Articles and News

Elevation to the distinguished grade of ISA Fellow is granted to Senior Members in recognition of their exceptional engineering scientific contributions to the field of automation.

By Marc Petock, Lynxspring Talk about cyber security these days often focuses on technology. As with many things, there are multiple sides that should be discussed. When it comes to cyber security, the business side may be most crucial.

Northern Industrial release their brand new e-commerce store, nicontrols.com, for 20 different worldwide countries. The site enables users of industrial automation equipment to purchase new parts, refurbished parts and check repair prices for over 200,000 automation parts online 24/7.

AutoQuiz: PID Control Loop Definition

The Linking Oil and Gas Industry to Improve Cybersecurity (LOGIIC) report outlines technical and security considerations when evaluating and selecting Real Time Data Transfer (RTDT) solutions for industrial automation and control system environments

Independent laboratories throughout the world rely on thousands of standards and test methods, including many developed by ASTM International. This directory is dedicated to helping manufacturers find the right labs to test their products.

The variety of solutions, designed to lower engineering overhead and bring machines to market faster, include motion control solutions, handling guides and mobile app resources for automation.

The FANUC Robotics CNC Certification will be offered to qualified soldiers at no-charge through an agreement between the United States Garrison, Fort Sill, and Choice Career College (CCC), a FANUC Certified Education CNC school.

The project involved implementing a SCADA remote control system to connect railway stations, sectioning facilities and substations on the Moravice-Rijeka-Šapjane, and Škrljevo-Bakar lines in the far north-west of the country with the Remote Control Centre in Rijeka.

The SmartVentilation on-demand solution provides fresh air for the 500 meter deep underground mine, which extracts gold, tellurium and other minerals for commercial electronics and industrial uses.

The Market Guide, released on June 21, 2016, assesses the state of the MES market and makes recommendations for manufacturing executives pursuing the deployment of MES applications.

Our partner Ilma Machine-building company took part at the XXIII coal mining technologies international exhibition “Coal of Russia and Mining”, which was held from 7 to 10 June in Novokuznetsk.

Supported by a qualified network of Canadian resources and industry veterans, NexRev Canada ULC will introduce DrivePak and Freedom—NexRev’s two key energy management solutions—to commercial, institutional and industrial markets

Holt will have global management responsibility for ValvTechnologies’ fossil power group and sales activities worldwide as well as developing long-term strategies for business growth and customer performance in the global fossil power severe service marketplace.

By Chris Jones, Micro-Epsilon UK Although red laser triangulation displacement sensors have been in use for more than 20 years, blue laser versions are also now available. Before selecting which colour to use, it is important to understand which type performs best on which target materials.

Three new members have joined in the first half of 2016, bringing the total number to 26. To be eligible, candidates must be current Rockwell Automation Solution Partners or Recognized System Integrators with three to five years of machine safety experience.

Multi-loop PID tuning is the procedure for the online tuning of a cluster of PID controllers operating in a closed loop with a multivariable process.

Dr Irwin has experience in creating products and solutions for the wireless market, in the space of IoT, applications, experience management, self-organizing networks and location awareness.

By Bob Love, Schaeffler UK Linear systems are a key part of production machinery and plant automation. If your linear systems are not providing the low friction movements they should be, you will strain your motors and drive systems, which will increase bearing loads and reduces component life.

By Robert Holloway, EU Automation This article discusses the potential of continuous manufacturing compared to its isolated, batch manufacturing alternative, in relation to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

By Manuel Terranova, Peaxy Inc. One critical business imperative of this decade is making good use of data assets. A comprehensive digital dossier, which aggregates such data, is incredibly useful for predictive maintenance initiatives, design processes and other business-critical applications.

Epicor provides industry-specific solutions to customers in the manufacturing, distribution, and retail sectors. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Drawing on the expertise and insights of some of the world’s leading gas turbine experts and specialists, the technical program will showcase instrumentation techniques, developments and applications within gas turbines measurement and control systems.

Numerous users, providers and developers met at the Robotation Academy in Hannover. The network aims to further develop and raise the profile of ‘Industry 4.0’ and IoT applications.

