Control and Instrumentation articles from November 1998

Control and Instrumentation archives from November 1998

ABB buys Elsag Bailey for $2.1bn.
November 1, 1998... Last month's announcement by ABB that it is to acquire Elsag Bailey confirmed what chief executive Goran Lindahl described as the group's focus on `above average growth markets'. It will consolidate ABB's leading position in the global...

Mixed messages from engineering.
November 1, 1998... Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the total turnover of the engineering industries in the three months to August 1998 decreased by 0.2% compared with the previous three months. This fall was explained by decreases of...

The path of enlightenment.
November 1, 1998... The Energy Saving Trust is offering rebates of up to 50% of the cost Of installing energy saving lighting controls. The scheme is restricted to SMEs with up to 249 employees and the maximum payment is 3000 [pounds sterling]. The EST says...

Rise of the industrial robots.
November 1, 1998... A robust growth in industrial robot investment is forecast for north America and Europe until 2002, but markets in Japan and the rest of Asia will see a downturn. These are the main conclusions of World Robotics 1998, the report published...

CIM show grows on the back of 3bn [pounds sterling] IT spend.
November 1, 1998... `The manufacturing sector has already downsized, rightsized and rationalised and now it has the Year 2000 problem and EMU to deal with. The CIM '98 show tackles all of these issues and more,' says Mark Napier, the show's director. New...

COMPANIES.(multiple brief articles)
November 1, 1998... * Scientific Generics has created a separate spin-off company to exploit a non-contact position sensing technology. Absolute Sensors Ltd (ASL) will license its Spiritual technology world-wide. * Manufacturing products and Services (MAPS),...

NEWS IN BRIEF.
November 1, 1998... Crouzet moves Automation and control supplier Crouzet UK is moving from its HQ in Farnborough to Basingstoke. The premises will be fitted with the latest call handling technology and computer networks (pictured above). Green classes...

No to fieldbus approval.
November 1, 1998... The IEC has voted not to approve the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) documents for the Data Link Layer (DLL) and Application Layer (AL) of the international IEC 61158 fieldbus standard. Now, the `no' votes must be validated before the...

Firms unite in software roadshows.
November 1, 1998... Software vendors Baan, Microsoft, TopTier Software and Wonderware have combined with Phoenix Contact to create the `Linking Profit to Production' initiative. The aim is to demonstrate how manufacturers can implement an integrated...

Cave kit reveals weather tips.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... A CR10X datalogger from Campbell Scientific is being used to monitor growth of 10,000 year old stalagmites at Stump Cross caverns near Harrogate. Six automatic samplers and 2km of cable supply data to the CR10X, which has to endure perpetually...

Rockwell boss quits for Iomega.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Jodie Glore, President of Rockwell Automation, is leaving the company to become President and CEO of Iomega, manufacturer of the popular Zip computer drives and disks. Jodie's exit, reported by Automation Research Corporation, comes on the...

NPL looks at metrology software.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... The NPL's Centre for Information Systems Engineering has begun work on the Software Support for Metrology programme (SSfM) which is funded by the Department of Trade & Industry. The programme comprises a number of projects designed to meet...

Microsoft in the dock, but defiant.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Microsoft stock rose 10% in the first week of its antitrust trial in a Washington DC federal court last month, as Wall Street signalled its approval of the group's first quarter financial results. Earnings shot up 58% over the same period last...

Watching the world go round.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Carl Zeiss has been commissioned to design and produce the world's largest ring laser gyroscope in order to measure the rate of the earth's rotation. The system operates by circulating two laser beams in opposite directions enclosing an...

To be or not to be ... lit.
November 1, 1998... The 1998 `Young Engineers for Britain' award has been won by pupils at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh. 16-year-olds David Kelnar, Jonathan Scott, Ramsay Waller and John Wyllie designed a computerised lighting system intended for use at...

PEOPLE.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... * Nigel Vaughan is the new managing director of Krohne, and will be based in Wellingborough, Northants. * Richard Ahearne has joined Moore Process Automation Solutions as systems sales manager in Ireland. And Steve Day is now oil and gas...

Building a market reputation.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Once notoriously dependent on the fickle fortunes of the cyclical building industry, the intelligent building controls market has entered a phase of stable -- though modest -- growth. Or so says a recent report from Proplan, which states the...

Chip mountain continues to grow.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Chips, like anything else consumed in moderation, can be harmlessly assimilated. But overindulgence can result in obesity, as the semiconductor manufacturers, collectively responsible for a vast worldwide overcapacity, are learning to their...

E2S spreads alarm in USA.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... European Safety Systems (E2S) is to take on the American alarms market, and aims to quadruple its own turnover to 7m [pounds sterling] in the next three years. E2S manufactures audible and visual alarm systems, and reported a turnover of 1.8m...

Weir to extend purchasing net.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Weir Group is to spend 14m [pounds sterling] in new manufacturing technology over the next three years at its Weir Pumps flagship headquarters in Glasgow. It is also to cast its purchasing net farther afield. With 30 manufacturing plants in 14...

