The Funnier Side of Retirement for Engineers and People of the Technical Persuasion

We all know seniors of the technical persuasion. You may even be one yourself. Here is your chance to have a far-out look (or an up-front stare if your company is headed for reorganization) into what retirement offers for geeks. This humorous book puts the Senior World on your doorstep - or at least in your mailbox.

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Prepare for the ISA Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®) Exam with the Online Review Course

24 January – 25 March 2011

This online course provides an intense review for the Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®) certification program. The course includes a copy of the CAP Learning System - a comprehensive and effective CAP exam preparation and professional development tool - and the added benefit of access to an expert instructor and many valuable exam preparation tools.

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Don’t gamble with your hiring needs

automationtechies is your best bet for finding the Controls, Automation or Process Engineer that fits your needs. Our recruiters have industry experience and will fill your direct hire and contract positions.

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Testing Window 1 for CAP® and CCST® Exams
March 1 - April 30, 2011

Each year, the CAP and CCST exams are available electronically during three testing windows. The application deadline for Testing Window 1 is January 14.

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Looking for automation talent?

Reach tens of thousands of automation professionals visiting Automation.com each month. Your job posting will be included in our Career & Job Center and featured on our home page and in our Automation Weekly e-newsletter.

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Safety Instrumented Systems Training Course - Electronic Download

This course on Safety Instrumented Systems is designed to make the learning experience comfortable and easy. Everything is explained in easy to understand terms, with plenty of graphics, interactive simulations and worked problems.

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Modern PLCs and PACs pack more punch
By Jeff Payne for InTech
Data acquisition, data logging, and data analysis are required functions for most modern industrial control systems. The simplest and lowest-cost way to provide these functions is often by using the same platform that is providing real-time control—namely the programmable logic controller (PLC) or the process automation controller (PAC).

Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR) - Part 2 - Virtualization & Software Configuration Management
By Bill Lydon for Automation.com
This is the second article in a series that are the result of the annual Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR). A PAR member started the discussion by relating their experience deploying Virtual Machine (VM) technology. Then the discussion turned to Software Development Environment & Configuration Management.

Programmable logic controllers: Hardware, software architecture
By Kelvin T. Erickson for InTech
This is the first part of a two-part article on the main distinguishing characteristics of the PLC: its basic hardware and software architecture. The second part will cover how the program and input/output (I/O) modules are scanned.

Browse more Articles by topic on our Automation Portals.

eXtremeDB Embedded Database handles Nuclear Waste Processing
Baltic Information Systems (BIS) developed a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) product called BISMARC that relies on the eXtremeDB In-Memory Database System (IMDS) from McObject.

Browse more Application Stories by topic on our Automation Portals.

WAGO releases free Solar Positioning Function
Solar Positioning Function Block (SPFB) increases concentrated solar arrangement efficacy by enabling dynamic solar mirrors to track the sun’s arc within +0.02° via WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM.

ABB publishes SensyTemp sensors brochure
Four-page, full-color illustrated brochure describes SensyTemp TSH200 series of temperature sensors designed for temperatures of 600°C to 1800°C (1112°F to 3272°F).

Zero-Max publishes Drives Brochure
The brochure contains new product models, new technical application data, drawings, and photos of Adjustable Speed Drives, Right Angle Gear Drives, and Linear Actuators.

Browse more Resources & Literature by topic on our Automation Portals.

National Instruments Introduces PXIe-449x Modules for Signal Acquisition
The modules provide AC/DC coupling both for sensor measurements with a microphone or accelerometer and voltage measurements from a tachometer or device under test.

Banner introduces two mid-range adjustable-field sensors
QS30AFF400 foreground suppression and QS30AF600 background suppression sensors use linear imager technology for part-in-place detection, feeder bowl control and package detection on conveyors.

Phoenix Contact enhances CONTACTRON solid-state contactors
The reversing and non-reversing contactors can now activate or reverse 1 to 18.5 kW-powered motors without wear or noise.

PPT Vision adds PoE to M-Series Vision System
PoE allows for increased system flexibility with the ability to install virtually anywhere, allowing devices to be located at distances over 100 meters from a power supply.

Endress+Hauser Announces Cubemass Coriolis Flowmeter for OEMs
Cubemass measures mass flow, volumetric flow, temperature and density in a single unit, and communicates to controllers via pulse, frequency, 4-20mA current with HART, and Modbus RS485.

Canfield Connector releases Series 8WF position sensors
Series 8WF weld field immune position sensors monitor magnetic pistons on pneumatic actuators while ignoring electro-magnetic pulses generated from AC weld fields.

Lanner Electronics announces FW-8770 network security appliance
The FW-8770 supports the 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family, formerly codenamed “Sandy Bridge.” The 2nd Generation Intel Core processors support 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology.

