Articles and News

Basic control functions may keep a process stable, but much more is needed to optimize performance and achieve specific company goals

Net present value (NPV) by itself is not a good indicator of the viability of a project or a good differentiator between two competing projects.

New projects expose automation professionals to more learning opportunities to continue to grow their skill sets and expertise.

Once a problem is identified in an industrial process, data must be gathered and analyzed to determine a viable set of potential actions and solutions.

A common issue in a lot of pipeline work is ensuring the physical line data and operating data are consistent.

Siemens introduced the Sinumerik Motion Control (MC) open, industrial PC-based CNC for fabrication and metal-processing machines at Fabtech 2019. The introduction is an affirmation of the growing trend to use Edge Computer platforms to integrate all control & automation functions in a machining work cell including CNC, PLC, Drives, motors, safety and other production related functions to achieve higher levels of productivity and profits.

An executive summary and bullet-item lists for an automation project allows managers them to understand the basic outcomes and conclusions of your project.

Industry 4.0 initially focused on discrete manufacturing, and now there is an additional focus on process automation

Instrument location plans are most often used to support new plant installations and give the installer information about the actual physical location of the installation of an instrument.

It is time to think of a drone as more than a flying camera. It is a mobile platform for easily delivering sensors to various locations.

The future of the oil & gas industry will depend on operators that can survive the industry’s highly volatile nature and still achieve operational excellence in all areas of business, including mainte

The fieldbus intrinsic safety concept simplifies the rules governing energy storage in field cables and makes more power available to the fieldbus trunk.

Robotic manipulators in industry perform repetitive tasks in manufacturing processes, and ensure a high production volume along with high quality standards.

Hydraulic actuators are driven by a high-pressure fluid (up to 4,000 psig) that can be delivered to the actuator by a pump that is remote from the actuator itself.

Cryptography is a good way to enhance understanding of the more esoteric portions of a journey to understand the difference between what is stochastic and what is deterministic.

Self-study workbooks ensure that all students have been exposed to the same learning objectives and material.

Industrial control system cybersecurity can be intimidating. Automation professionals can begin with a layered defense-in-depth ICS security approach.

For most pressure applications, changes in pressure are detected by the change in deflection of a measuring diaphragm.

Automation systems are vulnerable to many cybersecurity risks, but email viruses pose the least risk to disrupt operations and create an emergency situation.

The convergence of the IT and OT knowledge for industrial automation environments is well underway. Soon IIoT will approach the network edge for almost every industrial application.