Control and Instrumentation articles from May 1999

Control and Instrumentation archives from May 1999

Mini colour vision system wins first prize.
May 1, 1999... The automation and systems section of Les Grands Prix Internationaux de l'Innovation at the first Biennale Show, held at Paris Nord last month, was won by a novel colour vision system from Keyence. The vision system weighs only 330g...

Clowne sewage treatment works.
May 1, 1999... Although precise flow measurements are essential in sewage treatment plants, flow rates often have to be determined with partially filled pipelines. Since standard electromagnetic flowmeters (EMFs), are only accurate with completely filled...

PROCESS FLOW MEASUREMENT IN PULP & PAPER MILLS.
May 1, 1999... As major water users, pulp and paper industries are under increasing pressure to implement conservation programmes to reduce water consumption and drain losses, and to prevent pollution. A recent UK survey([dagger]) established that there are...

Altosonic keeps European crude flowing.
May 1, 1999... The South European Pipeline Society (SPSE) owns and operates a pipeline, which is used to transport crude oil, naphtha and condensates from the Fos sur Mer oil terminal in France to Germany and on to Switzerland. SPSE has standardised on...

Another `gong' for G+.
May 1, 1999... Our new Coriolis G+ recently added a bar to its MIAA Award: this time from the judges of the Metrology for World Class Manufacturing Awards. In giving it their vote - as the winner of Category 3 `Measurement for Manufacturing Excellence' - the...

Coriolis in the news again.
May 1, 1999... Following its establishment as the Group's worldwide centre for straight tube Coriolis meter production, our Wellingborough factory has been the host to many interested visitors. This party of international journalists, from the USA the UK and...

NO CALIBRATION NEEDED WITH KROHNE'S MICROFLEX-RADAR.
May 1, 1999... Following the successful introduction of products based upon its Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) technology, Krohne has introduced a simplified liquid level measurement instrument, the Microflex Radar BM100 L. A true `plug in and measure'...

IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICES.
May 1, 1999... Over the coming weeks we will be improving the ways in which we service our customers. An integrated computer system, supplied by Baan, will link all aspects of our business. Together with this new system, the creation of a single,...

Datamonitor shows solid base for FF in oil and gas.(Foundation Fieldbus)
May 1, 1999... A recent report from Datamonitor, Developments & Customer Opinions on Fieldbus, which incorporates results of a survey of over 700 automation end users in Europe has concluded that the oil and gas, refinery and petrochemical industries are...

Car pollution sensors in demand.
May 1, 1999... World-wide demand for their automotive gas sensors has nearly doubled, says City Technology, manufacturers of gas sensors, based in Portsmouth, Hampshire in the UK. City supplies its unique, AO2 CiTiceL automotive oxygen sensor to two of...

NEWS IN BRIEF.
May 1, 1999... Everybody needs good neighbours Schoolchildren have shown engineering skills gained under the Engineering Council's Neighbourhood Engineers scheme to science minister Lord Sainsbury. Pupils made balloon-powered buggies and model bridges...

Land Rover turns the heat up (and down).
May 1, 1999... Land Rover, Solihull, UK has signed a calibration and maintenance contract for the heat treatment instrumentation it uses in driveline manufacture. The Solihull plant uses more than 100 items of production equipment to produce 136...

Measured answers flow from the disk.
May 1, 1999... The Micro Motion division of Fisher-Rosemount has produced a CD-ROM which allows users to compare the installation, maintenance and calibration costs -- and even the impact of varying levels of accuracy -- of different flow measurement...

Current increases in AC drives market.
May 1, 1999... A datamonitor report on European AC Drives, which examines AC drive markets in 11 countries, predicts double digit growth rates over the next five years with the German market being the most dynamic. The driving force behind this growth is...

CONTRACTS.
May 1, 1999... * Rockwell Automation has announced that it is expanding its human machine interface software and hardware capabilities by acquiring portions of Vancouver based Dynapro. The agreement will cover the purchase of intellectual property and assets...

PEOPLE.
May 1, 1999... * Jordi Andreu has been appointed president, European sales and support, European region of Rockwell Automation. He replaces Steve Eisenbrown, who was recently named senior vice president, control and information group. * Nematron has...

Software alliance.
May 1, 1999... UK-based Vertec has been accredited under National Instrument's `Alliance' programme. Vertec has worked on implementation of National's systems such as LabView, LabWindows CVI and IMAQ programme development environments and has also designed a...

