proportional directional control valve is analyzed and a cascade dead zones model is developed for the main stage spring constant.

SENER (Mexico’s Secretary of Energy) this week announced that Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of Aberdeen will join Imperial College London and the IFP School in France as the selected universities.

Joe Rozgonyi, who founded EMX in 1987, has made the decision to sell his stock and transition the company so he can retire. He will remain a consultant to the executive management team. Joe Williams, who also invested alongside Watervale in the transaction, will lead the company as CEO.

In the “Student Inspired Contest,” students can share stories about who inspires them to pursue careers in trades for a chance to win Fluke products. Entries must be received by Nov. 9, 2018.

Available as a free download on the Parker website, the software has been highlighted by Parker design centers, professional users, and DIYers for its interface, BOM generation, and quote capabilities.

EtherCAT itself has been a Chinese recommended standard since 2014. With FSoE now also reaching this official status, end users, system integrators and device manufacturers alike have the reassurance that the entire EtherCAT technology ecosystem is fully accepted in China

By Nick Boughton, Boulting Technology While AR is becoming increasingly popular in popular culture, how does the world of manufacturing keep up with the opportunities available to them? This article examines how AR can be used across the manufacturing industry.

GE will utilize Nozomi Networks’ advanced solutions for industrial control system (ICS) cyber resiliency and real-time operational visibility.

SENER (Mexico’s Secretary of Energy) this week announced that Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of Aberdeen will join Imperial College London and the IFP School in France as the selected universities.

Proper grounding provides safety, over-current protection, electrical noise reduction, lightning protection, and static electricity reduction.

He will be responsible for developing and executing new business strategies to accelerate Jenoptik’s growth as well as head up the Applications Center in Fremont, California, which serves our West Coast customers’ unique engineering, and product development needs.

zenon’s application as an HMI gives SWR operators flexibility to set welding parameters. This is a requirement for the environment in which SWR is designed, as almost every job requires some level of customization.

By Rachel Bugaris, Panduit The significance of PtD in manufacturing-oriented environments today can’t be understated, and furthermore the case for PtD in implementing solutions that design electrical safety into the process can easily be made.

Watlow’s Visual Designer uses pictures for product option menus and provides a constantly updated drawing of the product being configured. Users click on the features needed and watch them appear in the drawing.

HTE Engineering Services is headquartered in Dunboyne, County Meath, Ireland. Terms of the acquisition, which closed on October 1, were not disclosed.

Wilfried Eberhardt, Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Advisory Board of KUKA AG in Augsburg, Germany, has been elected Chairman of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association for a three- year term. Wilfried Eberhardt succeeds Dr. Norbert Stein, Managing Director of VITRONIC GmbH, whose three-year term of office ended.

Reshamwala will succeed founder and current CEO Martin Adams, who will transition to a strategic business development role, where he will focus on building key account relationships.

FDT technology integrates any device, system, or network in an automation architecture. It leverages IIoT and Industry 4.0 to help realize the true potential of decentralization, interoperability, and

The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of fiscal 2019, subject to regulatory approvals, GE’s consultation with employee representatives where required and other customary closing conditions.

The goal is to help companies use technology to reach Top Quartile performance, measured by optimized production, improved reliability, enhanced safety and minimized energy usage.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Traditionally, the way to succeed in an engineering career has been to work your way up the corporate ladder, but is the influx of new start-ups changing this? This article looks at how engineering businesses can retain staff in the era of the start-up.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com The THINC Academy is working to address the skills gap problem by engaging students with the fundamental knowledge and skills to be productive. THINC Academy already has a success record adding skilled, motivated, and well-rounded workers to help close the skills gap with their educational approach.

Winners are recognized for their editorial contributions to a wide range of ISA publications, including ISA books; InTech, ISA’s bi-monthly magazine for automation and control professionals; and ISA Transactions

Based in France, Vallourec is a supplier of drill pipe for energy companies around the globe. The manufacturer has a presence in 20 countries, including Vallourec Drilling Products USA in Houston.

Tripwire Industrial Visibility is the first integrated solution between Tripwire and Claroty that will provide visibility, monitoring and threat mitigation across the complete OT landscape.

Patrik Nilsson’s role will be to handle Kamstrup’s strategic activities and continue to create customer-oriented solutions for the Swedish market.

