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Smart Grid: Is it Time for Industry to get Involved?
(08/30/2010)
Each company must evaluate their particular situation and make value judgments that optimize their business situation
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Can Process Control Prevent Oil Well Blowouts?
(08/23/2010)
Oil Drilling Accident in the Gulf of Mexico: What caused it? Could We Have Prevented the Blowout with Properly Designed Process Control Systems?
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Keep Controls Network Separate from Business Network
(08/19/2010)
All the Eggs in One Basket: Combining the Controls and the Business Network Can Bring Unwanted Troubles
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Automationg on of America's largest Pipelines
(08/09/2010)
Standardized SCADA controls and software reduce engineering and commissioning time keeping 1,700-mile pipeline on schedule
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The Physics of Pressure
(08/02/2010)
Pressure is a fundamental variable in process control systems that impacts safety, quality, and productivity
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Out Of Control
(07/26/2010)
As cyber attacks threaten SCADA systems, the manufacturing community answers a call to action.
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Is there a PC in your control systems future?
(07/19/2010)
There's No Longer Any Technical Reason Why a PLC or a DCS Should Be More Reliable Than an Industrial PC
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SCADA, HMI Boundries Blur
(07/15/2010)
There Isn't a Device on the Planet That Can't Be connected and Monitored by Any HMI/SCADA System.
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I/O on Demand: The New Paradigm
(07/01/2010)
One of the Goals of Human-Centered Design Is to Eliminate Unnecessary Work
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Putting Knowledge to Work
(06/21/2010)
Share your knowledge or keep it in a drawer?
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Implementing Cloud for the Enterprise
(06/07/2010)
Cloud computing has the potential to change the configuration of automation systems in a number of areas. This article describes the fundamentals of cloud computing to provide a basic understanding. As you read this article, consider how this might be applied to improve your operations.
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Soft Starters versus VFD's
(06/01/2010)
VFDs Provide Many Advantages Over Soft Starters, but They Cost More and Are Less Efficient
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How Much Network Access Should You Allow?
(05/24/2010)
How Much Network Access Should You Allow? As External Dangers Multiply, Network Security Gets More Complicated. Better Tools and Clearer Standards Can Help Make Secure Access Easier and Safer
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Industrial Ethernet all the rage
(05/18/2010)
Industrial Ethernet is designed to deal with harsh environments, data collisions, factory noise, factory process needs
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Control Systems, Oh No...Not Again!
(05/10/2010)
The Process Industries Have Been Faced with a Continuing Series of Refinery, Chemical Plant, Mining and Even Food Plant Disasters. These Continue to Happen with Distressing Regularity. Who's at Fault?It's the Culture, Not the Control Systems
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Sparking Future Engineers
(04/19/2010)
All the Future Engineers Are Already Out There - Bubbling and Exploding with Ideas and Enthusiasm
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Intangible Benefits of upgrading control technology
(04/12/2010)
Intangible benefits are hidden jewels that do exist, and need to be accepted as valid
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Visual Programming for Automation
(04/07/2010)
Most manufacturing IT programmers are familiar with visual programming (and we don’t mean ladder logic). Here’s what you need to know.
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Igniting Future Engineers
(03/29/2010)
Where do engineers come from? This is an increasingly crucial question because we're apparently running out. All indications are that the bulk of process control engineers and those in other disciplines are growing older on average, and rapidly approaching retirement, while most of the youngsters that might be expected to replace them seem to have little or no interest in engineering.
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Instrumentation as a Foundation for Profit
(03/22/2010)
What Is the Real Value of Instrumenting Production Processes? Control Engineers Know It. Do You?
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Engineering Employment Outlook - 2010
(03/15/2010)
The longstanding lament among engineers for many years, especially in the U.S., has been that jobs for engineers are disappearing at an alarming rate. I have personally heard many engineers say that they would do whatever they could to discourage their children from following in their engineering footsteps. It’s undeniable that job contraction among engineers has certainly been evident, and the consolidation of manufacturing companies in North America during the past two decades, as well the growth in offshoring of production activities, hasn’t helped. Still, the reality appears to be that things are not all that bad for engineering employment prospects.
