Articles and News

Technical paper proposes a novel approach for the auto-tuning of fractional order controllers.

The project is part of an $8.4 billion investment from the Ontario government to expand public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Organized by the Taiwan External Trade and Development Council (TAITRA) and iF (The International Forum Design), the awards are chosen by an international panel of jurors who consider applications from companies around the world.

This decision is intended to position the company towards the implementation of its 2020+ growth strategy, which aims to fulfil Lenze’s strategic priorities and goals until 2020 and beyond.

Radar does not depend on temperature or composition of a fluid as long as the beam is narrow and the dielectric constant of the fluid is greater than two.

ABB announced actions across three divisions to complete the business model change for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) as it ends its transition year 2017.

Under this program, HARTING is able to conduct testing in its own test laboratory, and submit the data to UL in order to streamline the process for UL certification. As a consequence, UL certification requirements are now integrated into HARTING’s product development process, as samples can be tested in-house.

With the help of Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), industrial controls can contact a number of different EtherCAT segments in real-time through Ethernet networks. In doing so, no changes to the EtherCAT slave devices are required

Modern automation system components can be successfully applied through good design practices to produce consistent & quality products at reasonable costs.

Two new models are designed for maritime navigation and radio communication systems. These bridge-and-deck power supplies feature DNV-GL shipbuilding approval and are optimized for EMI rejection. Phoenix Contact also offers a 12 V limited power TRIO POWER version that is NEC Class 2-certified.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Taking place from November 2-3 2017, the event put a spotlight on SAP’s IT/OT real-time transaction processing and integration of manufacturing controls and automation for their customers.

Siemens and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers signed a €7.9 million (~$9.4 million USD) contract to install, operate and maintain several energy conservation measures at the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command (IMCOM) headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, 23 miles from Frankfurt.

The latest version provides additional cyber security measures to FDI by enabling time stamping on FDI Device Package signatures and sandbox environments for UIPs to run in.

CSP+ for Machine is an extension of the CLPA’s existing “CSP+” (Control & Communication System Profile) that provides network configuration and maintenance by offering profiles that describe each device on a CC-Link IE or CC-Link network.

The OPC Foundation published a set of practical guidelines for the secure configuration and use of OPC UA in industry.  This brochure helps readers quickly understand what OPC UA security has to offer and how to best use it. 

By Robert Cohn, Direct Recruiters, Inc. What’s in store for 2018 when it comes to talent within Automation & Industrial Technology? Here are 8 talent trends that will help to shape the workforce in the New Year

Plain Language BIM is written for beginners and for those with experience with BIM strategies to ensure all professionals are thoroughly prepared to be part of industry efforts focused on advancing BIM.

MQTT appears to be a protocol with a good track record, good adoption, and unique suitability for industrial control systems and IIoT applications.

ABB will be undertaking complete project implementation of supply, erection, testing and commissioning for the electrical distribution and ABB Ability 800xA automation system for Emami Cement’s greenfield cement grinding unit at its plant in Orissa, India.

Safety mats and edges are used to protect people and machinery from harm. A full range of sizes and lengths of mats and edges are in stock for immediate shipment.

The 22nd annual ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 12-15, 2018, will focus on the new digitally-enabled technologies, approaches, and business processes that are disrupting the way industry, infrastructure, and municipalities around the world operate and serve their respective customers.

The fastest growing categories in the first nine months of 2017 were Motion Controllers (24% to $147m), Sensors & Feedback Devices (20% to $116m), AC Drives (15% to $295m), Actuators & Mechanical Systems (13% to $479m), and Motors (11% to $1b).

Perform the calculation using dimensional analysis from conversion tables 33.9 ft water equals one atmosphere equals 14.696 lbf /in2 (psi).

The Mechanical Engineering magazine Emerging Technology Awards is the first in the 137-year history of the Society that Mechanical Engineering magazine has singled out such future-focused technologies for recognition.

The CyberX platform is designed to deliver continuous ICS threat monitoring and asset discovery, ICS threat intelligence, and non-invasive risk and vulnerability assessments.

