Articles and News

By Ian Humphries, Boulting Group Research conducted by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) shows that just six per cent of the engineering workforce in the UK is female, making the country one of the smallest employers of female engineering professionals in Europe. This article explores the pathways into the sector and how it is evolving.

In a new paper published in the journal Nature, scientists based in Scotland and Switzerland describe how they have used tomography and high energy x-rays, combined with a novel reconstruction algorithm, to peer inside and reconstruct the magnetic structure of a micrometer-sized 'pillar' of gadolinium-cobalt magnetic material for the first time.

This new office will help support the company’s growth strategy. A recent surge in engineering activity throughout the Midwest region has accelerated the company’s expansion to meet resource requirements.

By Michael LaGrega, Siemens Data gathered by RFID readers can be a critical element in a corporation’s plans to gain increased visibility and understanding of parts, materials and other moveable assets. All of this valuable information can be integrated more easily when standards like OPC-UA with its AutoID companion are employed.

This specification describes the mapping of the Sercos device model and the Sercos device profiles to OPC UA, so that functions and parameters of Sercos devices are made accessible via OPC UA in a vendor-independent manner.

This white paper is designed to help small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) recognize their vulnerability to industrial cyberattack and forge an effective cybersecurity plan based on established standards and practices.

Alongside their optimism toward automation, workers also report a willingness to retrain or upskill to maintain their current job status. In fact, the study found half of the respondents (51%) agreed they would be happy to retrain if they were being paid the same or more than their current salary.

CyberX’s ICS Attack Vector Prediction technology generates a visual representation of all possible attack chains — ranked by risk — that can compromise critical OT assets, such as robotics machinery in manufacturing plants and circuit breakers in electrical substations

Running the length of CeMAT from 23 to 27 April 2018, this special showcase will consist of some 30 exhibitors showcasing the latest technology involving goods transport, incoming goods, production, warehousing, order picking, packing and outgoing goods.

In order to meet the needs of Asian electronics manufacturers and strengthen partnerships with them, Rehm Thermal Systems has recently set up a new branch in Taiwan.

Key success factors for process analytical technology are management commitment, a cross-departmental strategy, and assigning appropriate resources.

By Thomas R. Cutler, Manufacturing Media Consortium Until now Pick-to-Light equipment has represented a significant fixed capital expense with little consideration for variable use, often driven by seasonality, warehouse/distribution variance, and project management flux. One company, Texas-based Voodoo Robotics has invented a different model for the new generation of Pick-to-Light.

The 13th Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation Award (IERA) was presented to the Relay butler robot. Made by Savioke, an American company, the little robot completes deliveries all on its own, for example in hotels, hospitals or logistics centers.

As part of a five year, $15 million roll-out investment in technology, Jesse Garant Metrology Center’s latest expansion includes a more diverse range of advanced imaging systems, including industrial CT systems for inspecting large parts and assemblies.

Great to see all of our friends at the Georgia Association of Water Professionals annual conference in Savannah! Congratulations to the award winners, and well done GAWP staff!

5ME’s multi-patented cryogenic machining process is a technology designed to enable higher metal removal rates and longer tool life by delivering liquid nitrogen at 321°F through the spindle/turret, cutter body, cutting tool, and directly to the cutting edge.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com There is a great deal of hype around IIoT, and much of it may never be realized, but Fluke and their Accelix platform is a real-world solution which may finally deliver the tangible IIoT gains that companies have been yearning for.

The concurrent staging of CeMAT and HANNOVER MESSE next year will draw more than 220,000 decision-makers to Hannover, anxious to see the potential of integrated logistics and Industry 4.0 concepts for their enterprises, helping drive new solutions and business models.

Flow measurement and instrumentation are critical components for making usage visible to manage sustainable processes and operations.

By Jeff Miller, Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) Fiber optic cabling upgrade helps fend off lightning strikes, gnawing animals, environmental toxins, and other threats that can interrupt critical communications and control. Concerns of this kind recently drove the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant to upgrade from PE-89 outdoor direct burial copper cable to fiber optic cable.

The contest was aimed at engineers, makers and students and challenged them to come up with innovative applications and solutions based on the open and flexible IoT gateway, which is manufactured by Siemens. The winning design came from Belgium and was for a rolling material monitoring system.

The growing demand for 3D-printed parts is reflected in both toolcraft's need to expand its machine park and to construct its own laser melting centre. The centre will include a staff restaurant, which will not only fuel the company's employees, but will provide them with a place to meet and hold events.

