Control and Instrumentation articles from October 1998

Control and Instrumentation archives from October 1998

CAE firms mature.
October 1, 1998... There's a dynamic business machine gaining momentum, albeit behind the scenes, in manufacturing. It's known as the CAE phenomenon, and confirms the coming-of-age of a number of software specialists in the relatively new and arcane field of...

FF connectivity yields 'five-fold payback savings'.
October 1, 1998... Version 3 of Fisher-Rosemount's DeltaV scalable process control system permits direct connection with Foundation Fieldbus (FF) devices. This development also allows DeltaV to be integrated with existing process automation systems using OPC...

Nematron sales disappoint.
October 1, 1998... Sales at Nematron, the Michigan, USA, manufacturer of industrial computers, fell sharply during the first half of 1998 as a number of contracts expired and were not replaced. Disappointing figures for the third quarter and nine months...

What's through the WINDOWSCE?..
October 1, 1998... 'We decided to develop a range of operating systems based on the WindowsCE platform. The first device, shipping at the end of 1998, will be the Multi Platform MP270. This will offer a library of functional blocks for the customer which will...

You can't stop PROGRESS.
October 1, 1998... The man behind National Instruments' market-leading test and control systems gives Matthew Peach some insights into how he has achieved almost continuous growth since 1976. National Instruments' growth over the past 22 years forms 'a...

... and how about WINDOWSNT?
October 1, 1998... PC Soft International has launched WizDCS, which it describes as a 'soft process controller' that enables a PC running WindowsNT to perform real-time industrial process control. The package offers a graphical configuration environment that...

Gauging 'first' for intranets.
October 1, 1998... What is claimed to be the world's first gauging system with full intranet access will be introduced by NDC Infrared Engineering at the K98 exhibition in Dusseldorf at the end of October. NDC's existing technology for IR gauging of film,...

PLCs in fumes plant upgrade.
October 1, 1998... To increase efficiency and help reduce operating costs, Alcan Smelting and Power has refurbished its Lochabar Smelter fume treatment plant at Fort William, Scotland. As part of the refurbishment, Cegelec has supplied six Alspa C80-35...

CHAIN OF command.
October 1, 1998... BERNHARD ROSE How can you bring together three plants, 20 production lines, 500 products, 250 customers and a handful of suppliers under one umbrella? Wolfgang Ade, IT manager at Polyethelyn GmbH, the Hoechst subsidiary in Frankfurt, has...

Exxon and Aspen seal global software deal.
October 1, 1998... Advanced control and simulation software from Aspen Technology is to be made available to Exxon affiliated companies world-wide in a new licensing agreement struck between the two firms. The agreement includes the use of AspenTech's...

Mid-range ERP.
October 1, 1998... CIM 98, the Computers in Manufacturing Show in mid-November, will see the launch of Intelliprise ERP software, which is aimed firmly at medium sized businesses. Identifying a gap in the middle of the market, American Software's Richard...

DI rises to challenges of the deep.
October 1, 1998... Pressure transducers from Data Instruments are playing a key role in helping Seaeye Marine, of Fareham, Hampshire, unlock the mysteries of the deep. Renowned designers and builders of underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Seaeye...

Presentation of POWER.
October 1, 1998... MATTHEW PEACH The National Grid Company's network in England and Wales comprises around 7000km of overhead line supported by 21,000 towers, 600km of underground cables and 280 substations. Formed in 1990, as part of the UK's electricity...

Graphically presenting real-time data.
October 1, 1998... While OS-9 is a suitable real time solution, this and other like-minded systems are less suitable for presenting information in a graphics-rich setting. Generating colourful and informative displays has always been possible but there...

Spicing up the burgers and grills.
October 1, 1998... Pneumatic conveying and processing systems at Birds Eye Wall's Steakhouse production plant in Lowestoft have been designed and installed by Neu Engineering. The equipment is used in material intake, 'conveying, hatching, weighing and mixing...

FIELDCOMMS 98.
October 1, 1998... CHRIS WEBB If you're looking for improved productivity, lower maintenance, less downtime, better management, simpler wiring, reduced costs then FieldComms 98 (28-29 October, Telford International Exhibition Centre) is the show for you....

Terminal blocks offer easy set.
October 1, 1998... The Interbus Inline terminal block from Phoenix Contact offers automatic set up of potential groups and circuits for current, data and safety without additional wiring. The company says that Inline is the basis of a 'universal automation...

Concrete to join the space age.
October 1, 1998... A 10t steel reinforced concrete block is to be blasted into space in 2002 as part of a major US/UK research project to map changes in the Earth's atmosphere. Fabricated in high performance 100MPa concrete by Taywood Engineering for...

