Articles and News

Engineering is a wonderful career if you have a technical mindset. Consider your engineering degree as a "hunting license." Much of your college coursework will not be relevant to the actual work you

By Mark Ingham, Sensor Technology Measuring torque accurately, particularly in rotating shafts, can often be challenging, but new technology is providing a better solution.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet, Industrial Internet Protocol (IP) all relate to the modernization and improvement of industrial automation. Is industrial automation evolving to become an integral part of enterprise computing, also referred to as IT?

Real Time Simulation of Nonlinear Generalized Predictive Control for Wind Energy Conversion System

By Guido Beckmann The Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) protocol enables safety-relevant data transmission, in parallel to standard data on the same network. FSoE is a technology certified by TÜV, developed according to IEC 61508, and internationally standardized in adherence to IEC 61784-3. The protocol can be used in applications requiring a Safety Integrity level as high as SIL3.

By Warren Wilson, Ovum Few companies have deployed software that can accurately manage all physical assets across the organization. Asset lifecycle information management (ALIM) is an emerging application category that offers a solution.

By Roy Tomalino, Beamex Manufacturer’s promises are not considered proof of an instrument being within tolerance. All instruments, smart and analog, or whether old or new to the field, should be verified and calibrated on a regular basis.

By Ned Espy, Beamex There are viable methods where a loop can be tested end-to-end and if readings are within acceptable tolerances, there is no need to break out individual instruments for testing.

There is a widespread global awareness of increasing cyberprotection because of threats to information systems and industrial infrastructure.

A single hybrid temperature controller can effectively monitor and control temperature loops in a process control system.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Cybersecurity has been and will continue to be a major topic within the industrial automation market. With the wide range of cybersecurity implications come a wide range of technical solutions. Many vendors have introduced managed security services to help manufacturers protect systems and mitigate threats. Here are my thoughts on the topic.

By EtherCAT Technology Group In Part 1, the Working Counter was described as a mechanism for EtherCAT master devices to cyclic-synchronously monitor slave behavior. Part 2 covers further diagnostic mechanisms that allow master devices to precisely detect the location and cause of error conditions both at the hardware and at the application level of a slave.

Optimized Sensor Selection for Control and Fault Tolerance of Electromagnetic Suspension Systems

By EtherCAT Technology Group EtherCAT provides a powerful diagnostic mechanism that can be used by master applications to monitor the network status synchronously with the communication cycle. Master applications such as PLC programs can therefore react immediately to any error condition within the network with a simple evaluation of the Working Counter in the application software.

By Geoffrey Peckham, Clarion Safety System With the rise in product liability litigation based on “failure to warn” over the past several decades, product safety labels have become a leading focal point in lawsuits faced by capital equipment manufacturers. Here are some key best practices that are shaping the current “state-of-the-art” for product safety label design.

Calibrating smart instruments properly in a timely manner is an important aspect of ensuring that your product is manufactured correctly.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Manufacturers worldwide are in a productivity race enabled by a wide range of new automation technology. In order for your company to remain competitive, it needs to apply new technology to grow and survive in the world economy. To do this, manufacturing companies must stay up to date on the latest developments.

The voluntary NIST cybersecurity framework provides a flexible, performance-based and cost-effective approach for managing factory and plant floor risk.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 visions, which includes connecting people and services, leverages open communications, like OPC UA, and embedded-to-enterprise computing.

By comparing with a physical model-based LQR controller and an ARX model-set-based gain scheduling LQR controller, researchers achieved superior MIMO RBF-ARX model-based control.