Articles and News

Eight-page, full-color brochure describes ABB's SM Series of videographic (paperless) recorders for capturing, storing, and analyzing process data.

Established in 1976, Matrox has many years of experience building hardware and software solutions under three divisions: Matrox Graphics, Matrox Imaging, and Matrox Video.

The People's Republic of China will be honored as the official Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE 2012 (the Hannover Fair) in Hannover, Germany.

Mouser.com features Product Knowledge training sites designed to educate electronic design engineers on the features, benefits, and applications of the newest technologies.

Thomas & Betts publishes Analysis of NEC Code Changes 2011, a free reference guide that highlights changes to the National Electrical Code (NEC) for the 2011 code cycle.

ABB will supply automation for drives, drives, power systems and equipment to the Duisburg-Bruckhausen steel plant at Germany.

Product selectors are available for safety light curtains, perimeter access guards, safety laser scanners, safety mats, safety interlock switches, safety systems and safety monitoring relays, and programmable safety controllers.

Thomson's web-based configuration tool enables users to quickly and easily configure Thomson 60 Case LinearRace shafting based on size, material, tolerance class, coating and special machining requirements.

‘Measuring Success’ is a 53-foot mobile showcase featuring a portfolio of process instrumentation, process analyzers and process automation products and solutions.

ISA Standards Gurus Get Global Kudos

Electricity and heat fired with bio fuels, including sawdust, woodchips, bark, turf if part of the cogeneration equation.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Jim McMahon Shuttleworth provided machinery infeed and take-away conveyors for a PV solar cell test unit built by Owens Design.

The ASM Competence Center will support companies in new product development, provide technical support for Profibus, allow demonstrations of interoperability of products and provide training programmes.

CC-Link IE Field Network with integrated safety meets international safety standards for SIL3 compliance and follows IEC61784-3:2010 for functional safety fieldbuses.

Panenka previously held the position of Vice President Sales & Marketing for Kollmorgen Europe GmbH, a position now held by Patrik Hug.

The application enables water specialists to perform water calculations and unit conversions using an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Android-compatible smart phone or mobile device.

The brochure provides an overview of the sensing technologies for wind energy applications.

RMT will supply a multi-gantry cured tire palletizing and shipping buffer system to Hanwha TechM in South Korea.

Wireshark will use openSAFETY dissector, a decoder for the analysis of individual openSAFETY frames.

ABB will provide a System 800xA to control the hydroelectric pumped storage plant, and integrate into the island grid the energy generated by wind and hydropower turbines.

Endress+Hauser will supply Shell with process measurement instruments, engineering and associated services.

The susceptibility of process control systems to security issues continues to confront organizations.

To effectively secure a facility, plant managers must take an inside-out approach with cybersecurity.

The ZigBee Alliance opened two offices in China to drive greater ZigBee adoption and address ZigBee standards to meet China’s specific needs for its rapidly expanding infrastructure and growing markets.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Robert McIlvride and Andew Thomas, Cogent Real-Time Systems What does redundancy look like in an OPC-based system? A typical scenario would have two OPC servers connected either to a single device or PLC, or possibly duplicate devices or PLCs. Those two OPC servers would then connect to some kind of OPC redundancy management software.

Amtech converted all DC motor drives to AC variable frequency motor drives at Papelsa y Cartones South America to solve production issues.

Kevin Bishop will manage the new office and take charge of business development for the North American region.

In her new role, Tracey will lead SMTC's regional sales development efforts and drive new business opportunities on the West Coast.

Type-950XP Explosion-proof I/P Transducer achieved compliance to Single Seal ANSI/ISA 12.27.01-2003 for use with natural gas.

Packaging professionals participating in the study identified four primary challenges to advancing machinery communications.

Website covers Industrial Computers, Solutions for Embedded Computing, Network Security and Console Servers.

A Bettis valve actuator has just been decommissioned after 20 years of faultless service. It still works, but the valve was re-sized.

Endress+Hauser will take a majority share of Systemplan, a German energy consulting company.

Most recently Bienert was the Technical Manager for Telecom and the Global Competence Center for emerging communication protocols at TUV Rheinland.

The brochure provides comprehensive information on SureCross Performance 1-watt radios.

RMT Robotics will supply an automated passenger tire palletizing system to Bridgestone in Europe.

ANSI formally approved Field Device Tools (FDT) Technology standards, previously adopted internationally as IEC 62453.

