Articles and News

As chairman of the board of directors, Bauer will work with MESA to promote the exchange of best practices, strategies and innovation for managing manufacturing operations, as well as achieving plant-floor execution excellence. Bauer also has key involvement in the planning direction for the MESA conference.

Motion control systems are capable of extremely precise speed, position, and torque control. This article compares the three main motion control choices: standalone controllers, PC-based controllers, and PLCs. It describes how indexing, direction and electronic gearing are accomplished, examines future trends in motion control, and describes products available today for motion control.

AutomationDirect’s technical support team compiled a list of frequently asked questions from customers on variable frequency drives (VFDs), on topics such as sensorless vector control, grounding, dynamic braking, ringing, standards, power cables, drives vs softstarts, low speed operation, line reactors, slow pump problems, and more.

The need for manufacturers to comply with supply chain and retailer mandates for tagged finished goods has led to rising interest in RFID for internal applications that promise greater ROI. The number of pilots that actually result in full-blown implementations will be a key determinant of the rate and timing of overall market growth.

The seminar, priced at $500, will take place on February 1, 2, and 3, 2007 at the Datastick Systems headquarters in Campbell, California. The seminar is designed for those interested in using vibration analysis for predictive maintenance and for customers using Datastick VSA series Vibration Spectrum Analyzers. It covers the basics of machine vibration and vibration analysis, operation of VSA-series analyzers, best practices in collecting and reporting vibration data.

HANNOVER MESSE 2007 (the Hannover Fair), which will run 16-20 April 2007 in Hannover, Germany, combines three international trade fairs -- INTERKAMA, Factory Automation and Industrial Building Automation.

Seminars are being held at WAGO's North American headquarters in Germantown, WI on the following dates: May 14-16, September 24-26, and November 5-7. Seminars include an introduction to the WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM hardware, an overview of industrial Ethernet components and protocols, and hands-on IEC 61131-3 programming with live demo hardware.

Ford Motor Company has awarded two grants, totaling $150,000, to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation. Since 1981, Ford has donated $1,608,000 to the SME Education Foundation for scholarships and other engineering education programs.

During the quarter just ended, Adept delivered $300,000 in vision-guided robotics to the Solar industry, bringing the installed base, in this sector, to over 75 systems.

New National Sales and Product Managers for North America are Kevin Kaufenberg, Electronics, Semiconductor & Metrology Div; Chris Weber, Machine Tool Div; and Tom Wyatt, Automation Div.

Schneider Electric’s annual sales amounted to €13,730 million in 2006, up 17.6% on a current structure and exchange rate basis. After sharp increases in the two previous years, growth reached a record 10.7% in 2006, reflecting the success of the initiatives launched under the new company program.

"Design Patterns for Flexible Manufacturing," by Dennis Brandl, documents effective rules that should be used when applying the ISA-88 standard to both batch manufacturing (called the S88 design pattern) and continuous and discrete manufacturing problems (called the NS88 design pattern for non-stop production).

The Regional Action Center (RAC) in Singapore will provide technical and training support for automation customers, plus regional sales support, marketing and business development functions. The opening ceremony for the RAC took place on January 16, 2007.

Emerson has received a $5.3 million contract from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) to install PlantWeb digital automation architecture at the Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Plant, which is under construction. When completed in 2008, it will be Canada’s largest drinking water filtration plant combined with the world’s largest ultraviolet (UV) disinfection facility.

The SSA deployed Intermec RFID hardware in its Supply Chain Management program to fulfill more than 42,000 orders for forms, publications and other documents each year and ship 240,000 line items to SSA office locations worldwide.

Organon, one of the largest manufacturers of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) worldwide, has installed PAS-X MES software in their new API-powder processing production facility in Oss, The Netherlands. Organon uses PAS-X for recipe management, weighing and dispensing, shop floor management, electronic batch recording, and warehouse management.

