Home|
Blogs|
Products|
Events|
Presentations|
Resource Library|
Knowledge Centers

Control Design

Login
Register

Connections
- Networking|
  IT invades controller programming
  
  Languages and standards borrowed from IT are being used for controller programming and IoT integration
  
  Since the invention of the PLC in the 1960s, ladder logic has been the language of choice for programming PLCs. Ladder logic was based on control system diagrams for relay- and timer-based systems and was thus not ideal for solid-state PLCs driven…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The IoT starts with common and proper things
  
  Cybersecurity means protecting assets from remote-access threats
  
  Where the data are
  
  Where do you get the I/O for the IIoT?
- I/O|
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  Best practices for troubleshooting analog circuits to the PLC
  
  A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Stop EMI from ruining your day and your system performance
  
  Smaller components, bigger EMC issues
  
  Case Study: Field logic controller solves a clean-in-place application
  
  Where do you get the I/O for the IIoT?
- Connectors|
  ABB to divest cable business to NKT Cables
  
  NKT Cables designs, manufactures and supplies power cables for low-, medium- and high-voltage solutions.
  
  NKT Cables is acquiring ABB’s global high-voltage cable system business, with a total enterprise value of $934 million. According to ABB, the high-voltage cables business is part of its Power Grids division, which is currently undergoing a strategic review. NKT Cables designs, manufactures and supplies power cables for low-, medium- and high-voltage solutions mainly in the Alternating Current (AC)-area. It has production facilities in Europe and China, as well as sales offices around the world. “We are combining two strong cable portfolios rooted in a shared Nordic heritage that will be more competitive on a larger scale under NKT Cables’ ownership, while maintaining access to supply through a long-term strategic partnership,” said…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Don't let poor wire and cable decisions slow down your next project
  
  The rise of the 3D Printing Machines
  
  DHS cybersecurity director on avoiding security vulnerabilities when connecting to the IIoT
  
  How do you protect controllers from cyber attacks?
- Data Acquisition & Monitoring |
  Stop EMI from ruining your day and your system performance
  
  How to control electromagnetic interference and ensure compatibility.
  
  Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is the generic term describing a situation where an electrical disturbance generated by electrical or electronic equipment causes an undesirable response to another system. The origin could also be a natural…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The app for IIoT interface
  
  Hannover Messe showcases Industry 4.0 innovations
  
  IML announces next round of projects targeted toward small, medium manufacturers
  
  Avoid drowning in data with data analytics software
- Wireless|
  Various technologies in wireless sensors
  
  The Latest Online Tools and Resources on Wireless Sensors
  
  Control Design's quarterly section highlights some of the latest online tools and resources for various technologies. In this case, it covers wireless sensors. Many of these kinds of sensors work on a wireless sensor network (WSN) as spatially dispersed and dedicated devices for monitoring the physical condition of industrial and process environments. The data they collect is organized at a central location, where it can be analyzed to optimize processes or used to monitor errors, so operators can take timely action. There are numerous types of wireless sensors, ranging from temperature to impact, strain, pressure, level, vibration and more. A Simple Way to Add New Sensors? WirelessHART is pertinent to the wireless sensors topic because…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Going mobile? Things you should know
  
  How to make informed decisions on network choices
  
  Filling systems with experience
  
  What's a Wireless Ethernet Standard?
- Routers & Switches|
  
  Networking devices for harsh environments
  
  Components are tested for temperature and vibration extremes at RuggedCom.
  
  I’m a software guy, so, when I was invited to Siemens’ RuggedCom plant tour, I was intrigued, as well as excited to see what these guys were doing. RuggedCom started as a Canadian innovation story in 2002. It grew quickly and found the eye of…
  Full Story
- Remote Monitoring & Access
  How to balance risk and remote access
  
  Who’s responsible for cybersecurity of automation at the plant level?
  
  Well, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have gotten hooked into Netflix, and my bride and I are watching a few episodes of Scandal. Clever, but disturbing. A governor kills his wife’s lover, she goes to jail, and then of course it was found to…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How have analytics affected diagnostic-tool development?
  
  How can sensing technologies help to diagnose machine health?
  
  The role of augmented reality and virtual reality in machine diagnostics
  
  Better diagnostics through remote connectivity
Control
- PLCs|
  Trends of the modern PLC
  
  We explore why many still see the PLC as king of controllers.
  
