Articles and News

The deadline for early-bird registration for the 2014 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium has been extended to 1 July 2014.

The Project Q data center in the city of Queretaro, México, had to route multiple cables and pipes through 45-centimeter thick walls, while maintaining the protective integrity of the walls. Roxtec cable entry solutions proved effective protection.

Kollmorgen supplied a motion control automation solution to IMA PG for their PG Express blister packaging machine.

Autopro Automation Consultants is a engineering and integration firm that specializes in the design and implementation of industrial automation solutions.

The equipment will provide students with hands-on CNC programming experience and help to familiarize them with advanced CNC machine tool operation and control techniques.

ASHRAE Guideline 13-2014, Specifying Building Automation Systems, provide designers of building automation systems (BAS) with background information, recommendations for good practice, project considerations, and detailed discussion of options with respect to the design of a BAS system.

Version 2014.1 specification updates enhance FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) and the usability of FOUNDATION technology.

TSI Solutions is a factory automation systems house located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Fuses, circuit breakers, power distribution blocks and surge protective devices (SPDs) for commercial, utility and residential solar segments reduce installation costs, maintain reliable operations, help enhance safety and maximize energy harvested.

Founded in 1939, Riken Keiki has been specializing in developing gas detection and monitoring solutions to help ensure safety in industrial sites for almost a decade.

The world market for operator terminals was worth $2.32 billion in 2013, and will generate revenues of approximately $3.16 billion in 2018.

By Dr. Alex Tarter, Ultra Electronics For less than the price of a nice dinner, and a weekend's effort, almost anyone can build a penetration device that can be slipped into a pocket, surreptitiously connect to the network, and used to remotely access systems anytime and from anywhere desired.

Originally installed in April 2012, the system captures braking energy for redistribution into the SEPTA power network while generating revenue with behind the meter load response to sustain the local grid and the wholesale energy market.

Isolated amplifier products carry the CE approval.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Communication technology is taking a role in strengthening U.S. manufacturing. Tom Bianculli, Motorola Solutions’ Senior Director of Emerging Business, talks about the type of technological advances that will improve operations on the manufacturing floor.

When performing a temperature calibration, it is important to remember that the uncertainty of calibration is not the same as the accuracy of the device.

Analyst views of the Internet of Things (IoT) vary drastically depending on how one defines the topic. As a result, there is the potential for much hyping.

Applied Motion Products was founded in 1978 and specializes in providing advanced stepper and servo motor drives to a broad range of industrial and OEM customers.

Course content has been prepared and written by a team of Subject Matter Experts who are Level 3 Certified Infrared Thermographers, each having over 20 years of professional experience.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industrial control systems are the “brains” of any automated manufacturing system. Many of these systems require motion systems - “brawn” - to accomplish the physical aspects of automation. Motion technologies have improved and are refined to meet the new manufacturing requirements. MDA North America provides the opportunity for engineers to sharpen motion knowledge and learn from industry experts first hand.

By Bill Lydon, Editor After a successful debut in 2012, Industrial Automation North America (NA) is coming back to Chicago. Industrial Automation NA is co-located with the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). The shows will welcome visitors at McCormick Place on September 8-13, 2014. As an added bonus, this year Industrial Automation NA will feature the inaugural Motion, Drive & Automation North America (MDA North America).

Six 100” video screens attached to six industrial robots help cruise ship operator take on-board entertainment and amenities to the next level.

The use of plant-wide feedforward control can move a plant quickly and smoothly for more flexible and efficient manufacturing.

Attendees at Sensors Expo who download the Sensors Mobile App can explore specific areas of the show through the scavenger hunt and collect points for each emBeacon they encounter.

April U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $175 million, up 2.1 percent from March’s total and down 3.3 percent from April 2013.

By Bob Dolin, Echelon The emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) represents the next generation of control networks for building automation. But unlike the consumer Internet of Things, the IIoT isn’t starting from scratch.

