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Connections
- Networking|
  Kuka eliminates data silos with PLM software
  
  Global digitalization journey is an ongoing attempt to eliminate tribal knowledge
  
  Kuka Robotics is a global automation powerhouse. One hundred and twenty years after it was founded in Bavaria, Germany, in 1898, Kuka’s annual sales are around $3 billion and its workforce totals more than 12,000 worldwide. Five years ago, Kuka’s global data systems operated on disconnected drives with different systems for product lifecycle management (PLM), product data management (PDM) and sometimes only enterprise resource planning (ERP). It embarked on a global journey to digitalize. “The only way a project like this will take and keep is if it had support at the top,” explained Greg LaMay, director, global PLM implementation, Kuka North America, who spoke at the 11th annual Manufacturing in America Summit, which was hosted in…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How connector upgrades fit into an IIoT retrofit
  
  Recommendations for connectors in extreme environments
  
  Maintenance strategies for cable identification
  
  When to use a cable conduit outside the enclosure
- I/O|
  Control for massive foundations
  
  Houlder creates a safe and reliable upending tool to control the lifting of immense offshore wind monopiles
  
  A tool that picks, orients and places a part is common in machine automation. However, when it's part of a wind-farm installation located offshore, it's a rather complex and impressive piece of equipment (Figure 1).Our company, Houlder, was tasked…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to put new legs on legacy
  
  Simplify press maintenance and management through IIoT innovation
  
  Make time for innovation
  
  A link to better diagnostics
- Connectors|
  How connector upgrades fit into an IIoT retrofit
  
  Panel of experts discuss a way to virtually eliminate the cost of wiring in new components in current and future retrofits
  
  While not everyone on our panel of experts is sold on what IIoT can do for connectors today, the possibility to virtually eliminate the cost of wiring makes it as enticing as any other upgrade. As the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) continues…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Recommendations for connectors in extreme environments
  
  Maintenance strategies for cable identification
  
  When to use a cable conduit outside the enclosure
  
  Which wire color coding standard is best?
- Data Acquisition & Monitoring |
  Batch-size-of-one manufacturing and digitalization take center stage
  
  The Manufacturing in America Summit showcased that the world wants what it wants
  
  Detroit is changing. It had to. It hasn’t monopolized American automotive production for almost a decade now. But it has slowly begun to crawl from the wreckage with a more diversified industrial community. The aerospace industry moved in quickly…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Keep systems safe and secure in a connected world
  
  IIoT, meet the edge-gateway controller
  
  The path forward for clean energy
  
  The evolution of IIoT infrastructure
- Wireless|
  Control for massive foundations
  
  Houlder creates a safe and reliable upending tool to control the lifting of immense offshore wind monopiles
  
  A tool that picks, orients and places a part is common in machine automation. However, when it's part of a wind-farm installation located offshore, it's a rather complex and impressive piece of equipment (Figure 1).Our company, Houlder, was tasked…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Light-fidelity communication: technology in progress
  
  The future is flooded with wireless data
  
  What will you engineer next?
  
  12 steps to Li-Fi implementation
- 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
  Codimag improves productivity by limiting service costs
  
  Press technology, motion control and automation combine with remote-monitoring solution to keep label-printing machines in production
  
  The word “label” conjures up many images. They can be utilitarian—for instance, the white background with simple block letters identifying the contents of a file folder in your office. They might be a red warning on a yellow background…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Cybersecurity concerns continue to speckle remote-access compositions
  
  Smart connectivity includes cybersecurity
  
  Keeping the HMI application secure while providing remote viewing
  
  Remove unplanned downtime digitally and securely
Control
- PLCs|
  Should I limit programming to ladder logic or use all standards within IEC 61131?
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I actually need and does limitting help ensure maintenance techs and programmers can provide support?
  
  A Control Design reader writes: Due to past issues with programming support of our automated machines, we have created a requirement for new equipment that the control software meet the IEC 61131 standard, and we have limited the approved controller…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I need?
  
  How to put new legs on legacy
  
  Machine design with maintenance in mind
  
  A better watering can
- PACs|
  Should I limit programming to ladder logic or use all standards within IEC 61131?
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I actually need and does limitting help ensure maintenance techs and programmers can provide support?
  
  A Control Design reader writes: Due to past issues with programming support of our automated machines, we have created a requirement for new equipment that the control software meet the IEC 61131 standard, and we have limited the approved controller…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I need?
  
