Articles and News

Automation.com, December 2011 Askim Mek Verksted in Norway builds Battpacker wool production machinery. It upgraded to Control Logix PLCs, PanelView Plus HMIs, Festo plug-in pneumatic valves, and EtherNet/IP communications.

Industrial networks play a major role in the implementation of control strategies for energy optimization on the plant floor.

ARC says the highest percentage of all industry Ethernet nodes shipped worldwide is for EtherNet/IP devices.

Updates to EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet specs include an energy object that will be used to report energy for all energy and resource types.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Eric Byres, Byres Security Inc. On one hand, industry is becoming increasingly concerned about just how vulnerable control systems have become to outside attacks. At the same time, new tools and applications that improve efficiency, but increase that exposure, are appearing daily. So must we sacrifice these gains in efficiency if we want to be secure?

The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) organization has renewed EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet as standards in its sensor bus network communications activities.

Altus, a Brazilian company, will distribute AFCON SCADA/HMI software Pulse in Brazil.

IXXAT S.A.R.L. in Paris concentrates on the automotive, CAN hardware, OEM hardware, and embedded system solutions areas.

Automation.com, October 2011 By Bill Lydon Since the 1980s, the automation industry has been adopting standards for networked industrial communications, software, and applications. Have users gained all the benefits originally envisioned?

Automation.com, October 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor The CArS architecture is a modern systems level approach defined by the joint Chrysler and Fiat Manufacturing Engineering Council that improves the process flow for designing and implementing production lines.

PI North America welcomes GE Intelligent Platforms into the PROFINET fold.

Fieldbus Foundation, the HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and PI have joined forces to create a common architecture for a WirelessHART gateway device

GE Intelligent Platforms has announced a global series of seminars supporting the use of PROFINET in its automation systems.

Manual control systems at a Southeast Asia fats and oil producer are being re-vamped with automation systems based on PROFIBUS and PROFINET, leading to ROIs measured in months.

OPC-UA Device Server Software Development Kits for Microcontrollers and Microprocessors have been certified for standards compliance by the OPC Foundation test lab.

Automation.com, September 2011 By Martin Rostan, EtherCAT Technology Group There is no giant marketing machine behind it, nor is EtherCAT the successor to a market leading fieldbus system – and yet EtherCAT enjoys an outstanding adoption rate worldwide, and the ETG has become the world’s largest fieldbus organization.

ARM Automation developed this ultra high precision, EtherCAT-enabled robot for bowling equipment testing. The United States Bowling Congress uses E.A.R.L to help uphold the game's credibility, preserve its future and enhance the bowling experience for millions.

Toy Story Midway Mania! is one of the most technologically sophisticated attractions yet developed by Walt Disney Imagineering. It marks the company's first use of industrial Ethernet for a ride's control system which takes advantage of Siemens products.

Automation.com, September 2011 By Chris Bowman, TR Electronic Like any industrial communications, there are advantages and disadvantages to using EtherNet/IP. Informing oneself of the limitations will help you to determine if EtherNet/IP is the right way for your installation.

Automation.com, August 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Cyber Security is a hot topic that has become more intense since the notoriety of the Stuxnet virus. I interviewed Eric Byres, one of world’s leading industrial automation cyber security experts, to gain a greater understanding of the challenges and solutions for industrial cyber security.