Articles and News

Coastal Flow added a Calibron S50 portable flow prover to its proving fleet.

The three Strategic Member companies appointed directors for next year, and the 16 Participating Member companies elected two directors for the Board.

Catalog includes technical data related to flammability, impact resistance, temperature control, EMI/RFI Shielding, and modifications of enclosures.

The program helps automation vendors get started with FOUNDATION product development by making it faster and easier to bring fieldbus equipment to market.

The catalogs list more than 25,000 different products.

The project involves installing an electric-mechanical system on 900 dump bins to monitor the input of waste and optimize its collection.

Linear programs and real-time optimization need the prediction to violation of constraints inherent in MPC.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor I was recently introduced to a new HMI software offering, Tatsoft FactoryStudio. My first reaction was - Why does the industry need another HMI software product? I interviewed Tatsoft CEO and founder, Marcos Taccolini to learn more.

Catalog contains product information and installation assistance for Parker hydraulic hoses, fittings, equipment, accessories and technical information.

eWON is a Belgian manufacturer of hardware products for industrial communication.

Honeywell will provide automation, safety and security solutions for a new multi-train liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Queensland.

There’s nothing worse in one’s work life than when the relationship with one’s manager is not working correctly.

Automation.com, December 2011 By Gregory Wilcox, Mike Hannah and Mark Devonshire, Rockwell Automation The rise of Ethernet and emerging technologies such as integrated plantwide architecture and Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) have lead to the increased popularity of converged network infrastructures . These infrastructures allow innovative designs, specifically layer switches, that allow manufacturers to combine the simplicity and maintainability of many individual networks with the power and flexibility of a single network design.

Automation.com, December 2011 Gram Equipment in Denmark is a manufacturer of equipment for industrial ice cream production. To simplify system complexity, it based its control topology on an Allen-Bradley GuardLogix platform and EtherNet/IP.

Automation.com, December 2011 Askim Mek Verksted in Norway builds Battpacker wool production machinery. It upgraded to Control Logix PLCs, PanelView Plus HMIs, Festo plug-in pneumatic valves, and EtherNet/IP communications.

The program targets system integrators, machine builders and other companies wishing to include Anybus gateways and Netbiter remote management solutions in their offering.

SME selects Francis Tuttle Technology Center as one of six exemplary schools for community-based manufacturing education.

The instrument will monitor weather and climate changes throughout the Arctic region.

Industrial networks play a major role in the implementation of control strategies for energy optimization on the plant floor.

Accu-Sort produces Automatic Identification (Auto-ID) systems, with revenues of approximately $92 million in 2010.

Kowal is the first Supplier Member to be elected to the PMMI board, a recognition of the key role suppliers play in the advancement of packaging technology.

Vector award competition rewards challenging and innovative applications using cable carrier systems.

Many of the real costs of plant or facility downtime are hidden in other cost areas and do not show up unless you account for them properly.

Andy Chatha Awarded ISA Honorary Membership

Automation.com, November 2011 By Nuris Ismail, Aberdeen Group In today's economic environment, manufacturers are under immense pressure to contribute value to the organization's bottom line by cutting costs and improving productivity wherever possible. In fact, in the Aberdeen Business Review study of over 170 manufacturers revealed that their primary goals for 2011 were profitability and cost reduction.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Bill Lydon for Automation.com Rockwell Automation introduced the new low-cost Micro800 PLC product line suited for standalone machine applications - a completely new architecture and not based on or compatible with the Logix Platform and Integrated Architecture.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Mikko Ristolaine, ABB Offerings from safe stopping to more elaborate monitoring functions are being introduced and are heralding new opportunities in machine safety.

Automation.com, December 2011 By ABB Describes the thinking that went into developing the ABB Process Automation Decision Tool.

The indoor AXIS Q1602 and the outdoor-ready AXIS Q1602-E can deliver multiple, individually configurable H.264 and Motion JPEG video streams simultaneously.

By adopting "greentelligence" as its keynote theme, HANNOVER MESSE 2012 has put the spotlight squarely on green technologies as a central growth driver for industry.

Escalating energy prices across Europe are underlining the need to implement electric drives to minimise energy bills and achieve better efficiency.

ARC says the highest percentage of all industry Ethernet nodes shipped worldwide is for EtherNet/IP devices.

ABB will design, supply and commission all the electrical and mechanical equipment for a new ground-mounted mine ore hoist system.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Hongyu Pei Breivold, et al, ABB Here’s how ABB's System 800xA helps improve operator effectiveness through improved situational awareness and better handling of abnormal conditions.

App lets users compare conventional methods, such as valves for pump control and dampers for fan control, to variable frequency drives, to see estimated cost savings.

telligrated will add 200 new technical and engineering positions in research and development, system design and customer service.