While the global PLM market slowed in the second half of 2013, China had another strong year, with nearly 13% growth to US$845 million.

SKF Mobile Apps can be downloaded free to smartphones and tablets from the Apple app store and the Google Play store for use anywhere and anytime.

L.P. Larson is a predictive maintenance solution company based in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Rosemount 5300 Guided Wave Radar (GWR) level transmitters are now certified to IEC 61508 for safety instrumented functions up to SIL 3.

Exploring the Global Shale Gas Initiative—Potential opportunities for ISA

The 57th ISA Power Industry Division (POWID) Symposium attracted almost 200 attendees and 18 exhibiting companies.

SETPOINT CMS software will use OSIsoft’s PI System technology for its underlying real-time data infrastructure.

In 2013, about 179,000 industrial robots were sold worldwide, an all-time high and 12 percent more than in 2012. China, of course, is by far the biggest robot market in the world regarding annual sales.

Honeywell will supply technology to integrate Suncor Energy’s control and safety systems, manage alarms, and provide simulation software that enables critical operations planning and operator training.

Transparency Market Research says the global smart cities market is expected to reach a value of USD 1,265.85 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 14.0% from 2013 to 2019.

The office will be used for sales, training, parts warehousing and robot demonstrations.

Wetzel joins IMPERX from TRUESENSE Imaging, formerly Eastman Kodak Company Image Sensor Solutions group, where he held various product and sales management roles

The demise of DC variable speed drives has been predicted by many people for years, but the inherent advantages of DC current for applications requiring accurate control of motor speed and torque, especially at low or zero speeds, mean this technology is still very much alive.

By Pat Garrehy, Rootstock In our litigious society, the day is quickly coming when any manufacturer better be able to trace the history of anything they make. Where the law requires you to maintain accurate records for each unique Lot and/or Serial Number purchase and sale, you need Lot Serial Control.

WEBENCH PCB Export lets engineers create a power supply printed circuit board (PCB) layout and export it to computer-aided design (CAD) development platforms.

There is more hydrogen sulfide in our crude oil input than ever before. The H2S concentration in crude oil is of great concern to anyone transporting oil in their pipelines, buying oil, or receiving oil as feed to a refinery.

Siemens is using a mobile robot cell in its Bad Neustadt production facility for electric motors.

KUKA will be demonstrating its welding competence at the 19th Beijing Essen Welding & Cutting Exhibition from June 10-13.

igus and Germanischer Lloyd developed a new test standard for cables used in motion control applications aboard ships and in offshore applications.

The research report on mobile robotics market provides detailed analysis on a global basis, with further breakdown into various sub-segments.

CYE Petrol will use Emerson’s Micro Motion Certified Bunker Measurement Solutions to enable accurate, transparent fuel deliveries from two new bunker barges being built in Turkey.

The HIMA global group achieved record sales of 105 million euros, a 16% increase over the previous year. The global sales increase was significantly higher than the industry average.

Although it was a more costly option initially, the automated barrier door was clearly the best choice for protecting employees, minimizing downtime and keeping long-term maintenance costs low.

By Keith Schmitz, Rytec High Performance Doors At MINOR’S food processing plant in Cleveland a forklift picks up a bin of their product and carries it into the next room. Unlike most facilities the forklifts here never take a break because there is no one sitting in the driver’s seat.

April U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $391.53 million down 20.4% from March but up 9.8% when compared with the total of $356.52 million reported for April 2013.

Hoosier Energy operates eight power plants, including three renewable energy facilities and a 1,700-mile transmission network.

Transparency Market Research says the Photonic IC market was valued at USD 160.1 million in 2012, which is expected to reach USD 996.2 million by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 31.3% from 2013 to 2019.

Piecewise Controller Design for Affine Fuzzy Systems

Growth in this market is driven by the use of ultrasonic flowmeters for custody transfer applications and the resulting product development of multipath meters. Inline ultrasonic meters account for two-thirds of revenues, with the remainder divided between clamp-on and insertion meters.

