Plant Engineering articles from April 2008

Plant Engineering archives from April 2008

Moving toward PACs.(programmable automation controllers)
April 15, 2008... By Matt Mekschun, Schneider Electric Years ago, it was easier to delimit the scenarios that mandated use of a programmable logic controller versus those of some sort of PC-based control. PLCs handled the hardware I/O control quickly and...

Alarm management life cycle provides process insight.
April 15, 2008... By Prasad Pai, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms As HMI/SCADA systems transition from being visualization tools to analytical tools, alarm management systems have gained importance and are now central to the success of an effective control...

There's virtue in earning fiscal and eternal profits.
April 15, 2008... Bob Vavra, Editor The Vatican announced in March that pollution is a sin. Apparently, 'Thou shalt not kill' now includes the environment. It's an interesting concept from both theological and regulatory standpoints. We've seen how many...

Plugging in the numbers.(calculators to measure energy usage)
April 15, 2008... By Bob Vavra, Editor Calculators give managers an insight into energy use Some days, it takes all the energy we can muster just to deal with all the energy issues. We're facing another summer of making the best of escalating...

Acument acquires, reopens Camcar.
April 15, 2008... Jack Smith In a move that will create jobs and open a new chapter in the city's long history of supplying assembly systems and technology to global producers of commercial and military aircraft, Acument Global Technologies Inc. announced...

Brushless dc motors: More power from a smaller package.(direct current)
April 15, 2008... Mike Marhoefer Today's brushless dc motors and gearmotors combine many of the best features of both ac and dc drive systems. Just like ac motors, brushless dc motors eliminate brush maintenance, dust and brush-generated electromagnetic...

Transpara, OSIsoft announce OEM relationship.
April 15, 2008... Staff Transpara Corp. and OSIsoft have reached an agreement to form an OEM relationship in which OSIsoft's PI historian will be embedded into Transpara's Visual KPI software. Transpara is a provider of operations intelligence software that...

Research indicates Lean leads to best manufacturing.(Brief article)
April 15, 2008... Staff A recently released research report from Aberdeen Group revealed that best-in-class manufacturers realize 21% more on-time deliveries, have a 37% higher level of OEE and their total inventory costs are 83% lower when compared to...

North American companies may miss REACH deadline.
April 15, 2008... Staff Despite a Nov. 30 deadline, many business leaders appear lax about taking steps to comply with the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals legislation, or REACH, according to a survey released March 11 by...

Siemens, RIT announce partnership.(Siemens Energy & Automation Inc.)(Rochester Institute of Technology)(Brief article)
April 15, 2008... Staff Rochester Institute of Technology and Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. announced a new research and education partnership, which seeks to enhance real-world training for engineering students, while improving the safety and design of...

'Are we there yet?'.(implementing continuous improvement programs)
April 15, 2008... By Bob Call, Life Cycle Engineering Hazards of implementing new programs or processes too fast or too early Anyone who has been a parent, or for that matter anyone who has been a child, knows the phrase, 'Are we there yet?' very well....

Picking robotic tooling for palletizing.
April 15, 2008... By Earl Wohlrab, FKI Logistex Manufacturing Systems By asking the right questions, companies can design robotic systems that maximize end-of-line efficiency and ROI Today's manufacturers have started looking downstream more and more...

IT: The eighth hidden waste.
April 15, 2008... By Kevin Prouty, Motorola Information technology is tasked with creating a technology infrastructure that is more flexible, responsive and adaptable to a company's growing and changing needs while pursuing efficiency and tighter management...

Application of RFID technology in the manufacturing process.
April 15, 2008... By Mark Waggoner, Kim Automation Inc. The use of RFID technology in the manufacturing process can bring many benefits and potential cost savings. RFID technology has been more rapidly accepted in the manufacturing process because the RFID...

Gear oil.
April 15, 2008... Staff Mobilgear 600 XP Gear Oil series is engineered to deliver wear and corrosion protection for gearboxes. The gear oil surpasses industry specifications such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02. It is...

Metalworking lube.
April 15, 2008... Staff Accu-Lube LB4600 is a natural, environmentally safe metalworking lubricant recommended for MQL operations in non-ferrous machining processes such as sawing and machining of aluminum. The base oil is made from renewable vegetable...

Lever action barrel pump.
April 15, 2008... Staff Model 1340 lever action barrel pump is designed for industrial and other applications. The unit's extended pump body improves top-of-barrel clearance while providing a 14.0 fluid ounce minimum flow per stroke. The pump features a...

Lubricant loosens rust, stops squeaks.
April 15, 2008... Staff Molykote L-0501 high-performance lubricant is a multi-purpose penetrating oil formulated to loosen rusted parts, stop squeaks and provide corrosion resistance and long-term lubrication. The lubricant is designed for applications such...

