Articles and News

Site includes design features, illustrations, finishes, accessories and specifications for 2,500 standard enclosure products.

The theme for the event was “Empower eAutomation Growth with Focused Partnerships.”

ESX10-T Electronic Circuit Protector combines electronic trip characteristics and active current limitation to allow disconnection of loads connected to 24VDC power supplies.

FF-844 certification assures that DataCELL cable is electrically precise and meets FOUNDATION fieldbus type A cable physical property requirements.

VPFR infrared windows were used as accessories in a 50,000 Amp 6 cycle arc resistance test, and the windows were shown to contain the effects of the blast.

Compressed air management program includes plant-wide analysis, real-time process control and pneumatic system design in a single integrated solution.

HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH + Co KG selected the Achilles Satellite Security Assurance Platform for testing best practices for its product portfolio.

The guide details NemaTRUE, DuraTRUE, UltraTRUE and EverTRUE gearheads with product features, benefits, specifications and ordering information.

The robotic welding solution combines hardware and software to automate robot programming and weld production of Kern’s high mix, low volume parts.

Installation of the Malvern Instruments Insitec has led to automated control, optimized operation of the milling circuit and reduced variable costs.

The partnership will provide a platform for cost-effective solutions will help deliver even more energy-efficient, intelligent building control systems.

Users can research problems and read application notes and case studies on building maintenance issues such as air quality, HVAC problems and energy management.

Webb will supply six SmartCart AGC Automatic Guided Carts to Solutia’s plant in Pensacola, Fla.

By T.J. Johns BG Industrial Control in Placentia, CA, uses AutomationDirect's touch panels, Terminator IO, DirectLOGIC 205 Ethernet-based controllers, and Think & Do Studio PC-based control software in its Greer Monitoring System to monitor employee efficiency and productivity.

According to the report, these practices can help reduce energy and raw material costs, reduce risk, reduce costs associated with future carbon or other emissions taxes, improve public image, and increase customer acceptance.

Onyx Power is a designer and manufacturer of custom power magnetics and power distribution equipment for the data center, telecommunications and alternative energy industries.

The bulletin provides information equipment manufacturers need to help them conform to international product safety and regulatory compliance standards.

HVDC technology will enable E.ON, Germany's biggest utility, to link the world’s largest offshore wind farm to the German power grid at minimal impact to the environment.

System delivers a prompt message to the right people if an error occurs during the baggage transfer to the sorting laterals.

Microscan will purchase Siemens' Machine Vision business, formerly Acuity CiMatrix, headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Jen-Hsun Huang will donate $30 million to help build the Jen-Hsun Huang School of Engineering Center.

The discrete wireless market for ISA SP50 levels 0 through 2 totaled $368.0 million in 2007 and is forecasted to grow to over $780 million in 2012.

ICONICS provides several OPC tools to assist users in creating OPC servers and in deploying an OPC-based system.

Customers can now activate the BT-6000 series modems on the Sprint network to enable wireless data applications in the SCADA, business continuity, and landline replacement markets.

PCG employs approximately 300 people at three facilities, two of which are located in Canada and one in China.

Software assists users in calculating chain drive configurations and selecting suitable chains for motion control and conveyor applications.

ABB helped build a 580-kilometer power link between Norway and The Netherlands. NorNed is the longest submarine cable link in the world, with a transmission capacity of 700 MW.

Chief Representative Surge Yu will manage the office in Shanghai.

VSMPO-Avisma, the world's largest producer of titanium, ordered 19 MAG Cincinnati machining systems, plus an extensive package of support services and tooling.

The site includes a variety of cable assemblies and connectors, displays, motor adapters, couplings and power supplies.

Honeywell will provide the main process automation, safety and operator training systems for the plant and integrate its technology with existing third-party systems.

Palm Paper commissioned VEGA to supply the level, switching and pressure instrumentation for the PM 7 project in King’s Lynn, the largest paper machine for newsprint paper in Europe.

