Articles and News

By John Mitchell, CP Automation In modern computer numerical control (CNC) machines, there may be less need to replace cutting tools in these machines, but there’s more complexity to their upkeep. This article explains how poor power quality can cause recurrent issues for CNC machines.

First principle models can be used to gain a deeper understanding of cause and effects, process relationships, process gains, and the response to abnormal situations.

Using elements of Emerson’s Project Certainty methodology, North West Redwater Partnership reduced global automation engineering complexity and completed the instrumentation and control scope for refinery automation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The expanded factory doubles the size of its facility and is part of the company’s strategic growth plan to increase its inventory, manufacturing and production capabilities to meet increasing customer demand.

By Charles Rathmann, IFS Servitization is driven in part by limited opportunity for many product-centric companies to grow in terms of product revenue and profits—due to factors like downward price pressure, volatile demand and increasing prices for inputs and raw materials.

Documentation of the "as left" condition of the control system is a basic requirement for all maintenance, calibration, commissioning, and testing tasks.

Rockwell Automation will feature its smart solutions through a simulated digital control room where attendees will have a chance to see the latest release of the PlantPAx distributed control system and advanced production intelligence software that provides real-time visibility into operations.

By CAS Dataloggers With advances in technology and computing power, modern data loggers can reduce the amount of time and effort required to extract critical information. These "intelligent" data loggers incorporate several features that allow them to go well beyond the functionality of a traditional data logger to help zero in on what the user is looking for

The solution combines Continuous Threat Detection, Claroty’s visibility, and real-time monitoring technology for OT networks, with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Firepower

As part of the project and for the first time in a subsea water crossing, ABB has installed a fiber optic leak detection and subsea pipeline monitoring system detecting events such as anchor drag.

With advances in technology and computing power, modern data loggers can reduce the amount of time and effort required to extract critical information. These "intelligent" data loggers incorporate several features that allow them to go well beyond the functionality of a traditional data logger to help zero in on what the user is looking for.

Through the Honeywell Connected Plant initiative, Alfa Laval can help refiners and petrochemical producers improve operation and operating reliability of their Alfa Laval Packinox special welded heat exchangers

The division is being formed in response to customer and supplier demand, along with the Northwest region’s lack of service providers for robot-based automation.

By Benson Hougland, Opto 22 The next generation of HMI and SCADA technologies is now poised to deliver the rich interfaces users expect, with even easier connectivity to the thriving variety of Internet of Things devices.

The 32nd edition of the show drew a record registration of 129,415 people and featured 1,424,232 sq. ft. of exhibit space representing 2,123 booths and 2,563 exhibiting companies. IMTS 2018 ran from Sept. 10 – 15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Volkswagen joins a host of other end user market leaders like LG CNS, Samsung and Miele, who adopted OPC UA in their operations as a step toward realizing the potential benefits Industrie4.0 and IIoT promise into tangible results.

Automation engineers investigate several commonly used control structures such as “Cascaded PI controller,” “DMC cascaded to PI” and “Direct DMC.”

In this position, the Chair manages the strategic and tactical directives of the Board of Directors and ensures the marketing, technical, and overall business activities of the OPC Foundation consistently align with its vision and objectives.

In this position, the Chair manages the strategic and tactical directives of the Board of Directors and ensures the marketing, technical, and overall business activities of the OPC Foundation consistently align with its vision and objectives.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com The industrial automation industry has a reputation and history of being behind the technology adoption curve. With an prganizational need for reliability and system availability, the key question is: When is a new technology reliable enough that the benefits outweigh the risk?

Recent electronic advancements and the flexibility of package designs make LVIT variable inductance sensors very cost effective for mainstream in-cylinder applications, especially those that tend to be near the peak of that bell curve.

Highlights from ABB’s showcase include solutions that can enable digitalization and enhance the grid, in line with this year’s conference theme, “Re-imagining utility of the future.”

By Michele Windsor, Ultralife Corporation For robots to be truly reliable and safe, engineers should ensure they have the correct power solutions. This article explains the impact poor design and integration of batteries can have on industrial robots.

