Articles and News

By Larry Smentowski, Rockwell Automation Smart manufacturing or Industry 4.0 initiatives present an opportunity to help all automakers address their challenges. But those initiatives will only be successful if automakers first have network, control and software standards in place.

Instrument technicians often use P&ID diagrams as a reference to identify what type of instrumentation is installed and how the instrumentation is installed in the process.

By Nick Boughton, Boulting Technology The proposed benefits of data collection from smart sensors are huge, but some manufacturers still feel that a smart factory is out of their reach. This article explains how plants with legacy equipment can retrospectively upgrade their facility to a smart factory.

CLPA’s activity with the OPCF aims to expand its existing CSP+ (Control & Communication System Profile) technology from just describing individual devices and to apply it to complete machines and production lines. This is the key concept behind CSP+ for Machine.

With ASTES4 as a wholly owned subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric will offer integrated solutions to the global market with ASTES4’s automated sorting systems embedded into Mitsubishi Electric’s high value-added sheet metal laser processing machines.

The symbol reflects a temperature regulator, filled thermal system.

The cause of a loop problem could be in the final control element, sensor/transmitter, software parameters, logic configuration, operator practices, or process design.

The International Society of Automation and The Open Group have agreed to a liaison Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate cooperation in advancing and harmonizing the development of a multivendor, interoperable, secure control architecture for application across the process industries. Activities will include sharing of best practices, document review and joint forums.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com Featuring numerous displays of the newest technologies, along with dozens of Honeywell and customer led sessions and technical discussions, the Honeywell Users Group Americas (HUG) buzzed in San Antonio this June with over 1,300 attendees.

Research presents a new design for a PID controller with a lead lag filter using multiple dominant pole placement method.

By Martyn Williams, COPA-DATA UK Improved operations, a reduction in unplanned outages and better managed variations in market conditions — it's the idyllic aim of power leaders across the globe, but how is the digital twin concept making this goal a reality?

By Robert Landavazo, Tripwire The OT/IT convergence will no doubt be looked back upon as a turning point in industry’s fight for cyber security and further harnessing of technology for business success. Being an early, proactive leader in that regard certainly, in general, seems like a good role to be playing.

The whitepaper, Chapter Five: Industrial Control Systems Life Cycle Cost Analysis – Quantitative Evaluation, delineates 450 different factors that impact costs across the following six phases of the industrial control system (ICS) life cycle: engineering, installation, commissioning, maintenance, system, and cyber security.

Technical guidance on ways to optimize settings and options for PID controllers from industry veteran Greg McMillan and participants in ISA's Mentor Program.

Doyle will assume responsibility for the HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION customer-focused operations for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This change will complete the succession plan for Rick Korte, current CEO of HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION who will be retiring.

This document explains the advantages of Sequential Function Chart, SFC. This is a very expressive graphic formalism of the IEC 61131-3 standard. It is not considered a programming language as it needs other languages to express transition conditions and actions.

OPMT is a company based in Fo’shan – of Guangdong Province – in south China. For its latest project, OPMT was asked by Guangdong University of Technology to develop a machining center that combined high speed laser cutting and milling capabilities.

The link is an element of the country’s transmission system and is used as an energy-balancing system, between the two islands. ABB Ability MACH control system, which acts as the brain or nerve center of the link will be a key component of the upgrade.

Participants were trained at a temporary scaled version of GE Garage at the venue comprising select equipment like 3D printers, CNC mills, laser cutters amongst others.

By Phil Ng, Honeywell Process Solutions This article describes how the latest trend in field instrumentation technology and engineering practices – cloud-based tools to improve application validation, instrument selection, and device commissioning – can help improve project results while ensuring the safety and efficiency of industrial facilities.