Articles and News

By Dr Harry Zervos, IDTechEx Energy harvesting is the process by which ambient energy is captured and converted into electricity for small autonomous devices, such as satellites, laptops and nodes in sensor networks, making them self-sufficient. The market for energy harvesters is expected to reach approximately $150 Million in 2014.

Stantræk invested in two UR5 robots from Universal Robots that operate 16 hours per day without safety fencing.

The Kudgi plant, which is being constructed in the Bijapur district in Karnataka state, will have a total output of 2,400 MW from three 800 MW units.

Rene Aldana will become the Managing Director of Yokogawa Canada.

Metso will supply automation for the Dangjin 4 Biomass Power Plant, currently under construction in Dangjin City, about 70 km southwest of Seoul in South Korea.

With a central Partner County pavilion in Hall 3 and a suite of national pavilions dotted around the exhibition venue, the Netherlands will have a strong presence in all of HANNOVER MESSE’s main theme areas.

Metso will also provide its On-site Supervising Service at the Gdańsk refinery so as to ensure that daily maintenance and turnaround activities always meet the high standards set by Grupa Lotos.

Preem will use the enhanced high performance process manager to as much as triple the capacity of the refinery’s existing controllers.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The time has come for a new acronym. The new high level of communications and computing at end devices is opening the possibilities for holistic and adaptive automation with the goal of increasing efficiency. This is a logical evolution in step with the “Internet of Things” trend and will lead to more responsive and efficient production.

What are the Advantages of Electronic Document Management for the Automation Industry?

The growth in the market mainly comes from industries such as machinery, food & beverage, water & wastewater, electric power generation, automotive, and buildings.

ISA-100.11a-2011, "Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications," received approval from all 21 participating National Committees of the IEC.

Courtney Hill, President, CJ Hill Consulting Services and retired General Manager, Manufacturing & Quality at GE Aviation, will become President and Chairman of the Board.

Transmode updated to OrCAD eCAD and Omnify Empower PLM software from Cadence Design Systems.

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

KAMO will replace a legacy Siemens TG control system with the OSI transmission and distribution management system.

App gives iPhone, iPad and iPod device users ready access to Molex products and support for industrial automation projects.

Where possible, use a diaphragm actuator sized to meet at least 150% of the maximum thrust or torque requirement.

The ERP in the Cloud market in India is comparatively less mature than the other markets in the world, says ARC, which offers no market numbers.

The two-day event took place at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

The International Federation of Robotics elected Arturo Baroncelli of Comau Robotics in Italy, as President.

Teams of middle and high school students design, build, program and document original autonomous robots to play in an open-solution tournament.

NSL Analytical Services uses e Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction particle size analyzer for physical material testing in the aerospace, ceramics and powder metallurgy industries.

Rockwell Automation presented Manufacturing Safety Excellence awards to General Motors, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.

BuildingIQ’s cloud-based energy efficiency and automated demand response software has been installed in casinos, government and commercial buildings in Las Vegas. One casino gambled and saved 12% on HVAC costs.

Under the motto of “Intelligence in Production,” solutions were presented at EMO Hannover 2013 that efficiently integrate new information technologies.

DCS shipments, after returning to pre-slowdown levels in 2010, saw strong double digit growth in 2011, says ARC.

The center will enable upstream oil and gas operators, developers, and systems integrators to devise high-performance measurement and automation solutions that incorporate CSE Semaphore's products.

ISA will conduct a Wireless Applications educational track at its upcoming 2013 ISA Automation Week Technology and Solutions Event, 5-7 November in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

A Takumi VC 0852 CNC machine with Mitsubishi Electric M70 controls has been installed at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières to train a new generation of factory automation professionals.

VMonitor provides monitoring and control solutions for wellhead and upstream applications that combine wireless instrumentation and communication with visualization software.

Exida certified the Rosemount 5300 Series Guided Wave Radar Transmitter meets the functional safety requirements for Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 capability per IEC 61508: 2010.

MuraControl for iPad is an intuitive touch panel interface that replicates the video wall on the tablet so users can effortlessly switch, scale, and manage inputs to create and/or access previously saved layouts.

To achieve a successful industrial automation project implementation, it’s important for everyone to be involved with the process.

As director of engineering in charge of embedded GUI tool development, Maxwell will lead Express Logic’s efforts to offer GUI design tools and technology for real-time embedded systems.

The symposium, to be held 6-9 October 2014 in Houston, Texas, USA, is a collaboration between ISA’s Process Measurement and Control Division (PMCD), Safety and Security Division, and the Chemical and Petroleum Industries Division (ChemPID).

The AST4530 submersible pressure transducer has been certified by CSA International to Class I Div 1, Groups C and D for use in intrinsically safe areas with an approved barrier.

Cisco, Panduit, Rockwell Automation and ODVA are sponsoring a new online community that extends the Industrial IP Advantage website.

