Plant Engineering articles from June 2007

Plant Engineering archives from June 2007

In the beginning-.
June 15, 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...

Automation transforms the plant, and is transformed in return.(Yardeny Laboratories)
June 15, 2007... By Jack Smith, Managing Editor Not only has automation changed the way we manufacture goods, it has also changed the way we view the manufacturing process. In 1947, Yardeny Laboratories introduced the pulsing drive, which controlled...

Management comes first for alarm management success.
June 15, 2007... By Ana Bonfante, Staff Writer Petrochemical plant managers have a difficult task: how do they maintain safety within the plant while optimizing plant operations, maintaining profitability and remaining environmentally friendly? One answer...

What are you going to do with all the available data?(plant managing)
June 15, 2007... Bob Vavra, Editor In the classic film, 'It's a Wonderful Life,' George Bailey was able to keep the Building and Loan open for another day simply by having two dollars on hand at the end of the day. He and his staff gleefully put the bills...

OEE: Using metrics to manage, improve performance.(overall equipment effectiveness)
June 15, 2007... By David L. Brochu, Acumence Overall equipment effectiveness has become one of the most popular manufacturing metrics in recent years. Plant and operations managers use OEE to measure performance at the machine, line and plant levels....

Energy audits, monitoring drive data toward a solution.
June 15, 2007... By David Bovankovich, E-Mon, LLC With more than one-third of the energy used in the United States consumed by the industrial sector, manufacturing facilities constantly seek new ways to reduce energy costs without compromising production....

Strongwell finds rapid growth through a slow process.
June 15, 2007... By Bob Vavra The process of pultrusion is slow. It brings thousands of fiberglass threads together with resin, forced through a die that creates polymer structural composite building blocks. They are as strong as steel, but lighter,...

On-the-job safety challenges include criminal activity.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules)
June 15, 2007... By Sherman Williamson, OSHA Department of Enforcement As a 1988 graduate of Virginia Tech, the recent events in Blacksburg, Va., are very much on my mind. While OSHA has taken no position on this event other than to express sincere...

PLANT ENGINEERING to present study results at Maximo World event.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The results of PLANT ENGINEERING ' study, 'The Changing Role of the Plant Engineer,' will be presented at Maximo World 2007, July 22-25 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel in Orlando. The study, co-sponsored by IBM, was sent to...

ARC Forum focuses on globalization.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Learn how leading manufacturers achieve best-in-class performance across all operations at ARC Advisory Group's 15th Annual Forum: Winning Strategies for Global Manufacturers, June 25-27, Boston. The annual idea exchange brings...

Victaulic Podcast covers workforce development.
June 15, 2007... By Staff CompressedSchedule.com, an industry portal sponsored by Victaulic Company, has launched a Podcast series featuring industry experts who will address maintenance topics. The current edition of the newly enhanced site addresses the...

NAME application deadline is June 30.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Applications for the North American Maintenance Excellence (NAME) Award for 2007 are now available for download from the NAME award Website, www.nameaward.com . Application deadline is June 30. The board of directors for...

Dream It. Do It. Launches new campaign in Indiana.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels joined a coalition of business leaders, educators and others with an interest in the economic future of Southeast Indiana at the Columbus launch today of Dream It. Do It., a multi-regional campaign aimed...

Strategy trumps technology as key to innovation, growth.
June 15, 2007... By Bob Vavra Technology and innovation are important, but finding the right strategy to turn and innovation into products that the market wants is even more important. Strategic thinking was on the minds of industry leaders at the...

Selective coordination solutions, challenges covered in Webcast.
June 15, 2007... By Jack Smith The importance of selective coordination as a strategy, and the dangers of ignoring such a strategy, were emphasized during PLANT ENGINEERING 's Webcast on the topic May 25. The Webcast, sponsored by Cooper Bussmann, is one...

NAM: Slowing manufacturing growth may accelerate later in 2007.(National Association of Manufacturers)(Brief article)
June 15, 2007... By Staff The May 2007 economic outlook from the National Association of Manufacturers pointed to an economy currently stuck in low gear, that should accelerate slightly in the second half of 2007. 'An improved trade picture and positive...

WBF honors Brandl, Emerson for work on ISA specifications.(World Batch Forum, Dennis Brandl)(Brief article)
June 15, 2007... By Staff World Batch Forum presented its Thomas G. Fisher Award to Dennis Brandl, principal consultant of BR&L Consulting and Dave Emerson, principal system architect for Yokogawa Corp. of America. They were recognized for their...

Bilingual approach to Lean breaks down barriers to success.
June 15, 2007... By William Mullane, TechHelp While Lean manufacturing concepts are taking hold in a variety of manufacturing industries, the food processing sector has been slower to adopt its principles and tools. Certainly, food processing companies...

Changing workforce requires changes in asset management.
June 15, 2007... Scott Brady, SKF Reliability Systems A customer with a strong maintenance department lost 90% of its experienced people in the last two years. They were now struggling to re-learn everything this team had already learned over the last 10...

Varnish: The cholesterol in your plant equipment.
June 15, 2007... By Kevin Campbell, Senior Editor Consider it the cholesterol of industrial equipment, because what it can do to machinery is almost identical to what hard, plaque-like cholesterol buildup can do to the cardiovascular system. We're not...

