Articles and News

By Bill Lydon, Editor Should the control room operator be responsible for making business decisions? Focusing solely on improving operator interaction may be a mistake. Your competitors may be focusing on increased automation and integration to gain a competitive business advantage.

With 34 cameras installed along the perimeter of the photovoltaic field, Solesa can detect animals, people, objects, acts of vandalism or attempted theft in complete darkness and difficult conditions, such as dust, fog and rain.

By Tom Gurd, City Technology There is a lot of focus on flue gas analyzers, but it’s also important to remember that an analyzer is only as effective as the sensors it uses. Because of the risks associated with combustion emissions, sensor safety and reliability are critical.

By Andrea Sorri, Axis Communications With the arrival of network video, plant operators can integrate security, safety and production control in one single system. With HDTV image quality, network cameras can provide detailed and clear images - allowing remote operators to virtually place themselves at any location of the plant or process and see what is happening at any given time.

Additions include a Safety handbook excerpt, recent case studies, technical papers on topics such as vibration damping, and links to videos and software tools help manufacturers and machine builders advance the flexibility and performance of factory automation solutions.

While daily use of any spindle will be hard on the component, there are some basic practices to consider while using the machine to help with longevity.

By Dennis Gilhooley, Jr., Ultra Consultants Many manufacturers have come to the conclusion that “smart” part numbering is an unwieldy approach to part numbering and data analysis. Instead, leading companies are shifting from “smart” to what is termed as “insignificant” or unique part numbers.

By Dennis Gilhooley, Jr., Ultra Consultants ERP selection is typically driven by a common set of conditions, including poor access to information, core systems that are difficult to use, and an over-reliance on standalone systems that function as islands of information. Organizations saddled with legacy solutions often don’t know where to begin when it comes to an ERP selection project.

Free downloadable application note provides step-by-step information on automating calibrations with the Fluke Calibration 1586A Super-DAQ.

"Managing Industrial Networks with Cisco Networking Technologies" (IMINS) course provides the foundational skills needed to manage and administer networked, industrial control systems.

By Jim O’Callaghan, EnOcean Energy harvesting wireless technology stems from a simple observation – where sensor data resides, sufficient ambient energy exists to power sensors and radio communications. Harvestable energy sources include: motion, indoor light and temperature differentials.

By Jonathan Wilkins, European Automation There are myriad issues that can cause electric motors to fail. However, among this rogue’s gallery of problems there is a set of usual suspects that crop up more often than the others.

By Greg Goodwin, LNS Research If you’re currently planning on implementing a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) or other applications in the Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) space, you may think you have all the shop-floor areas and situations that still use manual, paper-based processes identified, but this may not necessarily be the case.

The 25,000th DrivePak installation took place at Toys“R”Us/Babies“R”Us in Iselin, NJ.

Catalog covers pneumatic control products for use within both hazardous and safe area environments, including valves and solenoids.

Revenues for IE3 Premium Efficiency (and the equivalent NEMA Premium) are on course to almost double by 2018 to over $8,000 million globally.

The ABB Full Service business provides fully outsourced industrial maintenance services. ABB is divesting this business because of limited synergies with ABB’s core portfolio.

By Luigi De Bernardini, Autoware It’s important to analyze production data to understand what factors caused loss of quality, production or efficiency. However, it is much more useful to be able to recognize in real time the onset of any problem and be able to intervene and reduce the possibility of compromising the production target.

By Kip Larson, Littelfuse This article discusses today’s motor protection relays and explain how they can be used not only to protect motors but also to simplify integration, diagnose problems, and provide control variables.

The system is a replacement of the original ABB QCS that had been in place for the last 25 years. The new system was commissioned in April 2014.