  Make time for innovation
  
  Forget PLC vs. PAC vs. IPC
  
  How to bridge the automation generation gap
- Power Supplies|
  Power supplies get out of the cabinet
  
  By moving power supplies closer to devices, it enables modular design and reduces thermal-management issues
  
  Moving PLCs, I/O and other control equipment closer to the input and output devices they manage has become standard practice among design professionals. It offers a number of advantages, one of which is that it allows for modular design of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Linear power supply vs. switched
  
  Zero-cabinet power supply
  
  The basics of power supplies in industrial machinery
  
  How much effect will linear power supplies’ EMI have on machine controls?
- Control Software|
  Should I limit programming to ladder logic or use all standards within IEC 61131?
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I actually need and does limitting help ensure maintenance techs and programmers can provide support?
  
  A Control Design reader writes: Due to past issues with programming support of our automated machines, we have created a requirement for new equipment that the control software meet the IEC 61131 standard, and we have limited the approved controller…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I need?
  
  Control for massive foundations
  
  Maintain domain expertise
  
  The fundamentals of motion control systems
- CNC|
  Accurate fishing begins with lights-out manufacturing
  
  Okuma machinery helps aerospace company to evolve into the reel deal
  
  Accurate Fishing Products, in Corona, California, started as a summer work project during my college days in the early 1990s. Design and development of fishing reels in those early years led to the purchase of several Okuma CNC machines and related…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  CNC’s future looks bright
  
  Romeo Engineering leverages PC-based control to improve manufacturing speed and accuracy
  
  Case Study: Harry Major Machine modern gantry improves plant uptime, recovery time
  
  Absolute Machine Tools acquires distributor Machine Tool Technology-21
- Embedded Control|
  PC-based control yields 33% higher controller functionality while reducing cabinet and machine footprints
  
  Edge Automation throws away the box to solve previously unsolvable engineering projects
  
  Good things come in small packages. There is perhaps no better way to describe Edge Automation, a custom machine builder and automation solutions provider based in London, Ontario. Though our company is small—employing around 47 skilled designers,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The IPC adapts to advanced control needs
  
  A control system by any other name
  
  Programming a PLC vs. industrial PC: which is best?
  
  How will greater software capabilities and more powerful CPUs affect IPCs and EOI?
- 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|
  How duplicating designs can build obsolescence and cost in to control systems
  
  It's the little things that add up
  
  As designers, we tend to try and make things as easy on ourselves as possible. One way to do this is to re-use designs when we find a good one. While good, in theory, we can quickly find ourselves behind the times because technology moves along at a…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How machine designers can integrate thermal-protection technology to prevent solid-state relay and equipment failure
  
  Ensure machinery durability and long-term functionality
- Enclosures|
  Reap the benefits of designing for mass production
  
  Economies of scale can lead to discounts and savings that you might not have considered
  
  An opportunity presented itself not too long ago when my company was forced to re-examine the use of some equipment in our two facilities. We package dry goods for a variety of clients using nearly 40 production lines. Such is the nature of our…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The art of designing the cabinet with maintenance in mind
  
  Which enclosure fits my needs?
  
  How will greater software capabilities and more powerful CPUs affect IPCs and EOI?
  
  How to address the need for higher speeds and increased modularity in IPC-in-cabinet design
- 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…
  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|
  Reap the benefits of designing for mass production
  
  Economies of scale can lead to discounts and savings that you might not have considered
  
  An opportunity presented itself not too long ago when my company was forced to re-examine the use of some equipment in our two facilities. We package dry goods for a variety of clients using nearly 40 production lines. Such is the nature of our…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Software to enable design detail
  
  When does control design begin?
  
  Where does electrical CAD software stand with the digital twin?
  
  Simulation technology center slated for University of Cincinnati
- Development Platforms
  Kuka eliminates data silos with PLM software
  
  Global digitalization journey is an ongoing attempt to eliminate tribal knowledge
  
  Kuka Robotics is a global automation powerhouse. One hundred and twenty years after it was founded in Bavaria, Germany, in 1898, Kuka’s annual sales are around $3 billion and its workforce totals more than 12,000 worldwide. Five years ago, Kuka’s global data systems operated on disconnected drives with different systems for product lifecycle management (PLM), product data management (PDM) and sometimes only enterprise resource planning (ERP). It embarked on a global journey to digitalize. “The only way a project like this will take and keep is if it had support at the top,” explained Greg LaMay, director, global PLM implementation, Kuka North America, who spoke at the 11th annual Manufacturing in America Summit, which was hosted in…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Machine design with maintenance in mind
  
  How IP67 and IP69K components affect machine-design decisions
  
  The importance of IIoT in the packaging equipment industry
  
  What industry is doing to address the shortage of experienced technical employees
Motion
- Motors|
  Permanently more efficient motors
  
  Technology is making motors more robust and reliable, while future standards, like permanent-magnetic motors, are driving a more efficient system design
  
  There are two things worth noting on how technology is changing motors. "One is the Internet of Things (IoT) trend," says Michael Offik, PE, director of packaged solutions at ABB. "The motors can be inexpensively monitored. The other is the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Servo motion control makes thermoformer bigger, faster and less expensive
  
  What is motion control?
  