Dwyer introduces Series CCS Current Switches
The Series CCS Current Switches are ideal for monitoring the operating status of fans, pumps, and motors.

Honeywell releases Tofino Modbus Read-only Firewall
The Honeywell Modbus Read-only Firewall provides an additional layer of protection against unwanted and harmful network traffic.

Emerson adds PROFIBUS to pressure and temperature transmitters
The Rosemount 3051 pressure transmitter and Rosemount 644 temperature transmitter are npw available with PROFIBUS PA profile V3.02.

Browse MORE new products introduced this week

VDC predicts Top 10 Trends for Industrial Networking
VDC says real-time Ethernet will dominate, wireless is growing, networking will be built in, a large IT player will buy an industrial networking provider, and more companies are going overseas.

ABB will acquire Obvient Strategies
Obvient offers software and services for industries and utilities with geographically dispersed assets.

GE Acquires SmartSignal
SmartSignal specializes in providing Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics solutions to the Power Generation, Oil & Gas and other industrial sectors.

Advantech to build Second Taiwan Headquarters
Advantech adopted a board resolution to acquire 10,427 pings of Linkou Industrial Park at NT$145,000 per ping, or approximately NT$1.512 billion in total.

Liam Power appointed to OPC Foundation Technical Advisory Council
The Technical Advisory Council advises the OPC Foundation Board of Directors on technical matters relating to the management of OPC specification development.

Other Company & Organizational News:

• Adept Technology Acquires InMoTx
• ATS Automation acquires ATW Automation alliteratively
• Pepperl+Fuchs Intrinsically Safe Solutions Receive Marine Approvals
  

Browse more Company & Organization News by topic on our Automation Portals.

ABB to control Jasmine gas field in the North Sea
ABB won a contract from ConocoPhillips to supply an integrated process control and safety system for a new wellhead platform in the company’s Jasmine gas field in the central North Sea.

Emerson to meter oil at new terminal in southern Iraq
Emerson’s Daniel metering systems will measure the amount of oil as custody is transferred from producers to shippers through the Al-Basra terminal.

GE to supply Proficy Software to Kao Brands
Kao Brands, a manufacturer of premium beauty brands including Jergens, Ban, Biore, Curel, Guhl and John Freida, will use Proficy for a complex batch execution system in primary operations across its many consumer products.

Intertec to supply enclosures for offshore gas project
Intertec is supplying 160 Diabox 87 pre-assembled electrically heated instrumentation enclosures for the Deep Panuke offshore gas project in the Atlantic, 250 km southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Browse more Project News by topic on our Automation Portals.

New Job Postings

• Automation Engineers/ DeltaV Programmers: NNE Pharmaplan, Inc. - Amgen, RI
• Project Manager: Endress+Hauser, Inc. - Greenwood, IN
• Controls Engineer: Trident Automation, Inc. - Various Cities, US
• Project Engineer II - Automation Emphasis: Schweitzer Engineering Labs - Edmond, OK

To view all job postings, please use our Job Search Function. For recruiting and contract staffing services, please visit www.automationtechies.com.

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PROFINET One-day Training Class
February 24, 2011
Location: Houston, TX, USA
This class prepares the student to apply PROFINET in his own project. Technical details of the technology are provided along with practical demonstrations.

PROFIBUS Certified Network Engineering Class
March 7, 2011 - March 11, 2011
Location: Johnson City, TN, USA
In this hands-on training you will dive into the installation, operation and maintenance of PROFIBUS products and networks. This course is an intensive, four-day training program.

OPC Training Institute releases 2011 training schedule
OPCTI provides standard Certified OPC Professional courses, as well as customized on-site training for companies looking to train large groups of employees while minimizing costs and scheduling conflicts.

Other Upcoming Events:

• AHR Expo 2011 - January 31, 2011 - February 2, 2011
• ARC's 15th World Industry Orlando Forum - February 7-10, 2011
• Smart Energy Canada 2011 - February 13-15, 2011
• SCADA 2011 - February 22-25, 2011
• European Chemical Manufacturing Masters 2011 - February 28 - March 1, 2011
• EWEA 2011 - March 14-17, 2011
• Hannover Messe 2011 - April 4-8, 2011
• 56th ISA Analysis Division Symposium - April 10-14, 2011
• 2011 ISA Safety & Security Symposium - April 13-14, 2011
• 11th Annual ISA Fugitive Emissions-LDAR Symposium - May 17-19, 2011
• Windpower 2011 - May 22-25, 2011
• 2011 Siemens Automation Summit - June 27-30, 2011

See our Calendar of Events for other upcoming events. Add an event to our calendar.

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