Articles and News

This paper describes the application of the Fieldgate HART to XML based field server and the open standard Fieldcare Field Device Tool (FDT) to gain on demand access to selected HART devices over wired and wireless Information Technology based Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN).

This article was provided by Parker Compumotor, written by John Guite, Product Planning Manager for Parker Automation - Compumotor Division. Parker Compumotor is a leader in the motion control industry providing solutions for factory automation needs. They takes a system approach to solving your application and build an integrated family of products to match your needs. For more information, please visit Compumotor's website at: http://www.compumotor.com.

As recruiters in the factory automation industry, we are frequently asked to help manage people's careers and answer the question "Where do I go from here?" Basically, there are three distinct career paths in this industry, namely

This paper will take just such a high altitude look at the development of Microsoft’s .NET technology with the intent of helping industrial automation users understand the context of .NET and what it might be able to do for users in the future.

Users are pushing motors closer to their theoretical torque and power limits. In order to protect motors under these rated conditions, accurate thermal models of the motor are needed.

To implement a design, Mechatronics Concept Designer generates the control application code in the PLCopen XML standard format to create programs for controllers.

A brief examination of the latest improvements to magnetic level gauge (MLG) systems will help bring any engineer up-to-date on the hardware that is now available to help improve plant operations.

When it comes to robots, reality still lags science fiction. But, just because robots have not lived up to their promise in past decades does not mean that they will not arrive sooner or later. Indeed, the confluence of several advanced technologies is bringing the age of robotics ever nearer – smaller, cheaper, more practical and cost-effective.

As Ethernet evolved to incorporate twisted-pair cabling and star topology, a repeating hub was necessary in order to connect the various link segments together. With the introduction of switching hubs as a replacement for repeating hubs, network performance was enhanced by breaking up one collision domain into several collision domains.

In this paper, we discuss different recovery requirements for redundant solutions, as well as approaches to keeping redundant hardware and software architectures running reliably and at peak performance. The technology related to redundant solutions will also be considered.

With the immense interest in the Internet and the potential of attaching control networks to the Internet, the protocol stack of choice is TCP/IP because it provides the foundation for the Internet. This article addresses issues related to the IP portion of the TCP/IP stack as it applies to control networks.

The key to realizing greater savings from more informed management decisions is to predetermine the "True" cost of downtime for each profit center category. TDC is a methodology of analyzing all cost factors associated with downtime, and using this information for cost justification and day to day management decisions.

The trend toward using Ethernet as the sole communications network for business and industry has raised concerns about security. While proprietary networks for building or factory automation have major drawbacks in terms of limiting information flow and higher cost, their separation from other systems provides a measure of protection against unauthorized access.

Automated factories and processes are too expensive to be rebuilt for every design change – so they have to be highly configurable and flexible. To successfully reconfigure an entire production line or process requires direct access to most of its control elements—switches, valves, motors and drives—down to a fine level of detail.

This article explains how to monitor vibration on common plant machinery using accelerometers. It includes a review of the hardware available today and what challenges condition monitoring providers are faced with to meet the requirements of the future.

Implementing a HSM solution for the first time involves (naturally) a learning curve. This involves developing an understanding of the class framework, support modules and application structure that would not be present if you were developing from scratch.

Computer technology has changed the framework of business in every industry, transforming the way the businesses operate internally, as well as they interface with customers and external businesses. Many companies today see computer technology as vital to delivering products and services to the marketplace.

The answer to this question can be found by exploring something called Terminal Services, a standard feature added to Microsoft Server software starting with Windows 2000.

In response to the growing need to freely communicate with a wide range of devices, protocols that originated in the BA industry have evolved to deliver straightforward access to a broad range of BA devices. Today, many vendor-specific proprietary protocols have given way to a standardized protocol such as BACnet.

Since OPC was introduced over ten years ago, it has seen a steady rise in popularity within the process control industry. Using OPC, automation professionals can now select from a wide range of client applications to connect to their PLCs and hardware devices.

A Variable Frequency Drive regulates the speed of a 3-phase AC electric motor by controlling the frequency and voltage of the power it delivers to the motor. Today, these devices are becoming prevalent in a wide range of applications throughout the industry, from motion control applications to ventilation systems and many others.

Strobe lights (or stroboscopes) have been used to study the behavior of rotating machinery, oscillating vibration of components or structures and for balancing for a number of years. Functionally, strobe lights can be very different.

The SSW5/USB converter cable is for connection of a Simatic S5 CPU to a PC with a USB interface. For PCs that do not have a serial interface, the SSW5/USB cable can connect to the PLC via a virtual COM port.