ANALYSERS in focus.
October 1, 1998... Although off-line laboratory sampling and analysis of process waters continue to be emphasised in many company quality regimes, industry's confidence in continuous on-line monitoring is growing in the wake of technological advancements that...

Tanks in its sights.
October 1, 1998... Levels in up 2000 tanks can be measured and controlled from a standard PC using the new and comprehensive hardware/software ATG 3500 Remote Tank Inventory Management System from Barton Instrument Systems. Graphical software provides...

Sharks kept warm.
October 1, 1998... Vitaulic Systems is helping to keep sharks at the Deep Sea World aquarium at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, at a comfortable constant temperature by a heating/cooling network of close coupled pipework over their tanks. The piping system is...

Expanding roles for MICRO PLCS.
October 1, 1998... MARTIN HYDE The PLC market is undergoing radical changes. Advances in semiconductor power and package sizes mean that both hardware and software features previously associated only with large, expensive system PLCs are becoming...

MAPS software points the way.
October 1, 1998... The Rodd Group is currently implementing the Fourman suite of manufacturing software developed by Leeds based MAPS in a contract worth GBP214,000. The GBP40m turnover engineering group produces pressed metal and injection moulding...

Tree research is in the bag.
October 1, 1998... Dataloggers from Campbell Scientific are being used in tree research at the Sud-Orsay University in Paris. Using a technique initially developed to monitor the effects of high CO(2) concentrations (a cause of global warming) on forest...

Doing the KNOWLEDGE.
October 1, 1998... STUART NATHAN Science fiction is no friend of the computer researcher, Thanks to Star Trek, innumerable Hollywood films, and SF novelists, everyone knows that in years to come we'll control everything from home computers to aircraft...

Cimplicity makes the papers.
October 1, 1998... World records come in all guises, but none more abstruse than that reputedly held by Voith Sulzer - first to achieve paper throughput speeds of more than 100km/hr for a newsprint machine. Now GE Panuc's Cimplicity SCADA control system is...

Gates' vision of 'digital nervous architectures'.
October 1, 1998... Microsoft has launched its Visual Studio development system version 6.0. The system is described as a complete suite of tools for scalable enterprise solutions which integrate with WindowsNT applications. The Enterprise edition also...

CIM has the answers.
October 1, 1998... All of IT for all of industry,' is how CIM 97 was billed at its launch, with no fewer than five satellite events: Networks in Manufacturing; Control Systems Integration; Process; Product Data Management (PDM); and Computer Aided Manufacture...

Moore and OA in joint venture.
October 1, 1998... Object Automation and Moore Industries have announced a partnership in process control. OA's automation software and Moore's interface technology will combine to bring 'object-based automation solutions to manufacturing', the companies...

ABB changes gear and drives on.
October 1, 1998... Sharon Everitt ABB has made changes to its group structure in a bid to boost business in what it calls growth areas. This has lead to the industrial and building systems segment being split into three: automation; oil, gas and...

Schneider, Toshiba in variable speed drive jv.
October 1, 1998... Schneider and Toshiba have entered into a joint venture (jv) to develop industrial variable speed drives. The move will combine Schneider's expertise in motor control and industrial applications with Toshiba semiconductor technology. ...

Fieldbus: war of words.
October 1, 1998... Colin Carter Following calls from Profibus International for the suspension of the proposed IEC 61158 fieldbus standard (C&I, August 1998), the Fieldbus Foundation (FF) has responded by condemning what it sees as efforts to defeat the...

'Never stronger' MTL rings the changes.
October 1, 1998... MTL Instruments Group's Ian Hutcheon is to step down as its chairman, and to be replaced by Malcolm Coster. Hutcheon announced his move, after 27 years with the firm, while announcing its interim results for the first half of 1998. ...

EC not plugging Labour, Mandelson plugs digital.
October 1, 1998... Sandy Morrison The Engineering Council has denied press reports that it donated over GBP5000 to the Labour Party. The Council has a formal responsibility to represent the engineering profession to Government and its links are described...

CAD/CAM users now have the edge.
October 1, 1998... Design and manufacturing firms which do not use computer aided design or manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology are struggling to compete effectively with businesses that do, according to a study from Frost & Sullivan, international marketing...

Smart enough for the job?(nuclear industry instrumentation in the United Kingdom)
October 1, 1998... Smart instrumentation has come under the microscope in a detailed study of the reliability of such devices for the UK nuclear industry. It sheds new light on precisely what means may be necessary for vetting the integrity of smart devices....

Tapping into wastewater savings.(Capitol Controls research suggests water management benefits)
October 1, 1998... Big cost savings could be on tap for a whole range of industries if they are prepared to take a hard look at the way they source, use and treat water and wastewater. That was the message last month from Capital Controls, the...