Articles and News

OPC Foundation board members, technology advisor council members, and OPC technology working group members have been participating in the Internet of Things and Industrie 4.0 initiatives very pro-actively.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The adoption of disruptive technologies can make or break your business. The effects can be positive or negative. Adopting what appears to be a disruptive technology that does not go mainstream or adopting it too early can break or significantly hurt a business. Automation professionals are in a unique position to understand, evaluate, and make recommendations to management about the adoption of new technology.

Not enough is being done globally to implement basic industrial cybersecurity measures.

By Intertec Glass-reinforced polymer (GRP) composite material for protective enclosures is electromagnetically transparent, making it easier to deploy wireless instrumentation.

Italian company is also relocating its headquarters to Silicon Valley in California.

LOGIIC report studies the possible use of remote connectivity to systems in the industrial automation and control systems (IACS) environment for the purposes of monitoring and diagnostics.

The program has a sensors element library, which allows non-RF and non-software savvy customers to develop wirelessly connected products.

FN110, a Field Wireless Communication Module; FN310, a Field Wireless Multi-Protocol Module; and FN510, a Field Wireless Multi-Function Module have achieved ISA100 Wireless certification.

Bitherm SL offers a variety of products including steam traps, a monitoring system, compact steam trap stations, manifolds and portable detection equipment.

The Special Publication 800-82 references ISA/IEC-62443 on 39 separate occasions.

By Craig Resnick, ARC Leading field instrumentation suppliers such as MicroMotion (a unit of Emerson) and Endress+Hauser have already equipped many of their Coriolis flow measurement products with Ethernet interfaces, including EtherNet/IP.

The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (ISA100 WCI) will exhibit at the 2015 ACHEMA tradeshow in Frankfurt Germany, 15-19 June.

ANSI/NEMA WC 27500 may be purchased in hard copy for $105 on the NEMA website.

The license for Phoenix Contact’s FL mGuard security devices can protect OPC Classic applications.

Factors such as stiff competition from upcoming substitutes, coupled with elevated raw material prices, will suppress market growth.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A single cyber security incident can lead to significant losses for any company. It is unclear to me and I am sure many readers what the insurance possibilities are for manufacturers. Insurance companies are working to ban cyber coverage under the commercial general liability (CGL) policies but are also offering separate cyber security insurance policies.

FMC Technologies uses Westermo Ethernet switches to connect equipment as deep as 3000 metres down.

AMC’s EtherCAT products consist of panel mount and plug-in servo drives to allow for quick prototyping and ease of system integration.

By Doug Wylie, Rockwell Automation The stark reality in our contemporary digital, connected world is that there can be no absolute security. However, this by no means suggests the good guys can’t fight to win.

By Mike Hannah, Rockwell Automation Standards are critical to realize the promise of the IoT. Without standards, digital devices won’t consistently connect, leaving room for failure. Standards help ensure technologies and methodologies are proven and interoperable.