Control Engineering articles from July 2008

Control Engineering archives from July 2008

Powering instrumentation: Batteries.
July 1, 2008... Peter Welander, Control Engineering The variety of applications that demand self-contained power supplies is growing with the wider deployment of remote and wireless devices. While many alternative sources of energy are emerging, batteries...

Software tools boost OEE.
July 1, 2008... Matt Bauer, Rockwell Automation Overall equipment efficiency (OEE) is a key statistic in any manufacturing facility, so it can be particularly problematic when one of your most common machines is only running at 60% to 70% of its...

Rise of the rest.(Editorial)
July 1, 2008... David Greenfield, editorial director In June, I touched on the issue of China's ascendancy into the global economy and how, though it is both a credible partner and competitor, it remains a long way from being America's equal economically....

Modeling in motion.
July 1, 2008... C.G. Masi, Control Engineering The convergence of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering is changing the face of motion control design and development. This tutorial shows how. Based on his experience with traditional machine...

Analyzing Closed-Loop Behavior with Convolution.
July 1, 2008... Vance VanDoren, Ph.D., P.E. Control Engineering The second in a two-part series explaining how linear process behavior can be predicted mathematically. The repeatable behavior of a linear process allows a process controller to predict...

Solid HMI Connections, Sealed Edges Prove Tough Enough.(human machine interfaces)
July 1, 2008... Hank Hogan for Control Engineering With advances in hardware, portable and standalone devices can more easily meet the rugged interface needs of industry. Coming improvements in keyboards and displays promise even better performance. ...

European debut of intrinsic safety breakthrough.
July 1, 2008... Michael Babb, Control Engineering Europe For 40 years intrinsic safety (EX i) has meant limiting the amount of electric power to less than 2 Watts in dangerous areas, for fear any spark could ignite an explosion. As a result, an entire...

Integrating Asset Management and Maintenance.
July 1, 2008... Bill Broussard, Emerson Process Management A goal of 80% planned maintenance is attainable when a plant asset management platform is integrated with maintenance strategy during engineering design. After speaking directly with more than...

VFDs Speed Up Wastewater Processing.
July 1, 2008... John O'Reilly and John Rowe, Schneider Electric Combining closed-loop control with variable frequency drives for oxygen basin agitators makes for faster processing with lower energy consumption. The operators of the Bellingham, WA,...

Optimizing Pump Energy Use.
July 1, 2008... Robert Eckard, RSE Consulting Water treatment facilities cut greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of electrically driven pumps through effective sizing, control, and maintenance. Given that the bulk of electricity generated...

Manufacturing in the clouds.
July 1, 2008... Dennis Brandl The term 'computing in the cloud' is the latest topic in the enterprise computing space. The image of a cloud is used in network architecture diagrams to represent the Internet. Computing in the cloud simply means using...

Innovate like Thomas Edison.(Book review)
July 1, 2008... Mark T. Hoske, editor-in-chief Understanding Thomas Edison's patterns of thinking can help us be more like the guy who has 1,093 U.S. patents to his name, says co-author of the book, 'Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America's...

Subscribers weather economic times well.
July 1, 2008... David Greenfield, Control Engineering With all the talk about recession, tight credit, and general tough economic conditions permeating the media and most business discussions, Control Engineering decided to conduct an economic survey of...

Industrial PC goes embedded.
July 1, 2008... Staff When industrial PCs first hit the market, they were only slightly modified from the consumer PCs used at home and in the office. In recent years, manufacturers of computer hardware have been paying closer attention to the needs of...

Control valves certified SIL 3.
July 1, 2008... Staff Pre-certified control valves have the potential to make installation and commissioning easier for end-users and system integrators. Emerson Process Management says it is the first control valve manufacturer to achieve independent...

GenICam, GigE Vision standards update.
July 1, 2008... Staff Leading technical representatives from the machine vision industry met in Pilsen, Czech Republic, last April to discuss progress on two industry standards, GigE Vision and GenICam. The four-day session was a success with the...

RSTechED conference report.(Brief article)(Conference notes)
July 1, 2008... Staff The 11th annual RSTechED conference, hosted by Rockwell Automation, welcomed more than 1,500 registered attendees to the June 1-6 customer and partner event in Orlando, FL. Principal discussions focused on how Rockwell Automation's...

Get lean, get automation, get help.
July 1, 2008... Staff Get educated, get help, get lean, and apply automation where it makes sense to do so. These were among recommendations shared with attendees to a June 1, 2008, best practices and ideas session at 'A Passion for Manufacturing, 2008...

