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By Bob Frostholm, JVD Don't build a Frankenstein monster by using "cadaver" electronic parts. Regardless of where in the system analog ICs are found, integration into an ASIC almost always yields user benefits. Stop wasting money with off the shelf solutions.

By Guido Beckmann The Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) protocol enables safety-relevant data transmission, in parallel to standard data on the same network. FSoE is a technology certified by TÜV, developed according to IEC 61508, and internationally standardized in adherence to IEC 61784-3. The protocol can be used in applications requiring a Safety Integrity level as high as SIL3.

By Warren Wilson, Ovum Few companies have deployed software that can accurately manage all physical assets across the organization. Asset lifecycle information management (ALIM) is an emerging application category that offers a solution.

By EtherCAT Technology Group In Part 1, the Working Counter was described as a mechanism for EtherCAT master devices to cyclic-synchronously monitor slave behavior. Part 2 covers further diagnostic mechanisms that allow master devices to precisely detect the location and cause of error conditions both at the hardware and at the application level of a slave.

By EtherCAT Technology Group EtherCAT provides a powerful diagnostic mechanism that can be used by master applications to monitor the network status synchronously with the communication cycle. Master applications such as PLC programs can therefore react immediately to any error condition within the network with a simple evaluation of the Working Counter in the application software.

By Geoffrey Peckham, Clarion Safety System With the rise in product liability litigation based on “failure to warn” over the past several decades, product safety labels have become a leading focal point in lawsuits faced by capital equipment manufacturers. Here are some key best practices that are shaping the current “state-of-the-art” for product safety label design.

By Phil Couling, Schneider Electric HMI and SCADA systems have been undergoing a series of quiet revolutions for many years now. With all their new, stronger and innovative capabilities, what is really needed to get the most out of next-gen HMI is next-gen thinking about how to apply them.

By Chuck Fuerst and Carl Marin, HighJump The warehouse should be one of the first places you turn to when improving efficiencies and productivity for your business. It’s the heart of your operations, and its ability to be nimble and efficient has a big impact on your customers’ experience and your bottom line.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The need to improve manufacturing operations and maintenance using real-time data is creating a greater need to efficiently link larger volumes of data from controllers to the enterprise. Connecting real-time information from disparate control devices to operations, maintenance, and enterprise systems is not an easy task. Here's one solution that may help.

By Edward E. Herceg, Alliance Sensors Group Position feedback sensors for hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders have used one of three traditional technologies: Magnetostrictive, Variable Resistance, and Variable Inductance sensors. Here’s a comparison.

By Craig Resnick, ARC Leading field instrumentation suppliers such as MicroMotion (a unit of Emerson) and Endress+Hauser have already equipped many of their Coriolis flow measurement products with Ethernet interfaces, including EtherNet/IP.

By Manjish Naik, Meridium Use high accuracy metrics or sufficiently-good data to analyze asset performance as far as it will allow, while you keep improving processes and the quality of the rest of your data to make it sufficiently good.

By Dr. Wolfgang Martin, Wolfgang Martin Team Will it create more jobs than it destroys?

By Neelesh Shah, Westlake Chemicals This paper provides a review of correct installation procedures for magnetic flow meter in electrolytic applications.

By Nick Boughton, Boulting Technology The debate between upgrade vs. repair is by no means a new one, but it has become prevalent as most industries look to squeeze margins. This article discusses best practice for obsolescence management from a systems integrator point of view.

By Dean Wiech, Tools4Ever Workflow and automation procedures for identity and password management can reduce time spent, increase security and reduce the workload on the help desk considerably.

By Georg Stieler, Stieler Technologie The Chinese market for Industrial Automation is growing much faster than other sectors of the Chinese economy and will almost double within the next five years, according to our estimations.

AutomatedBuildings.com By Varun Nagaraj, Sierra Monitor Corporation With the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) still new to the industry, who does the IIoT actually talk to?

By Amy Wells, Electroustic Over the last few years, we’ve seen a move towards more robust Mil-spec connectors. Originally developed in the 1930s by the US Department of Defense, these heavy duty connector ranges are now a common sight in manufacturing environments

By M. Taccolini, Tatsoft Empower yourself with updated tools, and find how the reliability, flexibility and ease-of-implementation of automation projects can be 10 times greater than it was 10 years ago.