Control Engineering articles from February 2008

Control Engineering archives from February 2008

Medium voltage drives.
February 1, 2008... C.G. Masi, Control Engineering Medium voltage drives are those putting out 600 V or more. Motor/drive sets operating at 'medium' voltages up to 24,000 V have been built and operated. Generally, such drives are variable speed ac drives...

3D Does It.
February 1, 2008... Renee Robbins, Control Engineering How do control engineers help change production line capabilities quickly? Early adopters of PLM software say it's about pushing the technological limits with 3D modeling, process simulation, and virtual...

On-Machine Controls.
February 1, 2008... C.G. Masi, Control Engineering Improved environmental ruggedness is opening up more applications for on-machine control options. Installing machine controls on the actual machine is not a new idea. Mechanical control systems, of...

Potential Power Picks.
February 1, 2008... C.G. Masi, Control Engineering Power options for embedded systems are as varied as the applications they serve. Here's a tutorial on the choices. Choosing power options for an embedded system is a bit like ordering from a Chinese menu:...

Pressure Sensor Technologies.
February 1, 2008... Peter Welander, Control Engineering Pressure transducers are everywhere, but do you know what's inside? Choosing the right technology can be critical, especially in extreme applications. Back in the days of mechanical, analog pressure...

Enhancing motor harmony.
February 1, 2008... Frank J. Bartos, P.E. Efficient automation systems translate into true energy savings. A major step in that direction has focused first on industrial electric motors because of their vast installed base and continuing growth. Researchers...

Broad River Dam: 3 control levels.
February 1, 2008... Staff Lockhart Power Co. owns and operates a hydroelectric plant located on the Broad River in upstate South Carolina, striving to be a low-cost energy provider for more than 6,000 direct customers and 6,000 indirect customers with a...

Manufacturing in Brazil: Personal account, advice.
February 1, 2008... Berend Bracht, Bosch Rexroth Corp. Today, many global manufacturing companies are turning to Brazil for low-cost manufacturing. And with good reason: it is a rich, diverse country with abundant natural resources and 200 million consumers...

Get the Most out of your Machine-Safety Audit.
February 1, 2008... Steve Dukich and Mike Duta, Rockwell Automation Follow these five steps to make safety audits part of a successful safety program. This is the first part of a two-part series on machine-safety audits. The second part will appear in the...

Automated System Improves Catalytic Converter Production.(Company overview)
February 1, 2008... John Meyer, Siemens New metal-forming system at Eberspaecher North America increased production of catalytic converter cans by 20%, improved part quality and expedited data capture. Founded in 1865 and in the automotive exhaust...

Relays: Far from Dead.
February 1, 2008... David C. Thomas, Tyco Electronics Plug-in electromechanical relays still fit the bill for many applications Given the long life of solid state relays and the low cost and wide range of ratings offered by printed circuit (PC) board...

Capacity and constraints.
February 1, 2008... Dennis Brandl Most manufacturing companies have a deep hierarchy of planning and scheduling processes that start with market forecasts and business plans, and end with machine and unit schedules. The higher levels are the responsibility of...

Avoid this $2.5 million error.
February 1, 2008... Mark Voigtmann Now that we're into the new year, it is perhaps a good time to pause and reflect about one of the worst legal meltdowns affecting a control system that made it through the courts in 2007-a dozen-year affair that came to a...

Top 20 of 2007.
February 1, 2008... Mark T. Hoske, Editor-in-Chief We're well into 2008. Almost everyone I know is beyond busy. Yet I'm sure it's worth your time to review this list of most-read articles posted online at controleng.com during 2007. High-ranking topics...

Thriving through innovation.(Editorial)
February 1, 2008... Marc Moschetto, editorial director As I write this article, a host of negative economic data is streaming in and the major markets appear to be in a state of freefall. Transcending the subprime mortgage debacle, which has devastated the...

Expanding ERP connectivity.
February 1, 2008... Staff Kepware, an organization perhaps best known for its Open Connectivity (OPC) standards support and embedded device communication drivers, will be extending its expertise into the realm of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and...

Budget cuts hit Fermilab hard.
February 1, 2008... Staff Reduced U.S. 2008 fiscal year federal funding (a $90 million cut for High Energy Physics) will slow research development and harm international relations, suggest Fermilab officials. The federal lab may have to cut 125 personnel and...

