Articles and News

By Edward Naranjo, Emerson When plant personnel have a basic grasp of fire and gas system operation, they can recognize factors that compromise safety.

Different ways to design industrial control panels so they do not become potential ignition sources in hazardous working locations.

Since its opening in August of 2018, Fiserv Forum has quickly become home to many passionate Milwaukee Bucks basketball fans. Yet, aside from the on-court product, the new entertainment and sports center in downtown Milwaukee is an integrated facility, working to enhance fan experience, comfort and safety.

Industrial control system cybersecurity can be intimidating. Automation professionals can begin with a layered defense-in-depth ICS security approach.

Virtual reality is an established technology which has been deployed in various industries including gaming, marketing and manufacturing. But, what about augmented reality?

By Scott Reedy, Arena Solutions With today’s plethora of cloud solutions and mobile apps, most of us want the ability to configure quickly and easily without having to know how to code. When evaluating new solutions, it’s important to ask software vendors to demonstrate how to configure the application so you can determine the level of effort and technical expertise required to do so.

By Lee Lane, FDT We just completed our first European Developers’ Workshop focused on the emerging FDT IIoT Server (FITS) standard scheduled to release to the public in the first quarter of 2020.

For most pressure applications, changes in pressure are detected by the change in deflection of a measuring diaphragm.

Automation professionals may well benefit from taking a chance to develop options beyond the obvious, finding elegant solutions that are superior.

By Neill Sciarrone, Trinity Cyber, Inc. Despite major advancements in technology, the global approach to cybersecurity has remained the same for decades: respond and recover. To slow the frequency of dangerous and costly cyberattacks, companies should be shifting their efforts towards focusing on adversary disruption.

By Mark Howard, EU Automation This article looks to establish a realistic ten-year prediction for the future of manufacturing digitalization in the United States.

By Thomas R. Cutler Only when a small manufacturer has a grasp on operation elements can the promise of lean manufacturing and continuous process improvement be realized

Automation systems are vulnerable to many cybersecurity risks, but email viruses pose the least risk to disrupt operations and create an emergency situation.

While many manufacturers are aware of the benefits of digitalization, it can be difficult to figure out where to begin, in order to reap those benefits. EPICOR has put together an architecture for companies, particularly small and medium manufacturers, to implement Industry 4.0, and Internet of Things conceptsy.

By Bill Lydon, Automation.com The foundations of the automation industry are being reshaped by the flood of ideas, software, and products driven by Industry 4.0 and digitalization of manufacturing and process industries. Machine builders many finally start to benefit from the leveraging of open standard control software.

The convergence of the IT and OT knowledge for industrial automation environments is well underway. Soon IIoT will approach the network edge for almost every industrial application.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been an industry staple since 1953. However, their reliance on environmental markers and the fact they follow a pre-determined route, means AGVs are best suited to structured environments in the absence of humans. This article discusses the rise of mobile robots and what challenges need to be faced for their uptake.

Make the pilot lab more flexible, accurate, and productive while maintaining the Class 1, Division 2 hazardous area classification.

A better understanding of closed-loop control, and how to tune it, can be found by looking at the individual parts of the PID equation and the effect of each on the controlled output

By Mark Howard, EU Automation Additive manufacturing (AM) is drastically altering a range of industries, from manufacturing to the medical sector. But what are the limitations of the technology? This article shares some insights behind the manufacturing and legal issues surrounding additive manufacturing.