GE Fanuc will provide Kettering University with a set of manufacturing control components, consisting of Assembly Application Suite (AAS) hardware and software products to simulate manufacturing environments. Kettering will install the components in the University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) labs.

Paulett Eberhart has been appointed CEO and President of Invensys' Process Systems division headquartered in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Ms. Eberhart was previously with EDS, the global technology services company, which she joined in 1978. Ken Brown, who has served as Acting President of Invensys Process Systems since June 28, 2006, will re-assume his former position as General Manager of the division's Measurements & Instruments business unit.

The expanded facility, located at MGE's North American headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., encompasses over 25,000 sq ft including 28 test bays with a total electrical capacity of 12 MW. The expanded test site gives customers the ability to witness critical testing of their enterprise and data center power systems to assure operational functionality and interoperability of their entire power infrastructure.

American Power Conversion shareholders approved the merger of APC with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schneider Electric. As previously announced on October 30, 2006, APC and Schneider Electric entered into an agreement and plan of merger which provides, among other things, for each share of APC common stock to be converted to the right to receive $31.00 in cash.

In addition to several new product introductions, the DieGuard catalog features enhanced technical information for increased usability, including all dimensions to the thousandth of an inch instead of millimeters. DieGuard sensors are designed for feed, slug, stripper plate and part-out detection applications to prevent double hits and die crashes.

A survey of more than 340 regulated manufacturers throughout the world shows that those adopting an integrated, technology-based approach to compliance and traceability are 65 percent more likely to achieve “Best in Class” status and attain a competitive advantage. The report was sponsored by MasterControl.

Nu Horizons will provide sales and support throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the JAI and PULNiX camera brands to customers in the machine vision, medical, and scientific communities.

Zornio will direct strategic initiatives for Emerson Process Management. He will have a leadership role in prioritizing technology investments and identifying acquisition candidates. Zornio, a 21-year veteran of the process automation industry, most recently was director of product marketing for Honeywell.

Three free technical presentations for LIMS users wil be held at the forthcoming ArabLab 2007, Dubai International Exhibition Center (DICC), Dubai, UAE. The presentations will take place from Sunday 11th to Wednesday 14th February at the Abu Dhabi Room A, DICC.

The Collaborative Production Management Market for Process Manufacturing (CPM-P) is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% over the next five years. The market was slightly greater than $1.6 billion in 2006 and is forecasted to reach nearly $2.8 billion in 2011, according to a new study by the ARC Advisory Group.

Catalog covers acme leadscrews, advanced coatings and anti-backlash nuts that not only eliminate backlash between the screw and nut, they also maximize system stiffness and minimize lost motion.

Lyondell Chemical Company will license PlantTriage Performance Supervision Software at up to 25 of its manufacturing facilities worldwide. Lyondell will use the PlantTriage Performance Supervision Software to monitor and analyze real-time data from their plant control systems. Lyondell Chemical Company is North America's third-largest independent, publicly traded chemical company.

Bart Reitter, GE Fanuc Life Sciences Global Marketing Manager, will be speaking at the International Foundation for Process Analytical Chemistry (IFPAC) annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, January 28-31, 2007. Reitter’s presentation will discuss “Providing the Foundation for Routine Chemometric Processing in the PAT World.”

Ernest Rakaczky, cyber security program director at Invensys Process Systems, will be part of the Design Team for the PCSF Annual Meeting, to be held March 6-8th, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. PCSF was established to accelerate the overall security of control systems worldwide through cross-sector collaboration. It is one of several user and vendor forums sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security.

More than 200 Square D/Schneider Electric business leaders will work alongside Gautier, Miss., residents Jan. 30 to build houses and community spaces for one of Habitat for Humanity’s largest corporate site builds. Schneider Electric will donate $7 million in Square D electrical distribution equipment to Habitat for Humanity over the next 4 1/2 years.

