March 2014 Issue
Articles
Are the PLCs' days numbered?
Machines With IP Addresses and Ethernet Links to PC-Based Controls May Simply Eliminate the Need for PLCs Altogether
If robots do our jobs, what will we do?
Where Is the Point at Which the Massive and Virtually Immeasurable Benefits of Technology Are Negated by Its Harmful Effects on Individuals, Economies and Societies?
Undergrad prep for future industrial jobs
There Are Pre- and Post- Graduate Career Opportunities Out There to Give You the Experience Employers Look for in New Hires
OEM builds flexible machines for demanding customers
Ehrhardt Combines User Input, Experience and Quality to Create Flexible Machines for Manufacturing Appliances, HVAC Units and Other Products
The Manufacturing Union Solution
Unions and Companies Need to Build an Environment of Trust and Cooperation, but the Fulcrum Needs to be Availability and Removal of the Disruption Index
How Technology Has Influenced Engineers
Work in Harmony: Despite Differences in Their Approach to Problem-Solving, Older and Younger Engineers Begin to Appreciate Each Others’ Skill Sets and Methods
What's at controllers' cores? Flexibility
Some Users Reorganize or Replace RTOS and Kernels in Their Operating Systems to Gain New Performance Capabilities
Safe HMI operation
Our Editors Browse the Web Searching for the Latest Information on HMIs. See What They Found
Why Machine Builders Mismatch Components
Why Did That Designer Put Such a Smorgasbord of Components on That Erector? Were They Simply What Was on the OEM's Shelf at the Time? Maybe That's What the Distributors Had Available When the Machine Was Constructed?
Media Converter Puts Ethernet on Blue Hose
If Remote I/O Is Being Discontinued, Do Users Have to Replace All Their Network Wiring?
Industrial sensors offer more connectivity options
No Matter the Magnitude of the Amount of Machine or Process Data Needed in Manufacturing Operations These Days, Sensor Suppliers Are Providing More Network Connectivity Possibilities With Their Devices
News
Mining Gets a Really Big Wheel
BelAZ-75710, the world’s largest, mining, two-axle, all-wheel-drive dump truck with weight-carrying capacity of 450 metric tons, is powered by a Siemens MMT500 ac traction drive system.
Industrial Safety: Asia to Top Market for Machine-Safety Components
The world market for discrete machine-safety components was estimated at $3.4 billion in 2012, reports research firm IHS. The American market accounted for 21% and Asia 20%. The remaining 59% of 2012 revenues were in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Autodesk to Accelerate Design-Led Revolution
Autodesk Launched the Autodesk Foundation, Which Will Invest in and Support the Nonprofit Organizations Using the Power of Design to Help Solve Epic Challenges.