To help ensure 24-hour energy autonomy throughout its global expedition, the Energy Observer uses a combination of intermittent renewable energy: solar panels, wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and a hydrogen production system.

Under this partnership, CIMdata and IpX will launch several industry initiatives. These joint programs will provide organizations with the tools and services to solve complex challenges facing global enterprises.

The theme of HANNOVER MESSE 2019 underlines the growing importance of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the production and energy industries, including such areas as energy efficiency and use and autonomous production processes as well as challenges in terms of interfaces, protocols and security.

The ICC is hosted by Inductive Automation for partners and customers of the Ignition SCADA system.

By Edward E. Herceg, Alliance Sensors Group The strengths and weaknesses of magnetostrictive, variable resistance, and variable inductance sensors are examined in this white paper, along with a chart for feature-by-feature comparisons.

For manufacturers, material requirements planning (MRP) software is one of the key elements to running a smooth manufacturing operation.

A consequence of the concept of multiple independent protection suggests minimization of risk occurs when safety instrumented systems are completely independent from process control systems.

The agreement calls for the creation of a global center for the development of scientific research in DTVC.

The facility will bring together academics from different disciplines to explore the full potential of additive manufacturing (AM) for medical devices. The University of Birmingham has several active projects to innovate new medical devices and technologies to assist recovery following disease or injury, covering various clinical remits.

Both companies are to develop an integrated RFID tracking and weighing solution for monitoring containers in Production on the basis of the HARTING MICA (Modular Industry Computing Architecture) Edge Computer.

The disruptive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and next-generation smart manufacturing, also known as Industry 4.0, is placing demands on designers to develop motion-enabled solutions that are powerful, small, precise and efficient.

By Walter Smith, Sensata Technologies The advent of rare-earth magnets and advanced brushless DC motor (BLDC) motor design has empowered a new range of motors small enough to fit into confined spaces, powerful enough to do real work, and efficient enough to be used in wireless or remote applications.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Machine safety is of the utmost importance to manufacturers to reduce the risk of accidents and safeguard staff. However, the benefits of a comprehensive safety strategy can extend far beyond this. But how can manufacturers reap the rewards safety brings?

The agreement calls for the creation of a global center for the development of scientific research in DTVC.

This annual award is presented by FieldComm Group to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that are using the capabilities of FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART and WirelessHART technology in real-time applications for improved operations, maintenance and asset productivity.

EOS expands its portfolio of systems for metal additive manufacturing with the EOS M 300 series. The solution is an automation-ready, future-proof platform that is configurable, scalable, and secure. For this, EOS also trusts in control and drive components from the Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portfolio.

As part of a larger infrastructure investment, CP Automation recently installed a Riello 3/1 phase UPS system at 40 kVa at one bustling UK port to improve the duration of its power supply.

This annual award is presented by FieldComm Group to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that are using the capabilities of FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART and WirelessHART technology in real-time applications for improved operations, maintenance and asset productivity.

For critical industrial measurements, place the thermocouple in a bath or dry block or cross check the reading against another thermocouple.

Purpose-built for Windows and LINUX edge devices using standard industrial protocols, such as MQTT, OPC-UA, OPC-DA and Modbus, Aspen Edge Connect software collects real-time data from multiple assets and pools it together for analysis with edge processing devices.

This work is intended to enable 3D printed, patient-specific implants with controlled time to dissolve eliminating the need for second surgeries and thus also reducing risks, costs and suffering for patients.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Keeping a manufacturing business vital and competitive requires a flow of ideas and creativity of the need to be stimulated with information from outside your organization.

Van der Vaart has over 25 years’ experience in the defense and securities industry, and has served in both operations and business development roles throughout his career.

By Shan Zhan, ABB Control Technologies In summer 2017, 15 EU states, Switzerland and Hong Kong were affected by the Fipronil contamination scandal. This article looks at what the scandal can teach food manufacturers about the importance of traceability processes.

At a time when detecting large industrial pipeline leaks within the same day was challenging, new technology that could detect small leaks and any leak quickly was exciting.