FlowSense BSG and Doody Mechanical will jointly market mechanical contracting capabilities and services to the local construction market, as well as pursuing federal and military projects nationwide. FlowSense and Doody Mechanical will offer complete mechanical services including: planning and design, engineering, procurement, installation, and project management of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), sheet metal fabrication, plumbing, and process piping.

ABB Automation World 2007 will be held at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, on 20-22 March. All individuals registering for a one-day ISA course will also receive complimentary access to the ABB Technical Training Program & Exhibits.

The new edition incorporates the uncertainty technologies embodied in both U.S. and international standards with a focus on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Zepnick, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has incorporated the KUKA KR 15 SL stainless steel robot into its food handling and packaging system. The use of stainless steel on all the robot's surfaces, together with the high IP rating, makes the KUKA KR 15 SL robot suitable for all fields of application with stringent requirements as to hygiene, sterility and absence of particles.

Aspectrics was awarded a sixth US patent for its Encoded Photometric Infrared Spectroscopy (EP-IR) analyzers. The analyzers measure multiple gas components in the ppb to ppm range simultaneously, allowing for real-time monitoring of processes.

A General Meeting and Interoperability Testing Session will be held January 30 - February 1, 2007, in Austin, Texas. The event will feature a one-day PlugFest on January 30 that will provide member companies the opportunity to test prototype LXI devices for compliance with the LXI Specification and for interoperability between prototype devices.

Advantech won Intel's Multi-Core Solution Contest and the Intel Associate Partner of the Year awards.

Ethernet Direct and Ardan Control Tech Ltd. are holding a 1-day seminar in Haifa, Israel, on “Innovation in Industrial Controls” on January 25, 2007 at the Dan Panorama Hotel, Star Conference Room.

Martin Swarbrick has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. Most recently, Swarbrick was Vice President and Director of Business Excellence for Motorola, when Motorola was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2002 and the Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame award in 2004.

Infor and Aberdeen Group will discuss overcoming the challenges of today’s complex compliance environment and the benefits of successful technology and organizational processes manufacturers can implement to achieve best in class compliance during a live joint webinar, Tuesday, January 16, 2007.

ATS is reducing its Automation Systems Group (ASG) workforce in North America by 180 people, with approximately 100 positions impacted in Cambridge, Ontario. The company is closing five operations in North America and Europe and investing in new facilities in China and Southeast Asia.

Infor ERP LN Feature Pack 3 delivers new features and improvements to increase visibility across operations; eases point-to-point integration of additional ERP solutions

Leonard Moore passed all the FAA requirements for his pilot's license, and now is certified to fly single-engine land-based aircraft. Mr. Moore has been flying since he was a teenager in Oelwein, Iowa, and soloed for the first time at age 16. Since then, he has continued to fly, but always with instructors or other certified pilots. When he rebuilt an old Ercoupe, he decided to use it to get his license.

Tom Kopanski, currently vice president of the Automation and Motion Division (AMD) has been named the new vice president of Power Distribution and Controls Division (PD&C). Raj Batra, vice president of the Automotive and Aerospace Center of Competence, has been named to the position of vice president of the Automation and Motion Division. These appointments will become effective, Jan. 15, 2007.

The Fieldbus Foundation announced the 2007 recipients of the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Educational Scholarship. They include Kenneth Ng Choon Guan, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore; Jan Krak, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Akira Uehara, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Inter Reps Ltd., also known as Euro Reps / Latin Reps, will manage international sales and marketing for Aaxeon Technologies. Aaxeon is a developer and supplier of Device Networking and Industrial Communication products. Inter Reps provides international sales and marketing services to American manufacturers in the Industrial Automation market.

Calvin Wallace has been hired as Regional Sales Manager for Southwestern Ontario. Wallace will provide direct sales support to Beckhoff customers located in an area that extends from Windsor to Guelph.

Rexroth asked its associates to send humorous endings to the sentence, “You know you're an engineer if…." Here are the top 10.