Combination hammer, drill.
April 15, 2008... Staff The TE 40-AVR Combihammer features a 1,010-W motor. Applications include hammer-drilling in concrete, masonry and natural stone; light chiseling, socket cutting using percussion core bits up to 3A1/2 inch; and high torque drilling in...

Cold shoes.
April 15, 2008... Staff Cold shoes are fabricated with A-36 carbon steel and permali block insulation. The carbon steel is hot-dipped galvanized for protection and the permali block insulation, between the base plate and the saddle, functions to insulate...

Motor feedback system.
April 15, 2008... Staff VFS 60 Motor Feedback Systems are available in a blind hollow-shaft configuration, which has just one point of potential access, thus reducing the potential for contamination by dust, dirt or water. The encoders feature a nickel code...

Software package.
April 15, 2008... Staff Drive System Explorer (DSE) Lite 2.02 supports user-designed configurations and offers real-time monitoring and charting. The software works with Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems. It communicates with AC650V, AC690+,...

Vision system.
April 15, 2008... Staff In-Sight Micro vision system features EasyBuilder configuration software and VisionView operator interface display. Software walks users through the process of setting up a vision application. The operator interface panel monitors...

Proximity sensors.
April 15, 2008... Staff The E57 inductive proximity sensors are three-wire devices that feature short-circuit and reverse-polarity protection. The sensors are available in 5 and 8 millimeter diameters with a stainless steel or Ni-brass housing. The sensor's...

Wireless submeters.
April 15, 2008... Staff Three-phase kWh submeters with 15-minute interval data recording capability feature a module for interfacing the installed base, a self-configuring mesh network communications in a 915 MHz license-free band and 500-foot line-of-sight...

Vertical order picker.
April 15, 2008... Staff EKS 110 Vertical Order Picker facilitates order picking with four lift-height options. The platform/load section can be raised to 118 inches, allowing items to be picked up from heights up to 15 feet. Its lifting capacity is rated at...

Polymer system.
April 15, 2008... Staff The UV15-7DC is a one component, optically clear, non-yellowing UV- and heat-curable polymer system. It contains no solvents, and the typical cure times range from five seconds to three minutes. The system adheres to several...

Rotary disconnect switch.
April 15, 2008... Staff Upgraded UL98 rotary disconnect switch includes a range of pistol handles and shafts and a rod-driven option for flange-operated switches. The pistol handles can be used in double-door applications and for NEMA 1, 3R and 12...

Bearing units.
April 15, 2008... Staff Marathon mounted bearing units integrate a stainless steel, dual-sealing system to protect against contaminants and resist corrosion. The sealing arrangement consists of a double-lip insert seal, an AISI 304 stainless steel finger...

Switch unit.
April 15, 2008... Staff The Rotation Switch series uses a rotating vane as a sensor to detect the level of dust or powdered material. A brushless synchronous motor turns the vane, and the unit is designed for powdered materials with densities greater than...

Infrared camera system.
April 15, 2008... Staff The Ex|CAM AF-series, fixed infrared cameras are certified for use in explosive dust atmospheres. The camera provides 24/7/365 real-time thermal imagery to process operators and prevents spontaneous combustion by monitoring for...

New white paper additions provide a variety of plant-floor knowledge.
April 15, 2008... Staff White papers and case studies provide a wealth of knowledge on specific subjects for busy plant engineers. From issues ranging from OEE to spray performance, from Fieldbus to insulation, PlantEngineering .com offers a growing library...

New Website focuses on electric motor efficiency.(Website overview)
April 15, 2008... Staff Power Efficiency Corp., a green energy company focused on efficiency technologies for electric motors, has launched its new Website at www.powerefficiency.com . The new site allows users to search company and product information and...

Know the drill: Three tips offer a 'bit' of help.
April 15, 2008... Staff The 1994 edition of Plant Engineering 's Tips & Tricks featured a number of questions about drilling, including tips on drilling through metal without shavings falling into equipment. Here are three good drilling tips from that...

Manufacturing excellence.
April 15, 2008... By Bob Vavra, Editor 2007 Top Plant, Product of the Year honorees deliver quality Quality manufacturing is the sum of its thousands of parts, both human and mechanical. The best of both were on display at the Plant Engineering...

The many flavors of energy efficiency.
April 15, 2008... By Marc Hoffman, Consortium for Energy Efficiency Utilities offer manufacturers a taste of saving money on energy. Remember when you were a kid, and you couldn't decide which flavor of ice cream to get, so you chose Neapolitan: vanilla,...