Control and Instrumentation articles from February 2000

Control and Instrumentation archives from February 2000

Looking forward to Spring.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... So what can the control sector look forward to in the Spring of 2000. Certainly there is a feeling of optimism pervading the process and manufacturing industries; Y2k is out of the way and it's back to business as usual. Those involved in...

Cherry sensors enter market.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Cherry has launched a family of Hall Effect sensors for automotive and general use. These include geartooth sensors for rotating ferrous gear type targets and a magnetic vane switch for hostile environments.

Free Hart CD-ROM.
February 1, 2000... The Hart Communication Foundation has introduced a CD-ROM including an interactive tutorial on the capabilities of Hart communication and a product catalogue. To obtain a free copy visit www.hartcomm.org.

A boost for manufacturing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2000... The Euro-zone purchasing manager's index of manufacturing activity rose for the tenth month running, writes the Financial Times, 5th January 2000. The index had reached a two and half year high in December 1999, boosted by big increases in...

Investors analysis.
February 1, 2000... A UK company analysis has been carried out on 2,300 companies in instrumentation and control by Plimsoll, who examined all companies in the sector. 46 companies were identified who were considered to be undervalued. Copies are priced at...

Rotork's Chinese order.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Rotork Controls UK has won the order to supply 126 IQ intelligent electric actuators as part of the Sichuan Petroleum Administration Bureau's project to renovate the natural gas distribution network in Sichuan and Chongqing. Rotork Beijing will...

Siemens wants Moore.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... SIEMENS HAS ENHANCED its process automation capability with the acquisition of Moore Products, which it will purchase for an estimated $170 million. The Automation and Drives Group made a cash offer for all outstanding Moore shares on January...

Rotork wins fast track gas order.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... ROTORK CONTROL & SAFETY, a new company formed from Rotork Instruments, is supplying an Orbus distributed control system, incorporating fire and gas detection and emergency shut down systems, for a major plant expansion project at Transco's site...

TLA'S here to stay: Chris Haines explains those elusive TLAs in everyday terms.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... DNS - DIGITAL NERVOUS SYSTEM is the central theme of Bill Gates' book Business @ the speed of thought, in which he defines a digital nervous system as one that consists of the digital processes that enable a company to perceive and react to...

Batch control agreement.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... HONEYWELL HI-SPEC-SOLUTIONS and Sequencia Corporation have expanded their relationship in the area of batch manufacturing. Honeywell says it will now be able to integrate components from Sequencia into a solution for unified batch...

Peace breaks out in the comms field at long last.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... IN JANUARY the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), announced that a significant majority of member countries had accepted the draft international fieldbus standard, IEC 61158, parts 3 and 6. The standard includes 8 fieldbus systems...

Wright choice as new Fisher-Rosemount MD.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... FISHER-ROSEMOUNT has appointed Ian Wright to be their new Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. Ian's career spans over 20 years in the process control industry, with Yokogawa, and Laporte plc, before joining Fisher-Rosemount. As...

Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd (FCCL).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2000... ABB has signed a full service partnership agreement with Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd (FCCL) to service its three Canadian pulp mills in British Colombia. ABS and FCCL will create 50-50 partnership to maintain all of the three mills' assets,...

Endress + Hauser.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Endress + Hauser has acquired Staiger Mohilo, producers of measurement systems for turbidity, solids, sludge and analysis for ammonium, nitrate and phosphate for water and waste water facilities. Endress + Hauser believe that the analysis...

Appalachian Controls Environmental (ACE).(acquired by Fisher Controls International)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Fisher Controls has acquired Appalachian Controls Environmental (ACE), a manufacturer of tank blanketing valves. The tank blanketing products will complement the regulator products of the regulators division of Fisher Controls.

Wavetek's Precision Measurement Division.(acquired by Fluke Corp)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Fluke has acquired the calibration tools supplier, wavetek's Precision Measurement Division. Fluke plans to maintain the facility, formerly known as Datron, In Norwich. The division wilt become part of the Fluke Industrial Group's calibration...

GE Operations Services.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... GE Operations Services, a unit of the General Electric Company; and Milltronics have entered into a marketing and sales alliance for remote inventory management systems. GE Operations will use Milltronics level measurement technology in...