Emerson announced a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of its Fisher control valves research and development facilities in Marshalltown, Iowa. The project will create the Fisher Technology Development Center, which will be the industry's largest and most advanced flow control research facility.

Teams at the FIRST® (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition will be using compnoents donated by Igus.

FORTUNE magazine released its annual rankings of the nation’s top 100 companies to work for, listing National Instruments as number 86. This is the eighth consecutive year National Instruments has appeared on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.

The service offers customers customized ergonomic evaluation tools that can be embedded within standard ergonomic simulation software to improve their manufacturing process by automating repetitive tasks and providing detailed analyses.

Emerson acquired Damcos Holding A/S, based in Naestved, Denmark, a leading supplier of valve remote control systems, tank monitoring equipment, and complete marine tank management solutions to the global marine and offshore markets. It will immediately become part of Emerson's Process Management business.

GE Industrial will acquire the assets of Rochester, NY-based Microwave Data Systems (MDS), a subsidiary of Moseley Associates and a world leader in industrial, wireless, and networking solutions. The transaction is subject to customary government approvals and is expected to close in January 2007.

As a new Windows Embedded Partner, RTI extends its high-performance messaging and software integration solution, RTI Data Distribution Service, to provide support for Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile.

Schneider Electric purchased Power Measurement Inc. and its ION technology in 2005. It rebranded ION enterprise energy management products and solutions and will sell them as Square D PowerLogic products.

The Vishay Systems office in Sweden will install five custom-designed Vishay Nobel Reel Optimizing Systems in the Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill, located in the Karelian Republic in the northwestern part of the Russian Federation. Reel Optimizing Systems use strain gage-based load cells and transducer-based measurement and control technology to improve productivity at paper manufacturing plants. Completion is expected by May 2007.

The seminars will be held once per month and cover introductory, advanced, and popular topics in the automation industry. The first four seminars in the series are complimentary for members, while non-members will be charged $95 per connection. January's topic, "Make2Pack - The Automation Revolution," to be held January 31, 2007, will focus on the Make2Pack effort in the industry. The February seminar, scheduled for February 21, 2007, is entitled "Introduction to ISA-88."

This new facility provides Circonix Technologies with the increased space needed to accommodate their growing business and to better serve their customers. The Dayton office is the national service center for Circonix Technologies, coordinating service nationwide.

Providing accurate measurement of stroke, an embedded C-Series continuous position sensor located inside the electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuator of a clamp ensures that a variety of parts can be clamped down in the proper position without sensor readjustment.

Shipments of SynqNet motion and I/O network now exceed 225,000 axes since 2003.

Ellison Technologies, a provider of engineered systems and industrial equipment to metal-working and metal-cutting manufacturers, has acquired Jackson Machinery Company, a privately held distributor based outside Cleveland, Ohio. The acquisition was effective November 3, 2006.

Nercon Engineering and Manufacturing,Oshkosh, Wisconsin, will use the KUKA KR 180 PA palletizing robot in its new system to load and unload mixed product from a tri-level accumulating conveyor system. The KUKA KR 40 robot will be used in the company's new order picking cell.

Rockwell Automation has named Christopher Zei vice president of its OEM initiative. Zei will be responsible for global sales, strategy and business development for all Rockwell Automation OEM-directed solutions. Zei, a 21-year marketing, strategic development, operations and management veteran of technology-related companies, was most recently the president/CEO of the North American operations at Schneider Electric’s ELAU group.

At ProMat 2007, Rockwell Automation will focus on critical issues facing material handling OEMs and end users including performance, life cycle cost, safety and information integration. The Rockwell Automation exhibit (Booth No. 1523) will showcase the company’s wide range of integrated control and information systems that provide manufacturers with significant productivity and cost savings benefits. ProMat 2007 is scheduled for Jan. 8 through 11 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Webinar covers Ethernet basics, Ethernet Protocols, complex MAC Addressing, IP addressing, SNMP, ARC and IGMP.

