Articles and News

Leveraging the knowledge and know-how of the people in an organization is a powerful way to make improvements and solve problems. The difficulty is getting this done effectively and avoiding an ineffective committee that creates more problems.

By Grace Engineered Products Wiring a voltage indicator (VI) to the primary power source provides a permanently wired "voltmeter" that gives electricians a full-time, visual, independent, thru-door power indication.

By Darren Barratt, Omniflex (UK) Limited The purpose of an annunciator is to provide the plant operator with early warning of a problem, which allows time to take action before a situation degrades to the point where the process can no longer be controlled.

By Brian MacCleery, NI senior product manager How National Instruments LabVIEW as well as multicore and FPGA technologies are impacting machine builders and the growing mechatronics segment.

By Uson LP White paper contains pointers that can help any manufacturing engineer determine which leak testing equipment can recast the QC department into a strong ally of the production schedule while still upholding the highest quality standards.

InfoWorld, May 2007 By Matt Hines The first remotely-exploitable vulnerabilities in Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems have been identified by researchers.

By Anto Budiardjo, President of Clasma Events Inc. Buildings 2.0 is a vision that intricately intertwines buildings with Internet technologies. It says the future of buildings is one which is controlled, managed and connected to the Internet in a way that goes far beyond simply placing a web server to the control system or in the use of IP. This article describes the concept of Buildings 2.0.

While malware targeting mobile devices is a relatively recent problem, significant increases in shipments of smartphones, as well as increasing market penetration by Microsoft, have made mobile devices much more attractive targets for hackers. According to ABI Research, the newest and most intriguing market opportunity for mobile security is the growth of mobile device security managed services.

Motion control systems are capable of extremely precise speed, position, and torque control. This article compares the three main motion control choices: standalone controllers, PC-based controllers, and PLCs. It describes how indexing, direction and electronic gearing are accomplished, examines future trends in motion control, and describes products available today for motion control.

AutomationDirect’s technical support team compiled a list of frequently asked questions from customers on variable frequency drives (VFDs), on topics such as sensorless vector control, grounding, dynamic braking, ringing, standards, power cables, drives vs softstarts, low speed operation, line reactors, slow pump problems, and more.

Safety light curtains are an advanced method of safeguarding personnel around many hazardous machines. Also called light screens, optical guards, and presence sensing devices, safety light curtains offer freedom, flexibility and reduced operator fatigue when compared with traditional guarding methods such as mechanical barriers, sliding gates and pull-back restraints.

The significant benefits of error proofing both automated and manual assembly procedures are becoming increasingly evident in all industries. The objectives are both increased quality and increased productivity.

There is a growing challenge on the plant floor if you haven’t experienced it yet, I am sure you will soon. A study by ARC predicts that the number of factory floor devices with an IP address is going to TRIPLE in the next four years and those devices are pushing lower and lower into the controls architecture… from systems, to sub-systems down to sensors… so Ethernet equipment with an IP addresses are increasing rapidly.

This article has only skimmed the surface of Windows XP “IT-guy tricks” that can be used to create a suitable environment for your HMI. Following the above procedures to “take out the garbage” will assist you in creating an efficient platform for your applications, not to mention avoiding some common XP annoyances.

Optimum motor control packages start with a drive to provide the most control, flexibility, and protection. Adding a bypass with an integral soft starter provides a backup system to run the motor should the drive fail. Large drive systems should have soft starters in the bypass, otherwise the application risks negatively affecting the power system, damaged bearings, or bent shafts once the bypass is engaged.

A process with a large dead time presents a special challenge for a controller - any controller. Find out how to get the best control of large dead time processes.

Adjustable Speed Drives are used in any application in which there is mechanical equipment powered by motors; the drives provide extremely precise electrical motor control, so that motor speeds can be ramped up and down, and maintained, at speeds required; doing so utilizes only the energy required, rather than having a motor run at constant (fixed) speed and utilizing an excess of energy.

Users are pushing motors closer to their theoretical torque and power limits. In order to protect motors under these rated conditions, accurate thermal models of the motor are needed.

A Variable Frequency Drive regulates the speed of a 3-phase AC electric motor by controlling the frequency and voltage of the power it delivers to the motor. Today, these devices are becoming prevalent in a wide range of applications throughout the industry, from motion control applications to ventilation systems and many others.

This paper suggests several mechanical, electrical, and software ideas that will enable conveyor designers to optimize conveyor reliability and "maintainability" without the need for large investments in equipment and design time. It introduces the concept of internally powered conveyor belt drives and offers generally applicable belt drive design software.