  Control choices can vary, sometimes by application or sometimes by engineers’ preferences or expertise. But, the more the needle moves, the more it stays in the same place. Futurists constantly predict the demise of the PLC, and yet many see its…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  IT invades controller programming
  
  How to tune PID loops
  
  PLCs, PACs and IPCs ─ controller terminology explained
- PACs|
  IT invades controller programming
  
  Languages and standards borrowed from IT are being used for controller programming and IoT integration
  
  Since the invention of the PLC in the 1960s, ladder logic has been the language of choice for programming PLCs. Ladder logic was based on control system diagrams for relay- and timer-based systems and was thus not ideal for solid-state PLCs driven…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  PLCs, PACs and IPCs ─ controller terminology explained
  
  The more controls change, the more familiar they become
  
  Keep it simple with ladder diagram
  
  Top 10 most-read articles of 2015
- Power Supplies|
  The basics of power supplies in industrial machinery
  
  Although power supplies just keep getting better, these well developed devices still must be properly specified and connected.
  
  A variety of power sources are typically required to operate industrial machinery. This includes the plant line side ac voltage down to the electronic devices—power supplies—used to convert the ac to dc voltage. Not only is the type of power…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How much effect will linear power supplies’ EMI have on machine controls?
  
  Power Supplies Get Smarter
  
  High-End Protection for Low Power
  
  Getting to a Better–and-Cleaner Power Source For Machine Builders
- Control Software|
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  Engineering-and-design firm doubles production throughput and quadruples speed of CNC machine while cutting costs.
  
  Any application, any time: Fort Worth, Texas-based engineering firm Romeo Engineering (REI) takes flexibility in manufacturing beyond the next level, developing and building sophisticated manufacturing equipment. With applications ranging from…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Trends helping to simplify machine control
  
  Decades have fine-tuned control software functions and capabilities
  
  Interrupted manufacturing in the age of PCs and software
  
  Is machine learning smart enough to help industry?
- CNC|
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  Engineering-and-design firm doubles production throughput and quadruples speed of CNC machine while cutting costs.
  
  Any application, any time: Fort Worth, Texas-based engineering firm Romeo Engineering (REI) takes flexibility in manufacturing beyond the next level, developing and building sophisticated manufacturing equipment. With applications ranging from…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Case Study: Harry Major Machine modern gantry improves plant uptime, recovery time
  
  Absolute Machine Tools acquires distributor Machine Tool Technology-21
  
  Top 10 most-read articles of 2015
  
  Mazak debuts new technologies for CNC control, remote connectivity
- Embedded Control|
  PLCs, PACs and IPCs ─ controller terminology explained
  
  What are the differences between PLCs, PACs and IPCs?
  
  Back in the 1960s, there was only the PLC. The PC hadn’t been invented yet, and the term PAC was decades away from creation by ARC Advisory Group. But now, all three of these names and others are tossed around with abandon, leading machine…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Case Study: Startup and commissioning without the hassle or expense
  
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  Interrupted manufacturing in the age of PCs and software
  
  Automation in Agriculture—how FireFly's turf harvesting machine ups productivity
- Loop Controllers|
  
  Infographic: If You Use Stepper Motors Are They Open or Closed Loop? (2014)
  
  February 2014 Survey Results Show 53% of Respondents Use Closed-Loop Stepper Motors
  
  An electronic survey of Control Design readers was conducted in February 2014 in order to identify usage and application trends in motion, drives and motor technology among the industrial machine builders that comprise Control Design's readership. 47% of respondents who use stepper motors use open-loop steppers; 53% use closed-loop. Read all survey results.
  Full Story
- Circuit Protection|
  
  Full Story
- Enclosures|
  Stop EMI from ruining your day and your system performance
  
  How to control electromagnetic interference and ensure compatibility.
  
  Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is the generic term describing a situation where an electrical disturbance generated by electrical or electronic equipment causes an undesirable response to another system. The origin could also be a natural…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Robroy Enclosures acquires ATTABOX Industrial Enclosures
  
  Intertek collaborates with Pepperl+Fuchs on first Hazardous Locations Panel shop project
  
  Design basics of control enclosures in machines, automation and industry
  
  Experts weigh in on best practices for control panel housings
- Relays
  Safety Relay or Safety-Rated PLC?
  