Honeywell will upgrade the existing Honeywell Printa Press Control System at NYA Wermlands-Tidningen's main operations in Karlstad, as well as extend it to a new third printing press at the site.

Invensys Process Systems and INVAP S.E. have renewed an existing cooperative business agreement for an additional three years. Under this alliance agreement, the companies will continue to work together to provide mutual customers with product and service solutions for the design, engineering, construction, control, protection, and maintenance of nuclear facilities.

Invensys will supply a mesh network-based Foxboro I/A Series distributed control system (DCS) to Plasco Energy Group for use in Plasco's Plasma Gasification Process (PGP). The DCS will provide process and facility control in the Plasco PGP, a non-incineration thermal decomposition process, which breaks down municipal solid waste (MSW) into simple components such as hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide.

Ralph Harris has been promoted to vice president, U.S. sales. Harris joined the company in 1991 as a regional sales manager in the Retail Products Division. Since that time, he has held numerous key leadership positions in sales, marketing and organizational development. Most recently, Harris held the position of regional vice president, Southern Region.

Another year is upon us, it's time to resolve, You promise to change, to improve and evolve. With all these revisions you get caught in a trance, Time goes to so quickly you don't have a chance.

The LS-4000E tilt-tray sorter and the LS-4000CB cross-belt sorter will be introduced at ProMat 2007, January 8-11 in Chicago, Illinois. The sorters offer a common platform that enhances system flexibility, as well as an energy system that reduces operating costs.

Middle-school students across the U.S. will be presented with positive, hands-on manufacturing experiences through exposure to careers in math, science and technology at the Science, Technology & Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) Academies. Academy sites will expand from five to 50 throughout 2007.

Glen Pearson will assume the position of President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineering Foundation and Sandra Bouckley will become Vice President; Peter Mackie was re-elected as Treasurer and Dr. Winston Erevelles will serve as Secretary of the Foundation's Board. All terms will be effective Jan. 1, 2007.

The exhibit includes automated replenishment, sortation technology, and software in a fully functioning setting at ProMat 2007 in Chicago, Illinois, January 8-11 at McCormick Place.

Advantech has donated three lab setups of ADAM Industrial Ethernet hardware with ADAMView software to the University of Dayton with the aim of cultivating future talent. The products include analog and digital I/O modules, an industrial 10/100Mbps Ethernet Switch, and data acquisition software. The University of Dayton will use this product in three different classes.

ExperTune and TiPS have announced their 2007 User's Conference, to be held April 17-19, in Austin, Texas. The conference theme, "Build a Stronger Automation Foundation," will focus on technologies and techniques that restore and strengthen your automation infrastructure. TiPS is a pioneer in alarm management software.

Three seminars at the ProMat 2007 Knowledge Center, held January 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, will cover European material handling trends, automated replenishment, and order fulfillment

MHI has received a full-turnkey order from Empresa Electrica Guacolda S.A., an electricity provider in Chile, for a 152 MW (megawatt) coal-fired power generation plant to be built at the Guacolda Power Station in Huasco. The unit is scheduled to go on-stream in September 2009.

Manufacturing companies continue to increase investments in capital expenditures for automation equipment as they recognize the role of automation in the global market. As a result, the worldwide market for total process automation will grow robustly, with ARC expecting a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% over the next five years, to reach nearly $79 billion in 2010.

Souriau SAS will acquire the US operations of Pacific Aerospace & Electronics Inc. PAE designs and manufactures hermetic connectors, ceramic and metal components and assemblies, and advanced microelectronic packages. Souriau S.A.S. is one of Europe’s leading connector manufacturers. The transaction remains subject to US governmental authorizations and is expected to be completed by March 2007.

Just 25mm (0.98 in.) wide x 82mm (3.23 in.) long, the T2008 tongue-operated safety interlock switch is designed to provide a minimum of one million actuations in severely space restricted applications, and can be installed on one inch square tubing. 1 N/O and 1 N/C, or 2 N/C, contact configurations are available to satisfy Dual Channel Safety Monitoring requirements.

