Articles and News

An engineer is as dependent on the vendors as they are dependent upon the engineer.

ISA Education Programs in March Feature Wide Offerings

Simple To Complex Machinery Guarding Solution From a simple to complex machine guarding, Tapeswitch Corporation offers a full product line of trapped key power isolation and machine access solutions that is custom configured to your machinery power type, access point structures doors, hatches, gates, control panel lock-out, and power isolation operation and trapped key access lock-out component configuration.

Tapeswitch Corporation Offers : New Programmable, Mini, Type 3, CAT 3 Safety Laser Scanner For A Simple To Complex Machine Guarding/Area Guarding Solution for Machine Builders and Users.

10 Pitfalls of DIY Control Systems

By Bill Lydon, Editor At Automation Fair 2013, I spoke with Rockwell Automation’s Frank Kulaszewicz about the progress on their new architecture developments. The new controller architecture will consist of a backplane and each module will have its own IP address. Every motor drive, intelligent overload, intelligent sensor, intelligent light curtain, and other device will have an IP address.

Use a smart transmitter & smart electrodes and do standardization and/or periodic buffer calibrations based on electrode life expectancy.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The improvement of manufacturing productivity and quality requires sharing data and synchronizing controllers. This can now be accomplished by using new standards that were jointly developed by PLCopen and the OPC Foundation.

By Andrew Stuart, Honeywell Process Solutions Today, plant personnel have access to new human-machine interface (HMI) solutions providing the ability to display and interact with system or plant-wide data. This enables high-quality collaboration with the field or with experts in other locations.

The key to implementing an optimal, balanced industrial cybersecurity solution is to focus on designing plant connectivity with a high level of security from the ground up. It is important to assess y

By Bill Lydon, Editor At the 2013 Rockwell Automation Fair, Cisco described how their routers are becoming distributed embedded computer devices, intended to process and react to information from devices and sensors at the edge of the network. Could your next automation controller be embedded in an Ethernet switch?

Pumping applications with a variable-flow requirement can lower energy and life-cycle costs with the application of a variable-speed motor to deliver the desired process flow rate

By Greg Goodwin, LNS Research In a manufacturing organization, understanding what’s happening at the plant level is crucial because it’s where the rubber really hits the road. Having visibility into shop-floor operations is important for achieving several company goals, like meeting customer demands, identifying lagging assets, and reducing manufacturing costs.

A detailed understanding of instrumentation is critical for any automation professional.

By Chuck Cimalore, Omnify Software With the ability to share information across the enterprise, PLM technology touches many phases of the engineering design and manufacturing cycle.

How Can You Ensure Success With Your MES Project?

By Bill Lydon, Editor With this acquisition, Schneider Electric significantly enhanced its position to serve the process industries and now has a complete portfolio of products to serve the entire industrial and process automation industry. This article highlights a few key aspects of the integration of the two companies.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Helmuth Ludwig, CEO of Siemens Industry Sector USA, provided his views on the 2014 manufacturing outlook and other industry topics, including the first live display of an assembly line at the Auto Show in Detroit, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first assembly line.

How to use Mobile Devices to Improve Operator Effectiveness

For managing pH, use linear reagent demand control when going from a flatter part to a steeper part of a titration curve for tighter control and less wear and tear on the valves and the operators.