  Safety Applications Become More Complex When More Than Three Inputs Must Be Monitored and Controlled
  
  Machine and robot builders often need safety-rated monitoring and control, which can be accomplished with safety-rated relays or PLCs. "Many applications could use either a safety relay or PLC, but the choice depends on four main considerations: complexity, flexibility, availability and footprint," says George Schuster, senior industry specialist for the automotive team at Rockwell Automation. SEE ALSO: Safety Relays or Better Diagnostics? Safety applications become complex when more than about three inputs must be monitored and controlled, or when communication over a digital network is required. "Safety relays are hardwired to perform simple diagnostics and logic, and work well when the amount of safety points in the application are…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Relays: Out With the Old?
Design
- eCAE|
  Simulation technology center slated for University of Cincinnati
  
  Siemens provides PLM software and pledges up to $1 million to establish center.
  
  Siemens and the University of Cincinnati have announced a partnership to establish a simulation and modeling center enabled with Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) software. Housed on UC’s main campus in its College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), the Siemens PLM Simulation Technology Center will be a hub for developing and applying new methodologies and technologies in engineering education and research, according to Siemens. Through a pledge from Siemens of up to $1 million, as well as Siemens’ staff support and additional PLM software, the partnership will provide experiential learning opportunities for students in UC’s CEAS. “As manufacturing companies worldwide move closer to Industry 4.0, it is more…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  IML announces next round of projects targeted toward small, medium manufacturers
  
  How design software impacts development time, predictive modeling and thermal management
  
  NIST Project to Give Design Software New Digital Threads
  
  ECAD: Simple or Complex?
- CAD Software|
  Simulation technology center slated for University of Cincinnati
  
  Siemens provides PLM software and pledges up to $1 million to establish center.
  
  Siemens and the University of Cincinnati have announced a partnership to establish a simulation and modeling center enabled with Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) software. Housed on UC’s main campus in its College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), the Siemens PLM Simulation Technology Center will be a hub for developing and applying new methodologies and technologies in engineering education and research, according to Siemens. Through a pledge from Siemens of up to $1 million, as well as Siemens’ staff support and additional PLM software, the partnership will provide experiential learning opportunities for students in UC’s CEAS. “As manufacturing companies worldwide move closer to Industry 4.0, it is more…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Control panel design starts with the basics
  
  IML announces next round of projects targeted toward small, medium manufacturers
  
  How does the investment in software training compare to the returns?
  
  Autodesk, Siemens sign agreement to increase software interoperability
- Development Platforms
  Control panel design starts with the basics
  
  Don't confuse control panel design with the environmental rating or physical configuration of the enclosure.
  
  Control panel design starts with the basics, and it's not just about selecting a cabinet and back panel to house your electrical control hardware. It's about creating a design to control a machine or process. To do that, hardware must be purchased…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Mouser Electronics, Grant Imahara launch International Space Station Design Challenge
  
  The real impact of robotics and automation advancements
  
  This is what makes a great controls engineer or designer
  
  The winning combination for successful design, programming and manufacturing
Motion
- Motors|
  Apply motors and drives efficiently
  
  Manufacturers worry about supplying hardware that meets federal efficiency requirements.
  
  There can be a lot of hype surrounding motor and drive efficiency. However, from a machine designer prospective, the new motor efficiency standards don't really affect the machine builder, but there are some things to be aware of. On the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Motion application drives stepper or servo selection
  
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  ABB opens new drives, motors testing laboratory
  
  HTI Technology acquires Klauber Machine & Gear
- Drives|
  Case Study: Harry Major Machine modern gantry improves plant uptime, recovery time
  
  Improved PLC speed combined with servo drives makes for a flexible system with no tradeoffs in precision.
  
  Harry Major Machine (HMM) provides industrial production solutions and services, specializing in the design and manufacture of automated parts handling systems, industrial parts washers, assembly machines and special machines. Our facilities include…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  ABB opens new drives, motors testing laboratory
  
  How to select a variable frequency drive
  
  As machine trends change, motion requirements stay unaffected
  
  Danfoss Drives trumpets the future in New Orleans
- Pneumatics|
  Pneumatic use is all about the fundamentals
  
  Once clean, dry air at the proper pressure is connected and safe, get control of the pneumatic cylinders, actuators and motors with proper valve selection and flow control.
  
