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By Brian Booth, NCH Europe While my generation were classically trained chemists recruited to solve problems with scale, corrosion and bacteria in the water industry, new graduates are now required to have a deeper understanding of general issues affecting the whole industry.

By H2W Technologies The question of whether to use voice coil actuators or solenoids for small displacement motion control applications comes up often. This article explains the key differences between each product and why you might choose one over the other for your application.

By Patrick Supanich Equipment startups are like the "weeder classes” in college. Some people make it, some people don't. During the startup is where you establish your reputation as an engineer. The engineer who succeeds will come away with credibility; the ones that do not succeed will be asked to leave.

By Ryan Hildebrandt How do you identify and reduce risk in an automation project? At each stage of the project lifecycle, and for every party involved, risk can be introduced (and subsequently identified, assessed, and mitigated). Let's look at how these uncertainties come into play and how to reduce the effects on your overall schedule and budget.

By Bill Lydon, Editor New technology is enabling remote monitoring capabilities to improve operational effectiveness. This presents users with opportunities and challenges to be evaluated for practical applications. The latest remote monitoring tools allow experts to analyze problems and abnormal situations, and determine ways to improve and optimize operations, without traveling to the site.

By Chris Favre, Automation Integrated The danger of this rush to smart devices is that some “manufacturers” are taking hobby grade equipment and developing it as a viable commercial solution.

By Norman and Amelia Lobsenz A look back at robot predictions in 1950.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The dramatic cost reductions and increased computing power of mobile devices are creating opportunities to operate plants more efficiently and increase the productivity of personnel. Mobile devices can include smart phones, tablets, netbooks and notebook computers.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The goal of the Internet of Things (IoT) is to massively instrument the world with intelligent sensors and actuators (analog/digital) that communicate over both wired and wireless networks and leverage the Internet Protocol (IP). .

By Dino Busalachi, The Applied Group Many system integrators and OEMs – even the most experienced – lack the knowledge required to engineer a holistic Ethernet architecture on the plant floor.

By Roy Kok, Ocean Data Systems It used to be that security through obscurity was enough to protect automation systems from cyber-attacks. We know from the famed Stuxnet and its derivatives that automation systems are now a prime target.

By Made USA Light engine manufacturer develops automated system to inspect 100 percent of LED production for consistent color temperature and brightness.

By Andrea Sorri, Axis Communications Due to their superior image quality, connectivity, scalability, and scope for adding video analytics applications, network video cameras are increasingly replacing analog CCTV cameras to secure manufacturing facilities.

By Jonathan Wilkins, European Automation The static days of the monolithic monitor are beginning to make way for smaller, portable interfaces that provide the user with much more freedom—and problems.

By Dana Smith, Compressor World Here is what you should do if you deal in air compressors or run a plant that uses a number of different kinds of air compressors.

By Dan McGrath, Industrial IP Advantage The industrial network switches found in many plants tend to fall into two categories: unmanaged and poorly managed. But the success of the deployment is not about the manager – it’s about the plan.

By Darren Halford, European Automation Which country do you think is the most energy-efficient in the world?

By Bill Lydon, Editor The FieldComm Group was formed and became operational on January 1, 2015, by combining all assets of the former Fieldbus Foundation and the HART Communication Foundation. The new group will further intelligent device technologies and their adoption. Ted Masters, President and CEO provided insights into the value of the new organization.

Automation.com, April 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor There is a great deal of discussion about DCS migrations and retrofits these days, raising questions that can be overwhelming for users. Suppliers offer upgrades from their legacy systems as well as upgrades from a competitor’s DCS. I interviewed industry veteran, Paul Galeski, to get his insights on this important topic.

Automation.com, April 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Accurate measurements are fundamental for automation and control systems to accomplish precise control. Based on my recent visit to Fluke's headquarters, I can assure you they are passionate about reliable measurements.