Leidos customers will gain integration with the Claroty Platform for continuous threat monitoring, detection and response. The offering will be available through resale by Leidos to both current and future Leidos Industrial Defender ASM customers

There are four leading types of protocols commonly used in process plants: HART, PROFIBUSPA, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and WirelessHART. All four of these protocols are designed to connect field instruments to control and monitoring host systems, typically a distributed control system (DCS) or an asset management system

ISA wants to make automation professionals better at what they do, to help their industries move forward.

Working in close collaboration with the Terra53 integration partner and customer, eMobility International, ABB’s Terra 53 fast chargers now cover the international routes from Sofia to the Greek border

RACO is a supplier of remote monitoring systems for critical assets via traditional landlines or IIoT. RACO offers a hosted data solution, AlarmAgent.com, which centralizes data in the cloud and provides secure access to that data through an online Web Portal.

Taking place at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda on 7-9 August 2018—only 15 minutes from the nation’s capital—the WWAC Symposium will feature two days of technical speakers, an exhibitor hall, a tour of a local water plant, and technical training courses on a variety of topics.

Key challenges facing shale gas producers relate to the safety, reliability, efficiency, and flexibility of their operations.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things into manufacturing has seen several companies, many - like Dell - not previously associated with manufacturing, working to leverage the new technologies to enhance the industry with connected industrial solutions

These commitments will cover more than 1,000 electricity consuming sites around the globe, including 200 factories. Schneider Electric will leverage a broad range of renewable energy sources, including but not limited to solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.

Flexware Innovation is a system integrator based in Fishers, Ind. The company specializes in solutions in life science, food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, and discrete manufacturing.

By Scott Hollis, PAS Global Process control networks (PCNs) in critical infrastructure sites − refineries, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities − all have potential danger swimming just below the surface in the form of undiscovered vulnerabilities.

To improve the diesel engine performance, a high-pressure rail injection system has been shown to pay a vital role in reducing diesel pollution.

Thanks to drive and control technology from AMK, the solutions of HERO GmbH in Sigmaringendorf, Germany, have done away with anything that is not actually needed to meet the precise product quality standards.

With XLReporter’s custom connectors to FactoryStudio and point-and-click configuration, Users create informative drill-down, summary, utilization and regulatory reports from real-time, historical and alarm data. Completed reports are distributed via web pages, networked printers, PDF files and email.

Ocean Data Systems is now an Encompass Product Partner and Dream Report is a reference product in the program under the category of “Software Product – Report Generation”.

By Jonathan Wilkins, Marketing Director, EU Automation For smaller businesses, investing in new technology can be daunting, especially where robotics and automation are concerned. This article discusses the features of robotics that are most useful for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The volts-per-hertz ratio (V/Hz) controls the torque of a motor.

Honeywell will also form a new joint venture company with FLUX's founder to serve customers outside China. Honeywell will hold a 75 percent stake in the new joint venture, which will initially focus on opportunities in the Asia Pacific region

By choosing to secure all digital data in the engineering phase, the technology enables users of Renishaw systems to protect their digital intellectual property (IP), enforce production rules and provide traceability in the digital supply chain

Through the new CNC Dealer Locator, customers can find dealers or OEMs by location or by OEM or dealer name. Once identified on the CNC Dealer Locator, the dealer or OEM can help the customer find the right CNC machine for their needs.

Miele uses material flow simulation, which will be using OPC UA standards to obtain live data directly from the source. With that feedback into higher level systems can be visualized, optimized and controlled.

In part 1 of the Beginner's PLC Overview, we talked about what PLCs are, their history, and how they work. This article will get a little deeper into the PLC's Central Processing Unit (CPU).

The Data Portal is an integrated, web-based data platform for provision of EPLAN compatible device data from component manufacturers for direct use in EPLAN software solutions.

The survey polled 130 strategic decision makers from industrial companies about their approach to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and their use of industrial cyber security technologies and practices.