  Supplying clean, dry air is an important starting point to long and reliable valve operation in industrial machines and equipment. However, switching the air through the proper type of valve to control the cylinder, actuator or air motor is where is where fluid power is controlled. Pneumatics are a great choice for many machine linear and rotary applications. Unless the machine requires accurate, programmable motion-positioning electric motors or the high-force capabilities of hydraulics, a pneumatic solution is often the best and most popular choice. Instead of electricity, design in some pneumatic air preparation hardware, tubing, valves, solenoids and flow controls, connect to the pneumatic cylinders, actuators and motors and get the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Case Study: How this OEM controls in-line winders with pneumatics
  
  How fast and accurate automation equipment produces a precise Swiss watch
  
  The Straight Skinny on Linear Motion
  
  What's 'Pnew' in Pneumatics?
- Hydraulics|
  6 surprising capabilities of modern hydraulics
  
  Who would think this technology is highly precise, energy-efficient and ready today for Industry 4.0 applications?
  
  Anyone gaining only a superfluous familiarity with fluid technology will easily underestimate the performance and intelligence of modern hydraulics. Who would think this technology is highly precise, energy-efficient and ready today for Industry 4.0…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The Straight Skinny on Linear Motion
  
  Webinar: Preparing for Ebola in the Water Sector
  
  Hydroforming For Machine Builders Gets 21st-Century Makeover
  
  The Lowdown on Hydraulics
- Electromechanical|
  The development of an open-air, cost-effective 3D printer platform
  
  Linear actuator expertise led the way to development of an open-air and cost-effective 3D printer platform.
  
  "Designing, developing and building a large-format 3D printer, in our case, started due to a project need," states Joseph Binka, additive manufacturing engineer at 3D Platform (3DP) in Roscoe, Illinois. "It also helped that some of the custom…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Pneumatic use is all about the fundamentals
  
  Encoders and resolvers—giving you a sense of where things are
  
  Case Study: How this OEM controls in-line winders with pneumatics
  
  Why coordination is key for specifying a motion control system
- Steppers|
  Motion application drives stepper or servo selection
  
  Will the stepper motor work poorly in a servo application, or will the servo motor be overkill for the stepper application?
  
  The stepper and servo motor each has its advantages and disadvantages. Both integrate well with a variety of control systems and provide high-performance linear and rotary motion capabilities. While the motor technology and control is well developed…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  As machine trends change, motion requirements stay unaffected
  
  Is a stepper or servo best for torque optimization?
  
  When Industrial Steppers Measure Up
  
  Infographic: If You Use Stepper Motors Are They Open or Closed Loop? (2014)
- Servos|
  How to tune PID loops
  
  Servo-motor applications and temperature-control applications often need training after the auto-tune.
  
  A Control Design reader wrote to us: I often have difficulty tuning PID loops, especially for temperature control applications and servo-motor motion applications. If I use a temperature controller, the auto-tune built into the device often works…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Motion application drives stepper or servo selection
  
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  Case Study: Harry Major Machine modern gantry improves plant uptime, recovery time
  
  As machine trends change, motion requirements stay unaffected
- Valves|
  Pneumatic use is all about the fundamentals
  
  Once clean, dry air at the proper pressure is connected and safe, get control of the pneumatic cylinders, actuators and motors with proper valve selection and flow control.
  
  Supplying clean, dry air is an important starting point to long and reliable valve operation in industrial machines and equipment. However, switching the air through the proper type of valve to control the cylinder, actuator or air motor is where is where fluid power is controlled. Pneumatics are a great choice for many machine linear and rotary applications. Unless the machine requires accurate, programmable motion-positioning electric motors or the high-force capabilities of hydraulics, a pneumatic solution is often the best and most popular choice. Instead of electricity, design in some pneumatic air preparation hardware, tubing, valves, solenoids and flow controls, connect to the pneumatic cylinders, actuators and motors and get the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  November Showcase: Valves, Control Systems, Motors and More
  
  New Wireless Application Boosts Safety at Harcros
  
  Integrated axes crank up cold working
  
  Speculating on Valve Futures
- Motion Software|
  Where machine automation and design software is heading
  
  See how others are focusing this broad subject into successful machines.
  
