Plant Engineering articles from October 2008

Plant Engineering archives from October 2008

The 'secret sauce' of SaaS.
October 15, 2008... By Wayne Morris, myDIALS It's so much more than the latest buzzword - software as a service (SaaS) has substance, and it's delivering. Consider the arena of business intelligence (BI). While traditional BI still has a place in strategic...

Drivers bring automation systems to life.(Industry overview)
October 15, 2008... By Roy Kok, Kepware Technologies Sure, the engineer is proud of his human-machine interface (HMI), highlighting the realism in the displays, the color coordination of the data and the mastery of the navigation. And then there is the plant...

Maintenance on America is scheduled for Nov. 4.(Editorial)
October 15, 2008... Bob Vavra, Editor I have railed in the past about the "break-fix" mentality in manufacturing maintenance. The same holds true for the current federal plan, such as it is, to address manufacturing's challenges in the modern world. Break-fix...

After the flood.
October 15, 2008... By Bob Vavra, Editor Cargill's Cedar Rapids plant rebounds after June's devastation The Cedar River is an old, meandering soul that weaves its way through Iowa's cornfields on its way to the Mississippi River. Along its route is Cedar...

From audit to implementation: Saving energy in a manufacturing environment.
October 15, 2008... By David R. Laybourn, Lime Energy Manufacturers these days are being asked to produce products that are "green" to satisfy corporate sustainability goals. These goals are often set by top management to position the company's products in...

The candidates and manufacturing.
October 15, 2008... Staff Editor's Note: The 2008 presidential election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. In order to help manufacturing leaders understand the positions of the two presidential candidates on issues that affect plant and manufacturing operations, Plant...

Ultrasound World hits beach in January.
October 15, 2008... Staff UE Systems presents the latest incarnation of its annual conference. Ultrasound World V will be held Jan. 18-21, 2009, at Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort in Clearwater Beach, FL. Among the scheduled attractions of the conference...

Bentley launches engineering design competition.
October 15, 2008... Staff Bentley Systems' BE Careers Network announced the opening of its 2009 BE Awards student design competition - an integral part of Bentley's annual BE Awards of Excellence program honoring the extraordinary work of its users. ...

The world looks to U.S. for machine tool market growth.
October 15, 2008... By Bob Vavra The focus was on an evolving and growing international market at the 2008 IMTS show in Chicago in September. Both China and Japan made presentations about their own machine tool shows, and both emphasized the strengths of the...

Chuck Nochumson remembered.
October 15, 2008... Staff The Nochumson family, Eaton Corp. and the electrical industry sustained a loss in Sept. when Chuck Nochumson passed away. Nochumson began his career with Westinghouse/Eaton in 1965. Most recently, he was senior national...

Emerson expands product line into petroleum, oil and gas.
October 15, 2008... By Bob Vavra "If you find an opportunity to improve your plant," noted Mike Sander, "you've got to move quickly." That's especially true in the petroleum, oil and gas industry, where unscheduled shutdowns have a ripple impact. Taking...

The heat is on: Designing Lean manufacturing processes.
October 15, 2008... By Jack Smith, Managing Editor Watlow is known for its controller systems from Winona, MN; its heaters from St. Louis, Columbia and Hannibal, MO; and its sensors from Richmond, IL. But a little-known fact is the Watlow facility in Batavia,...

Rollin' with the changes: reliability rocks.
October 15, 2008... By Bob Call, Life Cycle Engineering Have you ever had one of those days when you get a few bars of a song in your head and you just can't get it to go away? For me, it seems the older I get, the more often this happens. Must be some message...

A straight line to proper shaft and belt alignment.
October 15, 2008... By Paul Michalicka, SKF USA Inc. Misalignment of shafts and belts can become a highly vexing problem in plants across industries, and accurate diagnosis and timely remedial action can make all the difference. Properly aligned shafts and...

In deciding on ERP, EAM systems, time is more important than turf.
October 15, 2008... Staff Today, it's a rare business executive who doesn't have at least some IT understanding, and a healthy respect for people who know more than he does. And IT managers play a full part in decisions on business planning and strategy. They...

Mixing safety with productivity.
October 15, 2008... David Boger, The Flexicon Corporation Bulk bag unloading, conveyor system improve product quality, repeatability and worker safety One of the largest plastics processors in Mexico City streamlined material handling, improved process...