Advanced computing: Optical packet switch from Endicott Interconnect Technologies delivers 2.5 terabits/sec.
February 1, 2008... Staff Endicott Interconnect Technologies Inc. (EI), a New York-based supplier of electronic interconnect solutions and electro/mechanical equipment, revealed that it has fabricated a controller board which functions as the intelligence of...

Opto 22 awards first *OptoGreen* grant.(Makila Hydro L.L.C.)
February 1, 2008... Staff Makila Hydro LLC is the first recipient of an OptoGreen grant, an Opto 22 award of complementary automation hardware and software to businesses, research organizations, and other enterprises engaged in researching, designing,...

Mechatronics market posts gangbuster growth.
February 1, 2008... Staff Double digit growth in sales, market orders, and shipments of motors, electronic drives, actuators, and other motion control components was reported by The Motion Control Association (MCA). One product category grew more than 50% in...

Partnering for cyber security.
February 1, 2008... Staff Providers of real-time process control / supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technologies expect to improve the security of technology offerings, providing users with more integrated cyber-security solutions, using a...

CSIA boosts membership and global reach.
February 1, 2008... Staff A rise in 2007 membership and global presence is reported by Control System Integrators Association (CSIA). According to executive director Norman O'Leary, CSIA has surpassed the 300-member level, added 59 new members (a one-year...

IEEE-USA: Focus on innovation, education in '08.(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff IEEE-USA will continue working to increase federal investment in research and bolster U.S. innovation and competitiveness in 2008, said IEEE Life Fellow, and newly-appointed IEEE-USA president, Dr. Russell Lefevre. 'Our overarching...

GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms enhances batch processing software.
February 1, 2008... Staff GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, has released Proficy Batch Execution - Version 5.1. The release focuses on ease of use, performance, and system integration to improve customer productivity and...

By the Numbers.(briefs)
February 1, 2008... Staff 3 non-Ford employees and Ford executives were named to the 'Transformation Advisory Council' to explore solutions to society's sustainability challenges, says Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. Initial 'outside...

Multiphase flow simulation.(SimSci-Esscor)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The SimSci-Esscor unit of Invensys Process Systems announced a new version of Pipephase simulation software that can use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as an interface. Pipephase Version 9.2 users can drag-and-drop multiphase flow...

Combustible gas detector.
February 1, 2008... Staff The IR5000 open path hydrocarbon gas detector from General Monitors features an expanded distance range of 130 m, providing increased versatility in an open path gas detection system. Accurate single gas detection beam technology...

Mechanical relay with arc suppression.(Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff A new technology developed by Watlow engineers extends the life of relays within the company's temperature and power switching controllers in heating applications that require a high volume of cycles. No-ARC relay is a mechanical...

Programmable I/O card.(Mesa Electronics)(input output)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The Mesa 5I23 from Mesa Electronics is a general-purpose programmable industrial I/O card for the PCI bus, while the Mesa 5I22 uses a 400K gate Xilinx FPGA for all logic and is described as an 'Anything I/O' card. The FPGA...

RFID gateway module.
February 1, 2008... Staff The new Turck 2RFID module for the company's BL ident radio-frequency identification (RFID) system adds to existing BL20 and BL67 network I/O systems. Up to 8 channels can be added to each BL ident node, depending on system...

Dust-resistant flow sensors.
February 1, 2008... Staff Omron Electronic Components LLC has released the D6F-P MEMS flow sensor that incorporates a double cyclone patented dust segregation system (DSS). It delivers accurate results in real-world dusty environments that include HVAC/VAV...

Industrial Ethernet cabling.
February 1, 2008... Staff Belden has announced a line of DataTuff Industrial Ethernet Connectivity components, including cord sets, jacks, plug kits, tools and accessories to complement its DataTuff industrial Ethernet unshielded and shielded twisted pair...

Embedded PC can be PLC.
February 1, 2008... Staff To provide automation and control applications with the most powerful PC-based controllers possible, Beckhoff Automation announced its new CX1030 Embedded PC. The DIN rail mounted computer is equipped with a 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium M...