This 12-page brochure contains detailed information of Mencom industrial connectors.

InStep’s PRiSM software uses advance pattern recognition to provide a quantitative comparison between current and historical asset operational behavior for the early identification of equipment health and performance problems.

The 8,900-square-foot facility features a training room, demonstration room and office space.

If an article is written by the sales and marketing department, be on the lookout for a biased view of a product or service.

The next five years will be extremely fruitful for device makers; the market should reach $70B by 2018, before decreasing.

Deutsche Messe had consolidated revenues of more than €312 million and a net profit of €13.4 million, its second best result since 2001.

ISA announced the training courses and preliminary technical program for its 2014 Process Control & Safety Symposium, to be held 7-9 October 2014 in Houston, Texas.

NASA's Ames Research Center had a need for a rugged, wide-input, compact PC to oversee all navigation and data collection processes for one of their ongoing planetary rover projects.

The software grants are for students in manufacturing programs at community colleges and universities in Virginia.

Schmit was most recently Executive Vice President at Daifuku Webb Holding Company.

WAYJUN WJ60 series 8-ch DI/DO Isolated Digital Signal Module has a Slim-line plastic housing with integral 35mm DIN rail mounting , terminals, and power supply(8-32VDC)

HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH + Co KG closed fiscal year 2013 with record sales of 105 million euros. This 16% increase in sales over the previous year was significantly higher than the industry average growth rate. Orders received thus far in 2014 indicate that double-digit sales growth will also be achieved this year.

Transparency Market Research has announced the addition of the "Circuit Breakers and Fuses Market- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019" report to their offering.

12 technical sessions and 35 technical papers covered leading-edge topics in sampling, chromatography, spectroscopy, chemiluminescence and other analytical techniques.

Based on xCORE microcontrollers from XMOS and Synapticon’s SOMANET technology, the kits enable efficient, standards-compliant and safe motion control applications, ranging from simple single-axis solutions to distributed motion control systems.

Sercos hosted 25 technology and automation vendors and end users to its 13th PlugFest on May 7 and 8 at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Herbert Senzano Lopes, a master’s degree student at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), designed a solution to show how flare gas from pipelines could be reused to generate energy.

Customers of pressure gauges and temperature measurement products can now order online through the USG Factory Direct E-Store.

The brochure lists ABB measurement products that may be applied to the various components, such as well heads, separators, fracking fluids, pump jacks, tank levels, storage, and gas transmission.

At four plants, Metso will supply an extensive Metso DNA automation system for all process controls and plant information management.

MicroCal has a 30-year history of developing and supplying microcalorimeters, used extensively to study proteins and other biomolecules in drug discovery and development.

Reference Recorders Shake Up Old Standards

aeSolutions will market and deliver ISA's series of safety, cybersecurity, and alarm management courses throughout North America.

Plant owners are particularly interested in security products, services, and solutions that can detect and delay threats and are able to employ cutting-edge innovation and technology.

By installing the eWON VPN routers and Talk2M Internet-based remote access system, Aquatic Engineering & Construction is able to monitor and quickly resolve issues on its heavy-duty tensioner equipment, located onboard remote marine vessels.

WAYJUN products carry the CE approval for safety.

In the industrial production process, there are many continuous variables, such as temperature, pressure, flow, level and speed all are analog. To make the programmable controller to handle analog signal, need achieve the A / D or D / A conversion.

With Modbus, RS485/232 to Analog Current or Voltage Signal Converters, 12-bit DA converter, analog signal output accuracy>0.2%

Transparency Market Research has announced the addition of the "Motor Vehicle Sensor Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast, 2012 – 2018" report to their offering.

Metso will supply a DNA automation system, IQ quality control system, IQ Dilution Profiler for a dilution headbox, and a IQ Moisturizer system for moisture profiling to Pratt Industries in Valparaiso, Indiana.