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Professional Patience
(03/08/2010)
Innovators Must Not Be Held Back by Obstacles, Endless Resistance, and the Likely Lack and Withholding of Recognition and Reward
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SCADA Goes Long
(03/01/2010)
SCADA uses long distance communication tools to allow an operator to monitor and control multiple processes spread across miles, but be careful of the functions you put on the communications link
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Securing Your Industrial Control Network
(02/16/2010)
Cyber security for industrial networks is rapidly becoming necessary. In recent years, there have been numerous attacks where critical infrastructure, private industry and public sector control networks have been compromised or taken down. Protecting a control network is often more challenging than protecting a traditional office network.
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Make or Break with Project Management
(02/08/2010)
Project management is critical to ensuring projects are implemented correctly, on time and within budget. Good project management also communicates to your management or stakeholder that you are a professional. These are thoughts from my experience managing many projects and consulting to clients on projects. The most valuable lessons were learned when taking over projects that were in serious trouble.
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Functional Security: Walking the Walk
(02/01/2010)
When It Comes to Functional Security, How Do You Handle Security Updates?
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Control System Endurance
(01/25/2010)
A common discussion across manufacturing industries is: How long should a control system last. The right answer to this question is: As long as you need it to.
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Control System Lifespan: How Long is Long Enough?
(01/18/2010)
Many control systems from the 1970s are still running. So what should your expectations be when it comes to equipment longevity?
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Hacking the Industrial SCADA Network
(01/12/2010)
Malicious hackers have discovered supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and distributed control systems (DCS) Now that inexpensive solutions are available, the security of industrial networks can no longer be ignored. With threats to industrial networks increasing in complexity and scope, decision makers need to take action before it is too late.
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The 10 Most Common Mistakes Made When Purchasing Automation
(01/06/2010)
Buying a piece of automation can be a very long and difficult process. Here is a list of the 10 most common mistakes made when purchasing automation equipment. This list was composed by a number of individuals who have both purchased and sold automation equipment.
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P&ID: A roadmap for the rest of the trip
(12/28/2009)
An ISA standard on the horizon for "faster, better, cheaper" P&IDs
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Our plant operators need help!
(12/23/2009)
Automation and process engineers have, collectively, specified and configured millions of alarms into today’s automated industrial plants. Theoretically, each alarm is intended to represent an abnormal situation requiring a response.
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Hitting the Curveball
(12/08/2009)
The Bozeman Wastewater Reclamation Facility responds to a strict nutrient removal standard, maintains exemplary operations, and readies for expansion
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Calibrate well, keep good data
(11/30/2009)
As of now, most calibration data sheets are still hardcopy, usually printed out from a calibration software package. Some are still totally manual with no pre-printed information, and that is OK; it works. We are seeing increased use of paperless calibrations where the data is either automatically collected by a documenting calibrator or manually entered into a handheld device as an electronic record. In any case, the following information should be included as part of a calibration data sheet:
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How to Avoid Project Failure
(11/09/2009)
Automation projects don’t always go smoothly. Learn 10 signs of impending failure and 7 ways system integrators say you can stay on track.
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The Robotized Field Operator
(11/02/2009)
Trends suggest there will be new solutions to build on existing infrastructure and to develop new oil and gas fields
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Integrated Safety: Has its Time Arrived?
(10/26/2009)
Engineers, integrators, and industry representatives offer a variety of viewpoints on this hot button topic. Through all the discussion, one thing is clear: Consensus has yet to be reached. Where do you stand on this issue?
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True Control System Objective
(10/13/2009)
How to turn control performance monitoring into performance improvement Fast Forward * Real purpose of a process control systems is to maximize plant profitability. * To measure a system, engineers should invoke metrics like integrated error. * Focus improvement effectively—identify, quantify, and prioritize problems.
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Longwatch Video Software Supports Wonderware ActiveFactory
(10/09/2009)
Longwatch, Inc., developer of the Video Historian for Video MES applications, announced support of the Wonderware ActiveFactory trend chart object.
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Fixed-Price Projects
(09/28/2009)
Should You Execute the Work on a Fixed-Price or a Time-and-Material Basis When Planning a Project for Your Process Plant?