Control, monitoring software.
February 1, 2008... Staff A new software system complements the Dataforth isoLynx SLX200 data acquisition system. Dataforth-SLX920, combined with one or more isoLynx SLX200 systems, serves applications in factory automation, process control, test and...

Process Automation Systems.
February 1, 2008... Pete Cleaveland for Control Engineering Readers say newer process systems are more useful, and they expect to buy more. Advice: Get system requirements in place, account for growth, before requesting bids. Process automation systems...

Technology Leaders.
February 1, 2008... Marc A. Moschetto, Control Engineering The industrial automation space is one of constant change. At Control Engineering , our job is to keep you informed of the latest trends and technologies, and we have a responsibility to provide an...

2007 New Product Nominees.
February 1, 2008... Staff * Engineers' Choice Award winners; **honorable mentions; all descriptions online at www.controleng.com/awards Application and Programming Software -----------------------------------------------------------...

Instrumentation & Control Components.
February 1, 2008... Staff Fluke 771 Milliamp Process Clamp Meter Staff Fluke Corporation The Fluke 771 is designed for use in environments where it is impractical to shut down processes or put systems into 'safe' mode to break the loop and place...

Process and Advanced Control.
February 1, 2008... Staff RS Logix 5000 Fuzzy Designer Staff Rockwell Automation Offered as an add-on option to RSLogix Version 16, the RS Logix 5000 Fuzzy Designer allows users to create fuzzy logic algorithms for use in any of the Logix PACs....

Application and Programming Software.
February 1, 2008... Staff SolidWorks 2008 Staff SolidWorks Corporation SolidWorks Office is a complete 3D CAD solution, providing product design teams with all the mechanical CAD, data management, and design validation tools needed in an...

Human Machine Interface and Industrial PCs.
February 1, 2008... Staff Maple Systems Silver Series Plus Staff Maple Systems The Silver Series Plus is designed for OEM applications that require a superior look and intuitive operation for the graphic operator interface. Based on the Silver...

Motors, Motion Control & Drives.
February 1, 2008... Staff Adjustable Speed Brushless BMC & BSM Staff Baldor Electric Baldor's brushless motor control is available from ¼ hp to 3 hp and will accept either 115, 208, or 230 V ac input voltage. The BMC includes...

Networks/Communication Hardware & Software.
February 1, 2008... Staff Bluetooth I/O Module Staff connectBlue Based on Bluetooth wireless technology, connectBlue's Bluetooth I/O module provides very high reliability and robustness in any industrial environment. The Bluetooth I/O module and...

Machine and Embedded Control.
February 1, 2008... Staff Modicon M340 PAC Staff Schneider Electric High performance 32-bit processor, 64 interrupts, advanced multi-tasking operating system and support for all five IEC 61131-3 programming languages, make the Modicon M340 PAC...

Integrating Enterprise and Plant IT Functions.
February 1, 2008... Jim Ricigliano, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Matthew Bauer, Rockwell Automation When pharmaceutical manufacturing processes are automated there are many benefits, but implementation can demand difficult choices. Integration often brings...

Building Manufacturing Efficiency.
February 1, 2008... Jose Marrero Diaz, Pfizer Many pharmaceutical plants operate at efficiency rates well below comparable conventional process industries. Pfizer has found it doesn't have to be that way. Today, many pharmaceutical plants typically...

New Plant Faces Automation Challenges.
February 1, 2008... Torsten Winkler, Honeywell Process Solutions Designing and building Europe's largest biopharmaceutical plant at a breakneck pace demands flexible and sophisticated process control capabilities. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG...

Engineering passion, OEE ideas.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2008... Staff Ticket into engineering My ticket into the engineering profession was my dad. He would help me with middle school math and science homework, but would use about 10 pages of clipboard paper, ultimately taking everything back to...

Controllers evolve as information needs grow.
February 1, 2008... Lee Lane, Rockwell Automation It seems as though everything we do today is designed to help us do more, and go faster than we have in the past. That's certainly the challenge facing manufacturers, with plant managers constantly seeking...

Graphics options: Near, far, multi-display.
February 1, 2008... Samuel A. Recine and Liv Stewart, Matrox Graphics Technological advances in graphics hardware and software in recent years have introduced many new possibilities for process control and automation systems, including supervisory control and...