ABB and Marbles Kids Museum are launching a play-based power grid exhibit, called Kid Grid, to generate interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in young children.

Rotork valve actuators upgrade and automate flow control equipment in many areas of Thames Water’s operations.

Spectrum Technologies supplied an enamel stripping system for the magnet wire coils used in the stators for the gear box in Volkswagen's latest range of electric engines.

Shah is responsible for R&D, new product development, and product & technology strategy by working closely with key customers.

LEAP represents a departure from the way plants are typically designed and built by using parallel workflows to keep automation systems off critical implementation paths.

Pepperl+Fuchs’ F31K2 valve position feedback sensor survives the harsh and corrosive environment found at Dutch salt-making company Frisia Zout.

Established in 1974 in Cambridge, UK, the company started off in a small building with just a few employees but now has three manufacturing locations and several offices in ten countries.

Next Frontier for the Operator-Automation Relationship

Delta’s CliQ and CliQ II DIN rail power supply and module series have more models now certified according to ATEX Directive 94/9/EC with group II, category 3G (Zone 2), nA or nA nC type of protection, IIC with T4 temperature class according to IEC/EN 60079-0 and IEC/EN 60079-15.

By Bill Lydon, Editor There has been significant automation in petrochemical processing plants. However, it is surprising how little automation has been adopted in other parts of the oil & gas industry. This has changed over the last four years because the cost of operations is growing faster than profit margins.

The first official certificate for a successfully tested EtherCAT device was issued not long after the new North American EtherCAT Test Center was accredited by the ETG.

ITTIA's research says DB SQL significantly outperforms SQLite in write throughput, boasting high insert and update performance both on flash media and hard disk.

AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel formed IIC earlier this year to support better access to data with improved integration of the physical and digital worlds. Moxa is one of the first industrial automation companies to join the Consortium.

By Kevin Callahan, Alerton BAS are getting more powerful and easy to use all the time. Key features and benefits to look for this year include BAS software, control modules and wall sensors.

The identification of deadtime and ramp rate can provide tuning, rapid modeling, and future values for smart reset, feedforward, and setpoint responses.

By Punya Prakash, Texas Instruments Building automation systems are striving to keep up with a renaissance in processing prowess by incorporating hierarchical and distributed architectures, low-power processing and control capabilities, advanced sensors and many other exciting new technologies. In fact, sometimes the most pressing challenge is how to make sense of it all.

The HART Communication Protocol is now a China National Standard (GB/T 29910.1-6-2013) approved by the Standardization Administration of the China Industrial Department.

Rotalec has been a distributor of high technology industrial machine automation products, product identification systems, and mill products for over 30 years.

The Engelberger Robotics Award will be presented to Dr. Rodney Brooks, Dr. Rory Cooper and Dr. Vijay Kumar.

General’s CEO and senior management team remain in charge.

Open Systems International will replace the existing SCADA/EMS system at Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority in the United Arab Emirates with a new SCADA/EMS system based on OSI’s monarch platform.

Blakeway also is Omron Corporation Executive Officer, and Chairman, President and CEO of Omron Management Center Of America.

As U.S. manufacturing recorded the greatest monthly increase so far in 2014, a survey involving members of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) also points to an upswing in the automation industry.

Founded in 1989, Online Development Inc. (OLDI) designs and manufactures factory automation products to help customers simplify data transfer, control and communications tasks.

The OPC Foundation Test Lab in Scottsdale, AZ certified TeslaSCADA, a SCADA solution for smart phones and other Android devices.

Anglia will distribute and market the full Bel portfolio of circuit protection, magnetics and interconnect devices to OEMs throughout the UK and Ireland.

Epicor-sponsored research reveals that manufacturers with the right software tools to track and manage performance metrics come out on top -- outperforming competitors by up to 10% in areas such as manufacturing cost reduction, net profit margin increases, and on-time delivery.

