Articles and News

EDSA and Viridity Energy will combine their software solutions to provide power system optimization for the UC San Diego microgrid.

Hermetic Switch will immediately begin operating under a new name: HSI Sensing.

Schneider Packaging Equipment is celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary as a privately owned family business, with three generations of Schneiders in active roles in the company.

Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) in the Netherlands applied Emerson's Smart Wireless technology to mobile wellhead test equipment.

Ronald D. Zoromski has joined the company as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President of Finance.

Schneider Electric will supply mechanical services, lighting services, and control systems for energy savings of 15-20% and to cut CO2 emissions across the entire campus.

Barry-Wehmiller appointed Chris Hric Business Development Manager for Global Engineering Solutions. An 11-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Hric commanded troops during Operations Desert Shield/Storm.

By CimQuest Transitions Optical has successfully applied off the shelf .NET technologies in manufacturing using programming tools from CimQuest INGEAR.

The economic downturn has impacted the market growth but there are increasing signs of recovery, starting this year, according to ARC.

DCS manufacturers will have to be wary of competition from SCADA systems, which use PC-based software to integrate programmable logic controllers (PLCs) on a network to replicate the functions of DCS.

This valuable resource—the top purchasing guide in the automation field—is available to ISA’s members from a link on the ISA homepage.

The catalog contains information on PackTrak maglev technology for controlling tools and end effectors.

Asia-Pacific sales director Masao “Mac” Watabe has been appointed to the position of CEO for JAI Japan.

OPTIPACT motion sensors measure velocity by calculating the rate at which an image of a moving surface travels across an optical sensor.

SST designs, manufactures and markets a range of memory and non-memory products for high volume applications in the digital consumer, networking, wireless communications and Internet computing markets.

Proficonn - the smallest PROFIBUS-DP Interface module worldwide - of profichip GmbH in Herzogenaurach received the Innovation prize 2010 as part of the Initiative Mittelstand in the hardware category.

Weston will work from the Ames, Iowa, location and is replacing Tim Hanson, who has been serving as interim Executive Vice President and CMO and will retire later this year.

By Manny Mandrusiak, OPC Foundation The OPC Foundation has been receiving a lot of email lately regarding the different technologies that are now offered in the OPC portfolio in 2010. It is very easy to see where individuals could become overwhelmed with the number of options that now exist. Here at the OPC Foundation we have taken steps to bring some clarity to the marketplace by simplifying the OPC message regarding the three core OPC technologies: OPC Classic, OPC Xi, and OPC UA.

By Software Toolbox TOP Server BACnet OPC Server software provides access to full diagnostics of alarms and monitoring of the cooling systems from the control room

ZigBee Smart Energy version 2.0 Technical Requirements Document (TRD) is available for public comment by the Smart Grid community at large, opening it beyond those who have been active in its creation.

Users can download the Think & Do v8.04 Keyless Development Demo package for free, create software applications with Think & Do, and download these applications to an unlimited number of WinPLC targets.

Open standards, more powerful desktop computers, and lower cost software are making design, modeling, and automatic code generation for PLCs and PACs practical for improving automation.

Fuji will include Aegis NPI software for BOM, CAD, Gerber, and scanned board data conversion with each license of Fuji's Flexa line level management and optimization software.

Second quarter revenue was $22.76 million compared to $19.66 million in Q2-09 and $25.45 million in Q1-10.

By Motion Controls Robotics Buying a used robot? Here's what to consider.

Multiport Serial Board, USB-to-Serial Converter, and Serial Device Server product lines have all passed Windows 7 WHQL certification.

The on-line tool utilizes data collected and analyzed from more than two hundred manufacturing organizations participating in Aberdeen's primary research.

Catalog includes 300 off-the-shelf lenses, mirrors, windows, filters, polarizers, beamsplitters and prisms specifically designed for mid wave (MWIR) and long wave (LWIR) infrared spectra applications.

Speakers at the WBF conference, May 24-26, will include Patrick Kennedy of OSIsoft and Thomas F. Edgar of UT Austin.

ABB will supply a 106 km, 123kV subsea power cable between a new Eni Norway AS oil and gas platform in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian power grid.

The program now offers the flexibility to choose standardized service offerings from four support tiers: Elite, Premium, Standard or Primary.

QSI will offer Beijer Electronics’ line of iX operator panels and software.

SoftDEL Systems has successfully completed the ISO ISO17025:2005 process, including an assessment of the laboratory’s compliance with the A2LA Information Technology Program Requirements.

PAC website clusters all information on the APAX product series with clear illustrations and explanations, including PAC overviews, product offerings, system architectures, etc.

Lepoir was Business Development Manager at RTP Corporation (Pompano Beach, FL), a manufacturer of safety control systems for the refinery, petrochemical and power industries.

Design guide provides engineers and IT professionals with detailed guidance on deploying plantwide EtherNet/IP, a standard Ethernet and IP network technology

Moxa installed PowerTrans PT-7828 and PT-7710 series Ethernet switches to power its new power distribution automation project in Guangzhou, the third-largest city in mainland China.

Efacec will use Moxa IEC-61850-3 Ethernet switches as part of an effort to modernize a 400 kV high voltage substation in Africa.

