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| Sponsor: Opto 22 |
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| Sponsor: Plant Engineering |
Improve your plant operations in 2008. Register today for the Plant Engineering Manufacturing Summit happening 3/30/08-4/l/08 in Chicago. Fortune 100 Manufacturing leaders reveal their view of the future of manufacturing and tough issues are tackled at the three-track roundtable discussions. The $395 registration fee covers roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and banquets.
Register now, space is limited!
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| In this Issue |
From One Techie to Another:
It’s not easy being Green
Featured Article:
Improving Plant Production with Wireless Condition Monitoring
Product Announcements:
-Moore Industries' NCS I/O System acquires cFMus Approvals
-Festo releases NPFB Metal Pipe Fittings for pneumatics
-Emerson Introduces AccuMax O2 Analyzer
- Honeywell introduces MXProLine wire calender QC System
-Siemens introduces SCALANCE X300 Ethernet switches
-MTS Sensors develops integrated connector for mobile cylinder applications; and much more
Resources & Literature:
-Guide to Detection and Measurement Scanners
Events, Seminars & Training:
-Webinar: OPC & DCOM Troubleshooting: Quick Start Guide
-Eleventh LXI PlugFest
-ATX: Automation Technology Expo West; and much more
Company & Organizational News:
-Test and Measurement trends include software instrumentation, wireless and multicore
-ISA's books referenced by Knovel's online search service
-Emerson service center re-approved for nuclear industry
-Emerson Acquires The Automation Group; and much more
Application News:
-Opto 22 donates hardware to Hawaii hydroelectric plant
-ABB supplies automation for aluminum smelter in UAE
-Weigh feeder uses A-B switches, terminal blocks and drives; and more
New Job Opportunities
Humor of the Week
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| Sponsor: HMS Industrial Networks |
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For applications requiring that two industrial fieldbus or Ethernet networks be connected together, the Anybus® X-gateway by HMS Industrial Networks provides the perfect solution for data transfer.
Over 180 different combinations are available with support for common industrial networks such as DeviceNet, Profibus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINet, ControlNet, Modbus TCP, CANopen and many others.
Click Here for more information. |
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| From One Techie to Another |
It’s not easy being Green
I’m stealing the quote by Kermit the Frog about the challenges of being green. But I’m not writing about frogs. I’m writing about Green Manufacturing, sustainability, conservation, and pollution prevention. Green is one of the latest buzz-words simply because it should be the responsibility of every single manufacturer in the world. If only it were easier to be Green. With environmental regulations (and more likely to come), compliance is a costly reality that many manufacturers must face.
According to a May 2007 article in IndustryWeek, Green Manufacturing: An Inconvenient Reality, many manufacturers are taking a more proactive approach by developing products with a minimal environmental impact. "If you're chasing after compliance, you're probably not going to be effective in managing the process," says Nabil Nasr, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "Manufacturers should continually be conducting their own research and testing on products before regulations are even proposed," Nasr adds.
Part of this proactive approach includes embracing green technology as a marketing advantage. Manufacturers like General Electric, DuPont and Toyota have been at the forefront of selling green. In doing so, many of these companies also work with the government to help develop policy.
One automation supplier is making it just a little bit easier for companies to be green. Opto 22 has instituted the OptoGreen Grant, an award of complimentary automation hardware and software to businesses, research organizations, and other enterprises engaged in researching, designing, developing, or producing any product or service that promotes alternative or renewable energy or sustainability.
Last week, Opto 22 announced the first recipient of the grant as Makila Hydro LLC. Makila Hydro LLC was formed in 2001 to restore, upgrade, and operate a hydroelectric generator at a refurbished sugar mill on the island of Maui. The company plans to use its donation of Opto 22 SNAP PAC System hardware and software to upgrade and automate this generator and reestablish it as an environmentally clean producer of electricity.
With all this talk about being green, Cannon Communications is hosting the first-ever Green Manufacturing Expo & Conference, to be held January 29-30, 2008 in California’s Anaheim Convention Center. The conference will emphasize the necessity of a holistic, multi-functional approach to sustainable manufacturing practices and attendees will learn how to significantly reduce costs and increase profit through best practices. If your company is thinking green, it might be worth the visit to see what other companies are doing. As an added bonus, this show is co-located with ATX, PTX and PACK West, so you can make the most of your trip.