Total machine components grew 29% in the first quarter, while total machine vision systems grew six percent, according to statistics issued by AIA, the industry’s trade group.

By Thomas Waggershauser, HMS Industrial Networks The growing demands in the number of nodes, transfer rates, and cycle times lead to bottlenecks that the limitations of classic CAN (8 data bytes and 1 Mbit/s data rate) cannot fulfil: CAN FD significantly extends the usable data rate and usable data length.

Various wireless topologies can be employed to meet the demands of industrial wireless applications, including star, tree, mesh, and cluster.

Shipments of primary plastics equipment for reporting companies totaled an estimated $300.5 million in Q1, up 11 percent when compared with the same quarter of 2013.

One function of the new E3-research project will be to see where humans fit into an automated factory.

Bestobell Marine will supply globe and check valves in sizes DN25 up to DN350, for the cargo containment system onboard the vessel, as well as supplying a FLIV (float level isolation valve) for the secondary float measurement system.

AVEVA will supply its Enterprise Resource Management suite and Everything3D design software to AMEC’s worldwide offices. AMEC employs around 27,000 people in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Tritec Systems is an established UK systems integrator, with over twenty years of experience providing industrial automation and control systems, software, support and training.

Prior to this appointment, he was vice president/general manager of the Advanced Solutions line of business for HPS.

Metso will supply a Pulp Expert automatic pulp laboratory with consistency, freeness, tensile, dirt, brightness and High-Definition fiber and shive measurements to Zellstoff Celgar, a supplier of market kraft pulp, located in Castlegar, British Columbia.

The mine hoists will help Boliden raise production from 1.4 to 2.5 million tons per year.

Westec makes more than 6,000 products, including a wide range of junction boxes, multi-pole connectors, and connector assemblies for automation, robotics and other harsh-duty industrial applications.

4-20mA/0-5V to RS485/232 signal isolated converters

Industrial researchers model an accumulator used in industrial elastic web processing plant to allow changing the material roll while the rest of the line remains at a constant web velocity.

This certification allows Midwest Engineering Systems to custom build industrial control panels and display the UL Mark on the panels.

Yokogawa's Newnan, GA, Calibration Laboratory has been awarded ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

The end of service for this pervasive OS leaves many computers and devices vulnerable to security issues – whether accidental or deliberate – which could bring operations to a halt.

When interviewing for a position, interview your perspective boss as hard as he (or she) is interviewing you.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Exxon is improving the execution of automation projects. They are challenging automation suppliers to develop products that make installation, operations, and maintenance more efficient. Here's a summary of Exxon's initiative.

The integration of wireless technology into products that were previously wired has caused a steady shift in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test services.

Wolf Robotics achieved recertification as part of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) Certified Robot Integrator program.

WAYJUN IAP series Optical Isolated Amplifier SIP12 package of 4-20mA/0-20mA/0-1V/0-100mV signal isolated converters

Eight analog signal acquisition, isolated converter RS-485/232 output

The IVC Video solution for hydrocarbon leak detection is being used by a major oil company monitoring a 120-mile crude oil pipeline in the western United States.

The guide offers impartial advice on available dimensioning, weighing and scanning technology, system configurations, and what needs to be planned for when implementing new DWS equipment.

Guangdong Peng Zun Energy Development selected Honeywell's UOP C3 Oleflex process technology to convert propane to propylene, a valuable petrochemical used in plastics production.

700 IQ3 non-intrusive intelligent electric valve actuators with Pakscan P3 two-wire digital control systems will be installed at the Pengerang oil and gas Terminal on the south east coast of Malaysia.

Bel will pay approximately $98 million in cash to acquire the ECS business, which had 2013 revenue of approximately $83 million.

Designer Schematic Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software is available from Digi-Key for $300.