From a controls perspective, the three-pod design meant a complex system was required. The challenge was developing a system to manage the production interfaces alongside all of the sequencing, interlocking, etc. that is required between each of the pods.

ECT was tasked with developing a turbomachinery control system for two trains, each with three parallel compressors. Because the operations will be expected to run continuously for years at a time, a redundant architecture was essential to ensure a backup system would take over and reduce the likelihood of downtime should a failure occur.

The methods taught in the course are based on the IEC 62443-4-1 and IEC 62443-4-2 standards, which represent the expertise of a large group of global experts to reduce cyber vulnerabilities by laying a solid foundation of cyber defense mechanisms for automation system networks.

For a capacitance probe installed in a metal tank, the measured level is proportional to the measured capacitance between the level probe (one capacitor plate) and the tank wall (second capacitor plat

The combination of the AS/RS and layer pick system allows Heaven Hill to convey pallets from palletizing to storage and to truck-staging lanes, thereby streamlining the entire order fulfillment process.

Honeywell has collaborated with the group to deliver numerous projects, providing and implementing automation controls, safety and cybersecurity solutions. It also has recently started to develop business models with the group around its Honeywell Connected Plant solutions.

Honeywell has collaborated with the group to deliver numerous projects, providing and implementing automation controls, safety and cybersecurity solutions. It also has recently started to develop business models with the group around its Honeywell Connected Plant solutions.

Prior to joining Okuma, Cline served as VP of Finance for Source Technologies and Director of Strategic Projects with Compass Group North America.

Participants will have an open and candid discussion with two experts in the machine vision industry -- Raf Vandersmissen, Product Manager at Xenics and Mark Williamson, Managing Director at Stemmer -- and take away ideas for addressing specific imaging challenges, tips on how to employ the new technology, and increase the efficiency of their systems.

LIK is a supplier of automated assembly lines for vehicle components such as automotive seats, braking and safety systems, as well as test stands for electric motors. LIK's customers include many international corporations.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Industry 4.0 has increased economic and supply chain globalisation, which has in turn created new possibilities for professional collaboration, allowing us to work with others in industry across the globe.

Eplan has been present in China since 2005 and continues to grow, with more than fifty employees in ten offices, including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

ABB is supplying the SFC as part of a complete package including a dry-type 11 kilovolt (kV) to 6.6 kV transformer and control equipment to interface with the dockyard’s electrical management system. The project is scheduled for completion in 2019.

To achieve its goals, Henkel created an energy monitoring system leveraging Wonderware, part of AVEVA’s industrial software portfolio. Implemented as a digital, Industrial IoT platform, the company now has greater access to more data to improve operational flexibility and scalability.

Factories of the future will demand advanced circuit protection technology to keep everything connected.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) was envisioned to create single network to meet all requirements including audio, vision, and data with guaranteed speed and determinism for all applications.

These detectors feature Bluetooth wireless technology and can now connect with MSA’s new Apple iOS X/S Connect App along with the previously released Android X/S Connect App.

The seminar provides a step-by-step guide to the key issues around specifying, installing and operating a robot, including how to assess which processes can be automated and how to develop the right solution for specific needs.

Thomas Embla Bonnerud arrives at Zivid from Nordic Semiconductor where he served for more than 17 years, most recently as Director of Strategy and Investor Relations, including the company’s overall product and market strategy.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Improving facility safety is critical to safeguard staff, but did you know safety can impact productivity and machine effectiveness too? This article will share three tips for machine safety.

Developed in partnership with Quality Digest, publisher of the Journal of the CMSCsince 2006, the periodicalis distributed twice a year in the Autumn and Spring by the Coordinate Metrology Society. Each issue devotes its pages to the finest white papers presented by industry professionals at the annual CMSC.

Improving on what has always been done can only result in incremental improvements at best or continued complications. We have to redefine and transform how we execute automation projects.

By Don Pham, IDEC Smartphone and tablet users prefer apps to browser-based access for everyday tasks, and this preference is spreading to industrial automation.

The Laval office establishes an automation solution center for Beckhoff customers in Quebec, located conveniently within driving distance from downtown Montreal and Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

This year, Rockwell Automation will conduct a series of presentations and demonstrations for end users, machine and equipment builders in packaging and related industries to share the most recent innovations in independent cart technology, analytics and network security.