More than 160 organizations have joined the South Carolina Engineering Cluster. The cluster has two goals: promoting engineering as a career for students and promoting the South Carolina engineering industry.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 171-2008 provides manufacturers a standard way of testing HVAC devices for earthquake-prone areas.

Catalog details Cube and RACKtangle I/O chassis and how they may be deployed as PACs, Ethernet I/O systems, standalone data loggers, Simulink targets, and Modbus TCP slaves.

Website has information on Bosch Rexroth’s “green technologies” to reduce waste, stimulate development of alternative energy sources and encourage greater use of renewable resources.

Emerson in Marshalltown, Iowa, has valve experts with experience in meeting the control valve requirements of both Balance of Plant (BOP) and nuclear island systems.

Telco Sensors USA will distribute SNT Ultrasonic sensors for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Tim Kilty replaces Jim Ellison who will continue to serve in an advisory capacity.

Flow Dynamics added a 300 GPM positive displacement primary standard calibrator (PDCL) that increased its calibration capacity throughput and allow it to calibrate Cox turbine flow meters.

Emerson will replace outdated Toshiba controls on two 300-MW, combined-cycle blocks at the Bang Pakong Power Plant in Thailand with its Ovation expert control system.

“Video Process Monitoring” white paper discusses the newest trend in HMI/SCADA: Embedding video into an HMI screen, so operators can actually see what is happening in a process plant, along an assembly line, or in remote areas.

Thousands of PLCs control the assembly lines of PSA Peugeot Citroën. To ensure the quality of programs that operate those PLCs, Peugeot decided to put coding rules in place.

Guide provides an overview of SICK STEGMANN’s motor feedback systems for high precision speed and position measurement.

By Rick Zabel Maybe it's because oil, natural gas and propane prices are so high. Maybe it's because it's an election year. Whatever the reason, it's about time we see more activity - in Wind.

By Patrick Roberts Conveyor change-over helps ALM Express to label and renest 200 clamshells per minute for high-speed, high-volume produce packaging.

Autodesk completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of 3D Geo GmbH, the privately held maker of intelligent 3D urban modeling software.

By Jim McMahon J.T.M. Food Group’s switch from manual cold storage warehousing to an automated storage and retrieval system cut energy usage by 66 percent.

Beijer will supply operator panels and software to Alfa Laval for heat transfer, separation and fluid handling applications.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, TTI, Inc. is the largest distributor specialist of passive, interconnect and electromechanical components.

Bosch and Middlesex are also planning to cooperate on development of automated material handling systems to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry for 300mm Prime and 450mm wafer fabs.

The contract, valued at $1 million, includes RuggedSwitch i800 and RSG2100 products for the wind turbine control system and wind farm.

MTConnect ia a new communication protocol that links machine tools from varying suppliers around the world.

Pacific Bearing Company changed its name to PBC Linear to reflect an expansion in product offerings.

Puritan incorporates NI software and components into testing, measurement and automation equipment.

Allied Electronics signed an agreement with Fluke Networks to distribute its full product line.

Astra provides packaged and custom consulting services relating to all aspects of implementation and the best use of enterprise systems throughout their life cycle.

ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180-2008 addresses inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems.

Fingerprint service is a two-week assessment focused on improving site productivity, reliability practices and maintenance costs.

The adoption of EN61508 standard has introduced a very broad but systematic framework which allows plant engineers to apply the functional safety concepts systematically to all modern control equipment.

The new office, in Norcross Technology Park, will be headed by Howard Jetmundsen, Senior Systems Engineer for Wavestream.

The Automation Standards Compliance Institute has retained Charlie Gifford and Dennis Brandl from WBF to develop the B2MML Compliance Program.

Siemens and Jacobs Automation have agreed to jointly develop a PROFINET interface for Jacobs Automation s PackTrak linear drive system.

Parvalux published their international website for AC and DC geared motor units in Chinese.

Power Distribution is owned by Bertram Capital Management, a private equity investment firm.

John Dulchinos, president, was named CEO to succeed Robert Bucher, who was named executive chairman of the board of directors.