Learn about the importance of process optimization and how to achieve it through better PID control from members of the ISA Mentor Program.

PcVue supervisory and control software from ARC Informatique has been configured as the BMS controlling all the assets like lights, HVAC, ventilation, chiller, temperature, air supply, power, filter pressure, and voltage supplied to special heaters for the hospital.

Eliasen is an automation industry professional with more than 25 years of experience in corporate operations and engineering management. At OSI, he has overseen all project delivery operations to date.

ABB will provide E-houses for the 47 pumping stations along the pipeline, spread across 47 kilometers, connecting a station being built in São Bernardo do Campo to the Capuava Refinery (RECAP) in Mauá in São Paulo.

By Robert Bova, AccuSpeechMobile One of the greatest impacts of automating with new mobile voice technology is the ability to decrease the ramp-up time required for temporary and seasonal staff.

Pressure recovery factor is the increase in fluid static pressure that occurs as fluid moves through a valve from the vena contracta to the valve's outlet and downstream piping.

Manufacturing Day, 5 October 2018 is designed to amplify the voice of individual companies and coordinate a collective movement toward greater understanding and solutions to key manufacturing challenges

Manufacturing Day, 5 October 2018 is designed to amplify the voice of individual companies and coordinate a collective movement toward greater understanding and solutions to key manufacturing challenges

Fabco-Air’s NPT pneumatic cylinders are applied by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) on new machinery and systems as well as replacement components in the Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) market.

By Sean Robinson, Novotek Sales people will tout an endless stream of benefits of an IoT-enabled device but the IoT isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme where one purchase can promise a life of high ROI. This article explains why the data from your new IoT device might not be meeting expectations.

This latest round follows a $15 million round in January 2018. Funding will be used to fortify Nozomi Networks’ market by broadening its global presence and continuing expansion of research and development.

ABB has been selected to deliver its WindSTAR transformers specifically designed for floating wind turbines, to MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).

The cooperation will enable Honeywell to deliver solar modules with data analytics to commercial and industrial customers to help them achieve sustainability goals.

As part of this program, SCSK Corporation and KOLON BENIT have begun selling Falkonry LRS in Japan and South Korea respectively, and Falkonry is engaged with other OEMs, system integrators, distributors, resellers and referral partners around the globe who are expected to follow.

By Lisa Silverman, RunSafe Security As more and more controllers, servers, remote terminals, monitoring equipment, and sensors are tied to the internet, the cyberattack surface has increased exponentially, making our critical infrastructure and manufacturing plants vulnerable to unprecedented threats.

Model predictive control software identifies the dynamics and automatically incorporates them into the industrial evaporator controller.

HANNOVER MESSE USA 2018 covered more than 114,200 square feet of exhibit space and featured 510 exhibitors who showcased their innovations to a record breaking 129,415 registered visitors attending both shows.

By combining AVEVA’s industrial automation and information management capabilities with Canon’s imaging technology, the two companies can develop new solutions to facilitate Smart Manufacturing operations.

ISA/IEC 62443-4-2-2018, Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems: Technical Security Requirements for IACS Components, provides the cybersecurity technical requirements for components that make up an IACS, specifically the embedded devices, network components, host components and software applications.

The scope of supply includes an ABB Ability Network Manager SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)/Energy Management System (EMS), more than 120 Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and a fiber-optic communications network to monitor and control the grid.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Today we take another dive into the world of new technologies in today's automation ecosystem. For this article, I had opportunity to examine Opto 22's groov EPIC product at the 22nd annual ARC Industry Forum in February.

HANNOVER MESSE USA 2018 covered more than 114,200 square feet of exhibit space and featured 510 exhibitors who showcased their innovations to a record breaking 129,415 registered visitors attending both shows.

Research focus on the use of OPC technology for the study of distributed control systems as a cost effective and flexible research tool for the development and testing of advanced process control techn

By Ben C. Garber, Ultra Electronics, 3eTI Cyber attacks can bring these thriving smart cities to a standstill and create utter chaos. Ensuring cyber-physical security against local and foreign adversaries is the new challenge for today’s city planners.

ISA's new Executive Director Mary Ramsey is a dynamic, experienced leader with a deep understanding of industrial automation, process control, and related industries.