Report observes a decline in the incident rate in the petroleum and chemical industries, but an increase in the incident rate in the water & wastewater and the power & utilities industries.

ABB will provide a distributed control system for the 2x660 megawatt (MW) super thermal power plant in the state of Bihar in northern India.

Emerson Process Management will install an Ovation expert control system at the Halmore Power Plant, a new 225-MW combined-cycle power generating facility in Bhikki, Pakistan.

Corus will install DTECT X1 online vibration monitoring systems on saw lines at its Medium Section Mill in Scunthorpe, UK, to get around safety restrictions.

By Brent Evanger, Banner Engineering Many engineers use machine vision equipment in quality control inspection processes. To attain accurate results from these inspections, however, the user must ensure sufficient lighting.

Sovtest ATE will provide sales and service representation for Pickering's PXI product range.

Kaman will distribute Bison's gearmotors throughout its nearly 200 customer service centers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

By Chris Jones, Micro-Epsilon Customers sometimes need to measure to sub-micron or nanometre resolutions, against difficult surfaces or materials that cannot be touched. This article compares four types of non-contact displacement measurement technology, advising on the pros and cons of each.

Honeywell will supply an Experion Process Knowledge System to control operations for a new supercritical, 660-megawatt, coal-fired power plant near Bangkok.

ABB will supply a turnkey rectifier/transformer package that includes a DC bus system for Aluminerie Alouette's smelter in Quebec, Canada.

OSI will supply a SCADA, Energy Management System, and Distribution Management System to the Federal Electricity & Water Authority (FEWA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE.

Sarla Technologies has engineering centers in Mumbai, India; Dubai, Middle East; Milton Keynes, UK; Pittsburgh, USA; and Oslo, Norway.

MCI Electrotechnics uses explosion-proof enclosures from Cooper Crouse-Hinds to protect a variety of electrical equipment destined for offshore and onshore oil, gas and petrochemical applications.

Reasons for more SMT solutions include increased demand for electricity, the proliferation of the Smart Grid, and the aging of both the power infrastructure and utility workforce.

Replacing 90 vintage actuators with new electric drives from ABB eliminates high maintenance costs and offers large fuel savings on coal-fired boilers.

The Anybus X-gateway EtherNet/IP Adapter to Profibus Master is a configurable stand-alone gateway that allows plant-floor devices on the Profibus network to communicate with the devices on the EtherNet/IP network. Typical applications are installations with mixed automation suppliers (i.e. Siemens and Rockwell); such as automobile manufacturing plants where Profibus based segments need to be integrated into industrial Ethernet based control applications using EtherNet/IP.

Available as a free download, this Add-On Instruction enables PLC programmers to retrieve detailed diagnostic data from an AS-Interface SafetyMonitor with just three instructions.

A floating production storage and offloading vessel will be equipped with a complete package of electrical, automation, instrumentation and telecommunications products and systems from ABB.

Emerson will provide equipment, software, and services to modernize LUKOIL’s process automation at their oil and gas refineries, petrochemical plants, and related facilities.

Non-commercial training seminar on April 21, 2010, teaches the basic principles, advantages and benefits of fieldbus technology and segment design.

The b2fair business Matchmaking Event at HANNOVER MESSE arranges meetings between companies, exhibitors and show visitors with similar interests.

An independent panel of judges has nominated five companies out of a total of some 50 applicants for the final round of the HERMES AWARD 2010.

The system will be installed at Jose Batlle y Ordonez Station in Montevideo, Uruguay and will measure and report emissions of SO2, CO, NO, NO2, O2 and particulate matter.

Mountz will be the North American distributor for the FEEDKIDS screw presentation products made by Sony Manufacturing Systems.

The b2fair business Matchmaking Event at HANNOVER MESSE arranges meetings between companies, exhibitors and show visitors with similar interests. This year, the service is free for U.S.-based companies.

Service contract includes control valve servicing, smart diagnostics for positioners and valve database management.

Microchip provides a software implementation of Google PowerMeter, a free software tool that allows consumers to view their energy consumption from their iGoogle homepage.

ABB will supply electrification and automation systems for high-altitude copper mine and concentrator plant.

Emerson Process Management will host the fifth in its series of regional alternative fuel and energy summits on Tuesday, April 13, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

HelioVolt implemented Proficy Software in its new thin film solar PV module manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas.

RuggedCom and CURRENT Group will deliver integrated Smart Grid infrastructure and advanced applications for distribution automation.

Automation.com, March 2010 By Sal Austin, DGX With RFID and geospatial technologies, corporations can track and manage their inventory anywhere in the world at real time speed preventing losses and theft.

The 2010 Product Selection Guide for data acquisition and test and measurement is available in PDF format for immediate download online.

A team from Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational Technical School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., won Phoenix Contact’s Nanoline Contest.

Siemens will furnish and install advanced electrical metering equipment for the Navy’s Southwest Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project.

The Expo hall floor will bring together the largest showcase of sensing technologies and systems for attendees to evaluate and make informed decisions.

BEI Industrial Encoders, BEI Duncan Electronics and BEI Ideacod have combined to form BEI Sensors.