Plant Engineering articles from April 2009

Plant Engineering archives from April 2009

Getting linked in to all sides of the jobs issue.(Column)
April 1, 2009... Bob Vavra, Editor It began as another way to look for young manufacturing professionals as part of our Future 30 initiative. It turned into a discussion of the many facets of the current crises in manufacturing employment. I wrote an...

Managing collaborative production.
April 1, 2009... By Marc Leroux, ABB Inc. The "next generation of MES" brings greater agility, transparency to the process Manufacturing Execution Systems have been around for almost 20 years, yet the adoption of them has been sporadic, and the results...

Thermal modeling protects motors without overtripping.
April 1, 2009... By Mark Zeller, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. Today's modern microprocessor-based protection relays offer much more than the standard motor protection provided by electromechanical relays. Advanced features include motor-heating,...

Aluminum rotors.
April 1, 2009... Staff A new line of NEMA Premium efficient motors offers users a choice between aluminum and copper rotors. They are available in general purpose, severe duty, IEEE 841, modified and custom-built motor configurations. Siemens Energy &...

Sealed limit switches.
April 1, 2009... Staff Models MP730 through MP760 sealed limit switches have the ability to connect through an M12 connector, which maintains the switch's IP67 protection. The connector can be mounted on either the side or the bottom. The switches are...

Stepper drives.
April 1, 2009... Staff The STM fuses stepper motor, drive and controller technologies into a single device. The "S" models offer control options such as step and direction, analog input, joystick control and serial host commands, while the "Q" models add...

LED luminaire.
April 1, 2009... Staff The EV LED is a Class I, Div. 1 factory-sealed light-emitting diode (LED) luminaire for general illumination. The LED expected operating life is more than 50,000 hours. LEDs offer better lumen maintenance and optical efficiency,...

Selecting the right low-voltage power fuse.
April 1, 2009... By Robert Lyons Jr., Ferraz Shawmut LLC Since the first United States fuse patent was issued to Thomas Edison in 1880, known simply as safety wire, the fuse has evolved into a device more complex than credited. Today, a typical plant...

Controlling motion remotely.
April 1, 2009... By Zuri H. Evans, Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. Today, using the Internet to remotely access your manufacturing equipment and production processes is a lot like using Google Earth to see if your house is on fire. You can see the house on...

Three-phase UPS.
April 1, 2009... Staff The FirstLine three-phase UPS line has been expanded to include a new 37.5 kVA model. With a standard battery run-time of more than six minutes, the UPS has front-end harmonic correction, which eliminates the need for additional...

Control transformers.
April 1, 2009... Staff The HPS Fortress series of encapsulated control transformers has been expanded. Single-phase units are available in 0.50 kVA to 5 kVA. Units are encapsulated with electrical grade silica sand and resin compounds. The NEMA 3R...

Cooper Bussmann plans two-year productivity tour.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Cooper Bussmann is taking its Productivity Through Protection message to North America throughout 2009 and 2010. The Productivity Through Protection (PTP) Tour is an electrical technology and training program designed for...

Transformer maintenance saves costs in emergencies.
April 1, 2009... Staff Businesses that suffer a power transformer failure on their site could face bills running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hopefully this unfortunate event will be covered by insurance. Most insurance companies however will...

Global OEM growth drives machine business.
April 1, 2009... Staff The shipments of automation components to the OEM machine builder and system integrator market rely upon increasingly more advanced automation to remain competitive. The worldwide market for production machinery automation is...

Wurldtech, exida partner.(Wurldtech Security Technologies partnerd with exida.com L.L.C.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Wurldtech Security Technologies and exida have entered into a strategic partnership that integrates Wurldtech's Achilles cyber security certification program into exida's safety service portfolio. The agreement also establishes a...

Making sense of inductive proximity sensing.
April 1, 2009... By Tony Udelhoven, TURCK Production quality and speed are two requirements in today's fast-paced automation environments. Inductive proximity sensing can help ensure both, with digital and analog versions available to suit different needs....

Using ERP to make lot-tracking a precise process.
April 1, 2009... By Jay Deakins, Deacom Inc. It's 2 a.m. when you get a call from your largest customer. Your No. 1 drug has been linked to illnesses throughout the country. You identify a bad raw material that created the problem. Meanwhile, CNN is camped...

Future 30.
April 1, 2009... Staff Manufacturing's future is already on the job Young people are finding their way to manufacturing, and are finding success. Plant Engineering's Future 30 program is a year-long series highlighting the future manufacturing...