Guide details family of Genuine Wrap Spring clutches and clutch/brake packages and accessories, friction clutches and brakes, and custom engineered clutch brake products.

The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certification (OPMP) demonstrates knowledge of the management of facility operations and maintenance.

Church has faith in Barix products for control, automation and security applications.

ABB will supply propulsion and System 800xA automation systems for the Eurodam, a new cruise ship being built for Holland America Line.

Honeywell will expand the plant’s existing DCS, add a UniSim operator training simulator, and improve plant security.

Honeywell will supply an Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) at Borregaard's Ethanol, Lignin and Vanillin (ELV) production sites in Norway.

KEPServerEX product will deliver plant floor information directly to Oracle E-Business Suite software through interfaces built specifically for each.

2009 catalog has 250 new pages with 3,000 new products and 1,500 products with size or material additions.

BASF will deploy PAS PlantState Suite (PSS) software throughout its operating facilities worldwide.

Coherent Technologies in Palestine, Texas, is an engineering consulting firm specializing in the design and configuration of control and enterprise-wide information systems.

Visual KPI is compatible with Motorola’s MOTO Q 9h Windows Mobile 6 Standard, a full-function smartphone.

Wireless will enable Arkema's field operations teams to keep in touch with process alarms and plant conditions.

Yokogawa will provide an integrated control and safety system (ICSS) for a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Program in Angola.

EMD is a UK manufacturer of DC permanent magnet electric geared motors for the mobility, leisure and industrial sectors worldwide.

The Austin Support Center will offer one-week turnaround on calibration, reconditioning, and reconfiguration of Brooks Instrument Thermal Mass Flow Controllers.

Danaher Motion's MechaWare 3.0 mechatronic tool kit is integrated with Mathwork's Simulink simulation software to speed custom algorithm development and reduce costs.

Solutions Engineering in the UK is able to test the performance of its motors, having built a test station around a TorqSense piezo electric torque transducer.

FAA selected EDSA Micro to provide a power analytics electrical power infrastructure protection system for air traffic control facilities across the United States.

Service Center in LaPorte, Texas, provides calibration for flow, temperature and pressure instruments.

By using dual sanding belts and a swinging work holder controlled by a combination of linear and rotary servo motor axes, this machine replaces a manually-actuated sanding process at Martin Guitar.

Chongqing Jiulong Electric Power uses pressure switches to monitor burner pressure, condensator vacuum and steam turbine lubricant pressure monitoring.

Website covers Near-Infrared (NIR) analyzer products.

The ISO/IEC 17021 standard requires competent, consistent and impartial audit and certification of all types of management systems, including quality and environmental management systems.

This office will serve as a regional center for Beckhoff customer training as well as for direct sales and application support.

Hoover Color, a supplier of iron oxide pigments, will implement DEACOM ERP in place of three non-integrated software systems.

AccuTrak AT100 and AT200 magnetostrictive liquid level transmitters have been certified for operation in SIL 2 (Safety Integrity Level 2) environments.

IPS will replace and upgrade obsolete analog-based recirculation water control systems with digital systems, including IA Series system, and FSIM and SIM4ME simulation software.

Innotec GmbH of Schwelm, Germany, is an international vendor of digital engineering software and services for the process industry.

Rodriguez most recently served as Vice President of Engineering for Barksdale, a provider of industrial fluid measurement and control products.

The location in New Berlin, WI, will provide support for Low Voltage and Medium Voltage products to users in both the U.S. and Canada.

Brochure describes Fit for Purpose sensors designed for the biopharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

The engineering center in Oslo, Norway, provides front end engineering services and project management expertise to the Marine and Offshore industry.

Kepware will provide communications for a communications Gateway for use with an Allen Bradley Control Logix controller.

MTS is providing MG Level Plus liquid-level wireless transmitters to Truman Arnold Companies of Caddo Mills, Texas, to measure and monitor daily shipments of more than one million gallons of petroleum.

SAT is a supplier of mobile workforce management and decision support solutions, including the IntelaTrac Enterprise Suite.

