Operations

Six-Axis Articulated Robots for Light Duty

Dave Greenfield — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 14:04:25 +0000

When you think of industrial robots, chances are you thinking of big, expensive robots used in industrial applications such as automotive manufacturing or warehousing.

Weighing 55 pounds or less and designed to handle payloads of up to 22 pounds, these new lightweight robots from Universal Robots expand the possibility of robot application in industry.

Case Application

Eight Recommendations for Designing and Using Skid-Based Equipment

Kim Overstreet — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 22:13:56 +0000

Modular, skid-mounted process equipment—such as CIP systems, bio processors, blowers and dryers, and compressors and pumps—is increasingly common.

Feature Article

Six Tips for Complying with Food Safety Requirements

Kim Overstreet — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 18:39:08 +0000

Automation can improve compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act. These tips can help you improve execution and operational practices:

Automation can improve compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Feature Article

ISO 55000 Will Up the Ante for Asset Performance Management

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 22:50:28 +0000

Companies should prepare for the trickle-down effect expected from regulatory bodies and insurance providers as a result of a formal international standard for managing assets.

Column

Industry View

A QC Lesson from Lean Manufacturing

George Shurtleff — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 18:39:53 +0000

The quality movement and lean manufacturing grew up together for good reason—they are complimentary.

Simpler is better. This rule of thumb for lean manufacturing applies equally well to quality control as it does to process monitoring and other aspects of production

Feature Article

OEE in Packaging: Deceptively Simple

George Shurtleff — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:49:47 +0000

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is older than many of this magazine’s readers.

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is being used with increasing frequency in the packaging industry. The reason for its popularity lies in the fact that the metric is easy to understand and relatively easy to apply. However, it is also easy to misuse. Here’s how to avoid doing so.

Feature Article

Addressing the ‘Fatal Flaw’ in Engineering Education

Aaron Hand — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:32:29 +0000

At The Automation Conference, Purdue’s Gary Bertoline explained the problems with a theoretically based higher-education system in the U.S., and gave solutions to bring it back in line with manufacturing’s needs.

News

Free Machine Safety Software

Dave Greenfield — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:26:35 +0000

As manufacturing became a global game for manufacturers of all sizes—whether they be a large, direct player or smaller concern playing a supply chain role—the regulated safety maze that manufacture

The Safety Automation Builder tool from Rockwell Automation is designed to help guide manufacturers through the safety system design process.

News

Matrox: Computing Platform for Industrial Imaging

Adam Madison — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:01:00 +0000

The Supersight Solo computing platform, designed for industrial imaging applications, allows users to integrate a system host board with graphics processing units, FPGAs and frame grabbers in a sin

The Supersight Solo computing platform, designed for industrial imaging applications, allows users to integrate a system host board with graphics processing units, FPGAs and frame grabbers in a single chassis.

Product

Project Managers—Unsung Heroes of Automation

George Shurtleff — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:46:11 +0000

If you ask me to name the most important skill in the automation world, my answer is project management.

Top project managers have two things going for them—a robust and repeatable process, and leadership skills that that are founded on good communication, integrity, and the ability to influence.

Column

The Setpoint

Good Work Alone is Not Enough, You Need to Sell Your Ideas

cnichols — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Walking around the 2012 Emerson Global Users Exchange, it’s pretty easy to conclude that most engineers are fairly introverted, and many certainly would not want to view the need to get their ideas

How do engineers and technicians get their ideas across and projects funded? Like it or not, they’ve got to learn how to sell.

News

Got Valve Alignment Issues? Now You Can Automate Manual Valves Easily

George Shurtleff — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:22:00 +0000

Most process plants have thousands of discrete valves that are manually operated.

The 4320, a WirelessHART valve automation solution, changes the economics of automating discrete valves and is an alternative to solenoids and limit switches.

News

The Art and Science of Production Knowledge

George Shurtleff — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:34:47 +0000

Databases are the refrigerators of the industrial world.

For the most part, database issues are left the to IT department. But with the volume of production data typically residing in numerous databases in a manufacturing facility, engineers and operators need to be more aware of the databases that house their critical production information.

