Articles and News

With the installation of a vacuum fixture, EKM Elektronik went from testing 30 boards in 8 hours to testing 70 boards in 8 hours.

Parsec Automation recently completed the relocation of its worldwide headquarters from Brea, Calif. to larger facilities in Anaheim, Calif.

KUKA is installing three partially automated, robot-based, post-lamination framing lines for trimming, framing, testing and packout of photovoltaic panels.

Forest Liné specializes in manufacturing systems for aerospace applications, dies/molds, large parts, titanium and composites processing.

A PLC from AutomationDirect helped this farmer/inventor develop a new kind of hay baler that lets farmers harvest hay day or night, regardless of the weather.

The facility will be controlled by an ABB System 800xA, along with ABB instrumentation and a Safety Instrumented System (SIS).

The Safety Compendium is a free 200-page technical guide for the application of functional safety standards to machinery and all its other associated aspects.

Savigent provided Logic PD with the ability to fully automate execution and electronic record management of its box-build processes.

The guide provides specific illustrated examples of motion solutions in bread robot, skewer/assembly, food vending, food press and de-boning applications.

Siemens is offering $80,000 in products and services to winners of the 2011 Smartest Building in America challenge.

Mitsubishi Electric Europe acquired a minority shareholding in SCADA/HMI software company Adroit Technologies, for an undisclosed sum.

The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) announced winners of four awards at its 2011 Executive Conference in Orlando.

From June 16, 2011, only motors fulfilling IE2 efficiency requirements can be used for certain types of applications within the EU market.

Apax Partners intends to combine Activant with Epicor to create one of the largest global providers of enterprise applications software.

Research into technical software application spending from Cambashi indicates that, in 2011, worldwide recovery is likely to be fastest in the Aerospace, Process and Utility industries.

Translation: In India, the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) and the Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Infoteam Software will distribute ISaGRAF in Europe, Germany and China.

The brochure includes product information on power supplies, circuit breakers, terminal blocks, connectors and more.

Emerson will supply its CSI 6500 Machinery Health Monitor for continuous protection and prediction monitoring of critical machinery at the Rovinari Power Plant in Romania.

The joint project between Metso and Fortum involves research into switching over from air combustion to oxygen combustion to reduce the CO2 emissions of power plants.

Niagara integrates, centralizes, manages and controls building automation systems.

Appointments were made in March 2011 at ODVA’s annual meetings of its board and of its members in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

The guide helps engineers determine which linear motion products meet their application requirements.

This year’s robot challenge pitted teams against each other on a field to earn points by hanging triangular, circular and square-shaped game pieces on poles of up to 10 feet tall.

The office is based at the CENTEC Tower in Ho Chi Minh City.

Catalog contains alpha inline gearboxes and right-angle gearboxes as well as rack and pinion systems, couplings and sensor technology.

Robotic researchers from Germany believe they hold the key to future global electricity generation: Giant robot cranes that can build huge solar arrays in the desert.

U.S.-based Validus DC Systems is a provider of direct current (DC) power infrastructure equipment for energy-intensive data centers.

Metso will supply an extensive electrification and automation system to Outokumpu’s new ferrochrome plant in Tornio, Finland. The equipment will be installed in several phases during 2011 and 2012.

ASD, advenco Consulting and Nidec Shimpo join Rockwell's Encompass program.

In addition to 72 ROBICON Perfect Harmony Variable Frequency Drives, Siemens installed 72 VFD control houses and four 33KV switchgear.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor This was the largest AHR Show ever held outside of Chicago or New York with over 54,000 registered HVACR professionals. Attendees visited the 63rd AHR Expo to see all the latest products and innovations on display from 1,938 exhibiting companies covering 379,360 square feet of exhibit space.

In 2010, the Chinese Mainstream PLM market grew 16.2%, and in 2011 the growth rate of the Chinese Mainstream PLM market is forecast to be 16.5%.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Here are a few highlights from ABB Automation & Power World 2011. The event attracted a record number of participants, totaling more than 4,200, and featured over 400 educational workshops and hands-on training sessions, over 45 customer-presented case studies, and an exhibition of ABB and partner products.

The standard SmartMesh IP Evaluation Kit provides everything needed to demonstrate mesh network performance, data monitoring, digital actuation, and event notification.

Excel-Lent software will calculate the number of teeth in the pinion and gear, DP or Module, face width etc. required to transmit power.

IR400 Combustible Gas Detector from achieved FM and CSA performance verification for ethylene, meeting FM 6310, FM 6320 and CSA C22.2 requirements.

HIMA will supply its TÜV-certified HIMax safety platform, SILworX configuration, programming and diagnostic software suite, and Safety and Engineering services to five BP refineries.

March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $511.15 million according to AMTDA and AMT. This total was up 57.6% from February.

Mincom brings expertise and experience in a range of industries, and a comprehensive set of solutions for applications such as EAM, mining operations and mobile workforce management.

The Aegis software collects data and puts it into reports, visualizations, and real-time dashboards that are used by C2M to constantly improve quality and efficiency.

Eastman expanded its LIMS from its manufacturing quality control laboratories to its Corporate Technology Analytical Laboratories.

Siemens provided the PLC, CNC, HMI, RFID, Profinet and safety systems to Toledo Powertrain for a Flexible Assembly Configuration System (FACS) to build the GF6 six-speed, front wheel transmission.

Apprion conducted an on-site survey, which included RF spectrum analysis, various grid simulation output with signal power levels and a technical evaluation of the site’s infrastructure.

Handheld FAG Detector III vibration monitoring systems minimize the number of traction motor repairs due to bearing deterioration.

Automation.com, May 2011 By David A. B. Laing, VDC Research Group VDC Research Group teamed up with Automation.com to conduct a survey on the market for power protection products including the hard wired surge suppressors often used in industrial machines and facilities. This article provides a summary of those survey results.

MAG will provide processing systems, installation services and global service and support for the CIGSolar cell manufacturing lines being developed by XsunX.

Research and development in Intelligrated’s Alvey Robotics Lab will focus on the advancement of robotics in automated material handling applications.

More than 19 different symbologies ranging from linear barcodes to stacked codes and 2D symbologies are available, as well as a custom color feature.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Thomas R. Cutler Accu-Chek Machining Inc, a low to high volume production machine shop, implemented a technology solution by Shoptech. Previously, everything, including managing tooling for jobs, scheduling jobs, and configuring production and daily rates, was done by hand.