The Arc Flash Information Resource Center provides employers, plant managers, and safety personnel with a clear guide to arc flash safety regulations and procedures in an easy-to-follow format.

CB Automation will serve as a master distributor for existing ICONICS distributors in the eastern Canada provinces.

Illustrated guide highlights encoder and motor feedback solutions for both onshore and offshore applications.

AquaSensors will be integrated into Thermo Fisher’s Water Analysis Instruments business (WAI) of the Environmental Instruments Division.

The EtherNet/IP communication interface for Yokogawa's data acquisition and industrial recorder products has passed the ODVA conformance test.

Global Test Supply moved its North American headquarters to a new, expanded facility in Wilmington, NC.

Autodesk will acquire substantially all of the assets -- including the ECSCAD product line -- of Elektro-CAE-Software GmbH, a provider of electrical computer-aided design (CAD) software.

ARC reports that the total worldwide market for DCS remained strong in 2007 despite global economic uncertainty, increasing by almost by 13% between 2006 and 2007, with total revenues of $15 billion.

Invensys will upgrade the existing Foxboro I/A Series system to Version 8.4, expanding the existing mesh network. In 2006, the company completed an upgrade to an earlier version of I/A Series.

Brochure provides an overview of the complete Thomson mechanical product portfolio, including rail linear guides, positioning slides, linear actuators, and more.

HiPath Wireless 802.11n and Outdoor Access Points were certified at Microsemi's PowerDsine testing facility for Power over Ethernet applications requiring high power.

Emerson will supply PlantWeb, an Ovation expert control system, AMS software, and Foundation fieldbus and Profibus instrumentation at Haimen units 1 and 2.

August 27, 2008 La Jolla, CA ABB’s Kevin McGrath and Mu Dynamics' Thomas Maufer present: “When Good Traffic Goes Bad - When Is Application Traffic Too Much?”

Translated flow and instrumentation technical information is available on the searchable Spanish-language web site.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes.

Invensys will supply $20 million worth of InFusion, I/A Series DCS, instrumentation, batch management software, and APC software to Kraton, a producer of styrenic block copolymers.

Kepware Technologies was selected as the primary provider of device communications by Canary Labs Inc.

Jim Ford, formerly the director of advanced automation solutions, has been promoted to director of strategic initiatives for the global business unit.

E-Save Technology monitors the load on an electric motor and reduces the amount of power consumed by the motor when it is lightly loaded.

Custom cable assemblies are made with Times Microwave LMR-400 high performance low loss cable in lengths from 4 inches to over 400 feet.

PSS vane sensors provide interlocking solution for JCB's Backhoe Machine.

The worldwide market for High Power AC Drives is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8% over the next five years.

Wurldtech and Codenomicon will work together to introduce new approaches to assessing, mitigating and managing cyber-risk to IP converged systems.

Web site has streamlined content about automated material handling technologies in seven languages.

ABB will supply five rectiformer systems, which convert AC to DC to operate the smelter, and SCADA systems to monitor and control power quality.

The office includes a showcase room for on-site customer visits, and houses a fully-equipped conveyor loop.

Emerson will supply PlantWeb, DeltaV, and FOUNDATION fieldbus for a new water treatment chemicals plant in the Nanjing Chemical & Industrial Park in China.

The market for process manufacturing and automation remains strong. Nowhere is this more evident than the global DCS market, which grew by almost 13% between 2006 and 2007.

Phastite connectors simplified the construction of a state-of-the-art facility for testing dry gas compressor seals at John Crane’s new turbomachinery facility in Slough, UK.

PLCopen is re-activating Technical Committee TC4 to define an IEC 61131-3 based information model as additional part of the overall OPC UA specification.

ABB is designing a complete power supply solution for what will be the world’s largest international financial center--Gujarat International Finance Tec-City.

Invensys agreed to a £400 million refinancing deal with the help of The Royal Bank of Scotland to help grow its business operations.

Poster illustrates the key measurement tools and software analysis techniques required for measuring complex WiMAX signals.

Kepware was selected as the primary provider of manufacturing oriented device communications by Serck Controls, a supplier of SCADA and Telemetry systems.