Engineering economics remain on the slide.
May 1, 1999... For the third successive quarter, figures from the Engineering Employers' Federation/ Robson Rhodes Business Trends Survey show a decline in output, exports and employment levels. The balance of company numbers reporting a reduction in...

"Wish you were here".
May 1, 1999... As part of its programme of continuous quality improvement, ABB Control is giving its customers colour postcards. Customers are sent a desktop calendar/dispenser unit with postage paid red and green cards as part of ABB's `Customer equity +'...

Pumps show their paces.
May 1, 1999... Pumps & Systems `99 exhibition and conference is to be held at Telford on September 29th and 30th. The 1998 show attracted over 1100 visitors and over 20 exhibitors have already booked for the 1999 event. Associated equipment on show will...

Bargain buys.
May 1, 1999... Plimsoll Publishing has released a special assessment of those companies in the instruments and control devices sector that it considers would make good acquisitions. 159 companies were identified as having above average gross profit...

DNA proves its worth.
May 1, 1999... A demonstration of Microsoft's Distributed interNet Applications (DNA) for Manufacturing in Seattle earlier this year demonstrated that a combination of Microsoft and Rockwell Software products could simulate a manufacturing facility receiving...

Testing is key to Y2K strategy.
May 1, 1999... Jeanne Sheldon led the effort to test all of Microsoft's Office applications to ensure they can handle the upcoming date transition to the Year 2000. The team tested all 33 languages in which each of these products is available. Each...

Scada grows as profit slows.
May 1, 1999... New reports from the ARC advisory group suggest that worldwide SCADA shipments in the electrical power, oil and gas and water and wastewater sectors, which totalled more than $1.5 billion in 1998, will rise by an annual rate of 3% or more to...

Turnover up in Andover.
May 1, 1999... Control Techniques Dynamics of Andover has announced a 20% increase in turnover, year on year, following the launch of their Unimotor range of brushless AC servo motors. The company has experienced continual growth over the last four years,...

Double-digital company.
May 1, 1999... Honeywell's first quarter results show double-digit earnings growth for the 17th quarter in succession. Sales rose 3.3% to $1.9 BN while operating margin improved 50 basis points to 10.4%. There were significant profit differences between...

Y2K compliance triggers data acquisition growth.
May 1, 1999... The European data acquisition systems market, amassing revenues worth US$419 million in 1998, is expected to experience significant growth: However, this growth is expected to slow down at the beginning of the new Millennium as the market...

Nematron moves into profit.
May 1, 1999... Nematron Corporation have announced operating results for the first quarter ending 31 March 1999, which show a quarterly profit of $213,000. compared to a loss of $1,131,000 for the comparable quarter last year. The increased revenue is due...

UK costs are lowest in EU.
May 1, 1999... A KPMG study comparing the cost of doing business in 64 cities in 8 countries shows that the United Kingdom has the lowest business costs in Europe. The survey placed Canada as the lowest cost country overall with the UK second and United...

PRODUCTS.
May 1, 1999... Accelerometer for vibrations Endevco UK have announced the 7295A-100 accelerometer for high frequency vibration applications. The model features voltage sensitivity of 100mV/g; 10 and 25mV/g are also available. The 7259A-100 is based...

APPLICATIONS.
May 1, 1999... Off-duty yeast lives in comfort Scottish Courage have upgraded the yeast room at their Berkshire Brewery in Reading and installed a modern control system. The brewery is the UK's largest, with an output of more than seven million...

SYS BUILD/NEWS.
May 1, 1999... Marketing move drives towards OEMs Rockwell has adopted a new approach to the marketing of its packaged motor control equipment, aimed specifically at the high volume OEM market. Steve Sylvester, UK Sales OEM Manager for Rockwell...

Streamlined car production.
May 1, 1999... The trim line build document tells the operator what options are to be installed. Operators use bar code readers to enter that transaction into the system for returning to production operations and to the corporate computing systems. Delta...

SYS BUILD / PRODUCTS.
May 1, 1999... Process control integration eased Moore Process Automation Solutions has upgraded its APACS+ process control to make it easier to integrate with third party control applications and facilitate data exchange with business and other data...

Torque of motor skills realised.
May 1, 1999... A new generation of frequency inverters uses the motor itself as a sensor enabling high torques at low speeds and precise real time control. A new type of frequency inverter uses the motor itself as a sensor; by measuring the motor current...

EXTREME PCS--coping with shocks and knocks.
May 1, 1999... Implementation of industrial strength PCs cuts downtown at Sony by 40%; their use eliminates computer crashes and leads to increased productivity Industrial Computer Source has won a contract with Sony to supply industrial computer systems...