Cyclical manufacturing trend or fundamental concern?
July 1, 2008... Staff Following a recent Reuters report that 'United States manufacturing declined in May for the fourth consecutive month while inflation surged to the highest in four years, heightening fears of stagflation,' said Daniel Ikenson,...

Which safety technologies protect the most machines?
July 1, 2008... Staff If you are on the fence about particular safety technologies, knowing which ones are currently safeguarding the most machines could help you make a decision about what specific technologies you might want to consider installing on...

2008 Honeywell User Group meeting overview.
July 1, 2008... Staff Jack Bolick, president of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), opened this year's Honeywell User Group Meeting in Phoenix stressing the company's mission of safety, reliability, and efficiency and how the company's new products and...

Hand-held test, pressure calibration system.(GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Staff The Advanced Modular Calibration System from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies is a hand-held test and calibration system that combines an advanced, multi-function calibrator with world class pressure measurement and generation...

Microcontrollers with Flash.
July 1, 2008... Staff The microcontrol unit (MCU) populates end-market products from automobiles to Smart Cards. The 16-bit and 32-bit+ MCUs are key products in high-end consumer products, automotive applications and industrial control hardware. MCUs'...

Manufacturing 2.0.
July 1, 2008... Staff The Manufacturing 2.0 Executive Forum, held in conjunction with RSTechED, was themed 'Fueling Your Innovation Engine' and focused on best practices. The forum looked at how leveraging an IT-driven approach to manufacturing can...

By the Numbers.(Company overview)
July 1, 2008... Staff 4 topics covered in a June 25 Webcast include what machine vision can do for control systems, when machine vision is appropriate, how to incorporate it into control systems, and results others have obtained....

Ultrasonic level transmitter/switch.
July 1, 2008... Staff KSONIK Micro from K-Tek Corp. is a compact, ultrasonic level transmitter/switch for liquid and bulk solids level applications. It features Variable GAP technology that allows the instrument to work in the presence of dust, vapor, or...

Inverted SCARA robot for packaged goods.
July 1, 2008... Staff Adept Cobra s800 Inverted IP65 SCARA robot from Adept Technology for the packaged goods market is a high-performance robot system for mechanical assembly, material handling, packaging, machine tending, and other operations requiring...

DC-UPS with voltage multiplier circuit.
July 1, 2008... Staff The PULS UB10.241 24VDC-UPS offers a method of battery backup by incorporating a voltage multiplier circuit into the design which allows one 12 V battery to be used where two had been required in the past. The uninterruptible power...

Redundant data acquisition.(Dataforth Corp.'s isoLynx SLX200 industrial data acquisition system )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Staff Dataforth Corp.'s isoLynx SLX200 industrial data acquisition system can be applied across all types of redundant configurations. The dual-Ethernet model of the isoLynx SLX200 family offers two independent, 10Base-T Ethernet ports to...

Pressure sensors for hazardous areas.
July 1, 2008... Staff Turck has expanded its line of pressure sensors to include a specialty sensor for hazardous areas. The PT4300 is a media-isolated stainless steel pressure sensor for use in oil and gas, refrigeration, gas compression, test stands,...

Monitor pressure in hydraulic, pneumatic apps.(AutomationDirect has added ProSense pressure switches )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Staff AutomationDirect has added ProSense pressure switches and transmitters to its growing line of sensor products. They monitor system pressure in hydraulic and pneumatic applications, while vacuum sensors provide an accurate readout of...

MCUs with low power consumption.
July 1, 2008... Staff Ultra-low power MSP430 microcontrollers (MCU) from Texas Instruments offer low power consumption for devices that can provide up to 25 MHz peak performance, increased Flash and RAM memory, and integrated peripherals such as radio...

Ethernet cable redundancy.
July 1, 2008... Staff\ Compact Link Selector from B&R Industrial Automation Corp. connects Ethernet Powerlink controlled nodes, adding redundancy and reliability. Process control and manufacturing automation often require cable redundancy and long cable...

Three-in-one wireless device.
July 1, 2008... Staff The Moxa Technologies AWK-3121 device is a convenient and reliable solution for industrial wireless applications, expected to be available at the end of this month. It will support more IEEE 802.11 standards and higher security...

Operator Interface Outlook Clear, Bright.
July 1, 2008... Jeanine Katzel for Control Engineering Today's windows-into-the-process boast larger, ever-improving flat panel displays and sophisticated graphics and animation. Wireless and network capabilities may further extend the role of these...

Fast, flexible terminal blocks.
July 1, 2008... Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering Avoiding the need for hard wiring, the latest terminal blocks provide safe, secure connections with greater ease. Terminal block designs also offer more flexibility, space savings, accessory options, and...