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How to Chose a Controller
(09/21/2009)
A dozen application-specific lists, and more detailed information online, help you sort through controller choices no matter what type of system you're building or upgrading.
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Planning Cuts Automation Project Risk
(09/14/2009)
System integrators share tips on how avoiding surprises helps them succeed. Clear communications and documentation top the list. Tools follow for project management.
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Darkened Economy Requires Better Machine Vision
(09/01/2009)
Ben Dawson has observed a downturn in business from end-users of vision tools—particularly in automotive and its linked industries such as electronics—since October 2008.
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A Walk in the Clouds
(08/25/2009)
The new form of delivering computing power, called cloud computing, may have some benefits, but be prepared to ask hard questions about it in order to get beyond the hype.
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The Eye for Plant Operators' Eyes
(08/17/2009)
Best Practices for Operator Interface Make Sure We See What We Need to See
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Winds of Change for Power and Control
(08/10/2009)
Drives and controls aspect of wind power technology provides new engineering challenges and lessons as more multi-megawatt, utility-scale wind turbines come online.
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Expertise: A continuous commodity
(08/03/2009)
Integrators still strong in fragile economy; manufacturers most need expertise, partnership
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Functional Safety and Security- It's Cultural
(07/27/2009)
Fostering a "Safety and Security Culture" in Our Workplaces
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Top Ten Reasons to Buy an Industrial Robot Today
(07/23/2009)
The economy may be off to a slow start in 2009, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan ahead for better times. These are the “Top Ten” reasons why you should purchase an industrial robot today.
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Beginner’s Guide to Differential Pressure Level Transmitters
(06/30/2009)
The Not-So-Straightforward Basics of This Measurement Technique
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Beyond Cost Reduction
(06/02/2009)
Sure, manufacturers need to cut costs during a recession. But the downturn also offers the opportunity to get better at a host of operational activities.
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PC–Based Controls Help Freeze Escalating Energy Costs
(05/26/2009)
Freezing Energy Costs. The World’s Largest Producer of Frozen French Fries Uses PC-Based Controls to Freeze Escalating Energy Costs
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The Power of Real Time Intelligence
(05/19/2009)
Real time control is not just for the factory floor. It has begun to appeal to enterprise management wanting to gain competitive advantage. While very few organizations are there yet, the ones who are have the capacity to do things that have never been done before.
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A Distinction with a Difference in Functional Security
(05/14/2009)
When it comes to protecting your assets, security and compliance are not the same.
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Integrating Variable Renewable Generation in Utility Operations
(05/04/2009)
Climate change, global recession, energy and water security are among the web of challenges in today’s world.
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Bitten by the Microblogging Bug
(04/27/2009)
More Interesting Than "What Am I doing Now?" Are the Answers to "What Am I Thinking Now?" and "What Do I Find Important Now?"
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Get your feet wet.
(04/20/2009)
Industrial users can get started with wireless implementation by following a few guidelines.
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Playing with technology can lead kids to engineering; dustpan test
(04/13/2009)
Careers in mechanical and electrical engineering, science, and math start when kids have fun with engineering. Volunteering for something fun can start with the 'dustpan' test and lead to doctorate-level work in artificial intelligence, says Control Engineering blogger Paul Grayson.
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Human-machine interface: Six factors help select the right HMI
(03/30/2009)
As the key component between a factory employee and an automated production line, the human machine interface (HMI) must be suitable for every class of user. A quick Google search reveals more than 250 HMI manufacturers from A (Arbonne) to Z (ZDAuto), and most offer multiple models. How do you decide? The following six factors can help with the decision-making.
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Around the Loop
(03/24/2009)
Analog or Digital Process Controllers? It’s Clearly a Digital World.
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The grand convergence in manufacturing.
(03/16/2009)
Switches, routers, and Ethernet sure; the melding of standards, IT/Conrol, and cultures no less important.
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Driving Success in Substation Control and Information System Projects
(02/25/2009)
The electric utility market is experiencing unprecedented change. Reduced workforce, increased capital expenditures for infrastructure projects, additional federal regulations and implementation of new technologies have combined to create a challenging environment for utility management, engineering, maintenance, operations and construction personnel.