After two days of electrifying competition, “Final Cut” from North High School in North St. Paul, MN, was crowned NRL Grand Champion.

June Training and Education Programs Offered by ISA

Clockworks performance management platform is installed on 60 buildings at MIT, monitoring and providing analytics on over 7,000 pieces of equipment using over 14,000,000 data points per day.

The RDC allows TMEIC engineers to establish reliable remote sessions. Once connected, TMEIC engineers can directly control systems and drives, or monitor and assist the customer in troubleshooting, adjusting, or collecting fault data.

The northern Louisiana plant, which will process 200 MMSCFD of natural gas, will be in production in the first quarter of 2015.

PAS Integrity Software Suite and Tripwire NERC Solution Suite are now integrated, reducing the time and resources required to collect audit evidence.

In addition, Tetsuya Hibi was promoted to Senior Vice President and CFO of Daifuku Webb Holding Company.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A pharmaceutical company describes how they invested in multivariate tools and were able to gain better process understanding and improve batch outcomes. In effect, they were able to transform data to actionable information.

With aging substations, a risk of blackouts and increasingly higher maintenance costs, GSE installed a remote monitoring systems based on wireless sensor networks.

Swiss based u-blox acquired Swedish connectBlue, a provider of industrial-grade short range radio modules.

By Brian Roth, Antaira Technologies Wireless networks are typically setup as an access point, bridge or client combination. The major difference is the access point allows multiple individual wireless devices to connect to the access point. A wireless bridge is used to link a smaller network of devices to the main network through a single wireless connection.

New PartnerNetwork companies include members from the Encompass Partner program, OEM Partner program and Solution Partner program.

Hydraulic cylinders and actuators in racing are becoming ever smaller and therefore require more compact, ultra slimline position sensors for measuring displacement and piston position.

Process Data Analysis: Filtering Out the Noise, and Acting On the Signals

Many impediments to creation of a large IoT market are swept under the carpet as large companies and analysts indulge in an unseemly race to the largest forecasts. Its value chain is unclear, paybacks are little understood, and no large orders exist.

GAMBICA says the telecommunications industry wrote a standard where key wireless devices can never be relied upon to report their alarm or status messages in a timely fashion. This restriction is likely to make Europe lose significant competitive ground in the industrial wireless field.

The Exchange helps industrial plant owners and operators connect with control system integrators and suppliers who can meet their industrial automation needs.

China’s leaders are issuing increasingly clear signals that they plan another round of economic stimulus programs, as evidence accumulates that the economy is slowing more than expected this year.

The module significantly reduces the amount of time and resources to develop ISA100 Wireless-compliant products.

LightWise Allegro USB3 Vision cameras work with ActiveUSB series of universal camera SDKs and drivers for developers and system integrators.

The Bussmann business began in a St. Louis garage in 1914 thanks to the vision of the Bussmann brothers – Joe, Al, Frank, Lee and Harry.

Online, interactive benefits calculator answers common questions related to the benefits of Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) early in the planning process.

The service center is in eastern Germany, in the Leuna industrial area.

OSI delivered a SCADA system to the RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but we don't know what it's doing there.

IMPERX designs and manufactures industrial cameras, frame grabbers and advanced imaging solutions used in the machine vision, medical, military, aerospace, surveillance and automation markets.

The unbalance between continuous operation flow & instantaneous batch flow can be spread over available inventory by an adapted rate limited feedforward.

By Jason Cook, MAC Solutions When it comes to selecting an enterprise-wide alarm management system, businesses should consider the pros and cons of a third party specific alarm management tool over a DCS vendor’s offering

March U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $171 million, up 7.8 percent from February’s total and down 2.5 percent from March 2013.

Hydro-Sherbrooke owns and manages nine hydroelectric generating stations and three major distribution substations in Quebec.

Dr. Thomas Bürger, Klaus Weyer, Alexander Verl and Matheus Bulho were elected to the board.