  Manufacturing quality starts with the motor
  
  How will VSDs alter motor efficiency?
- Drives|
  What is motion control?
  
  The fundamentals of motion control focus on the details and theories about motor control, feedback methods and mechanical actuators
  
  Motion control is a bit of a specialty in automated control systems, and its use is not basic, as it can provide advanced machine functionality. It provides the means to move the machine tooling or the part itself in a controlled, and often…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to bore an engineer into retirement
  
  When is the right time to upgrade?
  
  Smart control and drive integration fill the bill
  
  How will VSDs alter motor efficiency?
- Pneumatics|
  Critical alignment really is critical
  
  Why designers, engineers and end-users should not accept rod seal failure as normal
  
  A critical design feature of any mechanism where moving elements interact or work in tandem with each other is the alignment of those parts in relationship to one another. Design engineers commonly specify and make notation on design prints…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to select pneumatic valves and actuators
  
  Why bother with energy efficiency?
  
  The reindustrialization of America
  
  Pneumatic use is all about the fundamentals
- Hydraulics|
  Hydraulic muscle, as needed
  
  Sometimes brute force is needed, and a little hydraulic knowledge can get things moving in the right direction
  
  There is no doubt hydraulics has unmatched muscle, compared to pneumatics or electrical power transmission in linear and rotary motion applications. While pneumatics may win the game when it comes to simple, low-cost and fast linear motion,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Keys to specifying hydraulic power systems
  
  6 surprising capabilities of modern hydraulics
  
  The Straight Skinny on Linear Motion
  
  Webinar: Preparing for Ebola in the Water Sector
- Electromechanical|
  Real automation bias
  
  After a brief look at a study two universities published that suggested robots may make workers sick, my biased opinion says BS to that so I suggest looking forward to the future and to not be the victim who's feeling ill in a safe space
  
  So I quickly read an email summary of a paper where researchers from Ball State and Villanova universities suggested that the fear of automation could be affecting workers' physical and mental health.Really? Maybe it's because I'm a Purdue…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Key positions on encoders
  
  Pick machines, not processes
  
  New innovations in linear motion
  
  How to actuate in dirty, wet environments
- Steppers|
  What is motion control?
  
  The fundamentals of motion control focus on the details and theories about motor control, feedback methods and mechanical actuators
  
  Motion control is a bit of a specialty in automated control systems, and its use is not basic, as it can provide advanced machine functionality. It provides the means to move the machine tooling or the part itself in a controlled, and often…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How do I make precision-motion machinery IIoT-ready?
  
  Motion application drives stepper or servo selection
  
  As machine trends change, motion requirements stay unaffected
  
  Is a stepper or servo best for torque optimization?
- Servos|
  Servo motion control makes thermoformer bigger, faster and less expensive
  
  Largest production steel rule die inline thermoformer in plastics industry features proprietary off-load system
  
  At SencorpWhite, our latest achievement in thermoforming machinery is the Ultra 2, which we believe is the largest production steel rule die inline thermoformer in the global plastics industry (Figure 1). On the machine, which has a footprint of 50…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  What is motion control?
  
  How do I make precision-motion machinery IIoT-ready?
  
  How to tune PID loops
  
  Motion application drives stepper or servo selection
- 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|
  The future direction of control
  
  Add vision guidance to delta robots on packaging equipment and combine it with state-of-the-art controller technology for an image of innovation and the future
  
  Over the years, we have reinvented and repurposed JLS Automation as necessary and moved into new markets as we identified trends and opportunities. More than a decade ago, we decided to focus on hygienic packaging solutions for the food industry,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Where machine automation and design software is heading
  
  PLCopen Software Construction Guidelines released
  
  Programming standardization through IEC 61131
  
  Commission machines with the swipe of a finger
- Robotics
  Congratulations, your job has just been automated
  
  Robots’ affordability makes them more attractive than employees
  
  Chris Cuomo said it—“the A word”—in a broadcast on CNN while talking about the trade tariff row in the early part of March. The A word is automation. He was referring to the job market, and, regardless of the impact of the trade tariffs,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The future direction of control
  