Automation.com has teamed with some of the leading innovators and providers of manufacturing software in order to deliver this in-depth guide to the variety of software options that drive different aspects of today’s manufacturing operations.

The Purple Robotics dual vacuum gripper can, so to speak, give a robot arm two “hands” and thereby the ability to handle several items simultaneously and solving multiple tasks in one movement.

Periodic visual inspection of orifice plates is required to ensure the integrity of measurement with a digital flow transmitter.

Further, 59 percent cite lack of available resources, and 47 percent claim other business priorities as additional factors holding them back from their digital ambitions.

The cloud-based technology allows Honeywell’s Transportation Systems business to remotely identify, analyze and optimize energy consumption of the overall plant as well as all connected field devices. This is the first deployment of the solution in Asia.

The Siemens Converting Toolbox has separate modules for each of the Siemens product categories typically found on converting machines, including SIMOTION motion controllers, SINAMICS drives and SIMATIC PLCs.

The company outlines the technologies available, and the value in using them, in its new industrial internet of things (IIoT) whitepaper.

The integrated ECU software manages components, such as sensors, brakes, and steering, which are basic driving functions and critical for automated driving.

The integrated ECU software manages components, such as sensors, brakes, and steering, which are basic driving functions and critical for automated driving.

As part of the upgrade, the substation will be equipped with digital technology. ABB will supply protection and control equipment, an ABB Ability MicroSCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and a digital process bus.

Bartles brings to NTMA almost four decades of experience in the manufacturing sector, most recently as the Director of the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of New Hampshire.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Businesses must work to encourage more people into this pipeline but must also ensure they are getting the best out of existing and new staff. This article discusses why employers must upskill both new and experienced staff.

Customers can evolve their SCADA from the previous generations technology to a new environment leveraging the Microsoft .NET Framework, SQL databases, displays and Industry 4.0 concepts, the foundation for FactoryStudio.

Learn important strategies and concepts that can lead to a better industrial career and significantly improved system performance at your plant or facility.

Ramsey, who has been serving as ISA’s Interim Executive Director since January of this year, has more than 25 years of industrial automation experience. She specializes in leadership, change management and strategy development/execution

The HANNOVER MESSE USA event (Sep 10-15) will show how manufacturers, worldwide, are applying new technologies to improve manufacturing productivity and performance.

The guide suggests that building a digital strategy requires preparing and retraining executives, investing in talent, continually exploring the potential of digital, assessing and benchmarking current data architecture, working the data harder and greater collaboration throughout the supply chain.

The awards celebrate manufacturers that make safety an inherent value in their company culture, compliance procedures and use of machine-safety technology.

Okuma and OPEN MIND will collaborate on 4 and 5-axis projects using multi-function mill-turn and hybrid technology on Okuma machine tools.

The two companies have decided to extend their existing agreement, to further develop their joint business cooperation and commercial initiatives.

Decoupling of the stator currents is important for smoother torque response of indirect vector controlled induction motors.

To meet growing demands for increased crop yields, Mosaic needed to add a premium fertilizer product line to its New Wales, Florida, facility. In order to accommodate the new process, the company needed to drastically expand the existing distributed control system (DCS).

This Amazon offering will allow Silicon Designs to distribute MEMS VC accelerometer samples to its customers, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation IHS Markit predicts that there will be around 75.4 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the world by 2025. This article explains how the IoT is impacting consumer-facing businesses and what manufacturers can learn from that.

Deloitte surveyed 193 C-level executives around the globe to identify frontrunner organizations in manufacturing that are leading on the path toward digital maturity and distinctive traits they possessed.

A Coriolis flowmeter develops a flow measurement by measuring the degree of deformation (twisting) of a vibrating tube(s) as the fluid moves through the tube.

By Stefan Reuther, COPA-DATA Research by IndustryWeek shows that equipment failure is the cause of 42 per cent of unplanned downtime. This article explains how to leverage predictive analytics to reduce factory downtime and increase business competitiveness.