Certain types of fuses have a very high speed of response to over currents. They provide excellent short-circuit component protection.

A platform that operates below an application's surface, Coleman mines data and uses machine learning to improve processes such as inventory management, transportation routing, and predictive maintenance

Learn the 10 most important factors to consider when using a non-contact displacement measurement sensor.

By Andrew McIntyre, Texas Instruments At the core of Industry 4.0 is the need for reliable communication networks. These networks are closely tied to real-time operational needs; therefore, they must be able to handle information in a deterministic and redundant manner.

To date, Northrop Grumman has mentored 28 HIP students from the Albemarle County/Charlottesville city area, and has pledged more than $780,000 in scholarship money for the HIP and Engineering Scholars programs.

Prime Vision, a solutions provider for the postal, parcel, logistics and airport markets and Unmanned Life, an AI driven software platform to manage autonomous drone fleets for commercial use, are collaborating to develop this pioneering solution for the broader mail and parcel industry.

The roughly 3,000-square-meter facility houses a calibration center for flow, level, pressure and liquid analysis instruments, in addition to training rooms and an auditorium that provide ample space for hands-on customer training.

By Tom Bass, Emerson Automation Solutions Pumps in remote locations can be monitored with wireless transmitters in a cost-effective manner to improve uptime, avoid incidents and increase reliability.

Perhaps no other new technology comes with more promise to manufacturing executives than big data analytics for manufacturing and the process industries.

The Calibration Handbook of Measuring Instruments by Alessandro Brunelli, an expert in the measurement and automation of industrial processes, helps guide and manage industrial process measurement

Incorporating QTC force-sensing technology into a remote control is intended to improve the experience of using capacitive buttons, touchpads or directional pads, by requiring a press-with-force to send commands to the receiver.

The global market for machine vision technology is expected to witness a stable 8.40% CAGR from 2015 to 2021. Considering this growth rate, the market is expected to tough a high of US$28.5 bn by the end of 2021 from a valuation of US$15.7 bn in 2014.

The headquarters of the combined organization, which will take the name of CORYS SAS, will be in Grenoble, France, where both companies are based.

The LANTMA Foundation has recently been formed to provide financial assistance to students learning the skills needed to join America’s manufacturing workforce. The all-volunteer organization was started by three local business leaders to address the chronic shortage of qualified entry-level candidates in the manufacturing industry.

By Jerry Browning, IFS in North America This article explains how executives at asset-intensive organizations can harness the power of enterprise software to evolve their organizations, adapt to change and take advantage of new revenue opportunities.

Available under the product name ezCAL, the application is designed to enable radiologists with an enhanced display to accurately interpret images. WIDE ezCAL is also backwards-compatible and available for use with existing WIDE displays.

The objective of the channel is to provide primary school aged children with the chance to engage with real engineering projects. Each month, children submit their ideas for inventions to solve a different challenge. One idea is then chosen, built and tested on camera.

By Galina Antova, Claroty We cannot afford to rely on the same (sub)standard we used in IT security over the past 10 years. We have to act ahead of the threat – we have to do something now.

May orders were up 3.1 percent over April, and 21.8 percent over May 2016. Automotive customers made some significant orders in the month, and continued investment from machine shops indicates that manufacturers are seeking additional capacity.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com EPLAN's integration with the Siemens TIA portal is intended to enable engineering data to be exchanged bidirectionally between the worlds of electrical engineering and automation engineering.

The new employees will be focused on their onboarding and training to ensure success for Seeq and their customers across the process manufacturing verticals.

Monitoring and data acquisition products for the manufacturing industry are already a key part of Kistler’s portfolio of integrated quality assurance solutions. The acquisition of IOS’ MES software is designed to take Kistler to the next level.

For on-site & off-site analysis, industrial IoT delivers data to the right personnel without requiring connection to the plant’s real-time control system.

The goal of the conference, which took place on 28th June 2017 at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham,was to expand the horizons for OPC users and systems integrators by improving their knowledge and understanding of OPC technologies, as well as giving attendees an opportunity to view real-world demonstrations of cutting-edge applications for OPC and industrial data

By Dr David Pugh, IDTechEx The new report from IDTechEx Research, Low Power Wireless Networks 2017-2027, gives an independent and comprehensive analysis of the wireless networking ecosystem covering a range of technologies, using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum to communicate.