Athader sought a technological partner which would allow the company to progress its development efforts more quickly. As a result, Athader chose to use drives, motors and global solutions supplied by Emerson’s Control Techniques.

YuMi, the dual-arm robot by ABB Robotics, features functionalities such as a vision system, a gripper or touch-sensitive sensor technology opening up new, flexible areas of utilisation in industrial assembly.

Current state of industrial automation system security plus the technological and organizational challenges of improving it.

Among all stringent safety regulations and conforming pressure sensor standard will likely to boost the industry in terms of value and volume across end verticals as all end user industry will follow the conforming standards.

This on-demand webinar discusses best practices from Industrial IP Advantage – a coalition of Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation – for how to get control engineers and IT professionals working together to deploy a more secure, holistic network architecture.

The report predicts that it will take until 2019 for world sales revenues to recover to their 2014 level. Figure 1 shows a comparison between the three major regions of the world from 2014 to 2020.

This new outlook, which draws heavily from planned utility budgets, represents an almost 28% increase over capital expenditures during the last ten years.

The EASY Product Finder is designed for machine designers and engineers to explore and specify Lenze engineered power drive, automation and motion control solutions.

As Comark's CTO, Mr. Shah is responsible for the company's technology vision and strategy as well as the development of products and solutions to support Comark's "Smarter Automation" strategy.

Nexjen Systems, a division of Jenkins Electric Company, was created in 2005 to service Jenkins Test & Measurement customers in the southeast region.

Intelligrated designs, manufactures, integrates and installs complete warehouse automation solutions, software and services that result in smarter distribution and fulfillment operations.

We’ve ended up with changing AggreGate SCADA/HMI licensing policy. From now on it doesn’t matter how many devices you have. AggreGate SCADA is now licensed by tags (which are sometimes called I/O channels).

Smart Airports Market (Infrastructure - Endpoint Devices, Communication Systems, Passenger, Cargo and Baggage Ground Handling Control, Air Traffic Control, Security Systems and Others; Solutions - Terminal Side, Airside, and Land Side; Applications - Core Application; Services - Smart Transport and Parking, Smart Retail, Hospitality, and Entertainment, Smart Workplace, Smart Airport Processes, and Smart Business-to-Business Services) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024

AutoQuiz: Information Extracted from an Electronic Database

First congatec SMARC 2.0 modules as well as carrier boards and starter kits including extensive software, driver and BIOS support will be available in August.

Autonomous cars driverless cars market is witnessing increased competition due to entry of technology firms,autonomous cars driverless cars market grows with government support for amendments in traffic regulations

The newly acquired SCADA system will replace and merge two independent Spectrum 4.5.1 systems into one system to allow centralized control, operation and maintenance of all hydro generation assets in Spain.

The new two-story facility, which is slated to open in mid-2017, will increase floor space from 3,500 to 8,100 square meters (38,000 to 87,000 square feet).

The project upgraded the existing 75 MV Switchgear Panels to the latest protection relay generation, and integrated the power supply systems with the ABB 800xA automation system already in place. Commissioning was completed in February 2016.

The test involved repeated 50,000 V/m nanosecond EMP strikes to emulate the energy of a High Altitude Electromechanical Pulse (HEMP), as would be created by an atmospheric nuclear detonation

CIMdata is surveying AEC practitioners, along with manufacturers and technology solution providers serving this market, to collect their views on the opportunities and obstacles they have experienced in relation to the introduction of new technology and processes.

Attendees from 31 countries discussed ways that data analytics can further change the manufacturing landscape, and how the IIoT can bring digital transformation to life.

LeddarTech's management confirmed that two LeddarCore IC programs are in the works: the LC-A2, targeting the automation layers 1 to 3, and the LC-A3, which will meet the specifications for automation layers 2 to 4.

Capacitive sensing is a technology that typically uses human body capacitance as an input and is based on capacitive coupling. The capacitive sensors used to detect non-glass materials are usually referred to as non-glass capacitive sensors.

Tips for producing blog posts, newsletters and other marketing content for your industrial business when you are short on time and resources.