Feature Article

Building Skills in the Industrial Products Industry

George Shurtleff — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:42:29 +0000

Industrial products manufacturers have prevailed against the downturn by containing costs, boosting innovation and adjusting their manufacturing footprint in response to the shifting global market.

As manufacturers take steps to expand their workforces, many are finding that the skills they require now are different from those that were needed prior to the recession. In this environment, industrial products manufacturers need to develop talent strategies that not only address their most immediate workforce needs, but also plan for future growth.

Column

Enterprise View

Planning, Deployment, and Management Tool for Time-Based Real Time Locating Systems

Gary Mintchell — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:05:06 +0000

Zebra Technologies Corp. (www.zebra.com) has released System Builder, a planning software tool utilizing time difference of arrival (TDOA) to ass

System Builder assists customers in implementing precision locating systems to provide visibility into and unlock improvements in their operations.

Product

Testing System Added to New U.S. Government Energy Lab

Lara Krieger — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:25:29 +0000

The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) on the campus of the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Systems Integration Facility got a new regenerative 1 MVA AC + DC source system for grid simulation and testing.

News

Free Benchmark Assessment

Dave Greenfield — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:01:21 +0000

Apriso offers free access to a manufacturing operations performance benchmarking tool for a limited time.

News

Custom Couplings

cnichols — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:55:01 +0000

Material and machining capabilities incorporate aluminum and stainless steel, including 316 S.S. Rigid Couplings. Standard or custom manufactured couplings are available.

Candy Controls introduces manufacturing services for “custom” couplings within its extensive Coup-Link product group.

Product

Creating Value in Manufacturing

George Shurtleff — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:40:33 +0000

Lean is a word marketing people and executives love. “We’re Lean,” they often proclaim.

“Lean,” properly speaking, is not a program, a platform, a methodology or a one-time event. Lean is a way of life that seeks to add value and eliminate waste whether, in manufacturing or the office.

Case Application

Four Siemens Customers Awarded for ‘Delivering Success’

Renee Robbins Bassett — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:03:27 +0000

Safety systems, wireless communications, motion control and more were technologies at the heart of superior automation solutions called out by global industrial automation giant Siemens as it wrapp

See why ConocoPhillips Alaska, Fori Automation, GOSS International and GT Advanced Technologies got the nod over hundreds of others.

News

Cognex Corp: Vision Systems Monitoring Software

Peter Cleaveland — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:36:07 +0000

It also incorporates powerful maintenance tools for backing up, restoring or cloning systems, carrying out firmware upgrades and more.

Explorer Control Center displays a graphical view of vision systems, ID readers and visualization systems on a network.

Product

Discrete, Process Automation and Packaging Come Together at The Automation Conference

GrantGerke — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:04:20 +0000

The Automation Conference, a two-day event held May 22 to 23 in Rosemont (Chicago), IL., opened the day with keynote speaker, Sid Venkatesh, associate technical fellow, Boeing, with his presentatio

The first annual Automation Conference, bringing together process, discrete and packaging professionals in one conference, kicked off this morning with keynotes speakers from Boeing and ExxonMobil.

News

System Integrators: New Robotic Certification Program Snares Four Companies

GrantGerke — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:45:03 +0000

The Robotic Industries Association's (RIA) announces that JR Automation, Motion Controls Robotics, Tennessee Rand, and Wolf Robotics are the first four companies to have completed the newly Certifi

The new certified Robotic Integrator Program offers accreditation to integrators to help benchmark their companies in the industry.

News

Machine Vision Issues for Automation

George Shurtleff — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:12:13 +0000

But what are the current trends or the future markets? Here is a brief look at some topics that currently affect machine vision applications.

Machine vision has experienced a rapid rise during the last years.

News

Fluid Components International: Mass Air/Gas Flow Meter

Peter Cleaveland — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:15:48 +0000

The ST100 series thermal mass air/gas flow meter is now available in a remote mountable configuration suitable for applications in hazardous areas or hard-to-reach locations.

The ST100 is now remote mountable for hazardous locations.

Product