Plant Engineering articles from February 2007

Plant Engineering archives from February 2007

In the beginning….
February 1, 2007... By Lindsay Saran When Plant Engineering magazine was introduced in November 1947, the United States was transitioning from World War II and the Cold War. The United States emerged from World War II to face a political and military scene...

The future-shock of 1956 is close to today's reality.
February 1, 2007... By Bob Vavra, Editor The design of the new manufacturing facility capitalized on the surge in cell phones with built-in TV receivers. The facility was designed with Lean manufacturing in mind - no on-site storage for raw materials or...

Embracing RFID technology drives process improvements.
February 1, 2007... By Sujeet Chand, Rockwell Automation Depending on who you talk to or what you read, radio frequency identification is either going to revolutionize business practices the way the Internet did, or it will simply become another information...

Blurring the line between PLC and DCS.
February 1, 2007... By Jack Smith, Managing Editor Is a hybrid system the right solution for your plant? If you work at a refinery or chemical plant, chances are its processes are under direct control of a distributed control system. Industries on the...

Discovering the right time and the right place.(materials management)
February 1, 2007... Bob Vavra, Editor If manufacturing is organized chaos, then the warehouse is where that organization lives - or where the chaos lives. The process of making things works only if you have someplace to receive the raw materials, and then...

UPS on the front line.(uninterruptible power supplies)
February 1, 2007... By Scott Siddens, Contributing Editor Uninterruptible power supplies must be rugged, flexible to meet plant floor challenges Computers in industrial plants and other types of technical operations have moved to the production floor. And...

Energy efficiency the hot (and cold) topic at AHR.
February 1, 2007... Bob Vavra The huge crowds that poured into the AHR Expo in Dallas on Jan. 29 through Jan. 31 came with a number of issues to explore, but energy efficiency topped the list. While suppliers were coming forward with solutions - it was hard...

Spotlight on: Leading change in manufacturing.(on-demand manufacturing)(Emerson Motor Technology)
February 1, 2007... Bob Vavra Manufacturers are challenged daily to make their products on-demand for customers who seek customization. Manufacturing suppliers often watch this trend from a distance while delivering their traditional product lines in a...

People.
February 1, 2007... Staff Tom Kopanski , is the new vice president of power distribution and controls division of Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. Raj Batra , vice president of the automotive and aerospace center of competence, succeeds Kopanski as vice...

Report claims global expansion a positive for U.S. growth.
February 1, 2007... Staff A January report from the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI put forth an argument that for some in the manufacturing sector amounts to calling the sky green and the sun purple. The report contends foreign expansion by U.S. companies is...

MHIA provides outlook on industry at ProMat.(Industry overview)
February 1, 2007... Kevin Campbell It was a steadying message coming from the Material Handling Industry of America during its press conference, held during the ProMat 2007 trade show at Chicago's McCormick Place. Brian McNamara, executive chairman,...

Wireless system detects open circuits.
February 1, 2007... Jack Smith St. Louis-based circuit protection manufacturer Cooper Bussmann has expanded its fuse-making role to become another company to leverage the benefits of wireless technology. Announced on Feb. 13, the Cooper InVision system...

Pennsylvania manufacturer taps into regional resources.(J.A. Reinhardt and Company Inc.)
February 1, 2007... By William J. Desciak, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, Inc. J.A. Reinhardt & Co., Inc. is an engineering and manufacturing company located in the heart of the Pocono Mountains in Mountainhome, PA. It designs,...

Automation, Lean join forces to keep products moving.
February 1, 2007... By Kevin Campbell, Senior Editor Material handling systems deliver solutions throughout the supply chain Ever since Henry Ford perfected what has become the modern-day assembly line, manufacturers have attempted to improve the concept....

Get better welds during plant maintenance.
February 1, 2007... By Neal Borchert and Ken Stanzel, Miller Electric Keep your skills sharp and your focus on safety, quality and proper technique The ability to make good welds is vital to plant maintenance. However, for many plant engineers, welding is...

Turn 'little innovations' into big cost reductions.
February 1, 2007... By Ron Moore, The RM Group, Inc. One of the clarion calls in all businesses is to innovate - that is, they must develop or access the latest advance in technology, products or processes in order to gain a competitive advantage. Yet many...

Micro PLC.
February 1, 2007... Staff The ELC PLC includes built-in I/O on its CPUs to operate as a standalone controller. It has the ability to add expansion modules to its no-rack design by snapping them into mating connectors. The controllers are available in 10, 12...

Hydraulic bulk-bag conditioner.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staff The hydraulic bulk-bag conditioner loosens bulk solid material that has solidified during storage and shipment, enabling bulk-bag unloaders to discharge it through bag spouts. The conditioner features two hydraulic rams with...

Bridge mill.
February 1, 2007... Staff The Hi-Net DMC-1500HN is suitable for aerospace manufacturers and mold/die shops wanting speed, rigidity and precision in a double-column machining center. The 33,000-pound heavyweight bridge mill is engineered for high-speed net...

Temperature data logger.
February 1, 2007... Staff The submersible temperature data logger is a battery-powered, stand-alone device that can record up to 32,767 temperatures ranging from -40 to 302 degrees F. Suitable for harsh, high-temperature environments, its real-time clock...

Firmware.
February 1, 2007... Staff The 9000 series ring manager features N-Ring technology and offers expanded ring-size capacity, a detailed fault diagnostic and a standard heal time of 30 milliseconds. For managing, detecting and restoring ring breaks, the ring...

