Articles and News

Guide covers two-way radios, team communication systems, push-to-talk phones and broadband cards, WLAN systems, IP video surveillance cameras, mesh broadband networks, point-to-point bridges, and more.

December U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $499.43 million according to AMT, the highest order total in 13 years.

The qualification encompasses the requirements of the Westinghouse AP1000 commercial nuclear reactor design.

Moxa's ioLogik E1212 Ethernet remote I/O is being used on the Gateway Bridge upgrade project in Brisbane, Australia.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) provided a review of industry growth and hosted the IFR CEO Round Table discussion at AUTOMATE in Chicago. The bottom line is...robots create jobs by enabling manufacturers to be globally competitive and grow more quickly.

ABB will supply complete electrical systems including generators, distribution switchboards, transformers, drives and motors to power the ships’ thrusters and drilling systems.

As a silver member, InduSoft joins over 80 of the leading building automation vendors in the world in pursuing advancement of BACnet as a communication protocol.

Setpoints in industrial automation and manufacturing processes can be improved by achieving a higher level of control and knowledge.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A survey conducted by pharmaceutical companies of their operations management indicates management has higher expectations of benefits from automation than is being realized in their plants. Responses of that survey are highlighted in this Part 1 article from the 2012 Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable.

IMS Research projects fewer instabilities in the US and Chinese MV drives markets in 2013, and predicts global market growth of 10 percent--despite a contraction of 4.6 percent in Europe.

For manufacturers of power transmission and control technology, MDA South America will be held in São Paulo in March.

Brookfield Renewable Energy uses Exele Information Systems’ TopView Alarm Notification software to monitor values in the data historian.

FL4000H flame detector has been certified by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Global Group to the EN 54-10 standard of the European Construction Products Directive (CPD).

The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) announces that Electro Controles del Noroeste SA de CV, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, and P.J. Kortens and Company, Inc., Appleton, Wis., U.S., became CSIA Certified.

Hilscher enters U.S. market by signing Professional Control Corporation (PCC) in Germantown, WI and Electro-Matic Products (EMP) in Farmington Hills, MI, as distributors of fieldbus products.

Series 9411/21 and 9411/24 isolating device couplers met the FF-846 test specification to obtain formal Fieldbus Foundation registration.

Handbook provides expert advice on the design and application of load cells and weigh modules for tanks, silos, vessels, hoppers and conveyors.

ABB will upgrade the existing Celilo HVDC (high-voltage direct current) converter station in Oregon with valves, controls, transformers as well as switchgear and cooling equipment.

Tuning PI controllers for stable processes with specifications on gain and phase margins

American School of Gas Measurement Technology is the largest gas measurement school in the United States devoted to natural gas and natural gas liquid measurement, regulation and control.

A total of 22,598 robots valued at $1.48 billion were sold to companies in North America in 2012, beating the previous record of 19,337 robots sold in 2011.

By Bill Lydon, Editor With higher speed and more reliable Ethernet networks, lower cost more powerful computers, and virtualized systems, Thin Clients are becoming effective replacements for PCs.

Dennis Brandl, founder and chief consultant for BR&L Consulting, has been named Chairman, Americas Board of Directors, MESA International.

While much is written about RFID and how it will change the face of distribution, it is time to address several misconceptions about the technology and discuss the effects that recent developments have had on the discrete manufacturing sector.

This article examines how this new networking method compares to traditional wiring and the advantages of implementing safety networking.

Two examples are given here where the gain variation was sufficient to cause control problems, and was corrected by applying characterization.

Advancements in linear encoder technology allow higher speed operation too. Today's linear encoders and other devices are able to meet this challenge, are less noise susceptible, and cost less.

One of the most important and difficult decisions is often the very first decision: do you upgrade with internal resources or hire an outside consultant? Some of the arguments for each side in this debate are obvious. You know what you want better than anyone, but a consultant may have more experience in the actual process of acquiring a SCADA system. There’s a lot to be said in favor of both approaches. Neither is an inherently good or bad approach. We summarize below the key issues and how they affect both of these approaches.

For many OEMs, choosing the right sensor manufacturer is concern number one. OEMs want a manufacturer with a trusted name in the material handling industry.

As more and more "nodes" become connected – products, equipment, people, organizations – Metcalfe's Law comes into play. The effectiveness and value of the Internet continues to increase exponentially.