Articles and News

Fluids have a lot of condition-dependent properties. They consist of solids, liquids, gasses, or combinations. Industrial engineers must deal with a number of fluid state issues.

Lydon brings more than 10 years of writing and editing expertise to Automation.com, plus more than 25 years of experience designing and applying technology in the automation and controls industry. Lydon started his career as a designer of computer-based machine tool controls; in other positions, he applied programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and process control technology. In addition to working at various large companies (e.g., Sundstrand, Johnson Controls, and Wago), Lydon served a two-year stint as part of a five-person task group, where he designed controls, automation systems, and software for chiller and boiler plant optimization. He was also a product manager for a multimillion-dollar controls and automation product line and president of an industrial control software company.

An improved PID controller based on predictive functional control is developed and tested on the chamber pressure in an industrial coke furnace.

Common noise must be in phase between conductors, or it converts to normal mode or differential noise.

By Robin Whitehead, Boulting Technology This article explains how this is impacting the role of the chief information security officer (CISO) and resulting in the need for end-to-end digitalization.

By Emma Cygan, Pailton Engineering Cost versus quality. Humans versus automation. Hardware versus software. Is the vehicle manufacturing industry fuelled with tension? This article explains how vehicle manufacturers must balance the procurement of hardware and software for new vehicle concepts.

The anual leadership meeting in Montreal enabled automation professionals and members to collaborate, brainstorm, and make decisions about future direction.

By Chris Johnson, SMB Bearings Vibration analysis can provide valuable insight into machine condition, flagging up problems before extensive damage occurs. This article explains the steps machine builders should take to reduce the likelihood of bearings being the root cause.

Tuning a PID controller for two of the most common complex dynamic responses: self-regulating, second order; overdamped and integrator plus first order lag.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Last year, we explored Dell Technologies quest to accelerate IoT focus to the edge. Through numerous discussions and presentations over the last few years, Dell Technologies has clearly aligned itself to provide industry with solutions that span from computing at the network edge to cloud services.

Pressure transmitters require periodic maintenance and calibration to ensure optimal performance.

The integral term of the PID control algorithm increases (or decreases) at a rate inversely proportional to the integral time of the controller.

By John Fryer, Stratus Technologies Today’s technological advances put the industrial industry on the edge of a transformative period especially as the number of these IIoT devices continues to rise. Will manufacturer's take the leap?

By Nigel Smith, TM Robotics As we enter the era of Industry 4.0, this article will help dispel some common misconceptions about implementing smart manufacturing.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com The buzz continues to grow in anticipation of TSN’s turn to mainstream. Yet, the big missing piece that continues to hinder that key evolution is a lack of complete solutions for time management.

By George Walker, Novotek UK and Ireland It’s no secret that data collection is important for generating valuable insight that helps plant managers improve efficiency in industrial systems. However, what seems unknown to many in the industry is the importance of understanding the context of the data being analysed.

IEC 61131-3 software standards improve the quality of applications and the efficiency of building applications. Structured modular software improves the reuse of applications.

Cascade control does very little to improve upon control loops that were previously stable. Examples are liquid level and gas pressure control loops.

By Kelsey Rzepecki, Graphic Products Before beginning work, it’s crucial to evaluate your facility for safety hazards. Consistent and effective labeling, in accordance with OSHA and other industry regulations, is essential to prevent workplace injuries, costly downtime, workers’ compensation claims, and fines.

Sometimes the design will need to change during a step test as you learn more about the process.