  Working with machine automation and design software requires a broad range of knowledge. With project management, designers and programmers are often involved from the initial concept to completion. The design tools, teams, hardware and software…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  PLCopen Software Construction Guidelines released
  
  Programming standardization through IEC 61131
  
  Commission machines with the swipe of a finger
  
  Motion Control Association and Motor & Motion Association announce new merger
- Robotics
  Yaskawa Motoman receives reaccreditation status from IACET
  
  Yaskawa Academy has been an Accredited Provider since 1993.
  
  The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) has awarded reaccreditation status to the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. Yaskawa Academy (formerly known as Motoman Technical Education Center – MTEC) has been an Accredited Provider since 1993. IACET Accredited Providers are the only organizations approved to offer IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The accreditation period extends for five years and includes all programs offered or created during that time. “Yaskawa Motoman is proud of our educational programs which train hundreds of engineers and manufacturing personnel each year in important robotics skills,” said Doug Burnside, vice president of customer satisfaction for…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  QComp wins ABB 2016 North American Robotics Value Provider Award
  
  Are robots denser in China?
  
  YuMi wins IERA award for top invention, entrepreneurship in robotics
  
  World record: 248,000 industrial robots transform the global economy
Sensing
- Sensors|
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  Best practices for troubleshooting analog circuits to the PLC
  
  A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How can sensing technologies help to diagnose machine health?
  
  How to make the right safety and sensing decisions
  
  Frost & Sullivan spotlights MEMSIC’s AMR sensor technology
  
  Balluff wraps up first Automation-In-Action college tour
- Vision Systems|
  Photo Research merges with JADAK
  
  Effective June 13, Photo Research relocated its production, service, calibration and customer service operations California to New York.
  
  Photo Research (PR) has merged with its Novanta sister company JADAK, a manufacturer of machine vision, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and bar code products for the health care and life science industries. Effective June 13, Photo Research relocated its production, service, calibration and customer service operations from Chatsworth, Calif., to JADAK headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y. “PR has been a worldwide, trusted brand for more than 70 years, and the company will only be enhanced by joining forces with JADAK,” said Janie Goddard, president of JADAK. “By combining to create what we call the ‘Vision Technology Center of Excellence,’ we will be able to leverage a large and diverse set of engineering and technology…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  N. American 2016 machine vision market contracts fall 11% in first quarter
  
  New machine vision systems, components show off future of the market
  
  How machine vision systems and robots have influenced each other
  
  The impact non-vision sensing and robotics have on each other
- Presence Sensing|
  Targeted Detection With Presence Sensing
  
  Proximity Sensors Enable Object Detection to Determine What is Where
  
  To be sure you hit a target, you have to see or somehow sense it. That truth lies behind the theory and practice of presence sensors, which are used to determine whether a box, bottle, piece of metal, or something else is there or not. Armed with…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Push, Pull, Show and Tell: Standalone Devices Play an Important Role in Operator Interfaces
  
  Presence Sensors Travel into New Automation Applications
  
  How sensing technologies bring human-like sensitivities to the machine interface
  
  Presence Sensing: The Basics
- Process Variables
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  Best practices for troubleshooting analog circuits to the PLC
  
  A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to tune PID loops
  
  Process variables and the art of calibrating instruments
  
  Sensors: Automation for Nanopositioning Systems
  
  Targeted Detection With Presence Sensing
Safety & Security
- Safety Components|
  Motion Industries to acquire OBBCO Safety & Supply
  
  OBBCO Safety & Supply is an industrial safety distributor.
  
  Motion Industries, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company, has entered an agreement to acquire OBBCO Safety & Supply, LLC. The transaction closing was scheduled for August. Based in Chesapeake, Va., OBBCO Safety & Supply is an industrial safety distributor, which provides products from more than 100 safety supply manufacturers. Its offerings include a wide range of personal protective equipment, as well as other essentials such as hazardous storage units, first aid supplies and gas detection equipment. "OBBCO Safety looks forward to the opportunities that Motion Industries will bring to our employees and our customers," said OBBCO owner, Mike Bryant. "This will provide OBBCO with the ability to expand our footprint…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The popularity of integrated control and safety continues to improve
  
  How industry is attempting to keep humans safe from robots
  
  Modular mining system combines remote monitoring, operation with redundancy for safety
  
  Case Study: How PCMC makes functional safety an integral part of its equipment
- Machine Guarding|
  How to make the right safety and sensing decisions
  
  Our expert panel guides you through step-by-step considerations when it comes to presence sensing and machine guarding.
  
