Articles and News

As Ethernet evolved to incorporate twisted-pair cabling and star topology, a repeating hub was necessary in order to connect the various link segments together. With the introduction of switching hubs as a replacement for repeating hubs, network performance was enhanced by breaking up one collision domain into several collision domains.

The trend toward using Ethernet as the sole communications network for business and industry has raised concerns about security. While proprietary networks for building or factory automation have major drawbacks in terms of limiting information flow and higher cost, their separation from other systems provides a measure of protection against unauthorized access.

In response to the growing need to freely communicate with a wide range of devices, protocols that originated in the BA industry have evolved to deliver straightforward access to a broad range of BA devices. Today, many vendor-specific proprietary protocols have given way to a standardized protocol such as BACnet.

Since OPC was introduced over ten years ago, it has seen a steady rise in popularity within the process control industry. Using OPC, automation professionals can now select from a wide range of client applications to connect to their PLCs and hardware devices.

The fundamental concepts of servo motion control have not changed significantly in the last 50 years. The basic reasons for using servo systems in contrast to open loop systems include the need to improve transient response times, reduce the steady state errors and reduce the sensitivity to load parameters.

The standard reference for PID tuning seems to be the Ziegler-Nichols tuning rules developed in 1942 on a pneumatic controller.

A local area network (LAN) is a private network usually confined to one plant. Virtual LANs (VLANs) allow a single physical LAN to be partitioned into several smaller logical LANs. VLANs limit the broadcast domain, improve security and performance and are ideal for separating industrial automation systems from information technology systems.

The Ethernet-based IEC 61850 international standards for communication in power generation facilities and substations sets a high bar for Ethernet switch reliability. The goal of this standard is to integrate all of the protection, control, measurement, and monitoring functions within a substation.

Automated factories and processes are too expensive to be rebuilt for every design change – so they have to be highly configurable and flexible. To successfully reconfigure an entire production line or process requires direct access to most of its control elements—switches, valves, motors and drives—down to a fine level of detail.

Implementing a HSM solution for the first time involves (naturally) a learning curve. This involves developing an understanding of the class framework, support modules and application structure that would not be present if you were developing from scratch.

Computer technology has changed the framework of business in every industry, transforming the way the businesses operate internally, as well as they interface with customers and external businesses. Many companies today see computer technology as vital to delivering products and services to the marketplace.

The answer to this question can be found by exploring something called Terminal Services, a standard feature added to Microsoft Server software starting with Windows 2000.

Strobe lights (or stroboscopes) have been used to study the behavior of rotating machinery, oscillating vibration of components or structures and for balancing for a number of years. Functionally, strobe lights can be very different.

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.

The key to realizing greater savings from more informed management decisions is to predetermine the "True" cost of downtime for each profit center category. TDC is a methodology of analyzing all cost factors associated with downtime, and using this information for cost justification and day to day management decisions.

A tuning method based on achieving smooth set point response is becoming more popular. The method guarantees stability, robustness and no overshoot. Shouldn't you be using it?

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) will both be discussed in this article.

Honeywell Process Solutions is pursuing relationships with independent system integrators (SI) for the “Honeywell Experion Implementers” program.

ExperTune’s Loop Tuner/Analyzer, automatically checks your loop’s sample interval and tells you if it needs to be changed.

Choosing the proper filter can have an impact in your company's bottom line.