Control Engineering articles from March 2003

Control Engineering archives from March 2003

NMW 2003: more firms expect to grow in 2003. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Chicago, IL--About 68% of companies expect to grow more in 2003 than in 2002, according to a new survey by National Manufacturing Week (NMW) 2003's organizers Reed Exhibition Cos. (Norwalk, CT), with results analyzed by AMR Research (Boston,...

NMW 2003: NAM members see 'manufacturing crisis'. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Chicago, IL--Skyrocketing health care costs, slow overall growth, and many other challenges are forcing more than 73% of the recently surveyed members of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, Washington, DC) to conclude that the U.S....

Shin-Etsu Chemicals to upgrade with Experion PKS. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Phoenix, AZ--Japan-based Shin-Etsu Chemicals announced March 6 that it will use Honeywell's Experion PKS to begin a plant wide re-instrumentation of its vinyl chloride (VC) plant in the Netherlands. Shin Etsu acquired the 550,000 tons-per-year...

Dresser Masoneilan looking beyond control point. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Avon, MA--Generating information for improving business practices has become part of today's valve and actuator technology, says J. Patrick Leask, Dresser Masoneilan's valve products director. This means relating information about assets,...

Honeywell buying Sensotec to increase sensor, wireless capabilities. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Minneapolis, MN--To expand its offerings in pressure, force and other sensor areas, as well as add to its wireless capability, Honeywell announced Feb. 12 that its Automation and Control Solutions (ACS) unit is acquiring privately held Sensotec...

CE Index leads recovery with 20% gain in 4Q02. (Market Update).(control engineering)(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... Step aside and let a winner lead the way. Even though 4Q02 was poor for the economy, and even as other markets improved somewhat, the controls industry showed more definite signs of recovery. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased...

Collect robust data from the plant-floor in real time. (Integrator Update).(Medical Manufacturing Corp. uses Optimation Technology for upgrade)
March 1, 2003... Medical Manufacturing Corp. (MMC, Erie, PA) is a contract sterilization firm, where pallets of pre-packaged medical devices are put into temperature-controlled vessels, in which multiple 50-torr vacuum cycles are coordinated with injections of...

Guided-wave radar helps level-detection in harsh settings. (Technology Update).
March 1, 2003... When it comes to measuring levels of bulk solids, liquids and everything in between, guided-wave radar technology is now offering more level-detection capabilities than ever. For an increasing range of previously hard-to-measure substances,...

Wireless control system cuts generator farm start time. (Application Update).(OmniMetrix's system cuts CMS Distributed Power LLC's peak-saving generator farms)
March 1, 2003... A new wireless remote control system is reducing the time it takes to start and parallel CMS Distributed Power LLC's peak-shaving generator farms from about 1 hour to 10 minutes. These savings dramatically reduce the labor required to operate...

Solutions soar at National Manufacturing Week. (News).
March 1, 2003... Chicago, IL--Thousands of innovative solutions and useful products from hundreds of exhibitors lit up the National Industrial Automation Show and five other events at National Manufacturing Week 2003 on March 3-6 at McCormick Place. Here are...

Emerson Process Management. (In Business).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... * Emerson Process Management (Austin, TX) recently supplied its PlantWeb digital plant architecture to Polimeri Europa UK for installation at its Grangemouth, Scotland site, which manufactures synthetic rubber for the tire industry.

Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. (In Business).(agreement with Cargill Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... * Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. (Alpharetta, GA) recently entered into a select supplier agreement with Cargill Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) to become a select provider of electrical and industrial control products and systems to Cargill's North...

Shell Petrochemicals Co. Ltd. (In Business).(contract with metso Automation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... * Shell Petrochemicals Co. Ltd. recently awarded a $1 0-million purchase order to Metso Automation (Helsinki, Finland) to supply approximately 3,500 rotary control valves with Metso FOUNDATION fieldbus digital positioners for its CSPC Nanhai...