The new business division was formed to serve the requirements of system integrators and OEMs operating in the professional security market.

Shinden Hightex will distribute Imsys’ line of reconfigurable microcontrollers for the consumer and professional electronic product markets. Shinden Hightex is a leading distributor for electronics devices, LCD panels, various custom boards, etc. The head office is located in Tokyo, Japan, and eight local offices are located in industrial areas in Japan

Amplicon signed a rep agreement with Militram Israel. Militram, an expert in network and multi-process systems has sales expected to exceed $130 million this year. Based in Tel Aviv, it has over 30 years experience in both the medical machine vision and industrial control fields in Israel. Amplicon supplies Computing, Data Communications, Measurement & Control, and Security Automation solutions.

This year, Control Design sent out more than 15,000 surveys to its subscribers who are eligible to vote asking them for the industrial equipment suppliers that provide best value. Targeted readers included industrial machine builder professionals and system integrators.

The American Welding Society will release two new resistance welding standards: AWS D8.1M:2007, Specification for Automotive Weld Quality—Resistance Spot Welding of Steel; and AWS D17.2/ D17.2M:2007, Specification for Resistance Welding for Aerospace Applications. These ANSI-approved standards will be part of an extensive collection of technical documents related to resistance welding.

Intermec's donation includes the company's 761 ruggedized mobile computer and IP4 portable RFID reader along with a custom Intermec RFID application. The center works primarily in the retail, manufacturing and transportation domains to examine the use of RFID (radio frequency identification), its effects on business and society, and how best to use the technology within the supply chain.

Webinar presents results from a survey of 275 manufacturers and an in-depth analysis of what it means for your company. There are no vendors or sales pitches.

ABB has won a $4 million contract to supply an Integrated Central Control System for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in the Peoples Republic of China. It includes 800xA systems for the terminal integrated control system and safety systems and a SCADA Vantage system for the centralized Human System Interface that will be used on the pipeline and terminal.

The eAutomation Group of Advantech has been selected by M2M magazine as a top technology and service provider in the machine-to-machine technology area.

Emerson's Brooks Instrument Calibration laboratory is now in compliance with the ISO GUM and certified by the NMi. GUM is the Guide to the Expression of the Uncertainty in the Measurement. NMi is the Dutch Weights and Measures agency, and is internationally recognized as a competent authority in the measurement arena.

Nominations are open for the Matrikon Achievement Awards in technology innovations within petrochemical and refining, pulp and paper, mining and mineral, oil and gas, and power industries.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked National Instruments President and CEO Dr. James Truchard to chair the Industrial Advisory Council for the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (TSTEM) initiative, which directly addresses the declining interest and preparation of young people to pursue careers in technical fields.

The 240-page, full-color guide covers the Bayside brand of motion and control systems products, incluidng linear and rotary positioning stages, frameless kit motors, gearheads, integral gearmotors and a special section devoted to Parker Bayside's Engineered Solutions Group.

With the new LabVIEW toolkit, more advanced MINDSTORMS NXT users, including adults, students and secondary school and university educators, now can program the NXT using advanced programming tools available in LabVIEW.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all though the site, no visitors were browsing, not even one byte.

ABB has been awarded a $3.9 million contract to supply System 800xA Extended Automation for Australian Paper's Maryvale mill in Victoria, Australia. In addition, ABB has secured more than $782,000 in orders for MV switchgear, LV relays, and variable drives systems.

Berend Bracht, former CEO of Bosch Rexroth China and former head of the company’s U.S. industrial hydraulics operation, will take over as president and chief executive officer effective January 1, 2007. Bracht replaces Wolfgang Dangel, who has led the U.S. subsidiary of the German-based company since April 2003. Dangel is leaving to accept a leadership position with the Schaeffler Group.