The expansion more than doubles ATI's current manufacturing and inventory capacity while allowing 50 new employees to be hired.

Updates in Version 6.2.0 of the motion system sizing and selection software include the company’s AKM, AKM8, and VLM servomotors.

Blog helps network professionals stay up-to-date on the latest advances, global standards updates, market intelligence and strategies in network infrastructure.

Fairchild is a manufacturer of high-precision pneumatic controls and power transmission products based in North Carolina, USA.

ISA is accepting applications for the 2012-2013 academic year for students who demonstrate potential in the fields of automation, instrumentation and control.

Roche holds a B. Sc from Trinity College, a Dip. Eng. from Dublin Institute of Technology, an MBA from Rutgers and Executive Education' Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Updates to EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet specs include an energy object that will be used to report energy for all energy and resource types.

Bosch Rexroth AG is doubling the production area at the Fountain Inn plant in South Carolina, USA.

National Instruments has helped many physicists streamline project development and simplify advanced control solutions that otherwise would be cost-prohibitive.

Korsnäs Gävle is using Emerson’s wireless conductivity and temperature transmitters to collect leak-detection data at its board and paper production unit at Gävlebukten, Sweden.

Joyner’s Mechanical has offices in both Richmond and Chesapeake, Virginia.

Paralan will distribute ACS industrial and process control instrumentation in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Site offers image sensors, frame grabbers, cameras, lenses, industrial computers, cables and enclosures.

Simionato is a manufacturer of integrated flexible packaging systems based in Mestrino, Italy.

Process Control Dynamics is a Semaphore authorized distributor for customers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

WESCO will distribute T+H Industrial Communication Solutions and Services for Fieldbus and Ethernet networks in Virginia.

Darwin-based Powercorp employs around 30 people and offers automation and intelligent control solutions to manage renewable energy generation.

Qatargas, the world’s largest LNG producer, will install PAS PlantState Suite alarm management software across all their units.

Program partners get an expedited test and evaluation process that gets safety products for a given application into the design engineer’s hands for evaluation.

Robust PID Tuning Strategy for Uncertain Plants Based on the Kharitonov Theorem

Automation.com, November 2011 By Eric Byres, Byres Security Inc. On one hand, industry is becoming increasingly concerned about just how vulnerable control systems have become to outside attacks. At the same time, new tools and applications that improve efficiency, but increase that exposure, are appearing daily. So must we sacrifice these gains in efficiency if we want to be secure?

September U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $606.56 million, up 22.9% from August and up 51.9% when compared with the total of $399.32 million reported for September 2010.

The distinction between PLCs and distributed control systems is narrowing, but their combined market in Europe will hit €6.45 billion in 2017.

The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) organization has renewed EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet as standards in its sensor bus network communications activities.

HPS will supply the main and backup power generators, wellhead control panel and chemical injection skid for HLJOC's H-04 wellhead platform in the Te Giac Trang (TGT) Field.

Emerson’s DeltaV process automation system will control the coal gasification process at a new chemical plant in Henan province, China.

The catalog covers Roller Pinion System (RPS) products, designed to provide high-accuracy linear positioning with no backlash, as well as expanded gear offerings.

Rockwell will replace the DCS at Nyrstar Hobart’s zinc smelting operation in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, with a PlantPAx process automation system.

New Enterprise-Control System Integration Standard Issued for Review/Voting

Security is high on the agenda and Russia has somewhat different priorities from the rest in its extensive use of RFID for public transport.

Mel Henry, the Managing Director at VEGA Controls, is stepping down from his role after 29 years.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Roy Kok In the terms of Automation, a crisis can be characterized as a loss of production (downtime), possibly of a simple piece of equipment, or it can be extensive, affecting major portions of the plant. Are we giving enough focus to the right areas, not focusing on the level of a "worst case scenario" type of crisis?

CIMdata PLM Certificate Program prepares PLM professionals at several levels to successfully address the challenges inherent in PLM strategy development and implementation.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Rick Kaun, Honeywell Process Solutions Security is thought of as physical protection against intrusion or the detection of hackers when, in fact, little thought is given to the security threats that exist inside the fences of any given facility.

NCEES needs your help to ensure that the questions on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination are accurately testing the relevant areas of knowledge required to enter into an engineering internship. How can you help? Take the FE Exam Content Review Survey

Preliminary findings show that one reason few companies can show employees’ performance results quickly enough is that nearly two-thirds find it necessary to have an analyst cleanse the data.

Rice University has been awarded prototyping and production services to help launch a group of robots designed for undergraduate engineering students.

EPSITRON COMPACT Power Supply family has earned Germanischer Lloyd (GL) approvals and has passed Environmental Category C and EMC2 testing.

Product Videos are a collection of informative and instructional compilations that are centered on a given Series.