Articles and News

Designed to make RF power measurements in both field and R&D lab environments, the compact Model 3500 provides the accuracy of a benchtop RF power meter with the convenience of a portable instrument at half the cost of competing products. With a wide frequency range of 10MHz to 6GHz, the Model 3500 is useful in a variety of applications, including test of mobile phone and cellular infrastructures, WLAN devices, RFID readers, WiMax devices, and wireless sensors.

Danaher Motion has signed two new Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) technology partners - the US group Jervis B. Webb Company (Farmington Hills, MI), and TTS Port Equipment AB from Sweden. Central to this strategic cooperative venture is Danaher Motion’s NDC8 control platform, to be used by both companies in their AGV solutions. AGVs that feature NDC8 technology are particularly easy to manage, maintain, reconfigure and expand, while reducing total cost of ownership.

Theorem Solutions has been invited to partner a major automotive OEM in a project involving the importing of parts and assemblies for design in context.

GMagnum OGP (Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals) hardened Ethernet Switches and Serial Media Converters meet both the UL 1604 Class 1 Division 2 certification for use in hazardous environments and IEEE PCIC draft specifications for 14-mil silicone-based conformal coating that protects equipment against even highly corrosive gases such as hydrogen sulfide and benzene.

The Automation Standards Compliance Institute is an ISA-owned non-profit organizational entity that will assess automation-related standards compliance. The institute's charter includes a wide range of standards compliance assessments including, software or hardware products, implementation methods, solutions, companies and individuals.

Cirronet will show an end-to-end Condition-Based Operations (CBO) platform with Aleier, Inc., at booth #2370 at ISA EXPO 2006, October 17-19. The Cirronet/Aleier CBO platform streamlines integration of Cirronet's industrial wireless sensor networking with Aleier's Enterprise Asset Management system (EAM).

Enhancements to Advanced Alarm Administrator (AAASuite) Version R1.20 include static alarm suppression, excluding suppressed alarms from analysis, and removing limitations of CENTUM CS Controller-dedicated Function. Once problems and issues have been identified and prioritized by Exaplog, AAASuite then optimizes and enhances alarming functions to pave the way to an effective alarm management practice.

Enhancements to Exaplog Event and Analysis Package version R3.10 software include: increase number of days of data the can be displayed to 31 days; increase the maximum number of events that can be displayed to 1,000,000; increase the maximum number of events per day that can be saved to 150,000; add Fieldbus related messages to the types of messages that can be saved and analyzed.

ISaGRAF is the software of choice for Rabbit Semiconductor's new Embedded PLC Application Kit. The Rabbit Embedded PLC Application kit includes all of the hardware and software required to develop this low-cost PLC replacement system: the ISaGRAF Application Workbench, ISaGRAF programming cable, and the Rabbit BL2500 single board computer with embedded micro PLC firmware kernel.

Alloy, an Australian manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of computer networking, communications and associated products, has set up Global Ethernet Direct’s new base in the Pacific Rim to serve customers in that region.

RFID Gen 2 printers will be installed at check-in counters to further enhance the existing RFID baggage sorting system, which was first installed in 2005. HKIA is the first airport in the world to implement an end-to-end RFID baggage tagging/sorting system.

NWA's SPC and manufacturing analytics software is now referenced in the Encompass Partner Program. SPCx is a drop-in ActiveX component for HMI/SCADA systems that includes a version for RSView. Quality Analyst is an off-line SPC charting and analysis package that provides comprehensive SPC charting, process capability analysis, and manufacturing analytics using data from any ODBC-compliant database.

By combining the P6010 COAX vacuum pump with an air-saving cruise control (PCC) feature and a durable BL-3P suction cup, PIAB offers the first complete solution for a variety of plastic bag handling applications in the packaging industry.

These sales follow previously announced tests at these three facilities. The tests, which were verified by the local utility, confirmed that Power Genius saved 28% to 40% of the electricity used electric motors in multiple escalators and an elevator.

At PACK EXPO this year, Rockwell Automation (Booth No. N-4457) will demonstrate how its wide range of integrated control and information systems can provide manufacturers with significant productivity and cost savings benefits while helping OEMs enhance their competitive position.