ERP boosts Fourth Shift.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Fourth Shift, the Nasdaq-quoted MicrosoftNT-based ERP supplier, has posted the best quarterly results in its 13-year history. Total revenues reached US17.3m (10.5m [pounds sterling]) for the second quarter of 1998, lifting stock by an...

Strong ARM tactics.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... ARM, the intellectual property provider which licenses low-cost, power-efficient microprocessors and system chips, has announced record third quarter revenues of 11.2m [pounds sterling], an increase of 68% over the same period for 1997. ...

Rate cut fails to impress.(United Kingdom's control an instrumentation industry)
November 1, 1998... Still shaken by events unfolding daily in the Far East, but not stirred by a quarter-point interest rate cut at home, Britain's C&I sector was last month bracing itself for a protracted recession. Scarcely had the Bank of England bowed to...

Making the case for PARTNERSHIP.(process industries can benefit from becoming members of the Centre for Process Analytics and Control Technology)
November 1, 1998... Dr Leslie Malkin, managing director of the Centre for Process Analytics and Control Technologies, tells Chris Webb how industry benefits from memberships Two months ago, 200 engineers, scientists and businessmen gathered to hear a small...

Direct control of thermoclave.
November 1, 1998... Norgren engineers have opted to fit process controllers directly onto a Thermoclave curing oven rather than install them conventionally in a single control station. Leeds-based LBBC was given a contract for a giant Thermoclave 21m long and 3.5m...

Rapid refit at British Steel.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... Cegelec Industrial Controls and systems integrator PMES, of Rugeley, have joined forces to refurbish British Steel's No l Colorcoat line at Shotton. The entire project was completed within the plant's nine day shut-down period specified by...

Going for a spin.
November 1, 1998... GKN Westland's Lynx helicopters are fitted with carbon fibre composite blades to give a predictable lifespan. This can only be maintained if the blade sets are carefully tested for static and dynamic balance. When the company's blade test...

Acid test for Avesta Steel.
November 1, 1998... Avesta Sheffield's plate mill has replaced its acid heating and mixing controller with a new environmentally friendly system from Riverside Automation. A Rockwell Automation PLC controls the mixer pumps from the operator's office, instead...

Mould control just the tool.
November 1, 1998... Bourne Tools, of Brownhills, near Birmingham, has fitted Heidenhain CNC control systems on two new machining centres. The company produces tools weighing up to 5t for plastic injection moulding in the demanding automotive OEM market. ...

ABB drives make Jaffas in a jiffy.
November 1, 1998... ACS 100 variable speed microdrives from ABB Industrial have been used to simplify and speed up packaging of McVitie's well-known Jaffa Cakes. The cakes are initially delivered to the packing area by two fixed speed conveyors, and the...

Pumping thicker sludge.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1998... At Yorkshire Water's Marley sewage works, a pump in the sludge thickening process had to be fitted into the limited space of a sunken dry well. The company wished, however, to use a progressing cavity pump which necessarily has a long barrel....

Sensors get tough in Russia.
November 1, 1998... Canongate Technology has supplied CT Holledge pneumatic level sensors for a series of projects involving the manufacture of baby foods in Russia. The units have a CT Holledge PB pressure transmitter, an HF air flow regulator and...

Caterpillar evolves.
November 1, 1998... An automated welding cell from Panasonic is helping to speed up production of sub-assemblies for Caterpillar's compact wheel loaders. The single-robot twin work-station cell has been installed at subcontractors Darwell Fabrications and allows...

Gas upgrades as easy as PI.(BEaver Valley Systems awarded software contract by BOC Gases)
November 1, 1998... Beaver Valley Systems has won a 200,000 [pounds sterling] contract to supply its Plant Information (PI) software to all BOC Gases plants throughout Europe. Installation will commence at the Middlesbrough site. Beaver Valley is developing...

Cable tension without wires.
November 1, 1998... Applied Measurement's new weighing system is designed for hook crane and lifting gear and the measurement of cable tension. The load cell has IP66 waterproofing, accepts standard lifting shackles and offers load ranges from 1 to 500 tonnes. ...

Heat controller logs 32 points.
November 1, 1998... The 1/16 DIN CAL 94000 temperature controller from CAL Controls can log and chart up to 32 instruments. The controller offers a four digit process and set-point temperature display and Windows based software. The unit interfaces with...

Eclipse transmits back to the future.
November 1, 1998... Eclipse, the new level transmitter from Magnetrol, is a two-wire, loop-powered, 24Vdc. device with HART communications, based on Guided Wave Technology. Magnetrol believes that the technology, first used in the 1930s for underground...

External motors drive on.
November 1, 1998... PAPST, has introduced the KLZ series of asynchronous external rotor motors for single- or three-phase power supplies. Available in two and four pole versions for single-phase at 230V/50Hz and three phase at 380V/50Hz, the range is designed...