The Remstar Shuttle VLM is an enclosed system of vertically arranged trays. The brochure outlines how the VLM can reclaim up to 85% of otherwise wasted space.

The two companies announced a joint effort to provide a high-performance, low-latency messaging middleware solution for National Instruments LabVIEW applications.

Siemens will be providing PLCs, Profinet, mechanical design and acting as the general contractor for the mechanical and electrical integration of the project.

By The Tech Team, AutomationDirect Tips and Techniques to help make programming and installation easier for users of DirectLOGIC PLCs.

By AutomationDirect Here are some of the more commonly asked questions pertaining to the DL205 family of PLCs.

ThinNation Road Show highlights the benefits of migrating to a Thin Client, centralized computing model for deployment of existing applications.

LEGO Education WeDo Software is a drag-and-drop, icon-based environment that students ages 7 to 11 can use to easily program their own robotics inventions.

The Computer Numerical Controls (CNC) market has simply exploded in the last two years lead by the surge in production of machine tools in the European and Asian markets.

Engineers Formulae & Conversions Pocket Guide from IDC Technologies covering Definition and Abbreviations for Physical Quantities, Units of Physical Quantities, System of Units, General Mathematical Formulae, Engineering Concepts and Formulae and References.

Strikesorb modules met UL 1449 3rd Edition safety standard's intermediate current abnormal overvoltage test by successfully conducting current at 1000A for seven hours.

GE Sensing will supply GF868 digital ultrasonic flowmetering systems, comprising flare transmitters, transducers and flowcells.

On-line web portal helps probe users, technicians and metrologists organize moisture probe data and print calibration data sheets.

Catalogue contains industrial computing and networking equipment, including Ethernet switches, computers, I/O servers, and serial cards.

Enhancements to specMotor site include interactive feasibility testing and request for quotations to multiple motor manufacturers.

The worldwide HMI software and services market, which was $926 million in 2007, will reach $1.430 billion in 2012, outperforming the industrial automation market overall.

Propelled by strong growth in the oil & gas industry, the worldwide market for ultrasonic flowmeters is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9% over the next five years.

Original Software Manager test-asset management web portal allows better organization of all the assets involved on test projects.

Reykjavik Energy selected ABB to upgrade five utility systems - geothermal power plants, district heating, water and wastewater – into a single state-of-the-art 800xA automation system.

Case study: Faulty electrical connectors cause 1000 amp safety issues. Pierced cables create short in automotive manufacturing plant.

MultiSmart Pump Station Manager monitors and controls water/wastewater lift stations. Version 2.0 includes a pump controller, a PLC, and ISaGRAF v5 for complex station control.

Brochure covers accelerometers, vibration transmitters, switches, meters, cables, connectors and accessories for machinery condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Remote Monitoring and Alarm site provides information on how intelligent Ethernet I/O can benefit building up an active remote monitoring and alarm system.

Emerson’s PlantWeb with Ovation control system will automate critical processes and equipment at two 300-MW power generating units at the PLTU 2 Banten-Labuan power plant.

A single Axium CNC platform from NUM controls the entire machining centre, including the 10 motion axes on the robot heads plus various sensors and actuators.

BisonGear.com added order processing for 235 countries, dependencies and territories.

Eaton's Electrical Group chose Kepware as their primary provider of device communications and joined Kepware’s VEP (Vendor Endorsed Protocol) Program.

ABB won an order worth $31 million from Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG (KLL) to supply power equipment for a hydro storage power plant at the Tierfehd plant in Switzerland.

FKI Logistex installed a new put module and routing sortation system at Forzani's distribution center (DC) in Toronto.

Invensys will offer Motorola's Enterprise Mobility solutions as well as wireless broadband and other technologies.

Honeywell and CPPEI will establish an Experimental Center, Operation and Maintenance Support Center, and Training Center.

Motion Engineering Performance Services has been expanded to help OEMs using embedded motion control.

Mel Hilderbrand, formerly Director of Strategic Projects for Meggitt Sensing Systems, is the new President of Endevco.