Worldwide Consumption of Uninterruptible Power Supplies.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... Worldwide Consumption of Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) Projected 2.95% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for Battery-powered UPSs (in millions of $) 2001 $4,502.5 2002 $4,051.5 2003 $4141.8 2004 $4,392.2 2005...

New publisher joins Control Engineering. (On-the-Move).(Michelle Tegtman)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Oak Brook, IL-Michelle Tegtman joined Control Engineering as publisher on Feb. 24. Ms. Tegtman was formerly director of corporate communications at PTC (Needham, MA), a manufacturing software solutions company, and previously worked at...

Control Engineering Europe continues with April edition. (Global Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Oak Brook, IL--Control Engineering, part of Reed Business Information, recently announced that it has renewed its dedication to Control Engineering Europe, in cooperation with IML Group plc (Kent, U.K.) and Michael Babb, Control Engineering...

Lantronix ships first RJ-45-embedded web/network server. (New in Control).
March 1, 2003... Irvine, CA--Lantronix Inc. began shipping Feb. 24 its new Xport embedded device server, which it reports is a complete networking solution, enclosed in a RJ-45 package. Smaller than the average person's thumb, Xport reportedly allows OEMs to...

Diagnostic Repeater aids Profibus cable troubleshooting. (New in Control).
March 1, 2003... A Ipharetta, GA-Siemens Energy & Automation introduced Feb. 25 its Simatic Diagnostic Repeater, which it reports is the only device capable of delivering online diagnostic information about RS-485 Profibus cable during operation. The easily...

Pressure sensor market sees bright spots. (Industry View).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Natick, MA--Demand for pressure transmitters and transducers is expected to grow faster in the U.S. life sciences and automotive markets than in any other market segment consuming pressure transmitters and transducers, according to Venture...

Hannover Fair 2003 expects many innovations. (Global Update).
March 1, 2003... Hannover, Germany--Unquestionably the largest trade show in the control, automation, and related industries, Hannover Fair is planning to continue this tradition in its 2003 edition, scheduled for April 7-12. [For more overall details on...

NEMA. (News).(National Electrical Manufacturers Association)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The NEMA Primary Industrial Control Index dropped 11% and the Primary Industrial Control and Adjustable Speed Drives Index fell 11% in 4Q02, according to data collected by the Industrial Automation Control Products and Systems Section of the...

Product service management market to near $2 billion by 2008. (Industry View).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Dedham, MA--The Product Service Management (PSM) market, which includes enterprise solutions for product service organizations, is expected to more than triple in size from $650 million in 2002 to almost $2 billion by the end of 2007. This...

Maximize the impact. (Editorial).
March 1, 2003... Everyone wants the most bang for the buck; the highest return on investment; and the maximum impact for any effort. Doing that for customers inside and beyond our organizations requires understanding customer needs, in all interactions. A...

Get safe prepare for security intrusion. (Cover Story).(Control system security)
March 1, 2003... Threats to control-system security are like the weather... you can't control it, but you can construct adequate shelter. Avoid drama and crisis; ensure control systems can weather security intrusion storms. KEY WORDS * Process and...

Analyze this! Many analyzer technologies using a diversity of sensing technologies have been tapped for a wide variety of process applications.
March 1, 2003... KEY WORDS * Process control and instrumentation * Instrumentation and process sensors * Analyzers * Process control systems * Analytical instrumentation Continuous process manufacturing cannot exist on pressure,...

Are you going to Hannover Fair?
March 1, 2003... Designer scientist, manager and project engineer. Time is short for planning to visit the next edition of the 'world's largest industrial fair,' which goes on stage April 7-12, 2003, in Hannover, Germany. Apologies to Paul Simon and Art...

5 lessons from transitioning to eXtreme Programming: using two-person teams to write software code is one aspect of eXtreme programming (XP). Here's what Citect learned when it implemented the XP method. (Exclusive: Career Update).(Citect, located in Gordon, Australia, has implemented eXtreme Programming )
March 1, 2003... Key Words * Software for control *Software programming * Control architectures * Open standards It may be a software development method that many people haven't encountered before, but Citect, located in Gordon,...