The TECStation Xtreme NEMA-rated workstations allows companies to safely implement computers in hazardous manufacturing and production environments where flammable gases and vapors are present. The stainless steel enclosure meets NEMA 4/4X requirements and is suitable for Class I, Division I and II locations (as designated by the NEC).

Device Description (DD) Version 3.1. standardized source code library has been enhanced to make it even faster and easier for developers to build Device Descriptions (DDs) for new FOUNDATION instrumentation. All standard parameter labels and help strings have been translated to German. The library includes new manufacturer names and IDs, unit codes, and bugs have been fixed in response to action requests.

The ISA Human-Machine Interface Standards committee has identified five key areas, based on their scope statement, on which their standard will be focused. The topics that the committee will focus on are information display, process visualization, user interaction, performance, and documentation and training. They will divide into working groups next week at ISA EXPO in Houston, Texas, to work on the development of each topic.

Executives from leading global motion control companies have launched a new trade association to serve the interests of motors, drives and controls companies. Known as the Motion Control Association (MCA), the new trade group will promote the use of mechanical and electronic (mechatronics) motion control technology, which currently accounts for more than $44 billion in annual sales globally.

OMAC Packaging Working Group (OPW) will highlight the business value of implementing their industry automation guidelines on packaging machinery at PACK EXPO International being held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, from 29 October - 2 November 2006. Demonstration units implementing OPW guidelines from 17 diverse hardware and software suppliers will be showcased.

Viola Systems announced Teledata Technologies in Mexico City has become its strategic partner for the Mexican market. Teledata has served the Mexican communications industry since its inception in 1992, first as a training and technology transfer provider, then as a consultant to Nokia Telecommunications, and as a distributor of Nokia and many other mobile phones and Telcel's mobile services.

"Introduction to Fieldbus" white paper explains, in terms any engineer, technician or operator can understand, how fieldbus works. It strips away all the confusing terminology and explains: differences between FOUNDATION Fieldbus H1 and PROFIBUS PA; elements of fieldbus; how fieldbus device couplers work; how fieldbus instruments connect to a segment; how short-circuit protection works, and why it sometimes doesn't let you install 32 devices on a segment as the specifications claim; and more.

Microscan Systems achieved 2nd place out of 800 manufacturers considered for Quality magazine’s Quality Leadership 100 survey published in September, 2006. Microscan is the only manufacturer of auto ID equipment on the list, and ranked ahead of Fortune 100 companies such as Honda (3rd). General Electric (4th) and Delphi (66th).

TURCKs Network I/O catalog combines nine other catalogs and brochures for a comprehensive compilation of TURCK network I/O products. The 590-page catalog introduces many new products that have never before been offered in a TURCK catalog.

Computer Aided Solutions' data acquisition catalog has complete product specifications and application notes for the company's line of ADwin Real-Time Data Acquisition Systems. The catalog features diagrams, schematics and technical data for a wide range of systems and applications that include complex triggering, fast open- and closed-loop control, intelligent signal generation, and control of complex test parameters.

Eagle Technology acquired Equipsoft Corporation, a maintenance management software (CMMS) vendor based in Knoxville, TN. Eagle focuses on facility maintenance and asset management withits ProTeus family of products. Equipsoft offers a complementary product line.

iFIX is now available in Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Polish, and Russian. iFIX is an HMI/SCADA solution for monitoring, control and distribution of plant-wide data.

JMP Engineering was chosen as a finalist in the Mobility Solution of the Year category for their Mobile Inventory and Production Solution for Manufacturers. JMP is the only industrial automation, control, and data solutions provider so recognized.

Telemecanique's U.S. Web site makes it easier for users to navigate to the automation and control information they need. The site's drop-down navigation menus allow visitors to reach their destination in a minimum number of clicks. The revised Web site is designed as a resource library for OEMs, system integrators and control panel builders in a variety of industries.

The Stockholm office of Danaher Motion won first prize in Sweden’s Posten Logistics Award contest. The prize is awarded to the company or organization that has created the most effective, innovative and creative logistics solution that also increases the competitiveness of the company.