Presentation is everything with operator panels
Field Editor Kevin Russelburg reports on the tough decisions we face when choosing an industrial PC or an operator panel for a particular machine control application in this edition of Specmate.

Automation and safety balanced in one motion control system
New motion control products supply a complete motion control safety automation system by providing and extending the capability of PLCs and servo motors in industrial machines and systems.

Our HMI heroes
Embedded Intelligence writer Jeremy Pollard continues his series of columns on those influential few who made enormous impacts on the shape of industrial automation.

Vision takes control
Vision systems play a more active role than just final inspection. Technology advances slowly are pushing vision sensors beyond pattern recognition roles and into limited forms of control.

Secrets to improving machine performance
Control Design has created an event that significantly facilitates peer-to-peer interaction and promotes important conversation among machine builders, and we invite you to participate as our guests.

2005 Readers' Choice Awards
The results of the Fifth-Annual Readers’ Choice Awards are in. Check out which companies have been recognized by our academy of readers for providing the best technology values, services and support.

A standard reaction
Are standards fundamentally a good thing? Editor in Chief Joe Feeley doesn’t believe we’re likely to see an uprising of enthusiasm to return to the black-box era, but he'd like to hear what you think.

RFID needs a little help from friends
Perhaps the ultimate potentially enabling technology for RFID is wireless mesh networking, which would free RFID tags from having to communicate with one or a few readers or antennas.

Objects solid in automation
Object-oriented programming (OOP) was designed from scratch with modules in mind and is straightforward, flexible, and an ideal tool for creating reliable applications to manage complex tasks.

Motion markets on the move
In this Product Roundup of motion control technologies, swelling energy costs and multiplying capabilities are sparking stronger growth in motors, motion and related industries.

An integrated approach to electrical design
Engineering base electrical design software puts every plant object in one database and makes all information accessible through alphanumerical dialogs without the need to create or change diagrams.

Should I learn object-based programming?
What are the advantages and downsides of becoming functional in object-based programming, and how hard is it to learn? Check out The Answer to this problem here.

Beware corporate safety standards
Machine builders are often put in a tough situation by a dictated standard because they also must assume partial liability for something they didn’t engineer.

Nano-size me!
Dartmouth College researchers report success at building a nano-sized, untethered, controllable robot.

Chinese machinery production drives Asian growth

Linear displacement sensors can stay dumb

U.S. tech industry added 190,000 jobs in 18 months: AeA report
Data seems to confirm that the high-tech industry has recovered from the bursting of the tech bubble of 2000-2001.

Web Poll results: Remote diagnostics and troubleshooting