Onix Process Analysis Ltd.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Onix Process Analysis Ltd has acquired Unicam Chromatography. Unicam was formerly a division of Thermo Optek. The Unicam Chromatography range will add to the products and services of the Onix group and will continue to manufacture gas...

Rochester Instrument systems.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Rochester Instrument systems has completed an order from North West Water to upgrade 10 of its regional masterstations which were originally DL Telmaster masterstations.

German sensor manufacturers.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... German sensor manufacturers, di-soric GmbH, has appointed TR Controls as their UK agent for the company's products. Dl-soric produce frame and fork sensors, optical ring sensors and capacitive label sensors. TR Controls are the UK subsidiary of...

British Polythene Industries (BPI).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... British Polythene Industries (BPI) has appointed IMI Norgren as sole supplier of pneumatic products. Energy savings were calculated using Norgren's software and were identified to be worth [pounds]120,000 at three of BPI's 60 sites. Potential...

Little fish to make big waves.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Colin Carter examines some interesting developments in the world of operating systems and discovers that the Linux open source kernel is becoming a viable alternative especially in embedded architectures. RECENT NEWS STORIES have further...

Networks to the fore.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Is LonWorks moving in a different direction to the fieldbus community? I think we need to; we need to actively contribute to discussion forums but we will not be restrained in our development by committees because we feel ultimately...

An expert in kiln control.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Lafarge Coppee cement works in France and America benefit from the use of artificial intelligence, using Gensym's expert system, to improve kiln burning and cement quality Fallowing decades of research and systems development, artificial...

CUTTING OUT THE POWER INTERRUPTIONS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... What happens when your business suffers a power cut or mains interruption? PLCs and file servers shut down causing data loss, networks crash and manufacturing plants grind to a halt. But all this misery can be saved when you install a UPS ...

Differential pressure flow measurement FOR EFFICIENCY.
February 1, 2000... A traditional differential pressure flowmeter that can achieve 1% accuracy and repeatability in a laboratory will typically provide 3-7% when installed. For 1% mass flow accuracy and repeatability in the real-world, three best practices should...

All in all it's just another brick IN THE WALL.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Hanson Brick needed a high degree of automation and when the control system was upgraded at its Heather works, the degree of automation was considerably Hanson Brick's Heather works in Leicestershire makes five different types of brick...

Cylinder manufacturing line KEEPS ITS HEAD.
February 1, 2000... European truck manufacturer DAF has chosen Nematron's OpenControl for its first experience with PC based control using an interpreted flow chart language program Annual production at DAF Trucks' Eindhoven facility exceeds 22,000 units and...

Screen in touch.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Nematron's family of industrial computers has been enhanced with the introduction of the ICC8000, which features a 15in flat screen with XGA resolution and an optional resistive touch feature so that the touch screen can be activated with a...

Valve development MOVES SLOWLY BUT SURELY.
February 1, 2000... Derek Smith, Marketing Service Manager for Tyco Valves & Controls, assesses the opportunities and trends for development, in the market for valves, actuators and controls Radical, overnight development of new models is not a well-known...

An improved thermocouple for high temperature applications.(from Roxspur Measurement and Contol)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... The latest product development from Roxspur Measurement and Control is a thermocouple for high temperature measurements One might think that the thermocouple has not changed much since its development as a basic instrument and an essential...

Engineering numbers down in gloomy forecast.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... THE ENGINEERING EMPLOYERS Federation CEEF) has just published its Business Trends Survey and Employment Review for the fourth quarter of 1999 which shows the engineering sector showing no significant signs of a full recovery, with a widening of...

VACON DRIVES UK.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... WHAT DOES VACON DRIVES DO? Vacon Drives UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vaasa control, which design, develop, manufacture, test and distribute a range of frequency converters, management toolset, and various optional extras and...

People on the move.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2000... Capelrig has appointed Doug Lees, formally of Honeywell and EDS, to establish a base in the Sultanate of Oman for the company to serve the whole of the Middle East. Dr Andrew Crookell has joined Sira as Programme Manager for the...