Emerson’s Micro Motion Certified Marine Bunker Measurement Solution for measuring heavy fuel oil bunker deliveries is being installed on Maersk vessels.

The Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology uses a Cognex In-Sight Micro vision system instead of a human researcher to observe the behavior of test subjects.

Metso will supply a PQV system to three Canfor Pulp mills in British Columbia, to replace off-line dirt count analysis systems.

Draenetz offers more than 55 downloadable technical white papers, articles and marketing documents covering a broad range of power quality and energy monitoring topics.

Willett, the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer.

Geometric will sell MetaCAM, a sheet metal product from Metamation.

Open Systems International will supply a Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition and Distribution Management System (SCADA/DMS) to EPB of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Nuris Ismail and Matthew Littlefield Aberdeen surveyed over 150 executives about the current state of their manufacturing operations and industrial networks. This article explores how the industry leaders are taking advantage of industrial networking to enable real-time visibility into data to optimize production, maintenance, and safety.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Thomas R. Cutler Perkins Paper installed the Jennifer VoicePlus picking, QC/Audit, and loading system from Lucas Systems to meet the objective of error-free automation processes.

The brochure includes a 3D representation of an entire water cycle across two facing pages.

Roller screws are capable of carrying heavy loads—at high speeds—with high duty cycles for thousands of hours in the most arduous conditions.

Utilizing 32nm technology, the processors reduce overall power requirements, while still offering enhanced media and graphics capabilities and performance.

This pre-recorded webcast highlights what to measure on a power supply and how to do so efficiently.

Face to Face: The Flip Side of Office eCommunication

VT Group (Verenigde Tankrederij) installed Emerson’s Micro Motion Certified Marine Bunker Measurement Solution on the bunker fuel barge MTS Vlaardingen.

The requirements, in the form of Commission Regulation EC 640/2009, came into effect on June 16, 2011

UA Certification provides users with impartial verification that the OPC server delivers solid performance in a wide range of adverse operating conditions, and is fully compliant with OPC Specifications.

The 12,000 sq ft manufacturing plant will build temperature sensors, thermowells, transmitters, recorders, flow computers, safety barriers, displays and other instrumentation.

RFI will pay $2,800,000 in cash and issue 760,000 shares of common stock to the seller at closing.

By Eaton Accelerate delivery time. Learn how next generation operator interface designs reduce development time, enable easy integration and accelerate time to market while enhancing quality and reliability.

Only 40% believe the U.S. economy will improve in the next six months, down from 60% three months earlier. At the same time, 26% believe the U.S. economy will get worse, up from 3%.

Advanced gear shaping software and motion control hardware from NUM has been used to bring an old manually-controlled gear shaper machine up to modern day control standards.

The four-minute video by Emerson Network Power demonstrates the dramatic difference a power conditioner can make in overall power quality and in the protection of mission-critical electronics from harmful power disturbances.

Emerson supplied more than 1000 Fisher control valves, FIELDVUE digital valve controllers, and AMS ValveLink SNAP-ON software to the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij Groningen gas field in The Netherlands.

April U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $396.92 million, according to AMT.

AIA reported recorded robust sales across almost all major machine vision supplier markets, including cameras, lighting, optics, software, application-specific machine vision systems, and smart cameras.

The Eagle Quantum Premier (EQP) Safety System has earned certification to NFPA 72: 2010.

Siemens released a firmware update of its S7-1200 PLC that eliminates vulnerabilities and improves the security and robustness of its S7-1200 product family.

CAD downloads include motorized and non-motorized SplineRails with the flexibility to modify features such as linear actuator length, screw resolution, motor step angle, motor voltage, and other design parameters.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Bosch Rexroth Packaging containers can sometimes be quite elaborate. The faster, the better, the more accurate so as not to damage delicate products. This is the challenge for pick-and-place robots and the control technology behind them. Chocolate, for example, is one such product that must be handled with care.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Katherine Voss, ODVA The expression "Less is More" reminds us about the importance of simplicity as a design goal. This goal is especially true when moving information quickly and seamlessly between supply chains, distribution systems and the production domain is critical to overall business competitiveness. Users are looking to industrial Ethernet to integrate systems and layers.

Collectively, Alliance members support 750 interoperable products deployed in over 200,000 buildings that use energy harvesting wireless technology designed for building automation systems.

Replacing the plant’s existing level transmitters, the new equipment has helped avoid shutdowns that can cost as much as $20,000 an hour in lost production and potential equipment damage costing over $200,000.