By Steve Mulder, Rockwell Automation Packaging end users are eager to better understand their operations, improve productivity and keep up with competitive pressures. This article discusses how smart, secure and Ethernet-enabled packaging machines are working to give end users a competitive edge

Enaex announced the joint robotic effort at a recent event highlighting Mine-iTruck, a “mobile manufacturing unit,” using teleoperation and autonomous features that operate the vehicle autonomously inside an open pit mine

Mr. Tsuda succeeds Joe Gemma (KUKA, USA), who is leaving the rotating post as head of the global federation of robot manufacturers, having served his two-year term.

Data historians are key to capturing a facility’s business-critical performance information & are a driving force behind the Industrial Internet of Things.

Schneider Electric's Calgary, Alberta and Lake Forest, California process automation product development centers have been certified by exida, a globally recognized ISO 17065 certification body.

By Don Pham, IDEC The processing power, data storage and I/O handling capabilities of micro PLCs allow them to be used as the main automation driver for complex machines, processing lines, or even an entire plant or facility.

6RS needed a new system to document and control all product lifecycle information and ensure clear communication of information. The system also had to provide complete and detailed Bill of Materials (BOMs) and Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to their CM.

Written for busy professionals, this brochure is designed to help readers understand what OPC UA security has to offer and how to best use it.

Rockwell Automation will apply this 3-D, time-of-flight sensing technology to sensing products to deliver solutions to a broad range of demanding industrial applications, including automotive and general assembly, packaging and material handling, and logistics.

In the gravity filter plant, 18 butterfly valves are situated in an area beneath a walkway which made it difficult to access and operate the old actuators. With the Rotork actuators, the installation of Remote Hand Stations (RHS) has now eliminated this problem.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com The convergence of IT and OT, to create more effective operations throughout the company, was evident throughout the conference presentations and discussions, and this reflects many of the recent trends in the manufacturing industry.

When creating detailed control narratives for existing controls, use established standards and industry best practices.

By connecting an eWON Cosy or Flexy router to a machine, it is possible to access and control the machine via the cloud service eWON Talk2. eWON users can then access Talk2M in a secure way from a computer using the eCatcher software. It is available for free for iOS and Android.

Sercos International offers a means to evaluate the Sercos SoftMaster. Within minutes, Sercos-on-a-Stick converts almost every x86 based PC to a Sercos Master Test System, making it possible to realize real-time communication without hardware extensions

By Anthony Borges, PINpoint Information Systems There are many common challenges manufacturers face on their assembly lines which must be overcome to produce quality products in the most efficient way. It is after-all the assembly line where products are born, from physical actions, or process steps performed by both line workers and machines.

For the sake of ease and safety, Industry recognized it is better for an operator to monitor and control processes in a more convenient and protected place

Fluke Calibration announced the Metrology Problem Solver Challenge, a way for technicians to share their stories on how they used Fluke Calibration products to solve complex problems.

Created in 2014, the program helps industrial companies identify safety system integrators with current safety standards expertise, a proven track record in building safety systems, and knowledge of contemporary safety technologies.

By Jeff Carr, Ultra Consultants When assessing the current value of a legacy ERP system, the primary focus should be whether the legacy features and functions adequately support the business - not just the current state of business but the anticipated future state too.

Prosys OPC and IOTech have agreed that IOTech's Edge Xpert offering will include an optional Prosys OPC UA Java SDK for developing the device services with OPC UA communications.

A new type of self-tuning, dual-mode adaptive fractional order PID controller for a quadruple tank process

ABB and HPE will deliver joint industry solutions that merge OT and IT to turn industrial data into insights and automatic action, combining cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure with IT systems running in corporate data centers and at the edge of the network.

METTLER TOLEDO’s new food guides are designed to help manufacturers improve their understanding of food-safety standards and introduce them to processing equipment and solutions that can help operations become more efficient:

Inductive Automation looks forward to working more closely with IAG, which is becoming a more active member of the Ignition community.

If you are interested in learning about PLCs and/or PACs, but you are not sure where to start, then this Beginner's PLC Overview blog series has been written for you!

By John Krajewski III, Schneider Electric Human Machine Interfaces started as point solutions, but are now progressing to company-wide Operations Management Interfaces to leverage Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 strategies.