The integration of the Mek SpectorBOX with Haprotec’s automated production lines is designed to raise the quality and capabilities of Automated Assembly lines with AOI for THT.

In addition to RMR Enclosures, AmerisourceBergen also deployed CPI eConnect Monitored Power Distribution Units (PDUs), cable management and thermal management accessories.

ISA members can make a difference everyday, improving the Society and helping shape its future.

An orifice plate inserted in the line causes an increase in flow velocity and a corresponding decrease in pressure.

By Greg Scheu, ABB Innovation can be disruptive. History shows us that, in the face of major disruption, the winners embrace change and adapt. We now stand at a new crossroads. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought artificial intelligence, cloud computing and predictive analytics to the workplace

The move places custom services within a few miles of the parts and logistics resources of the Festo North American Regional Service Center. The new Customer Solutions Center will provide customized products to the company’s North American customers.

Following the acquisition of KEONYS S.A.S., the French market leader for Dassault Systèmes-based SIMULIA solutions, CENIT is leveraging its stake in SynOpt GmbH to further expand its position in the growing simulation market.

By Marty Edwards – Managing Director, Automation Federation With the ever-increasing drumbeat of cyber-attack pounding louder and louder in the background, organizations utilizing automation systems of any kind need to take proactive, defensive steps immediately to avoid significant business disruption and lost revenue.

How you can prevent and prepare for the next inevitable cybersecurity incident.

With Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure architecture, WaterForce developed a cloud-based IIoT solution so farmers can monitor and control irrigation pumps and pivots from their computer, tablet or smartphone.

By Martin Raab, Endress+Hauser Cotter Brothers generates one-third of its revenues with global customers, an area of the business that Randy Cotter Jr. wants to develop further. Many of their custom skid systems are equipped with measurement technology from Endress+Hauser.

Acting as a branch office, this Seattle facility is designed to enhance Weintek’s HMI position in North America. Weintek is an HMI manufacturer and is dedicated to development, design and manufacturing of HMIs

The focus of the partnership will be on streamlining the provisioning and subscription management process for next generation Cat-M and NB-IoT connectivity.

Dietmar Harting joined his parents’ company on 1 July 1967 - right after graduating. Now 77 years old, he can look back after fifty years in the service of the company, in the industry, the local region and beyond.

The report highlights a number of challenges and suggests that more technical security testing has a significant role to play in ensuring higher levels of security assurance are met.

By Alberto Martinez, Lantek Digital technologies are helping companies connect their factories worldwide. Applying new innovations to a global team requires new or revamped processes that translate across cultures.

As manufacturing marches on, automation professionals find themselves in the best position to improve the industry.

The Swiss company Safe Host has built a new data center in Gland and it is the country’s largest carrier-neutral colocation facility with 14,400 m2 capacity. The data center must have the ability to continuously operate at all times, even during primary power outages.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Most small and medium sized businesses don’t have a robotics programmer on staff. However, by learning the three main methods of programming — teach, lead and offline — they can prepare for the introduction of almost any type of robotics technology. This article explores the three main methods of robot programming.

This certification, which Bedrock Automation has also achieved on its flagship BedrockT control system, means Bedrock users now have maximal assurance of process continuity during an EMP event.

The study surveyed 200 industrial users of enterprise resource planning, field service management, enterprise asset management and other types of enterprise software.

To achieve more precision special programming or a specialized version of Modus is necessary.

Manufacturers who are thinking about adding a robot to their production floor will have a clear view of what’s available. Those who plan on expanding automation in their factory will see which model would fit best.

Video help has been incorporated into the instruction set of Do-more! Designer. Over 50 instructional videos are currently available with new ones being added as they become available.

The turnkey project is based on Kamstrup’s Smart Grid platform OMNIA and includes one million smart electricity meters and remote reading system, integration to various other systems, project management, installation of meters and infrastructure, consumer support and full system operation until 2034.

Cimcorp will supply automated handling systems based on its ‘Dream Factory’ solution for both upstream and downstream manufacturing processes at the Sétif plant.

By Aniket Maindarkar, Infosys The food and farming industries are embracing technological solutions that support sustainable farming and processing. When done well, these innovations can cut costs, promote efficiency, and increase consumer trust by providing transparency into the food supply chain.

ASHRAE’s new president is Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE. ASHRAE introduced its 2017-2018 president, executive committee officers and directors during its Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif., which was held June 24-28.