Bulk container start-up optimizes with plant efficiency solution: weyerhauser's SpaceKraft uses Rockwell Automation's PlantMetrics to monitor, find bottlenecks, and improve container production 30% annually. (Exclusive: Application Update).
March 1, 2003... KEY WORDS * Machine control * Monitoring * Software for control * Manufacturing execution systems (MES) Start-up manufacturing facilities have never had it easy, but these days the usual challenges, such as designing,...

Measure distorted waveforms. (Advertisement).
March 1, 2003... Current and voltage on distorted sine-waves with dc components can be accurately measured with either average sensing or RMS models. CT7 & CT8 measure current as low as .1A. VT7 and VT8 measure voltage as low as 50mV, as high as 1000V....

Low cost current sensor. (Advertisement).
March 1, 2003... CTC Current Sensor makes current measurement Inexpensive, accurate, reliable and simple. Perfect for OEM applications the CTC Series brings .25% F.S. accuracy and high input/output isolation In a small UL Listed package. Input ranges from...

AC multifunction power meter. (Advertisement).
March 1, 2003... Programmable multifunction power meter with bright LED display In a 96mm x 96mm case for under $400. The A210 Programmable Power Meter measures three phase power systems and displays watts, vars, volts, amps, frequency and power factor....

Hall-Effect current sensors. (Advertisement).
March 1, 2003... Ohio Semitronics has a wide variety of Hall-Effect current sensors to measure ac or dc current with models from 35A to 50, 000A. Solid core and split core models are available. Non-contact current measurement is perfect for high current...

Simulation software reduces commissioning time. (Software Review).(Mynah Technologies)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... It seems everywhere you look, control and instrumentation suppliers are touting ways a product and/or service reduces time-to-market. Sometimes the hype seems to indicate commissioning of the control and instrumentation system need not begin...

It's a recorder! No, it's a data acquisition system! Actually, it's both. (Product Focus: Recorders).
March 1, 2003... It used to be so simple. If you wanted to record something, you bought a circular or strip chart paper recorder. If there were multiple channels and not a lot of space available, you bought a multi-pen or multi-point recorder. If you happened...

Fiber-optic links for heavy-duty encoders. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Berlin, Germany--Incremental encoders for tough environments include line drivers with power transistors capable of sending square-wave signals through long cables where capacitance is in the nF range. This becomes particularly important for...

Borescope scans 120-deg arc. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Trevose, PA--Swing Prism Adjustable Borescope features a rotating lens that provides a 50-deg field of view and two types scanning: 120-deg included arc and 360-deg orbital. Users adjust the prism on the scope's front with a special control...

2- or 5-phase stepping motor controller. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... www.orientalmotor.com Torrance, CA--New EMP402 programmable motion controller can coordinate two axes of motion simultaneously for 2- or 5-phase hybrid stepping motor systems. EMP402 handles as many as 32 motion profile programs (with...

Cscape adds 4,000+ graphic symbols. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Indianapolis, IN--Horner APG announced enhancements to its Operator Control Station (OCS), SmartStix I/O system, and Cscape software. With Cscape software, users can enhance OCS color-touchscreens using company logos and industry-specific...

Reduce your oscilloscope downtime. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Everett, WA--Fluke's MET/CAL Plus V 7 calibration procedures for TDS-5000, -6000, and -7000 Series Tektronix oscilloscope are designed to reduce instrument downtime to 60 minutes or less by automating performance-verification tests. Beyond the...

AC drive with Ethernet connectivity, more power. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Palatine, IL--Altivar 58 TRX ac drive features direct Ethernet connectivity and extended power range. Other features include sensorless vector control, several operator interface options, I/O extension cards, and option cards for Ethernet and...

