Articles and News

Automation.com, November 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Analytic computing methods are increasingly being applied in business and technology with software emerging in the automation industry giving users actionable insights and understanding of performance based on data and statistical methods.

Automation.com, November 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Invensys Foxboro describes their Modernization Program as taking a holistic approach based on business requirements with four major goals - Reduce risk of failures, operational improvements, new & existing systems integration, and securing automation systems from cyber-attack.

Automation.com, November 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Improving operator interaction is a good topic but this perspective may be holding back automation industry progress. It seems to me the industry should be putting more effort into developing more advanced automation with the goal of eliminating operators.

The contract includes licenses and services worth $11.5 million.

"101 Tips for a Successful Automation Career," by Gregory K. McMillan and P. Hunter Vegas, offers career planning recommendations, guidance on technical issues and challenges, and interpersonal and workplace advice.

OLDI promoted Jeff Besola to President, Mark Knebusch to VP of Marketing, and Todd Parker to CFO.

Booklet helps technicians determine sources of problems with hydraulic systems and understand the importance of good filtration practices.

Metso will deliver all the automated process valves required for Sappi's fiberline expansion in the Ngodwana mill in South Africa.

SEL will reduce prices by 30 percent and expedite delivery of all SEL products going to customers affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The expanded Midrange system portfolio includes scalable Allen Bradley servo drives, variable frequency drives, and industrial Ethernet switches.

The trade fair IndustrialGreenTec will take place as part of HANNOVER MESSE 2013 April 8-12, 2013.

Energy, a tradeshow for energy technology, will run April 8-11, 2013 under the umbrella of HANNOVER MESSE.

Hell formerly was the Chief Executive Officer of DivX, Inc., a publically-traded technology company.

Ten system integrators have now received the Certified Robot Integrator designation from the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry’s trade group.

Moxa’s solar power system is one of the largest solar developments in Orange County, California, at 35,000 square feet and produces over 311 kW DC using 1,133 PV panels and a central inverter.

New topics included in this revision are the ‘close proximity point of operation AOPD’ safeguarding devices, and a means of safeguarding referred to as ‘Safe Speed.’

Congratulations to our ISA Fellows and Honorees

The Fieldbus e-learning course is available for delivery either online in a cloud-based option or as a download.

Ulrich Turck has been elected as Chairman of the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Executive Advisory Council (EAC) for the next annual term of office.

Presentations from the inaugural OPC Technology Summit have been made available for download at its web site.

RIA says 16,363 robots valued at $1.1 billion were ordered in the first nine months by companies in North America, an increase of 20% in units and 29% in dollars over the same period in 2011.

The European motor services market is moving toward predictive maintenance, which offers significant advantages to motor manufacturers and end-users says Frost & Sullivan.

FCI CD Catalog assists engineers in specifying the right flow, level or temperature instrument for improving plant process control lines or increasing OEM equipment performance.

Automation.com, October 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor My discussions with users at the IANA and IMTS shows make it clear that industrial automation is imperative to increase productivity, quality, and competitiveness in world markets. The event provides users and machine builders with an opportunity to see and compare offerings from multiple vendors in one trip.

The GLC Series are enclosed to IP67 standards and are approved for UL/CSA 8750 and 1310 class 2 or 1.

The iRING name represents the solution architecture and best practices for interoperability based on the ISO 15926 reference data standard.

The 4th Edition of the Technical Guide has updates on power drive systems including the drive, motor and load, together with cabling, site considerations, circuit protection, earthing and harmonics.

The PlantPAx system with EtherNet/IP and ControlNet network connectivity passed tests for “61b,” the Fieldbus Foundation’s most demanding host profile.

The training sessions are intended for salespeople of vendors providing infrastructure products and services to the manufacturing, distribution and energy industries.

In 2011, the FCC said all private land mobile radio licensees operating in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz VHF and UHF frequency bands must change to narrowband technology by January 1, 2013.

Softing's interface boards provide AMS Suite with PROFIBUS asset capability needed to access diagnostic information from PROFIBUS DP and PA devices when connecting to third party host systems.

The software replaces a paper-based defect mapping process at the electronics manufacturer.

The free app provides mobile access to information about Endress+Hauser instruments, such as operating instructions and technical details, from a smart phone and other mobile devices.

The percentage of firms that are highly engaged in sustainability has risen from 18% in 2006 to 42% in 2012, while the percentage of firms viewing environmental initiatives as costs or legally required fell from 33% in 2006 to 17% in 2012.

Operator buy-in and approval are critical to automation project success. Get the operators involved in the design process early and listen to what they say.

IMS Research estimates that global motor drive sales in the first half of 2012 were down more than 9 percent compared to the first half of 2011

A survey found that Americans have a jaundiced view of the nation’s overall economic health, with 59 percent indicating that the economy has “not improved or gotten better” in recent years.

The University of Miskolc is now the preferred site for certified FOUNDATION fieldbus training in the Central & Eastern Europe region.

ISA released the dates, locations and Call-for-Papers deadlines for ISA’s Division Symposia taking place between April–September 2013 in various locations across the USA.

Earnings are down, but ABB reported steady orders and higher revenues in the third quarter of 2012 despite a challenging environment.

Jairo Blanco will lead the company's efforts to expand sales of embedded and industrial computers in the region.

Rotork's Type K provided a ‘drop-in-place’ retrofit installation, matching the dimensions of the existing damper drive footprint on all eight of the replacement installations in Units 1 and 2.

ENI Petroleum used the NCS NET Concentrator System as a real-time communications link between its Devil's Tower oil platform off the coast of Louisiana and drill ships operating more than 100 km away.

Metso supplied a Metso DNA automation system as a complete turnkey package to the plant, including all the stages from engineering to commissioning.

Aervoe’s ERP system, installed 8 years ago, was unable to keep up with the multiple acquisitions and product line expansions being undertaken at Aervoe.

eSight provides Allstate with the ability to analyze energy usage data across their buildings, including the capability to drill-down to more granular information at the click of a button.

Forbes Marshall, an India-based steam engineering and control instrumentation company, has joined ISA100 WCI as a supplier member.

ClamPAC robotic system is designed to case pack clamshells. Earthbound was so satisfied with their first four ClamPAC systems, they purchased four more.

ABB will supply the electrical power and automation system for ore agglomeration, conveying, leach pad stacking and reclaiming.

ABB’s smallest robot, the IRB 120, plays the role of painter, transcribing the overnight movements of sleeping guests participating in the project.