Process plant transmitters.
November 1, 1998... AJ Thermosensors has announced a new range of process plant temperature transmitters/ sensors. The range comprises solid 304 stainless thermowells, removable sensor inserts in type J, K or T thermocouples and Pt100 resistance thermometers. ...

Joystick based on Hall Effect.
November 1, 1998... Quiller Electronics is distributing the HFX range of Hall Effect magnetic joysticks from CH Products to replace inductive coil and potentiometric products. The HFX is said to be impervious to RF and E/M interference. With only one active...

Power converter.
November 1, 1998... The CXA10 series of 10W power converters from Artesyn is designed as a competitive, open communications alternative for applications such as distributed power architectures (DPA). The series offers single and dual output voltages from 3.3...

Compressor management.
November 1, 1998... CompAir BroomWade has introduced SmartAir 3, an intelligent management system for controlling the air supply from two to three rotary screw or single pressure-switch compressors. Connection to the compressors is achieved using CompAir RS485...

Extracting the hiss.
November 1, 1998... Carlo Gavazzi has expanded its Solitron relay family with a range of low noise, solid state relay devices. Noise emission has been reduced and the need for a fifth wire to neutral eliminated. The relay can switch inductive loads down...

Rugged pressure switches.
November 1, 1998... Dwyer Instruments is now providing the 1900 Series low differential pressure switch with a CENELEC approved explosion-proof housing to EExd IIB T6. The diaphragm operated model 1911 is designed for air conditioning, refrigeration, oven, dryer...

Temp monitoring and control unite.
November 1, 1998... The One Series temperature switch from United Electric features threshold detection and switching with a single connection. Monitoring and controlling functions are combined and integrated in one housing. Designed for temperatures from -50...

Process gas chromatograph.
November 1, 1998... The GCX process gas chromatograph transmitter is designed for applications where components in gaseous or liquid stream must be repetitively monitored. Rosemount Analytical's design can be installed on a 2in diameter pipe. The GCX can...

Power supply range expands.
November 1, 1998... H-Squared are distributing AC and DC power supplies from MPW to supplement their range. The supplies suit telecoms, instrumentation, mobile computers and battery charging. A switch mode range will follow. H-Squared Electronics Ltd, ...

Range of pumps boasts benefits.(Sterling Fluid Systems)
November 1, 1998... Sterling Fluid Systems claims its new pump range offers improved fluid handling, cost and environmental benefits. SIHI Dry pumps are intended for pharmaceutical and fine chemicals, Combitube for low-flow, high-head applications and ISOchem...

Grace under pressure.(Meriam Instrument's gauges)
November 1, 1998... Designed to measure pressure, differential pressure, vacuum and absolute pressure, the 2110P range of smart gauges from Meriam are microprocessor-based and fully programmable. Configuration of setpoints, engineering units and damp rate is...

Screw actuators stroke and thrust.(Intelligent Motion Control)
November 1, 1998... Intelligent Motion Control's FT force tube linear actuators offer a stroke range from 0.3m to 2.4m and thrust to 890kN. Peak force rating is 178kN. Designed as an alternative to hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, roller screw actuators...

Low power, powerful light.
November 1, 1998... Developed from the Philips MPXL lamp, the Labino AB ultraviolet lamp combines Philips gas mixtures and Labino drive electronics. UV output reaches over 17,000 [micro] W/[cm.sup.2] at a distance of one metre while drawing a power of only 35W....

Go with the FLOW.(flowmeters)
November 1, 1998... Flowmeters get digital comms--and self-diagnostics. Mass flow rate, rather than volumetric flow rate, is the main quantity of interest in many practical and industrial applications. This is true because it is the molecules of the fluid that...

HAZARDOUS areas: a new approach to safety.
November 1, 1998... Field devices are forever moving the goalposts in risk assessment in hazardous areas. Perhaps it's time, again, to take stock. As intelligent instrumentation, fieldbus and distributed systems continue to make significant strides in...

POWERING THE UK ... to the nearest watt.
November 1, 1998... This year's partition of electrical supply and distribution businesses is driving the companies involved to spend millions on new -- margin boosting -- IT systems. One such solution, Electrical Loads Information System, allows client companies...

SMART SENSORS in safety critical applications.
November 1, 1998... `Safety transmitters' and SILs, in the context of international standards, are explained... Minimising risk to personnel and the environment is critical to any modern industrial process. Achieving the dual goals of efficiency and safety...

INTEMPERATE climates.(Eurotherm Controls' industrial control system)
November 1, 1998... The complexity of integrating temperature control with process control has been reduced with Eurotherm Controls' launch of an industrial system, already being integrated into climatic chambers. The complexity of integrating multizone...

TRANSMITTER prices take a tumble worldwide.
November 1, 1998... Once artificially high in the Far East, transmitter prices have plummeted to commodity levels. Not so long ago, the cost of a transmitter was between 50 and 60% higher in the Far East than in Europe. Now the trend has reversed:...