By implementing today’s current automation and process control technologies, manufacturers can better visualize manufacturing shortfalls and inefficiencies. Through visualization, manufacturers can take the necessary steps towards process improvements, including energy conservation and pollution prevention. Since system upgrades are typically very costly, maybe some other automation suppliers could follow Opto 22’s lead by offering similar green programs to manufacturers. Seems like a win-win proposition to me.
As an aside, check out the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The BEF is a non-profit organization that sells carbon offsets as renewable energy certificates, called Green Tags. The Green Tags replace traditional polluting sources of electricity with clean, secure, and sustainable renewable sources of energy that come from solar and wind power from across North America. On average, each U.S. household produces more than 35,000 pounds of greenhouse gas every year. Use the web site’s calculator to calculate your own carbon footprint. Interesting.
Enjoy the rest of this Automation Weekly!
Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher |
| Featured Article |
Improving Plant Production with Wireless Condition Monitoring
Mechanical failure of motors, drives and other vital electromechanical equipment are among the most common reasons for production stoppages. Fortunately, recent advancements in vibration monitoring and data analysis have lead to condition monitoring systems that can accurately detect a problem before failure, thus reducing costly machine shutdowns and maximizing production output.
Read full article by Jim Ralston, ProSoft Technology
Browse Portals for more articles, white papers and application stories by topic |
| Product Announcements |
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Other Product Announcements
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Product & Supplier Search
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| Resources & Literature |
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Guide to Detection and Measurement Scanners
The Guide details Omron STI’s family of measuring light curtains, part detection scanners, area detection sensors and vehicle detection scanners. A product selection tool helps users determine the optimum measuring scanner for their application, including part ejection counting, part selection/verification, part presence detection, vehicle detection and separation, or measuring and profiling.
Request your free Guide
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| Events, Seminars & Training |
Webinar: OPC & DCOM Troubleshooting: Quick Start Guide
Friday, January 25, 2008
OPC technology provides an interoperable, reliable and secure communication platform. But the initial troubleshooting can be difficult because each problem masks itself with a variety of symptoms. This webinar discusses the 5 most common problems, their causes, and how to resolve them.
Register for this free webinar
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Other Upcoming Events & Training
- Rexroth offers Hydraulic Training Courses: Training begins January 14, 2008
- OPC Training Workshops: Workshops begin January 14, 2008
- WBF presents Webcasts in First Quarter 2008: Webcasts begin January 16, 2008
- Agilent Web Cast: Debugging serial systems using oscilloscopes: January 22, 2008
- Hands-On PLC Training Workshop: January 22-24, 2008
- Green Manufacturing Expo & Conference: January 29-31, 2008
- The Electronics West Show: January 29-31, 2008
- ATX - Automation Technology Expo West: January 29-31, 2008
- PTX - Process Technology Expo West: January 29-31, 2008
- ARC's Twelfth Annual Orlando Forum - Winning Strategies and Best Practices for Global Manufacturers: February 4-7, 2008
- Machine Design Seminars in California: February 5-6, 2008
- BlueCielo’s European User Conference: February 10-12, 2008
- Eleventh LXI PlugFest: February 11-13, 2008
- IEEE Sensors Applications Symposium 2008: February 12-14, 2008
- MTEC Sensors, Measurement & Instrumentation: February 13-14, 2008
- 2008 Motor, Drive & Automation Systems Conference: February 14-15, 2008
- MEASUREX: February 17-21, 2008
- Instrumentation & Control Master Series: February 25-28, 2008
- Design of Experiment (Six Sigma DOE) 4 Day Workshop: February 26-29, 2008
- Fieldbus Foundation General Assembly 2008: February 27-29, 2008
- LDAR Leak Detection Symposium has 40 CFR 60 course: April 1-3, 2008
Go to our Calendar of Events to see other upcoming events. Add an event to our calendar. |
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| Company & Organizational News |
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Other Company & Organization News:
Go to our Daily News Headlines page for the latest automation news.
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| Application News |
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Other Application News:
Go to our Daily News Headlines page for the latest automation news. |
| New Jobs |
Here's a list of new jobs posted on Automation.com:
To view other recent job postings, please use our Job Search Function. For recruiting and contract staffing services, please visit www.automationtechies.com. |
| Humor of the Week |
Dilbert - Being taken out of the loop is the most beautiful thing you could ever witness.
Goin' Fishin' - And the profits roll in! (View entire series) |
I hope you enjoyed this Automation Weekly update. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the content in this e-newsletter or on Automation.com, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher
Automation.com
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