Lighting control transformers.
February 1, 2007... Staff Now available in RoHS-compliant designs, lighting control transformers automatically reset after experiencing an overload situation. The environmentally safe transformers are suitable for lighting control panels or wherever Class 2...

Drum carts.
February 1, 2007... Staff The Loboy ultra-low-ground-clearance drum cart has a low center of gravity design, facilitating towing without tipping. The fully welded cart features rounded corners and smoothed edges, a built-in, 11-gallon capacity overflow...

Blower product line.
February 1, 2007... Staff An updated blower product catalog features 20 pages detailing the entire line of premium Omega rotary-lobe blowers and blower packages from 3 hp to 300 hp and flows up to 5,350 cfm. It includes the latest models in the Omega Pak and...

Detent-action rotary switches.
February 1, 2007... Staff Series 24 switches have a maximum of eight positions and are designed with contacts enclosed in molded phenolic insulators to protect against contamination. Available with a choice of handle shapes, UL-recognized and CSA-certified,...

Wire stripper/cutter.
February 1, 2007... Staff The 505 adjustable wire stripper/cutter is a compact, industrial-duty wire stripper and cutter that locks closed for easy storage and features a thumb-adjustable cam for matching the wire gauge size. It accommodates different wire...

Grinding wheels.
February 1, 2007... Staff Type 27 depressed center grinding wheels feature a non-woven cotton fiber construction and aluminum oxide abrasive grains bonded together with a resilient latex bond. Formulated for aggressive stock removal and one-step finishing on...

Plastic bag filters.
February 1, 2007... Staff All-plastic Polyline bag filters can filter a range of corrosive fluids. An alternative to metal-alloy filters, they can be used in ultrapure filtration applications where metallic and other types of contamination are a concern. The...

Servo motor control card.
February 1, 2007... Staff The PCM-3240 is a PC/104 four-axis stepping/pulse-type servo motor control card that simplifies stepping and pulse-type servo motor control, providing added motor performance. It has been modified to fit into a standard PC/104 board,...

High-temperature remote viewing systems.
February 1, 2007... Staff Capable of operating in temperatures up to 3,500 degrees F (air-cooled model) or 4,000 degrees F (water-cooled), FireSight high-temperature remote viewing systems are suitable for use in power plants, steel mills, paper mills, glass...

Electrical training program.
February 1, 2007... Staff Electrical Safe Work Practices, a computer-based presentation, is extracted from the material covered in the full text training module on Electrical Safe Work Practices, also included in this package. It provides the information...

Seamless epoxy floor resurfacer.
February 1, 2007... Staff Pour-N-Walk is an easy-to-apply, self-leveling, epoxy-strength floor resurfacer. The 100% solid formula provides a smooth, glossy, uniform surface that covers spalled and damaged concrete floors. Pour-N-Walk is designed to be...

High-voltage cold-shrink termination.
February 1, 2007... Staff Cold-shrink silicone rubber termination kits QT-III, 7672-S-8 (RW) for 69/72,5 kV are designed for indoor or outdoor use. They meet or exceed the requirements of IEC 60840 for 72,5 kV, and solid dielectric insulation, such as PE,...

Safe operator panels.
February 1, 2007... Staff The Termex family of intrinsically safe text and graphic operator panels feature a monochrome LCD for flexible and cost-effective PLC and computer-based operation and monitoring of machines and processes located in hazardous areas....

Mist/smoke eliminator.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staff Exceeding international health and safety standards, including OSHA/NIOSH guidelines, ScandMist uses a three-stage filtration system to separate oil fumes, oil mist and emulsion mist, even under extreme operating conditions and...

Double-deck screener.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staff Suitable for pharmaceutical, food and dairy applications, as well as chemical applications where cross-contamination is a concern, the Vibroscreen ultra-sanitary, double-deck screener for scalping, de-dusting and dewatering of...

Sealed linear ball bearings.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staff Pre-lubricated sealed linear ball bearings are available in both compact and standard metric versions. All are fitted with integral double-lip seals to retain lubricant and protect against contamination. Seals consist of an inner lip...

Electronic indexer.(Danaher Motion)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staff The rotary indexer product set is a fully programmable, direct-drive solution that provides precise, repeatable and flexible electronic indexing in a compact package. Quickly and easily programmed to go in almost any direction at...

Boilers and water heaters.
February 1, 2007... Staff Recent enhancements made to the line of low NOx KC1000 high-efficiency boilers and water heaters support sealed combustion and can be configured to support dual-fuel (natural gas or propane) applications. The units will not require...

Online registration is under way for Manufacturing Summit.
February 1, 2007... Staff In 24 hours, Jack Bauer can save the world. In the same 24 hours, the 2007 Plant Engineering Manufacturing Summit will help save manufacturers save money and time and raise the productivity on their plant floor. Online...

Survey on maintenance and service contracts.
February 1, 2007... Staff Plant Engineering magazine and The Aberdeen Group are seeking feedback from plant management personnel to determine what strategies and approaches top service organizations use to grow service revenues and boost profits with their...

Website helps match R&D projects, schools.
February 1, 2007... Staff Matching research and development projects with university-based researchers can be challenging and time consuming if a company doesn't have close ties with a local university or college. Another way is a recently created site...

Eliminate complexity in your processes.
February 1, 2007... Staff In a Web-exclusive report at www.plantengineering.com , Kevin Duffy, a partner at Kepner-Tregoe Inc., takes a look at the issue of manufacturing complexity and how it affects costs. The report looks at the root causes of complexity...