K-TEK has made available technology tutorials and case histories from the technical conference at ABB Automation & Power World. Requires registration.

Metso will supply a DCS and environmental technology to control five biomass power plants to be built by Dalkia in France.

The video illustrates how to create system graphics using QA Graphics’ BAS Symbol Library, and serves as an introduction to using Photoshop and constructing system graphics.

Leader & Harvest manufactures medium voltage (MV) variable speed drives. The company employs over 750 people in China.

BAE Systems expects the $2 million upgrade to save more than $305,000 annually in equivalent energy and operational expenses

Automation.com, June 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor According to industry veteran Gabe Rosica, a bad economy takes down bad companies or sick companies - it doesn’t take down good companies. Companies need to realize there is a difference between doing the right things and doing things right.

Aegis’ xLink software will gather real-time data from production/test equipment, and bridge the entire solution to the existing ERP system.

Video Walls can be used for digital signage and large-scale control rooms.

The turbines were fitted with GE controls when initially delivered but were replaced 13 years ago. That didn't work, so GE is back.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Alex Bryce, Pilz Automation Technology Safety gates, protective covers and machine guards prevent hazards associated with moving parts. However, the correct functioning of a safeguard can only be guaranteed by using the appropriate sensor technology.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Bob Hirschinger Because advancements to EtherNet/IP, machine builders are enjoying a new level of machine design flexibility through the use of a single network for their entire machine, including VFD and servo drives for integrated motion control.

El Paso Pipeline will be installing Flow-Cal’s Enterprise Version 8, to replace a legacy system internally developed.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Gregory Wilcox, Mike Hannah and Mark Devonshire Industry experts predicted that node cost, determinism issues and security risks would prohibit Ethernet’s growth into manufacturing, but it’s clear that this prediction hasn’t held true. We've experienced a swift rise and widespread industry adoption of Ethernet.

The scope of this project at AkzoNobel Functional Chemicals includes modernizing the process control of 7,000 I/O by replacing outdated PLCs with DeltaV and safety systems.

Honeywell will provide front-end engineering (FEED) support for the plant’s control system, including its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), UniSim process simulators and field instrumentation.

The 160-page catalog focuses on piezo flexure based nanopositioning systems capable of repeatedly moving distances as small as the diameter of an atom.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Judging from Automate 2011 and the IFR Executive Round Table, the robotics industry is on the move again. In 2010, the number of units sold worldwide almost doubled those in 2009. Here's an update on the robotics industry and overview of some interesting robot offerings.

Automation.com, June 2011 By Thomas R. Cutler Given the capital expense involved in material handling projects is usually in the millions, working with an independent project management professional is vital. Learn the questions to ask before hiring a material handling automation consultant.

Shock waves can be adequately controlled by optimizing the cooling pulsation timing and amplitude. This offers great potential for power plant turbine manufacturers to develop more compact engines.

The system will enable Alliant Energy to reduce system losses, manage reactive power supply and provide the future ability to implement conservation voltage reduction.

The Stuxnet worm is a sophisticated piece of computer malware designed to sabotage industrial processes.

Founded in 1991, Patti Engineering is a CSIA Certified control systems integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Massachusetts and Texas.

Installing, Calibrating & Maintaining Electronic Instruments

Automation.com, June 2011 By J. Timothy Shea, VDC Research Group VDC Research partnered with Automation.com to conduct an extensive initiative into the market for wireline and wireless industrial networking infrastructure product markets. Recent research found that the demand outlook for wireline and wireless industrial networking infrastructure products will be quite healthy through 2015.

Cadence Technologies is a process systems integration and engineering firm specializing in services for the beverage and food processing industries.

ABB started a new blog focused on Process Automation. The blog hosts discussions on timely topics including Collaboration, Control Systems, Evolution, IEC61850, Integration, Migration and Safety.

ASME updated its standard on thermowells from the previous standard created in 1974, to create the ASME PTC 19.3TW – 2010.

Hindustan Petroleum implemented Honeywell’s Mobile Stations in their $200 million Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) project at their Mumbai refinery.

A 3-minute video highlighting the versatility of the Parsum IPP 70 In-line Particle Probe is now available.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Brian McDonald, Cisco Systems In the new global business environment, manufacturers are facing some of the toughest operational and strategic challenges in recent memory. Any new investment must pay for itself either through operational savings or revenue growth.