Aker Solutions, Scotland, will use a Softing Profibus board in a “Christmas Tree,” an assembly of valves, spools and fittings for an oil well.

ABB’s System 800xA will control production of ultra-pure chlorosilanes at Evonik Industries' plant in Essen, Germany.

ABB won orders worth $113 million from Vedanta Aluminum to provide automation and power products for a greenfield expansion of an aluminum smelter plant in Jharsuguda, India.

Allied Vision Technologies is acquiring 100% of the shares of the Canadian camera manufacturer Prosilica as of 31 July 2008.

American Inks and Coatings implemented DEACOM ERP software and was able to close its off-site IT office and cut its IT staff from four to one.

Honeywell will install Experion process and safety systems for a new Hoku Materials plant to produce polysilicon, a key material needed to produce solar panels.

CEView HMI/SCADA software is certified to run on many popular mobile devices, including the AT&T 5700, MOTOQ Global, Pantech Duo, the Samsung BlackJack and BlackJack II.

National Instruments reported record quarterly revenue of $210.5 million, up 17 percent in the second quarter of 2008.

This article gives a short overview of general-purpose robotics software platforms currently available for service robotics applications. The article is a compilation of the knowledge the authors accumulated during an experimentation work they’ve been recently involved in.

Since its introduction in 2004, ABB's IndustrialIT Extended Automation System 800xA has been sold to more than 4,000 customers in a diverse range of industries.

Could it be that high fuel prices, the weak dollar and crises in the U.S. manufacturing industry are creating opportunities? Andy Chatha of ARC Advisory Group thinks so. He says the U.S. industry has suddenly become competitive on the world market, and companies are no longer moving operations overseas. Instead, many are expanding their facilities, and he predicts a boom in automation right here in the U.S.

IntervalZero, led by a group of senior Ardence executives, acquired Ardence’s Embedded software business from Citrix Systems.

Guide describes specific tasks to successfully implement the commissioning process for HVAC&R systems.

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA)says overall sales of PT/MC products declined 7.2 percent in May 2008 compared to April 2008.

Easun produces and sells pneumatic cylinders, valves, maintenance units and accessories, and employs around 900 people.

Advanced Digital Measurement provides precision industrial measuring services, reverse engineering, and inspection capabilities.

Montage software from Danfoss enables users to monitor utility costs in a plant by department, line or Energy Account Centers.

Test Specification (FF-846 FS 1.0) helps coupler manufacturers perform a standard set of tests against their implementation.

The Rider Roll System, to be delivered to NewPage's Port Hawkesbury mill, will use strain gage-based load cells to control the winding process of finished rolls.

Data-Linc appointed Ren Ding its Sales Representative in China.

Sonomatic uses the Sprint Electric 200XLV low voltage linear DC drive to improve the accuracy of their Nautilus scanner, a diver-deployed automated ultrasonic system that can operate in depths of up to 250 metres.

ABB reported record orders, revenues and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in the second quarter of 2008, with net income reaching $975 million.

Free CD contains RF testing resources, including application notes, articles, white papers, and product demonstrations.

Bison Gear has been selected for the second consecutive year as one of Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.

Booklet describes the 10 most common and costly errors that companies make when preparing product news releases.

ASHRAE announced the recipients of 16 scholarships totaling $85,000 for the 2008-09 academic year. The students are all pursuing courses leading to a career within the HVAC&R industry.

By using Inventor software, it was able to accomplish its design goals two to three times faster than if engineers had relied solely on 2D means.

Dr. Farshad Amir, technology manager of instrument and control systems for DuPont Engineering, has been named to the board of directors.

New releases for DD technology are compliant with the IEC 61804 and ISA104 Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) profile.

Waveaxis will distribute and provide integration services for McObject’s real-time embedded database software in India.

Emerson is installing its Ovation expert control system at all four units of the coal-fired power plant as part of a comprehensive renovation and maintenance project.

Prior to joining Moore Industries, Fagundes was the Director of Aerospace Operations for Kavlico Aerospace in Moorpark, CA.