The fundamental concepts of servo motion control have not changed significantly in the last 50 years. The basic reasons for using servo systems in contrast to open loop systems include the need to improve transient response times, reduce the steady state errors and reduce the sensitivity to load parameters.

This paper suggests several mechanical, electrical, and software ideas that will enable conveyor designers to optimize conveyor reliability and "maintainability" without the need for large investments in equipment and design time. It introduces the concept of internally powered conveyor belt drives and offers generally applicable belt drive design software.

The standard reference for PID tuning seems to be the Ziegler-Nichols tuning rules developed in 1942 on a pneumatic controller.

A local area network (LAN) is a private network usually confined to one plant. Virtual LANs (VLANs) allow a single physical LAN to be partitioned into several smaller logical LANs. VLANs limit the broadcast domain, improve security and performance and are ideal for separating industrial automation systems from information technology systems.

The Ethernet-based IEC 61850 international standards for communication in power generation facilities and substations sets a high bar for Ethernet switch reliability. The goal of this standard is to integrate all of the protection, control, measurement, and monitoring functions within a substation.

A tuning method based on achieving smooth set point response is becoming more popular. The method guarantees stability, robustness and no overshoot. Shouldn't you be using it?

There are no industry-wide standards for PID controllers. However, robust and optimal control of process loops requires PID controllers to have certain abilities and features described here.

The more products your machine can produce and the fewer rejects that result, the greater the value of your machine. By value, we are not referring so much to the cost of your machine as to your competitive advantage. To satisfy these demands, it is essential to supply the machine function requirements, while at the same time, ensuring that the speed and quality aspects of production are optimized to the maximum extent possible.

This is written to describe the type of machinery that can be found in a typical fossil fuel (gas, oil or coal-fired) electric generating plant to better understand what type of instrumentation is being used for vibration monitoring.

Recent technological improvements have made machine vision accessible to small- and medium-size packagers so they can achieve improved results and even pursue brand risk avoidance to maintain consumer and retailer confidence.

As in many other sectors, the trend towards automation in the photovoltaic industry is inexorable. The only way for the industry to be successful along a wide front is by permanently lowering its production costs.

The following text showcases an application example in which a fully automated, high-precision quality control facility was implemented by means of three VC cameras.

The leaders of the semiconductor industry will continue to improve their technical superiority by advancing their internal, inside-the-tool processes. But, if they focus their attention on the throughput, reliability, and cost improvements that can be achieved outside the tool, they can reach surprising levels of profitability as well.

The product will be available initially as an add-on product, allowing for maximum up-grade flexibility.

Many of today’s control systems use the same PC hardware, operating system and communications as corporate office and administrative networks. So automation systems security is an urgent issue, perhaps even a critical one.

OOP has enabled rapid growth in control system software implementation and deployment.

While there are many practical and economic advantages to using temperature transmitters, the most basic are to ensure measurement integrity and to convert a temperature sensor’s low-level (ohm or mV) signal to a standard 4-20mA current signal that can be readily accepted by a monitoring and control system, such as a DCS or PLC.

Choosing the proper filter can have an impact in your company's bottom line.

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) will both be discussed in this article.

Honeywell Process Solutions is pursuing relationships with independent system integrators (SI) for the “Honeywell Experion Implementers” program.

ExperTune’s Loop Tuner/Analyzer, automatically checks your loop’s sample interval and tells you if it needs to be changed.

Please don't hesitate to contact Bill regarding any editorial opportunities with Automation.com.

Safety light curtains are an advanced method of safeguarding personnel around many hazardous machines. Safety light curtains offer freedom, flexibility and reduced operator fatigue when compared with traditional guarding methods such as mechanical barriers, sliding gates and pull-back restraints.

A digital multimeter (DMM) may look complicated and intimidating at first glance, but once you understand the display, dial, and port panel, you'll have a better grasp of DMM basics.

The maximum length of a 10BASE5 segment is 500 m and this would represent the network diameter of the Ethernet network if no repeaters were used. However, Ethernet can be expanded to a larger network diameter by using repeaters as long as the network diameter does not exceed the collision domain of Ethernet. This article will discuss those restrictions.

Increased awareness and better safety procedures increases safety. The NFPA 70E and OSHA 1910 describe electrical maintenance safety procedures for employer and employee

With security assessments and implementation of appropriate measures receiving the full attention of the water industry, we have been exploring how technology can contribute to these efforts.

To tune a control loop, analysis software must process some loop data. You must test or bump the loop somehow. For example a setpoint change in automatic or a controller output change in manual mode.

Using standard vibration measurement methods on reciprocating machinery, to determine its running condition, has demonstrated itself to be unreliable! For years we, as an industry, have applied the techniques which have been mastered for measuring and understanding rotating machinery, to reciprocating machinery, only to produce confusing results.