  Safety and presence sensing are key considerations in machine design. This six-person panel of safety and sensor veterans addresses some of the important points that must be addressed. From deciding between a mechanical guard or a light curtain or…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How machine vision systems and robots have influenced each other
  
  The impact non-vision sensing and robotics have on each other
  
  Applications that will benefit from collaborative robot innovations
  
  Will the IIoT enable robots to modify engineering capacity?
- Cybersecurity
  IIC publishes the Industrial Internet Security Framework
  
  The IISF emphasizes the importance of five IIoT characteristics – safety, reliability, resilience, security and privacy.
  
  The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) has published the Industrial Internet Security Framework (IISF), a common security framework that addresses security issues in IIoT systems. The IISF emphasizes the importance of five IIoT characteristics…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Cybersecurity means protecting assets from remote-access threats
  
  How to close the PLC security gap
  
  Phoenix Contact partners with exida for functional safety, cybersecurity services
  
  DMDII announces 6 research awards in digital manufacturing disciplines
Displays
- HMI|
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  Best practices for troubleshooting analog circuits to the PLC
  
  A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Hazardous locations spin a web of unique issues for HMI and OI
  
  Vendor-supplied or open-source HMI software?
  
  Harsh environments call for more rugged components
  
  PLC+HMI enables critical stress testing
- Panel Meters|
  22 tips to ensure control panel maintainability
  
  Some considerations for designers and builders of control panels that will help ensure the panels' maintainability.
  
  One of our most popular articles on control panel design comes from a 2014 article by Don Fitchett, president of Business Industrial Network, an industrial training company, on considerations for designers and builders of control panels to help…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  What’s the best way to measure, control and display?
  
  Universal Panel Meter is configurable for measurement, display or control
  
  Panel Meters Take on PLC Chores
  
  Experts weigh in on best practices for control panel housings
- Industrial PCs|
  Vendor-supplied or open-source HMI software?
  
  Functionality needs could require an industrial PC-based system.
  
  When an HMI project requires more functionality than that offered by self-contained touchscreen units, the next step is to use an industrial PC-based system. The PC can be a traditional keyboard and mouse if the environment allows, or an integrated…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  PLCs, PACs and IPCs ─ controller terminology explained
  
  The more controls change, the more familiar they become
  
  A variety of improved options are provided by industrial PCs
  
  How controls make for a better machine
- Alarms|
  Harsh environments call for more rugged components
  
  Computer-controlled graphic interfaces may be the norm, but harsh environments often call for more rugged components.
  
  The original human-machine interface (HMI) devices—buttons, selector switches, indicator lamps, buzzers and horns—are still widely used on equipment even if the main control interface is a computer-controlled graphical device. In some…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Do stack lights make the most sense for my assembly line?
  
  Hillshire Brands operators improve visibility into production data with alarm management to cut waste
  
  Manage Network Conflict: Provide Clarity on Which Applications Take Precedence
  
  How do we tone down machine device chatter?
- Annunciation
  Harsh environments call for more rugged components
  
  Computer-controlled graphic interfaces may be the norm, but harsh environments often call for more rugged components.
  
  The original human-machine interface (HMI) devices—buttons, selector switches, indicator lamps, buzzers and horns—are still widely used on equipment even if the main control interface is a computer-controlled graphical device. In some…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Do stack lights make the most sense for my assembly line?
  
  Consider the Need for Safety Switches
  
  A Beacon for Wireless Signal Integrity
  
  Smart Ethernet in New LDT for Automation Industries

Menu

Login
Register

Connections
Control
Design
Motion
- Motors
- Drives
- Pneumatics
- Hydraulics
- Electromechanical
- Steppers
- Servos
- Valves
- Motion Software
- Robotics
Sensing
Safety & Security
Displays

Home|
Blogs|
Products|
Events|
Presentations|
Resource Library|
Knowledge Centers

Home / Articles / 2014 / Reader Feedback: Graphene? Carbon Nanotubes? Ultracapacitors?

