IT makes Advanced Manufacturing Tick
Machine Design, February 2008
By Matt Mason, Avatech Solutions
Design-engineering software that can’t communicate well with manufacturing is a recipe for trouble. A software component of Windows called the .NET Framework is helping to boost productivity by reducing software communication problems.

Troubleshooting OPC and DCOM: Quick Start Guide
by Randy Kondor, OPC Training Institute
OPC is a powerful industrial communication standard. However, OPC relies on having DCOM work properly. Luckily, DCOM problems can usually be overcome with relatively simple configuration changes as documented in this whitepaper.

3D Does It
Control Engineering, February 2008
By Renee Robbins
How do control engineers help change production line capabilities quickly? Early adopters of PLM software say it’s about pushing the technological limits with 3D modeling, process simulation, and virtual commissioning.

Fast Track with Linux
Control Engineering Asia, January 2008
By Anton Aendenroomer & Ian McLoughlin
A fully-fledged product, whether it is a data-logger, gateway, Web server, safety monitor, industrial controller or all of the above, can be developed in an incredibly short time by leveraging the power of embedded Linux.

Browse these and more articles and white papers on the HMI, SCADA & Operator Interfaces portal.

Wurldtech launches Achilles Health Check Service
Service provides a rapid evaluation of the cyber-security vulnerabilities and exposure risk of SCADA and process control systems.

OPC Foundation opens Certification Test Lab
The OPC Foundation's test lab to validate and certify OPC products is located at Ascolab in Erlangen, Germany.

Semaphore publishes SCADA System Literature
Downloadable brochure describes T-BOX Lite SCADA System for remote monitoring and control applications.

Cognex offers free Vision software
A free trial version of VisionPro 5.0 software is available for download from the new Cognex web site.

ISA99 Cyber Security Standard available
Part 1 focuses on key concepts, terminology and models, and will serve as a foundation for additional standards currently in development in the ISA99 series.

Browse these and more resources and literature on the HMI, SCADA & Operator Interfaces portal.

Monitoring System Tracks Worker Efficiency
By TJ Johns, AutomationDirect
BG Industrial Control builds its Greer Monitoring System for textile plants based on AutomationDirect's touch panels, Terminator IO, DirectLOGIC 205 Ethernet-based controllers, and Think & Do Studio PC-based control software.

Orlando plant pioneers HMI migration strategy
Chemical Processing, February 2008
By Todd Stauffer, Siemens Energy & Automation
Air Products and Chemicals developed a company-wide replacement strategy for the multitude of Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) at its hundreds of plants. The beta project involved replacing three legacy operator consoles dating back to the early 1980s with Siemens PCS 7/90 OS HMI terminals.

Six Sigma Alarm Management
Control, February 2008
By Brent J. Thomas
Six Sigma methods bring order to alarm chaos at Monsanto’s Soda Springs, Idaho, phosphorus plant.

Managing MS Windows NT4
Control Engineering, January 2008
By Bob Vieraitis, Solidcore Systems
One class of systems where any change, authorized or not, creates a high-risk proposition is legacy systems running the Microsoft Windows NT4 operating system. Changes can cause in-production outages and downtime that threatens overall plant production. Here’s how one plant solved the problem.

Full Transparency Without a Central Process Control System
Process and Control Today, January 2008
Instead of an expensive centralized process control system, Follmann & Co, a chemical company in the UK, used compact modular controllers and HMI control terminals from Mitsubishi Electric. Follmann uses MX Sheet software to feed the process data from the controllers directly into the existing office software.

Browse these and more application stories on the HMI, SCADA & Operator Interfaces portal.

Enable Training offers online courses for LabVIEW developers
For both commercial and academic users, LabVIEW Mastery is available as a series of three courses: Beginner, Applications, and Professional.

FREE Training on Opto 22’s SNAP PAC System
Opto 22 offers FREE SNAP PAC System training classes held at company headquarters in Temecula, California. The four-day, hands-on class provides an overview of Opto 22’s simple answer to complex automation problems.

Make2Pack Training Session at Packaging Automation Forum
May 19-20, 2008 Chicago, IL
OMAC will provide a half day training session for attendees on May 19 at 1:00 p.m. The session will include a Make2Pack Workshop and a Hands-on Connect-and-Pack Demonstration.

