Articles and News

Almost every industrial plant will end up with a mix of wired and wireless technology. Ultimately, choose the solution that makes sense.

By Bill Lydon, Editor There are a number of worldwide initiatives to improve manufacturing flexibility, productivity and efficiency with high levels of integration. Manufacturing and automation professionals should study these initiatives and strongly consider their future automation investment strategies.

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We want to help manufacturing engineers and managers get a better understanding of the overall considerations when approaching automation projects. Take a deeper look at our blog series explaining the What, Why, And When to Automate.

By Gerrit Boysen and Mariam Coladonato, Phoenix Contact The requirements placed on a firewall in a production zone are different from those in the office world. Therefore, using an industrial firewall with a NAT function can support the individual, simple segmentation of networks.

Adopting radio frequency identification (RFID) asset tracking for the first time involves more than just slapping tags on traceable materials.

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By Neelesh Shah, Westlake Chemicals This paper provides a review of correct installation procedures for magnetic flow meter in electrolytic applications.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Over the years there have been only a handful of truly disruptive industrial automation and control technological shifts that significantly impacted manufacturing productivity and efficiency. With the latest technologies that are enabling IoT, we may be on the cusp of another shift.

Level sensors detect the level of liquids and other fluids and fluidized solids, including slurries, granular materials, and powders that exhibit an upper free surface.

By Nick Boughton, Boulting Technology The debate between upgrade vs. repair is by no means a new one, but it has become prevalent as most industries look to squeeze margins. This article discusses best practice for obsolescence management from a systems integrator point of view.

By Mike Hannah, Rockwell Automation Legacy networks with only a small number of I/O modules and other devices are being replaced with complex networks that have hundreds of I/O modules. EtherNet/IP features an active infrastructure and can accommodate an almost infinite number of nodes to give manufacturers optimal flexibility when either designing their networks at the onset or expanding them in the future.

By Shannon R. Foos and Kevin Zomchek, Rockwell Automation IP connectivity from the industrial control system through the gateway – either IO-Link or HART – closes the last meter to provide connectivity to devices that are sitting in the field. These two networks allow industrial operations to bridge to an IP network as seamlessly as possible, making today’s plants more future-ready for the industrial IoT.

By Mike Marciante, TE Connectivity Both free-core and guided-core LVDT Linear Position Sensors provide the benefit of infinite resolution, with each type offering models that can operate in harsh environments. While free-core LVDTs are generally less expensive and available in many ranges, they are more difficult to install than guided-core sensors.

The key element in creating a business case for calibration system is to build the business case for the entire lifecycle of the system.

By Oleg Logvinov, chair, IEEE P2413 The IoT is opening up new and innovative ways for manufacturers and suppliers to accurately track parts and materials in real time, reducing or eliminating delivery delays or mix-ups that can cost millions of dollars.

By Bill Lydon, Editor This article expresses my thoughts on major automation and control trends for 2016 and beyond. Key topics include IoT, automation architecture, cloud, analytics, integration, robots and more.

To measure the pH of ultrapure water in the power industry, specialized sensors, meticulous installation, and proper maintenance required.

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The oil industry must apply control & safety solutions to run operations efficiently, ensure compliance and protect personnel, assets and the environment.