Steel skin for plastic fibers. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Minneapolis, MN--Steel-Skin plastic fibers for fiber-optic photoelectric sensors incorporate braided 304-grade stainless steel over-jacket for wear-resistant protection, while allowing flexing capability to get light into tight places. Plastic...

New enhancements to FEED technology. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Cambridge, MA--Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) technology is part of Aspen Engineering Suite (AES) and uses XML schemas and updated versions of Aspen's Zyqadand and Icarus products to improve productivity by enabling more effective sharing...

Server, software target FDA 21 CFR Part 11. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Lake Forest, CA--Wonderware's FactorySuite Industrial Application Server and InTouch 8.0 human-machine-interface (HMI) software are said to lower maintenance and development costs involved in engineering FDA 21 CFR Part 11, electronic records...

Process knowledge solution released. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Phoenix, AZ--Honeywell Industry Solutions has released its Experion Process Knowledge Solution (PKS) industrial automation system. Experion PKS is the system platform for Honeywell's PKS suite of knowledge-driven applications, technologies, and...

New RTX 5.5 for Microsoft Windows. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Waltham, MA--Venturcom has released version 5.5 of Real Time Extensions (RTX) for Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, XPe, NT, and NTe. This latest version of RTX simplifies development efforts requiring real-time networking features by including...

NEMA 12 keyboard with trackball. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Stratford, CT--This compact, NEMA 12, sealed keyboard contains integral 1.3-in trackball in a painted-aluminum enclosure. A drain hole below the trackball allows water to exit to achieve NEMA 12 rating. Designated Model KIT6003, the sealed...

Field configurable potentiometer. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... San Diego, CA--Eurotherm, Action instruments Action Pak AP40030001 is a field-configurable, socket-mounted device that accepts any three-wire potentiometer input from 100 to 100,000 ohms and provides 0-10 V, 0-5V, 0-20 mA, or 4-20 mA dc output....

Linux-based platform provides production info. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Mansfield, MA--Verano's Performux software is designed to work in cooperation with the company's Instant Awareness software to provide knowledge workers with intelligence about important production status, asset utilization, and operational...

Senior Field Support Engineer-mayfield heights, Ohio. (Classified Advertising).
March 1, 2003... Serve as focal point and primary contact for support to the Asia Pacific Field modernization business. Ensure all assets within the company's regional drive centers are made available to support Asia Pacific field modernization order. Provide a...

Low-power, 64-step digital trimmer. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Wilmington, MA--AD5273 is the lowest power, most compact 64-step digital trimmer in the industry, according to Analog Devices. AD5273 incorporates a one-time programmable (OTP) digitally controlled variable resistor (VR) that does the same...

CPX connects standard instruments to fieldbus. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Hauppauge, NY--Festo's CPX modular electrical terminal uses different configurable modules to connect traditional I/O devices to DeviceNet, Profibus-DP, Interbus, CANOpen, and CC-Link field buses. Devices with standard analog interfaces can be...

Compact, lightweight OEM pressure regulator. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Michigan City, IN--Series MPR Pressure Regulator Transducer is designed for compressed air or water pressure control in the OEM markets. A low-torque, non-rising knob (with locking feature) provides precise, easy pressure adjustment. Model MPR1...

Paperless recorder offers multiple features, improved color display. (Products & Software).
March 1, 2003... Stamford, CT--RD-MV 100/200 paperless recorder new from Omega features TFT color LCD for better viewing; removable storage on 3.5-in, floppy disk, zip disk, or PCMCIA ATA flash memory card; and programmable thermocouple, RTD, and voltage...

Deadtime hampers process control. (Back to Basics).(controllign the interval between control application and its first effect on process)
March 1, 2003... Deadtime is the interval between the application of a control effort and its first discernible effect on the process variable. Deadtime is most common in processes that involve a transport delay between the actuators and the sensors, such as...

Simplify.(Schneider Electric automation controllers)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... Getting a lot of different parts to work together efficiently is the biggest challenge in designing machine control systems. It's what keeps control engineers up at night and adds significant costs to the design of a new machine. So what if a...