WASTE--the final frontier for an enterprising plant.
May 1, 1999... Improved treatment of industrial effluent, using an integrated process control system, is being achieved by a forward thinking chemical manufacturer, leading to better quality and minimised waste Mention waste minimisation and effluent...

PRAGMATISM paves the way to open systems.
May 1, 1999... The seemingly unstoppable momentum of the IEC 61131-3 control programming standard is in marked contrast to the acrimonious squabbling surrounding the 61158 fieldbus standard. The acrimony generated by the long-running fieldbus...

DEPRESSED but upbeat about the future.(petroleum industry software)
May 1, 1999... Selling to a depressed oil and gas industry, suffering from low prices, is a difficult challenge for control systems vendors. Fred McClintock of Scottish systems integrator, Capelrig Ltd, proposes a three pronged attack. The world is awash...

On the fast track to reach DEWPOINT.
May 1, 1999... Advances in moisture and humidity measurement are overcoming what once appeared to be fundamental limitations. A 1997 market research report from Frost & Sullivan, investigating developments in the process water analysis market, detected...

The Weigh FORWARD.
May 1, 1999... Strain gauge load cells have been with us for almost 60 years. It is reasonable to ask: where could this technology go in the coming years? One thing is for sure, the technology might be mature but the use of load cells for the electronic...

Countdown is on for C&I SHOWTIME.
May 1, 1999... Final details for visitors to the forthcoming C&I Exhibition - the UK's major process automation event - to be held later this month at the NEC. The country's leading process automation event takes place at Birmingham's National Exhibition...

MASS FLOWMETERS under the hammer.
May 1, 1999... Mass flowmeters today represent the fastest growing sector in the flow measuring market. The increasing demand covers all sizes but, with the growing acceptance by oil companies of mass flow for the fiscal measurement of hydrocarbon products,...

AUTOMATION systems, where to next?
May 1, 1999... Mike Eyre, MD of Moore Process Automation Solutions Europe, looks into the crystal ball and shares the results In the automation and information systems industry change is a constant factor. Change can be insidious, like the relentless...

Pilz GmbH - 50 years' commitment to providing for safer industrial sectors.
May 1, 1999... Health and Safety in the workplace has been the hallmark of the Pilz GmbH success story for 50 years. To celebrate this memorable occasion the company published an eye-catching brochure, tracking its development from humble beginnings as a...

Guide to Machinery Safety.
May 1, 1999... The Guide to Machinery Safety (6th edition) is now available free of charge from Pilz. Packed with technical and general information about the comprehensive Pilz product range, this eye-catching Guide is a must for individuals interested...

Innovative solutions provided for all safety-related controls.
May 1, 1999... PILZ willingly faces up to its responsibility as leader in the Automotive Technology Industry by continuing to develop its "X" range of safety relays with many additional features. For over a decade, Pilz has provided innovative solutions...

For industrial use -- make the PIPANEL computer a must!
May 1, 1999... Corby-based Automation Technologists, Pilz, has always aimed to provide customers with safe solutions to industrial safety problems and its latest innovations have broadened the safety relays to provide complete automation solutions. Last...

Pilz news in brief ...
May 1, 1999... INVESTOR IN PEOPLE Pilz first achieved "Investors in People" recognition in 1994 and in July 1997 it became the first Northamptonshire-based company to be re-accredited with this award. Pilz UK became an ISO 9002 registered company in...

Pilz Automation Technology Products.
May 1, 1999... Process Graphics under Windows CE The Pilz Machine Interface (PMI) is the new generation of touchscreen operator terminals using Windows(R) CE as the basis for the operator panel. With the implementation of this innovative operating...

Innovative developments in programmable systems and networking concepts.
May 1, 1999... The development of the Pilz PSS range of programmable safety systems has opened the barriers for fully electronic solutions to safety-related applications. It has been a mammoth step forward for safety with the introduction of such unit...

Stringent operational procedures for Modular Access Control.
May 1, 1999... The question is often asked: "How many safety gates can be monitored with a single safety circuit?" It can only be answered once it is clear which control category the relevant gates are trying to achieve. If only occasional access is required,...

Market leader is totally committed to all safety aspects for the food industry.
May 1, 1999... Health and Safety at Work has become a significant issue since Pilz GmbH first started trading 50 years ago - the need to provide a safe working environment is paramount throughout industry. The food industry is a key player in the UK's...