Reader Feedback.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... Staff Don't overlook experience to address the Skills Gap in manufacturing The February cover story, "The Skills Gap" and a subsequent post by editor Bob Vavra on a LinkedIn page discussing the Skills Gap and workforce development...

Two-stage stationary air compressors.
April 1, 2009... Staff Electric two-stage, vertical-tank stationary air compressors provide 175 PSI and displace between 9.1 and 43.6 cfm. With 16 models available, each compressor is equipped with a two-stage cast-iron pump and a powder-coated,...

Harsh-environment filters.
April 1, 2009... Staff Balston stainless-steel harsh environment filters are designed to remove 99.99% of oil, water, rust and pipescale particles of 0.01 micron in size and larger from compressed air and other gases. The filters are available in ¼-...

Air gun.
April 1, 2009... Staff The single air nozzle Super Blast safety air gun delivers 23 pounds of blowing force. Suitable for long distance, wide-area blowoff, drying and cooling applications, the gun incorporates a large Super Air Nozzle that is engineered to...

Oil-lubricated screw compressor.
April 1, 2009... Staff Suitable for applications requiring large use of compressed air, the 350 hp S 341 screw compressor is available in standard pressures of 8, 10 and 13 bar. Output capacities range from 1,119 cfm to 1,441 cfm. The unit's horizontal...

Raising the roof on automated storage and retrieval systems.
April 1, 2009... By Juergen Conrad and Laura Worker, Westfalia Technologies Inc. In recent years, an increasing number of North American companies have invested in automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) to realize efficiency gains and optimize...

Thermal imaging camera.
April 1, 2009... Staff The Mikron MikroSHOT is a radiometric thermal imager that provides pocket-sized portability. Featuring thermal-on-visible mode, which allows radiometric temperature data to be displayed directly on the visible image, it offers a...

Vacuum components.
April 1, 2009... Staff A line of vacuum system components for building and repairing robotics, automation, pick-and-place and EOAT includes a variety of suspensions, fittings, brackets and suction cups. The vacuum stems and load-leveling extensions have...

Acting, doodling and sharing all aid in training sessions.
April 1, 2009... By Bill Wilder, Life Cycle Engineering Think back to when you first learned how to ride a bike. Did you learn it by sitting in a conference room while someone read PowerPoint slides, or perhaps through watching a video? No. You learned by...

Effective energy management saves money, the environment.
April 1, 2009... By Ted Clayton, Kaman Industrial Technologies Energy costs can be lowered in many ways, and using components such as high-efficiency motors and variable-frequency drives to do so are good starts to any energy-management program. But real...

Dewatering pumps.
April 1, 2009... Staff Pit Boss air-operated diaphragm pumps are available in three discrete port sizes and handle solids and de-watering needs in a variety of applications. The pumps offer suction lift and flow rates up to 217 gpm (824 lpm), and feature a...

Automated ball valve.
April 1, 2009... Staff The Series 3BV2 automated ball valve incorporates a full port design for maximum flow rates with minimal pressure drop. The ANSI 150# flange comes in a variety of connection sizes, to suit many applications. It features a...

Minimizing pressure drop keeps system, energy consumption under control.
April 1, 2009... By Britt Shipley, Sullair Corp. Over the last 30 to 40 years, compressed air requirements have changed significantly. Older pneumatic equipment and processes were not very sophisticated and could withstand the abuse to which they were...

Drum filler.
April 1, 2009... Staff The Model ADO-5520 is a dual-lance drum filler that automatically rotates each drum, locates and aligns the bung openings, positions each drum and then shuttles them to the fill station. When converted to a twin pail filler, the...

Automated blowdown system.
April 1, 2009... Staff The Model 61 boiler blowdown system modulates the blowdown control valve to facilitate the maximum level of dissolved solids regardless of load conditions. A rack-mount, plug-and-play system, its modular design includes a 316...

Don't drop the drum.
April 1, 2009... By Mike Zinngrabe, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties The proper handling, storage and dispensing of industrial lubricants is vital to help protect plant personnel against health hazards and to minimize the risk of environmental...

Delivering a world of solutions.
April 1, 2009... By Bob Vavra, Editor Top Plant, Product of the Year winners celebrate at Manufacturing Summit Providing global solutions for manufacturers, and showing how those solutions can lead to great global competitiveness in manufacturing were...