Flow economy determines true pump system efficiency.
June 15, 2007... By Daniel Kernan, ITT Corp. A properly sized and operated pump can be one of the most efficient means of performing useful work. An average sized pump operates near 75% efficiency, compared to a combustible engine which operates at only 20%...

Tackle talent management to achieve high performance.(Company overview)
June 15, 2007... By Paul Loftus, Accenture Let's be honest. Industrial products companies face a talent crisis. Despite the durable demand for products, a critical shortage of skilled labor threatens your ability to outperform the competition. Worse, your...

Automation handbook.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The OMEGAMATION New Horizons Handbook offers 124 color pages detailing a line of new automation products. The line includes sensors, PLCs, HMIs, enclosures, motion systems, power products and more. Omega Engineering, Inc. ...

Inspection sensors.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The Checker 200 Series models offer built-in lighting, variable working distance and high-speed inspection capability at rates faster than 6,000 parts per minute. The sensors detect parts by finding an actual feature such as a...

Gearbox lubricant.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Formulated to deliver long-lasting protection for industrial gearboxes, Mobilgear 600 XP surpasses requirements for industry specifications such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02. It is formulated to...

Temperature and signal transmitter.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The TMZ PC-programmable MODBUS temperature and signal transmitter provides high-input resolution and digital measurement. The unit accepts a direct signal from an array of sensor and analog devices including RTD, thermocouple,...

Hydrogen gas generators.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Four different models of hydrogen gas generators have been upgraded to produce more than 510 cc/minute of 99.9995% pure hydrogen. Special features include a PEM electrochemical cell protection system with microprocessor controls;...

Process automation system.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The SIMATIC PCS 7 process automation system integrates new and existing automation systems: process, batch, discrete and safety; and devices: instrumentation, analytics, motors, drives and safety instrumented functions, within a...

Monitoring, control software.
June 15, 2007... By Staff CIMPLICITY 7.0 has been designed to handle complex, multi-user applications on multitasking operating systems. It provides tighter integration with the Proficy software family of products and features added CNC connectivity....

Micromanometers.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The DP-CALC 5815 and 5825 micromanometers facilitate HVAC pressure measurements and can be used with Pitot probes to measure duct velocity. The DP-CALC 5815 is a hand-held digital micromanometer for differential and static...

Small engine test system.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The VersaDyne, an integrated, turnkey system for testing small two-cycle and four-cycle engines, is available in sizes ranging from 5 to 30 kW. It features the versatility of a regenerative ac motoring dynamometer in a package...

Infrared temperature sensor.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The ILA series non-contact sensor measures temperatures from 32 to 932 degrees F and provides linear 4-20 mA, 0-5 Vdc or thermocouple output. The two-wire signal is compatible with most indicators, controllers, recorders or data...

Position encoders.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Position encoders with an EnDat 2.2 transmission component - an exclusive digital, bi-directional interface - are available to be a part of a safe drive. The modular systems can provide the benefits of serial data transfer such as...

Conductivity sensor.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The FT10 electrodeless conductivity sensor features patent-pending technology and a flow-through design. Equipped with virgin PFA Teflon-wetted materials and leak-free weld connections, the design eliminates internal threads,...

Water purifier.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The Deionizer water purifier is battery powered. The unit is equipped with an improved purity light that flashes green when its cartridge is sufficiently pure and red when the cartridge needs to be replaced. Each disposable...

Safety system upgrade program.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The Advantage Upgrade program is designed to allow users of Tricon TMR safety instrumented systems to upgrade to new technology while minimizing cost, risk and downtime. It offers automated logic translation service that converts,...

Work equipment.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Work tents are designed for use in confined spaces. Offered in three sizes, the deluxe work tent features quick set-up with pop-up framing and an attached roll-up flap for compact storage and easy transporting. The economy work...

Vibration analysis instrument.
June 15, 2007... By Staff An all-in-one tool suitable for most levels of vibration analysis, the vb7 vibration analysis instrument provides 6,400-line FFT resolution, 40 kHz Fmax and 1 GB of memory. With virtually unlimited spectra storage, the unit is 40%...

The 'Summer of Webcasts' covers harmonics, maintenance, arc flash.
June 15, 2007... By Staff Plant Engineering's 'Summer of Webcasts' series begins June 28 with the first of three Webcasts covering such crucial plant-floor issues as harmonics and power quality, maintenance and another in a series of reports on arc flash....

Manufacturing Summit content is now online.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The PLANT ENGINEERING Manufacturing Summit gathered knowledge from top industry experts on everything from MES implementation to how to make your plant a Top Plant. The transcripts provide an in-depth look at each topic...

AFE offers online classes for maintenance, supervision.
June 15, 2007... By Staff The Association for Facilities Engineering offers review classes for Certified Plant Maintenance Manager and Certified Plant Supervisor online to allow plant personnel to take the classes at their desktop, avoiding travel and time...

AAM study, video details problems of dumping.
June 15, 2007... By Staff A study released May 22 by the Alliance for American Manufacturing gives a first-of-its-kind look at the consequences of predatory trade practices on workers, manufacturers and their communities, and emphasizes the economic...