Aucotec AG has succeeded in convincing the global market leader in film stretching technology to opt for its software system Engineering Base (EB). The decisive factor in this case was the film experts' desire to optimize their various design processes across disciplines.

Epicor ERP will provide ESP Group with the platform for managing growth by connecting all business critical systems and data sources to increase efficiency, enhance control and facilitate real-time management

The webinar, which will be held from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, will feature three automation experts: David Spitzer, PE, founder of Spitzer and Boyes; Ned Espy, Technical Director at Beamex; and Roy Tomalino, Professional Services Engineer at Beamex

The training programs include leadership, process improvement, SolidWorks, computer operations, electrical assembly and wiring, and enterprise resource planning.

Sirayooth looked to limit risk by selecting motors for their compressor systems from a reliable manufacturer. It was decided that a number of Leroy-Somer IMfinity 2 motors in the power range of 9 to 250kW were the ideal fit.

The mobile user interface from Simatic WinCC Open Architecture is a native client for iOS and Android devices which offers the same possibilities and functionality as a standard client.

A motion controller comprises of load, prime mover, sensors and controlling machine for proper functioning of prime mover and load.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) concepts and technology is providing the basis for dramatic manufacturing industry improvements. The broader scope view of IoT predicts that the digitization and integration of all aspects of production and commerce, across company boundaries, will eventually lead to greater productivity and efficiency.

The FDA has approved the Auris Robotic Endoscopy System as an advanced bronchoscope that aids in both visualizing and treating several lung conditions.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation The internet of zombies won't result in the end of civilization, but it does put your company's confidential information at risk. This article discusses the internet of zombies and advises on how companies can prepare for an outbreak of cyber attacks.

Muldoon is an oil and gas industry executive with more than 30 years of industry expertise spanning areas from engineering and design, operations and supply chain offerings, as well as management and project execution.

FlexThink is an annual conference organised by eWON and HMS with inspirational talks and hands-on learning. The conference represents an opportunity to hear more about how IIoT can be made real and to learn how to unlock remote data from industrial machines.

Smart and Connected Elevators are designed so as to minimize overall energy consumption and manage passenger traffic efficiently within a building.

Machine condition monitoring market witnessed a significant demand, energy and power is largest segment in machine condition monitoring market.

In this paper, an opto-isolator based linearization technique of a typical thyristor driven pump has been proposed.

Available in a variety of sizes with bases ranging from 100mm to 1m, different stiffness configurations, and supportive of loads from 2 kg to 1,000+ kg, PI hexapods have successfully tested a drone-mounted camera on PI’s H-840 hexapod

Designed with an intuitive user interface, the FCI website supports the instrumentation needs of busy professional engineers and plant technicians with articles and case studies to address problems and solutions in air/gas measurement.

AutoQuiz: How to minimize electrical interference when AC power and DC signal wiring meet in a control panel.

Hosted by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and Hannover Fairs (Canada), the conference will highlight wind energy commitments, opportunities and innovations across all regions of Canada.

The project was funded and managed by Kandil Steel, a leading steel provider in Egypt. The company is working on new solutions for distributed energy generation because of rising energy prices and declining government subsidies

Bookings in 2015 took their first downturn after having trended upwards for several years after the “Great Recession” of 2009. In the six years since, bookings are up a total of 46.4%.

The UniSim Design Challenge allows engineering students to propose solutions to real-world problems facing process manufacturers with Honeywell’s UniSim Design Suitesoftware, which is used to design and model processes in production facilities around the world.

Thousands of visitors stopped to see the car and chat with igus team members about their applications, and how plastic technology and components can increase the service life and reduce the cost of applications ranging from automotive design to medical components.

End-of-line Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2026

Smart Motors Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2023

Fluke Connect Assets is a cloud-based wireless system of software and test tools that gives maintenance managers a comprehensive view of all critical equipment. The TiX560 Infrared Camera, which is part of the Fluke Connect system, features a rotating 240-degree lens and a 5.7 inch touchscreen.

By Adam Chapman, Fluenta A recent survey by management consultancy Accenture offers insight into how oil and gas companies are utilising digital technologies and how these technologies will shape the industry in the near future. This article provides an in-depth analysis of that study.

EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab has been designed to help companies evaluate the efficiency of their current blowoff products such as air nozzles, air knives and air guns. Companies can ship these items to EXAIR where a qualified engineer will perform the tests

To attain the CQA title, Ramskow had to successfully demonstrate proficiency in the standards and principles of auditing, as well as the auditing techniques of examining, questioning, evaluating and reporting to determine a quality system’s adequacy and deficiencies.

By Graham Mackrell, Harmonic Drive UK The global market for service and industrial robots is estimated to reach $59.5bn by 2020 and the UK has identified robotics as a technology that’s key to its future growth.

PA&E is a manufacturer of hermetic electronic packaging and interconnect products for the defense, space, energy and medical industries. Litron, Inc. is a supplier of laser welding systems, laser sealing/welding/cutting and other manufacturing services.

HighJump’s warehouse management system (WMS) will be implemented in Rheem’s distribution center in Central Mexico. From its facility in Mexico City, Rheem fulfills outbound orders to many distribution channels through Mexico and Central America.

From 20 to 22 September at CeMAT RUSSIA in Moscow, approximately 150 exhibitors will present their products and solutions for integrated and efficient control of the logistics process.

These activities align with FieldComm Group’s mission to drive adoption of FDI technology to become the global standard for field device integration, independent of underlying device protocols.

This represents a rise of 12 percent compared to the previous year. This sees the continuation of the global automation boom, which commenced in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009. Sales for industrial robots have increased almost four-fold since that time.

Open innovation is the key to overcoming obstacles for IoT development currently hindered by vast amount of different protocol standards that create communication barriers.

By: Andy Stump, Rockwell Automation Manufacturing and industrial end users are turning to smart manufacturing to be more responsive, efficient and flexible in how they operate. This article discusses advances in design software that help them do that.

This coalition brings together a consortium of organizations from across industry, academia, government and non-profits trade groups to spur advances in Smart Manufacturing technology and process controls that can improve the efficiency of U.S. advanced manufacturing.

How does the Internet of Things increase Smart City IQ?

Among other things, the partnership covers the joint development of production lines, the standardization of processes, and the development of versatile systems and tools.

ISA members develop standards in everything from cybersecurity to process safety to interfaces between industrial process control computers and subsystems

CIAT decided it was time to investigate 64-bit monitoring systems that aligned with their values for innovation and sustainability. This search ultimately led them to ICONICS.

26.1 per cent of respondents representing a cross-section of UK adults think that the biggest benefit of the introduction of autonomous vehicles – such as the Google Self-Driving Car – will be a reduction in the number of road accidents.

The Best Future Machine Award recognizes and rewards engineering innovation and machine design at interpack 2017. The prize will be flights and hotel accommodations to the Automation Fair event from Rockwell Automation, Nov. 15-16, 2017 in Houston.

By Bill Lydon, Editor As the highest-level attendees of Hannover Fair 2016, President Obama and Chancellor Merkel did the traditional tour of vendor booths, learning about some of 2016’s innovative industrial automation technologies from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Home automation market is driven by growing need for effective solutions in various domestic applications, North America led home automation market and is expected to continue its dominance in 2020

Emerson Process Management is replacing an outdated SCADA system as well as remote terminal units (RTUs) used throughout HRSD’s vast wastewater collection system.

Relevant Solutions of Sugar Land, Texas, and Business & Engineering Solutions Team (BEST), Inc. from Houston, Texas received top honors at the Honeywell's annual Channel Partner of the Year awards ceremony in San Antonio, Texas.

The KION Group expects the purchase price for the shares to amount to approx. USD 2.1 billion, based on an enterprise value of Dematic of USD 3.25 billion, and will become a provider of intelligent intralogistics solutions.

Membership with ISA has many benefits, including a variety of training, mentoring, and networking programs.

By COPA-DATA UK To celebrate the UK’s National Women in Engineering Day (NWED) on June 23, 2016, the team at industrial automation software expert, COPA-DATA UK has put together a collation of impressive software and computing feats, all achieved by British women.