Gas leak detector.
October 15, 2008... Staff The OptoAcoustic GLD-OA-01 gas sensor comprises two identical cells that act interchangeably either as a primary gas-measurement cell or as a secondary compensation cell. The dual-cell design eliminates the need for calibration. The...

Protection kit.
October 15, 2008... Staff Workman fall protection kits and Workman aerial kits are equipped to provide safety in elevated work areas. The fall protection kit includes a harness, shock-absorbing lanyard, PointGuard Anchorage connector strap and carrying bag....

Light curtain.
October 15, 2008... Staff The QuadCam system of three-dimensional imaging technology identifies objects and people moving in and around machinery and distinguishes between one, two or more persons. Machinery remains shut down until the entire detection zone...

Safety terminals.
October 15, 2008... Staff DST1-XD0808SL-1 safety I/O terminals support six safety inputs, eight safety outputs and are capable of storing simple logic, which allows local inputs to control local outputs and gives users a maximum response time of 18.7...

AC motor.
October 15, 2008... Staff Available in fractional and integral horsepower versions, the OMT Series of general-purpose ac motors are single-phase, fully enclosed and fan-cooled 115/208-230 V motors. The 56C-frame motors are constructed of industrial-gauge...

Lubricant.
October 15, 2008... Staff Engineered to loosen frozen metal parts and provide silicone-enhanced lubrication to keep parts moving, SiliKroil penetrates into 1 one-millionth inch spaces to break apart rust and provide lubrication at the molecular level....

Work gloves.
October 15, 2008... Staff Manufactured using a 100% bamboo fiber shell, Bamboo ROC general-purpose work gloves are available in two industrial-grade styles. ROC 169 features a 100% bamboo seamless brown machine-knit shell with a foam nitrile palm coating,...

Electric chain hoist.
October 15, 2008... Staff The NER/ER three-phase electric chain hoist line ranges in capacities from 1/8 to 20 ton. UL listed, the hoists are available in standard single-speed and variable-frequency drive dual-speed models. The chain hoists feature...

Disconnect switches.
October 15, 2008... Staff The DS30AX safety disconnect switch is a compact, 30-A, 600-Vac, non-fused switch that meets IP67 and NEMA Type 3R, 4X and 12K standards for watertight and dust-tight enclosures. Designed for motor disconnect applications, the switch...

Torque gun.
October 15, 2008... Staff The FLIP pneumatic torque gun operates silently and vibration-free and provides continuous rather than intermittent rotation. It's equipped with a folding stabilizer handle; one simple motion turns the handle into a reaction arm,...

Access ladder.
October 15, 2008... Staff The portable access ladder features a stationary base section measuring 9 by 5 feet with a top landing of 1-foot 6-inches by 2-foot wide. The lower stationary section has a ships ladder with a 9- to 12-inch rise and 8- to 4-inch grip...

Detection system.
October 15, 2008... Staff Designed to pick up leaking valves in hydraulic systems and detect faulty bearings in motors, pumps and gears, among other applications, the Ultraprobe 3000 ultrasonic detection system features 400 memory locations to hold data. The...

Shaft collars.
October 15, 2008... Staff Metric shaft collars include 3 to 80 millimeter I.D. sizes, complete with metric clamping screws. The collars are made from aluminum, steel and stainless steel in one-piece, two-piece clamp-type and hinged styles. They feature smooth...

Thermal imaging camera.
October 15, 2008... Staff The i-Series thermal imaging cameras provide infrared diagnostic capabilities designed to help in-house plant maintenance find building problems. The i40, i50 and i60 thermal imaging cameras feature FUSION, scalable...

Arc flash mitigation system.
October 15, 2008... Staff Paladin real-time arc flash advisor software is designed to enable users to make up-to-date assessments of changing arc flash hazards. By maintaining an uninterrupted, 360-degree view of the facility, the system continually checks...

Focus on the basics for a sustainability strategy.
October 15, 2008... By Marc Hoffman, Consortium for Energy Efficiency A recent Los Angeles Times article about the 99 Cents Only Store contained the following quotation from its CEO: "There's no question we're going to need to do something. When you are...