Articles
Ignoring the popular adage "If it ain't broke -- don't fix it," railway companies are looking to replace aging controls with more reliable, intelligent technology.Why?"Because unlike traditional manufacturing processes, railroad accidents cause more... more »
Each year in the United States more than 3,000 people die and 18,000 are injured from fire.To reduce the losses from fire, the U.S. Congress introduced the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act. By offering tax incentives, this bipartisan legislation is intended... more »
In testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee Subcommittee on Workforce Protections on Promoting Worker Safety and Fairness for Small Business, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) member Jon Turnipseed, CSP, safety program manager... more »
Manufacturers in the life sciences, food, and automotive sectors continue to replace legacy pieces of their operations with automated solutions, as seen in the case studies below.Maintaining a World Market for DrugsA major Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturer... more »
Transparency All Along the LineIn an international project, the first of three of the world's largest suction transfer molding presses has come into production at Audi Ingolstadt. Siemens has been working closely with press manufacturer Schuler for a... more »
The Situation:Pulp and paper companies operate in an intense competitive environment with significant challenges in global supply and demand. For Tembec, a Montreal-based forest products company, the keys to staying competitive and improving profitability... more »
A state-of-the-art control system made to order by Schneider Electric is enabling WCB Ice Cream to expand its business into new markets and applications. The new control system adds new performance capabilities while reducing the equipment maker's control... more »
BackgroundToyo Engineering Corp (TEC) offers integrated engineering solutions to both the domestic Japanese and regional export markets. Its "e Solution" business unit provides systems engineering, plus software development and sales support. These ensure... more »
In recent years, the world of CNC controls has seen a trend toward more open, PC-based architectures. Many of these control concepts, however, still require manufacturer-specific hardware such as axis controllers with their own intelligence or external,... more »
A new technology combines automated vibration monitoring with the diagnostic capabilities of smart instrumentation and the FOUNDATION™ fieldbus digital communications protocol, providing a never-before-available means of continuously evaluating... more »
Every machine designer has experienced the panic caused by a last-minute customer request for a design change. A new smart motor starter from Schneider Electric can help eliminate those complexities and costs for both machine builders and their customers:... more »
A comprehensive new switched serial fabric-based COTS Continuum™ product line from Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing is the first to offer a full range of single-board computers and multicomputing engines (DSP and FPGA-reconfigurable platforms)... more »
Extending its functionality and ease of use in a wide range of applications, the Telemecanique® Twido® nano controller can now be programmed with either Bluetooth wireless or Ethernet. The new wireless capabilities built into Twido controllers simplify... more »
Background New Zealand-based PPCS Ltd is one of the world's premier producers and exporters of meat and meat products. The company processes lamb, beef, venison, and allied products to the highest of international standards for food quality, safety,... more »
ISA announces the formation of a new standards development committee on human-machine interface, or HMI.The committee is seeking input and participation as it formulates a scope and plan of action. ISA established ISA-SP101 based on input from users across... more »
OMAC, The Open Modular Architecture Controls Users' Group, announced recently the release and distribution of the PackSoft Application Library (PackAL)."This standard will give users more transparency in machine programming, debugging, and maintenance... more »
ISA's SP95 standards development committee on Enterprise-Control System Integration has completed the third of its well-received series of industry standards on enterprise-control system integration.Microsoft Corp's announcement earlier this year of... more »
From semiconductor equipment to packaging machinery, today's motion solutions must be fast, flexible, and smart. Moreover, implementations often face harrowing deadline pressure, as discussed in the examples below.High-Precision Scribe Dicing SystemMicro... more »
GE Fanuc's S2K Series of brushless servo and stepper modules feature standard DeviceNet communications, all-digital drive technology, and control capabilities in a standalone integrated package. The S2K Series is available in servo amplifier, servo controller/amplifier... more »
While it's easy to relate to a burst of propelled water cutting through and dousing the flames of California's wildfires, it takes a bit more imagination to visualize water cutting through a 6 in. chunk of steel.According to Calypso Waterjet Systems,... more »