  Robots reach for new heights
  
  Maintain domain expertise
  
  The many movements of robotics
Sensing
- Sensors|
  Smarter and more capable sensors
  
  Optimizing the technology available in a sensor and adding IO-Link may reduce the number of sensor types needed while improving capabilities
  
  Sensors are getting smarter, providing more data than ever. And their vision is improving. "There are a few key technologies related to sensing that are driving change in the automation industry," says Brad Ragozzino, technical marketing manager at Banner Engineering. "The first is smarter sensors that can solve more challenging applications and provide data for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)." These smarter sensors are doing more. "Some laser-measurement sensors can now measure not only distance, but also light intensity," says Ragozzino. "This allows users to do more with a single sensor, solve more challenging applications and perform more reliable inspections." Another important technology driving change in the sensing and…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How does linear measure up?
  
  How duplicating designs can build obsolescence and cost in to control systems
  
  Key positions on encoders
  
  Diagnostic tools of the future
- Vision Systems|
  Where do vision systems fit in the process?
  
  Whether it’s assisting with assembly or improving inspection, vision systems need to be maintained
  
  A Control Design reader writes: As a production engineer at a medical device manufacturer, I have been tasked to investigate the use of vision systems to assist assembly and to improve our quality and inspection processes, but I'm feeling…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to bridge the automation generation gap
  
  What will you engineer next?
  
  TIM the robot monitors the health of CERN's large hadron collider
  
  How to develop reliable vision applications
- Presence Sensing|
  Which devices do it all for presence sensing?
  
  How to choose between proximity sensor, photo eye and fiberoptic sensor
  
  A Control Design reader writes: We had downtime on a production machine due to failure of a presence sensor recently. The inductive sensor that failed had a unique form factor and was embedded in a part nest. My boss was not happy; production shut…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Smarter and more capable sensors
  
  Drive roller conveyors with AS-Interface
  
  Do I really need a presence sensor?
  
  See what’s new with photoelectric sensors
- Process Variables
  Hot options for temperature measurement
  
  Thermistors, thermocouples and RTDs offer a range of devices
  
  Several distinct methods exist for industrial temperature measurement. The most common is direct temperature sensing of an object, fluid or gas. A sensor of some type is placed in direct contact with the object to be measured. The sensor changes its…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to troubleshoot and calibrate 4-20 mA
  
  How to tune PID loops
  
  Process variables and the art of calibrating instruments
  
  Sensors: Automation for Nanopositioning Systems
Safety & Security
- Safety Components|
  More methods for planning a safety upgrade
  
  Seven industry experts on how to consider design, integration, testing and operation
  
  A Control Design reader writes: I work at a packaging plant where safety upgrades to palletizing equipment excessively stopped the machine and confused multiple technicians, ultimately leading to some of the safety measures being bypassed, which…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to plan a safety upgrade
  
  A complete safety solution
  
  Intrinsic safety comes with requirements
  
  Options for HMIs in explosive atmospheres
- Machine Guarding|
  Compliance for robots in collaborative and other applications
  
  Finding common ground in a world of numerous environments.
  
  Compared to traditional industrial sectors, robotics is a relatively young field with only about 40 years of deployment history in workplace environments. Technology within this field however is advancing incredibly fast, and thus compliance needs to adapt to keep pace with these rapid changes. Another challenge is how to convey the myriad facets of compliance comprehensibly to end customers and integrators for issues such as knowing when a robot system is really compliant or what the requirements to which the robot and robot system have to comply are. The first thing, which has to be clarified for the topic of compliance, is always in what industry and for which purpose the robot system will be used. Compliance requirements differ from…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to make the right safety and sensing decisions
  
  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
- Cybersecurity
  4 solutions to the 3 biggest cybersecurity challenges
  
  Industrial control systems need protection, too
  
  Cybersecurity and the threat of malicious actors make headlines every day. Boards of directors are recognizing cyber threats as one of the most significant risks. To date, this cybersecurity discussion has centered largely on IT systems; however,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Zero day cyber threats
  
  DOD-backed DMDII Cyber Hub for Manufacturing enables cybersecurity technology experimentation for factory floor
  
  Technology and the future of employment
  
  The Internet's unintended consequences
Displays
- HMI|
  3 HMI configurations for hazardous areas
  
  Examine the environment to decide the best approach for putting electrical equipment in locations with extreme conditions
  
  Putting any electrical equipment in a hazardous location requires a careful examination of the environment where it’s installed. Articles 500-506 of NFPA 70 and IEC 60079 provide definitions of hazardous locations. Finding a graphic or numeric…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Machine design with maintenance in mind
  
  How innovation drives medical production
  
  The stack light gets brighter
  
  HMI decision points
- 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 ensure the panels' maintainability. In it, he outlines a hefty list of these considerations for designers and builders. Check them out below and read the full article, "Control panel design with maintenance in mind," here. According to Fitchett, here are some considerations for designers and builders of control panels that will help ensure the panels' maintainability: Have an outside-the-panel PLC communication port and fused 120-V outlet. If it's an ac-powered PLC, have the line filter on…
  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|
  The extreme IPC
  
  IPCs get the job done and are right at home on the factory floor, where the office PC is a bit out of its element.
  