The Galil DMC-4143 connected to an Apple Mac, moves the sculptures for four shows daily, from their place inside the clock tower, out through the door and into the center of the Glockenspiel.

Motion Controls Robotics (MCRI) achieved recertification as part of the RIA Certified Robot Integrator program.

Sightsys provides stacks, libraries, tools and services for CANopen, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT and POWERLINK.

By Sasan Montaseri, ITTIA Developers must plan for data management from the earliest stages of product development. Without the right database, developers risk incurring hidden costs as the complexity and scale of the application grows, including: data loss, inconsistency, poor performance, undetected conflicts, and boundless resource consumption.

BP is using Smart Wireless technology from Emerson Process Management as part of a leak detection system that helps enhance safety at its chemical production center in Geel, Belgium.

Yokogawa will supply control systems, safety instrumented systems, analysis systems, and other products for Stage-1 of the Jeddah South supercritical oil-fired thermal power plant project in Saudi Arabia.

Thermocouples vs RTDs: Choosing the Right Temperature Sensor

The two will provide protection of newly developed application code through the entire SAP development lifecycle and automated modernization and code optimization for ABAP customers.

Frost & Sullivan says the market earned $178.8 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach $201.8 million in 2017. Cheap Chinese gages and cutthroat pricing are the rage.

By Nigel Rozier, Raima From batch processing to sophisticated real-time processes, effective data management is the key to boosting efficiency, increasing productivity and reducing costs in industrial applications. This article explores the role of data management solutions embedded within industrial automation systems.

Fiat Powertrain is upgrading the CNC systems of 20 key machine tools used on the crankshaft and cylinder block production lines of its engine manufacturing plant in Campo Largo, Brazil.

March U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $492.78 million, up 38.5% from February and up 2.9% when compared with the total of $479.04 million reported for March 2013.

By Maureen Clancy, Teledyne DALSA A multi-talented control and automation team applies its mechanical, electrical, and software engineering chops to celebrate—and solve—a timeless puzzle.

The original 40-year-old controls at Piqua Power System were extremely unreliable, often resulting in unplanned downtime.

SmartStream Digital Conference--Optimizing technology for the changing face of industry--will take place live online on June 4 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. EDT.

How Often Should Instruments Be Calibrated?

By Bill Lydon, Editor Manufacturing Intelligence (MI) systems allow the aggregation and subsequent visualization and analysis of data to drive business decisions. Pharmaceutical companies share their companies' perspectives on MI solutions and their implementation plans.

Uncertainly remains over the future of the organic photovoltaic market as a whole, and arguably the industry is going through the period of despair and disillusion.

By Mike Roberts, LNS Research In this article, we’ll present key preliminary findings from a joint survey between LNS Research and MESA International focused on identifying the top metrics and best practices that are driving the most results for manufacturing business leaders today.

Software Development Kit for Linux further enhances the ease with which Leddar™ technology can be integrated into various applications.

LeddarTech, owner of the patented Leddar™ LED-based detection technology, is pleased to announce that its leading-edge sensors are now readily available to the Arduino community.

Treat references as a first step toward engaging a wider group who can provide a more realistic picture of the person or product or company being evaluated.

Mathevan holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering.

E-Mon is now offering Honeywell’s Attune Energy Dashboard service to provide facility management professionals with information on energy usage and trends.

The IPRC, located in Lisle, Illinois, is staffed with experienced reliability engineers who monitor thousands of assets around the world, seven days per week.

B&B Electronics and SeeControl will deliver intelligent, predictive monitoring solutions for Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Are You Qualified?

By Peter Engstrom, STEUTE Industrial Controls There is a large selection of devices for transmitting and receiving continuously variable parameters like flow, but there has been little available in the way of wireless devices for generating and receiving simple "on-off" signals. This is changing.

Training courses and workshops teach control systems designers, engineers and operators various aspects of process safety and how to meet worldwide safety requirements.