Revenue for gearboxes, geared motors and planetary axles sold for applications such as cranes, cement mixers and bulldozers is projected to reach $7.8 billion by 2017, up from $6.7 billion in 2012.

Creaform is a developer and manufacturer of portable 3D measurement technologies and a provider of 3D engineering services.

The SMI tool helps manufacturers see where they measure in safety culture, compliance and capital.

The company is relocating staff to a new 54,000-square-foot facility located at 13560 Morris Road, Alpharetta.

With IXXAT Safe, HMS offers a product family under the IXXAT brand for fast, cost-effective implementation of safe communications solutions for Profinet and Ethernet/IP.

GE will provide TOTAL with system set-up and installation of Proficy SmartSignal, project implementation and monitoring services and support.

1000 pp catalog contains photoelectric, inductive, capacitive and cylinder sensors, along with accessories and cables.

Understanding Safety Life Cycles

By Bill Lydon, Editor This new initiative, supported by CISCO, Rockwell Automation, Panduit and ODVA, supports IP network convergence between the enterprise and plant floor. The Industrial IP Advantage website and activities are an agnostic way to share best practices, information, and educate the industry to accelerate adoption of IP technology.

Thermoelectrics satisfy a need that other energy harvesters do not -where there may be no movement, RF field or other viable form of ambient energy other than a heat gradient.

The custom Moving Magnet Voice Coil Actuator (VCA) is going on the Origins-Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) spacecraft.

Pick your team members wisely, lead by example, and always convey the highest expectations of performance. Your team will deliver.

The interface allows equipment created in AVEVA Electrical or ETAP to be viewed and edited within each system.

ABB reported higher revenues, earnings and cash flows in the third quarter of 2013, on improved performance across all divisions.

IDTechEx Research says the RFID market will increase from $6.98 billion in 2012 to $7.88 billion, and will reach $23.4 billion in 2020.

Prior to joining Tech Soft 3D, Opsahl spent six years as the CEO of Actify, a leader in 3D product data intelligence.

Companies and institutions who will be exhibiting their product innovations at HANNOVER MESSE 2014 are invited to apply for the HERMES AWARD.

The process industry’s use of Fisher FIELDVUE digital valve controller continues to grow as aggregate sales jumped to over 1.5-million shipped worldwide.

Elma will offer a wide range of custom chassis designs and embedded system platforms based on ADLINK’s small form factor boards.

Honeywell will provide an Integrated Control and Safety System for the floating LNG liquefaction, regasification and storage unit for the Exmar-Pacific Rubialis Energy project offshore Colombia.

The 13-page guide has helpful information about how to maximize the use of precision dispensing equipment for adhesives, sealants, oils, and coatings.

By Paul Hodge & Joe Bastone, Honeywell The advantages of optimized project workflow can be realized at both ends of the project schedule. The benefits are essential to ensuring control systems pose the least risk to project schedule and allow for safe, efficient and reliable plant startup and operation.

Michigan Custom Machines uses Cimquest INGEAR PLC drivers to build custom HMIs for their customers while reducing the per-machine cost of their equipment.

Even businesses with complex, energy-intensive production processes can control electricity use without compromising production. An advanced demand management system enables key strategies.

Yokogawa will supply a CENTUM VP control system to control plant facilities such as reaction tanks and distillation units, and field instrumentation and equipment including FOUNDATION fieldbus flowmeters, pressure transmitters and control valves.

Scheu joined ABB in 2001 and has 29 years of experience in the power and automation industry, with a strong focus on North America. He previously worked for Rockwell Automation and Westinghouse Electric.

Siemens developed the controller of the storage and retrieval machines and the conveyor system for the body buffer on the basis of its Simatic S7 controllers.

The PROFI Interface Center (PIC) built a display wall of PROFINET devices they have tested and certified.

Catalog covers tandem (heavy duty) actuators, clamping actuators, compact (miniature) actuators and telescopic actuators, as well as linear tables, drives and controls, and linear accessories.

Optical Metrology Services provides pipe measurement services and precision measurement systems to the oil and gas industry.

Crack Semiconductor, a Canadian-based leader in Public Key or Asymmetric Cryptography Solutions, joined the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute.

ISA will conduct an Industrial Automation and Control educational track at its upcoming 2013 ISA Automation Week Technology and Solutions Event.

Eight product suppliers in the Americas and two companies in the EMEA region joined the Rockwell Automation Encompass program.

By Bill Lydon, Editor PAS has developed a new product to sync "as built" documentation with the current installed system, eliminating wasted man-hours, decreasing MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), and aiding with cyber security requirements and regulations.

By Rick Zabel, as originally published in InTech Here are the results from our 2013 salary survey of automation professionals. With an average annual salary of $106,772 in the U.S., job satisfaction has reached an all-time high of 85%. At the end of the article, the author provides a recipe for achieving the highest possible salary.

Your industrial plant or facility must have a proper defensive design so that the network, control devices & systems are cybersecurity hardened.

The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) announces twelve control system integration companies have joined the association.