  The benefits of using an industrial computer (IPC) instead of a commercial-grade PC when the application required rugged and reliable equipment are numerous. IPCs can cost three to five times as much as their commercial-grade counterparts. However,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Vendor-supplied or open-source HMI software?
  
  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
- Alarms|
  Manage alarms without being overwhelmed
  
  Operators need different information than maintenance personnel
  
  The most critical HMI notification, the alarm, has important information for both operators and maintenance personnel. Our panel of experts advises how to manage alarms to ensure high-severity alarms receive the attention they need. Alarms are an…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  3 alarm types to manage with HMI
  
  The best ways to indicate alarms and to confirm proper operator action
  
  The human factors of panel layout
  
  Harsh environments call for more rugged components
- Annunciation
  How duplicating designs can build obsolescence and cost in to control systems
  
  It's the little things that add up
  
  As designers, we tend to try and make things as easy on ourselves as possible. One way to do this is to re-use designs when we find a good one. While good, in theory, we can quickly find ourselves behind the times because technology moves along at a…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Why and when to upgrade from indicator lights to an HMI display
  
  Harsh environments call for more rugged components
  
  Do stack lights make the most sense for my assembly line?
  
  Consider the Need for Safety Switches

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Articles

Control for massive foundations

Houlder creates a safe and reliable upending tool to control the lifting of immense offshore wind monopiles
How to put new legs on legacy

Old equipment can breathe new life with some creativity and a controls upgrade
Simplify press maintenance and management through IIoT innovation

Press builder Eagle Press & Equipment is using machine-mount I/O and the technology of IO-Link
Make time for innovation

The next big thing could be right in front of your nose

News

Where do you get the I/O for the IIoT?

Product Announcements

Balluff Inductive sensors for Safety Over IO-Link
Balluff Emergency stop for Safety Over IO-Link
Delta Computer Systems Motion controller with expanded I/O options
Maple Systems PLCs with built-in and expandable I/O

More Product Announcements

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01

How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I need?

Should we limit programming to ladder logic to ensure maintenance techs…
02

Emerson to buy Aventics from Triton

The two companies have reached an agreement on terms and the regulatory…
03

Should I limit programming to ladder logic or use all standards within IEC 61131?

How many IEC 61131-3 languages do I actually need and does limitting help…
04

The essentials of the "IIoT-Ready" machine

Learn about the rise of the IIoT-ready machine, the heart of the…
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Beckhoff Automation Control panels and panel PCs

The CP6x00 line of control panels and panel PCs includes three…

01

Permanently more efficient motors

Technology is making motors more robust and reliable, while future…
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Schneider Electric tech helps restore giant tortoises to the Galapagos islands

Listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Wildlife Fund, the…
03

What size wire makes the most sense?

And how temperature and power requirements affect your decision-making
04

Power supplies get out of the cabinet

By moving power supplies closer to devices, it enables modular design and…
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PC-based control yields 33% higher controller functionality while reducing cabinet and machine footprints

Edge Automation throws away the box to solve previously unsolvable…

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Forget PLC vs. PAC vs. IPC

Choosing a controller is about the application requirements and meeting…
02

The fundamentals of motion control systems

A visual primer for the essential components of motion controls
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Accurate fishing begins with lights-out manufacturing

Okuma machinery helps aerospace company to evolve into the reel deal
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How will VSDs alter motor efficiency?

New ideas for tying motors and variable-speed drives together for better…
05

Machine design with maintenance in mind

When it comes to machine maintenance, pay me now, or you will pay me later

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How can we reduce the noise?

Alternatives to help sort out the best course of action for resolving…
02

Control panel design starts with the basics

Don't confuse control panel design with the environmental rating or…
03

PLC vs. Arduino for industrial control

Can a $20 micro-controller equal a PLC for a real-world industrial control…
04

Learning IEC 61131-3 programming Languages

A system integrator asks our readers about receiving education on…
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How do we synchronize motor speeds?

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

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