Programmable Automated Controllers with Embedded Technology
On-demand webcast covers machine diagnostics, advanced sensing techniques, and custom control algorithms. Learn about new technologies available for advanced measurement and control systems based on programmable automation controllers (PACs).

WEBCAST: Creating Distributed HMI systems with LabVIEW Touch Panel Module
Control and automation experts should attend this 45-minute webcast on demand to learn about new tools in LabVIEW 8.20 and new HMI hardware targets available for creating user interfaces with LabVIEW. This event includes an overview of new hardware targets, explanation of tools available in LabVIEW for programming HMIs, and tips and techniques for integrating code from PXI, Compact FieldPoint, and CompactRIO systems.

Browse these and more training and seminar opportunities on HMI, SCADA and Operator Interfaces portal.

• Software Horizons introduces InstantHMI for Watlow
• InPlay releases FinePoint RF pen for handwriting recognition
• AXIOMTEK introduces PANEL6158 Flat Panel Monitor
• U.C.ME-OPC – Alarm Notification and Analysis software
• McObject adds support for KD-Tree
• A-B CompactLogix and PanelView earn Marine Certification
• Semaphore adds MS-CPU32 to T-BOX SCADA System
• BluFlo launches Blackberry handheld SCADA
• Nematron introduces ePC-series industrial PCs

Browse these and more Product Announcements on the HMI, SCADA & Operator Interfaces portal.

Search all Products by keyword, category, manufacturer or release date.

Frost & Sullivan says power companies in Africa adopting automation
Power generation utilities in Southern Africa are expected to increasingly adopt automation and control solutions based on DCSes, PLCs or SCADA to counter the effects of the current power shortage.

Matrikon promotes Lawrence and Funnell
Peter Lawrence has been appointed chief technology officer (CTO), and Jay Funnell has been appointed chief software architect (CSA).

National Instruments Reports Record Revenue and Net Income
National Instruments reported record quarterly revenue of $205 million, up 13 percent and the company's best revenue growth quarter for 2007.

ISA approves Wurldtech CS2SAT SCADA cyber security tool
The CS2SAT is an online tool that provides organizations that use SCADA and industrial control systems with a self-assessment tool for evaluating the security of the control system.

MU Security joins ISA Security Compliance Institute
ISA SCI is working toward establishing the ISA Secure certification designation for security compliant products and systems in the automation industry.

Browse these and more company and organizational news on the HMI, SCADA & Operator Interfaces portal.

Emerson supplies DCS to training facility
A DeltaV system, AMS software, Fisher valves and Foundation Fieldbus equipment are installed at the Centre for the Assessment of Technical Competence training center in the UK.

ABB to supply SCADA system to SEMCO Energy  
ABB will provide a SCADAvantage Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system for the SEMCO natural gas control center in Port Huron, Michigan.

Sports drink plant uses Control-See software for plant paging  
System retrieves real-time, event-driven alarms and data from PLCs and broadcasts the alarms and data via email messaging.

CitectSCADA monitors St Fergus gas terminal
Process and Control Today, January 2008
TOTAL E&P UK installed a 10,000+ point CitectSCADA system to provide monitoring - with full dual redundancy - of the control and safety systems for the giant St Fergus gas terminal in Scotland.

Matrox Extio remote graphics units (RGUs) work with DCS and SCADA systems
Units work with systems from ABB Process Automation, Emerson Process Management, GE Fanuc, Honeywell Process Solutions, Invensys Foxboro, and Invensys Wonderware.

ISA Hamilton EXPO 2008
March 18, 2008 Hamilton, Ontario
Free one-day exposition of process control equipment.

Webinar covers Software Integrity Issues Faced by Food Manufacturers
April 2, 2008 1 p.m. EST
The webinar will discuss common data inconsistency issues faced by modern food manufacturers using multiple software systems to manage inventory control, lot tracking, accounting, production, regulatory reporting, sales order entry, and purchasing.

ISA International Instrumentation Symposium
May 5-8, 2008 Pensacola Beach, Florida
The 54th annual ISA International Instrumentation Symposium will include paper sessions, short courses, tutorials, and a student presentation competition.

Automatica 2008
June 10-13, 2008 Munich, Germany
Displays the latest in robots, assembly and handling technology, machine vision and associated technologies in five trade fair halls.

Add an event to our calendar.

Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher
Automation.com

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