Articles and News

How the advent of smart transmitters and wireless communication has opened the door to better temperature communication & process performance improvements.

A brief overview of sequential function charts, describing proper implementation and common mistakes.

By Bill Lydon, Editor This is an update to previous automation and control trends articles and expresses my thoughts for 2015 and beyond. These opinions are based on a wide range of inputs from users, suppliers and industry consultants, and from attending more than 20 industry forums, conferences and trade shows last year.

By Tony Armstrong, Linear Technology Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be powered via energy harvesting. Here’s how to design a nanopower device that works with very low levels of power and current.

An ISA technical paper proposes a sliding mode control strategies for the point-to-point motion control of a hoisting crane.

Big data storage and fast processing capabilities need to become one hybrid system.

By Bob Douglas, Westfalia Technologies Although an AS/RS can generate ROI in about five years, proper service and maintenance further maximize this investment and can lead to a system lifespan of 25+ years, thus lowering the total cost of ownership and providing long-term operational efficiencies.

Remote management is now recognized as a best practice to creating strategic advantages by lowing cost and improving efficiency.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Cyber-attacks are on the rise. Do manufacturing companies need to experience major disasters before they take cyber security seriously? We have talked and written much about cyber security, but little action has been taken. The good news is there is an ever expanding range of cyber security protection solutions for those motivated to protect themselves.

By Christopher Little, Trihedral Replacing an existing system can present opportunities that are unavailable when building a SCADA system from scratch. This article outlines four concepts, or pillars, to support your search for new SCADA software that will help you build on the value of your existing system and grow with your changing needs well into the future.

FDI technology is a device integration technology that plays a key role in addressing device management in an operating plant.

By John Senese for Industrial IP Advantage Virtualization is highly beneficial in an industrial IT scenario where there are lots of software applications that perform functions for a small number of machines or manufacturing processes.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The Internet of Things (IoT) definition as promoted by major industrial automation suppliers and computer industry suppliers is “IP to the edge.” IP to the edge means using Internet Protocol over wired or wireless Ethernet to communicate with end devices. This concept may not be common sense engineering and sound design for industrial automation systems.

A look at the differences between pure batch versus fed-batch versus continuous reactors.

An ISA technical paper proposes an adaptive second order sliding mode controller with a nonlinear sliding surface.

ISA's training and educational program from February 2015.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Wurldtech launched a new firewall product for industrial control (ICS) and SCADA equipment that is designed protect from corruption and damage caused by cyber-attacks. I recently spoke with Wurldtech’s Peter Lunk and Tom Kenneth about their new Achilles Industrial Next Gen Firewall and their full portfolio of cyber security products and services.

If you do not leverage new knowledge, you can be blindsided by others who apply it, especially your competitors.

By Ryan Hildebrandt How do you identify and reduce risk in an automation project? At each stage of the project lifecycle, and for every party involved, risk can be introduced (and subsequently identified, assessed, and mitigated). Let's look at how these uncertainties come into play and how to reduce the effects on your overall schedule and budget.

A look at how many of the loops can be the same and how all reactors benefit from a more extensive application of feedback control.