Reader Feedback: Graphene? Carbon Nanotubes? Ultracapacitors?

We'll See Energy Storage Made Better Very Shortly

By Bryan Sisler

Apr 08, 2014

Tweet

- A A A A +

Graphene and carbon nanotubes to the rescue. What a concept. We'll see energy storage made better very shortly. Referring to the article "What Killed the Electric Car," (October 2013) the difficult part will be how to determine the financial models for the new ultracapacitor.

Bryan Sisler
Global Customer Interface Team,
ABB

Show More Content

Show Comments

Hide Comments

Join the discussion

We welcome your thoughtful comments.
All comments will display your user name.

Want to participate in the discussion?

Register for free

Log in for complete access.

Comments

No one has commented on this page yet.

RSS feed for comments on this page | RSS feed for all comments

Related Content

Reader Feedback: Is the Electric Car Dead?

Our Reader Discusses Why the Electric Car Is Not Dead — Far From It
Electric Cars Bring Sexy Back

Tesla Motors Makes Commitment to Electric Vehicle Batteries
Three Specifications, or So, for Motor Choice

Machine Builders Discuss How To Avoid a Nightmare When Selecting Electric Motors

Most Popular

Past 7 Days
Past 30 Days
Past 6 Months
All Time

01

How to balance risk and remote access

Who’s responsible for cybersecurity of automation at the plant level?
02

Where machine automation and design software is heading

See how others are focusing this broad subject into successful machines.
03

5 common myths and misconceptions about VFDs

Make sure you understand proper VFD usage.
04

Trends of the modern PLC

We explore why many still see the PLC as king of controllers.
05

IIC publishes the Industrial Internet Security Framework

The IISF emphasizes the importance of five IIoT characteristics –…

01

How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA

Best practices for troubleshooting analog circuits to the PLC
02

Stop EMI from ruining your day and your system performance

How to control electromagnetic interference and ensure compatibility.
03

Rockwell Automation acquires Automation Control Products

According to Rockwell Automation, this acquisition supports its growth…
04

IT invades controller programming

Languages and standards borrowed from IT are being used for controller…
05

SCADA Systems: The heart and brain of industrial automation

Digitalization of information and increasingly pervasive internet…

01

Is machine learning smart enough to help industry?

How access to massive amounts of data benefits machine design, control…
02

How to size a motor

Calculations, advice and formulas for ensuring you have the right motor…
03

2016 Readers’ Choice Awards: these suppliers won top spots

Winners from last year's Readers’ Choice Awards were again elected to…
04

The app for IIoT interface

OPC-UA could be the universal translator that connects the machines in the…
05

How to select a variable frequency drive

Many drive choices are available from a variety of vendors, so some of the…

01

How Can We Reduce the Noise?

Alternatives to Help Sort Out the Best Course of Action for Resolving…
02

Learning IEC 61131-3 Programming Languages

A system integrator asks our readers about receiving education on…
03

Closed-Loop PID Algorithms in Motion/Motor Control

Use Differential Feed Forward for Numerical Controls or Integrate Backward…
04

How Do We Synchronize Motor Speeds?

Can AC Motors and DC Motors Run at the Same Pace?
05

Is PLC a Dirty Word Now?

Controllers Now Are Called PACs, Industrial PCs, or Just About Anything…

Control Design

About

Contact Us
Advertise
Media Kit
Rates & Spec
Privacy Policy
Legal / T&C

Content

Voices
Blogs
News
- Industry News
- Vendor News
White Papers
Multimedia
Special Reports
Events
Products
Technology Roundups
E-lits
Vendor News

Magazine

Subscribe
Digital Edition
Issue Archive
Reprints

Site Tools

Knowledge Center
Company Profiles
Site Map

Stay Connected

My Account
Newsletters
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn
YouTube

Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy | Legal Disclaimers, Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2004 - 2016 Control Design. All rights reserved.

P: 630-467-1300 | 1501 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 400N, Schaumburg, IL 60173

Chemical Processing | Control | Control Design | Food Processing | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | Plant Services | Smart Industry