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• Greater return on CNC

  By Dave Perkon, technical editor

  The resurgence of Spyder Manufacturing in Placentia, California, illustrates how the fate of a shop can be tied to its machine-tool investment decisions. It’s also the improbable story of how this second-generation company stumbled upon a business breakthrough: CNC that is intuitive and…

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• A real, smarter control system

  By Dave Perkon, technical editor

  What are we going to do with the technology, asked Peter J. Photos, Ph.D., chief scientist and executive vice president at Streamline Innovations at the 'The edge of glory: Building intelligent systems of the future—today' breakout session at the 2019 Ignition Community Conference (ICC) in…

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• RFID 2.0 keeps radio frequency alive and well in the controls industry

  By Rick Rice, contributing editor

  In an industry like automation, the fast-paced growth can sometimes leave great ideas in the rearview mirror on the highway of life. Much like the fashion industry, fads can lead certain developments into the mainstream and leave others at the starting gate. One technology that has been around for…

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• The basics of smart machines

  By Dave Perkon, technical editor

  Is a PLC smart? It's smart like a reptile, and it can reliably and robustly control the many things connected to it using its programmed functions. However, there are different levels of intelligence needed to keep automated machines, systems or critical parts operating. For smart machines, the PLC…

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• Crashing and smoking automation

  By Dave Perkon, technical editor

  As I read a news story on how India lost and found its Vikram Lander on the moon, I couldn't help thinking about some of the spectacular automation crashes and failures I've witnessed. Fortunately for India, it was not a total loss; its Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and its eight scientific instruments…

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• WAGO’s 40th anniversary and beyond

  WAGO is celebrating its 40-year anniversary on September 21, 2019. Much has happened over that time starting with a one-man operation and a lot of hard work. While some may think that all that’s needed is a great product or leading-edge technology, it’s more than that. It’s the people that…

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