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Behind the Scenes on Managing Automation
(02/16/2009)
Dealing with the recession has taken center stage, but manufacturers would be well-advised not to forget key trends that are reshaping the industrial market.
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Industry on Edge
(02/09/2009)
Networking, alarm management, predictive maintenance, security top technology initiatives
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Why HMI's Are Everywhere
(01/26/2009)
Displays, touchscreens, terminals—those human-machine interfaces are quite literally everywhere. Little more than pushbuttons and switches a mere decade ago, these devices have grown in sophistication, bringing management and operations the control and information they need.
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PLC Programming
(01/13/2009)
Some Things Never Change. The Three Top Reasons Why RLL — Ladder Logic — Remains the Control Language of Choice of PLC Users Worldwide Are – It’s Easy to Learn, Robust to Use and Offers Transparency Across Platforms
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Forecasting the Future
(01/05/2009)
ISA Expo 2008: Technologies shine, but energy, economy remain in forefront
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Sustainability Advice, Tips
(12/29/2008)
Smart process design and technology implementations go a long way to promoting sustainability and energy efficiency goals.
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The Evolution of the Process Control Engineer
(12/22/2008)
We’ve Come a Long Way from the Days When Refinery Operators Used Flaming Arrows to Relight Their Flare Systems, but Even Bigger Changes May Be Ahead
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Access Control
(12/15/2008)
Fences, Barriers, Sensors and Video Cameras Can Help Keep Bad Guys from Getting into Your Plant.
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Automation and Ethernet Combine for 3D Disney Attraction
(11/10/2008)
Toy story midway mania debuts Disney's extensive use of automation and controls over Ethernet.
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Robotics Tutorial: More diversity, functionality
(11/03/2008)
Robotics are adapted to and integrated with an increasing diversity of applications. Understanding types of robots and their functions can help end users, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturers know how to safely and efficiently apply technologies that save humans from tasks that are both mundane and dangerous.
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Is Your SCADA Obsolete?
(10/27/2008)
As the business processes of utilities evolve, stakeholders require substation control and data acquisition (SCADA) to support a growing number of higher-level applications. The demands on system functionality increase dramatically and the criticality of SCADA increases. Often the net result is the acceleration of SCADA system obsolescence and an earlier end of useful life for legacy systems. To remain competitive, companies must find a way to convert outdated system components to a state that allows them to support and enable the new business workflows. This is the principal factor driving initiatives such as SCADA migration planning.
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Monitor & Control on the Move
(10/20/2008)
How handheld mobile computers can help enhance your investment in the factory automation system.
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Into the Light
(10/14/2008)
Vision-guided robotic systems inspect and package solar cell wafers
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A Tale of Two Economies
(10/06/2008)
Manufacturing Soars as Residential and Financial Markets Plummet
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PLC 40th Anniversary
(09/29/2008)
Happy anniversary, PLC! No detailed account of your origins is known to exist, and most PLC textbook introductions are inaccurate. This article, based on published references and personal recollections, is written to set the record straight.
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Controlling the Post-Oil Energy Economy
(09/16/2008)
The world's first solar-hydrogen demonstration power plant.
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Tech Update: 'Bots Come of Age
(09/02/2008)
Creative automation solutions to worker shortages and retailer demands are ushering in a golden age for robotics in food packaging.
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The persistence of U.S. engineering.
(08/25/2008)
With the rest of the world rising in economic stature and assuming many of the commodity manufacturing roles formerly performed in the U.S., some are nervous that manufacturing in America will disappear. Though the role of the U.S. manufacturing industries will continue to change, it will still play a vitally important role in the global production economy because of our strengths in engineering.
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Programmable controllers: How it all began.
(08/18/2008)
This is the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the programmable logic controller (PLC). It started in 1968 and is a real-time device that acts as the modem to your process. It is not part of the computer.
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It's all in the LAN's
(08/12/2008)
Manufacturing remote control over a local area network.
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VFDs Speed Up Wastewater Processing
(07/28/2008)
Combining closed-loop control with variable frequency drives for oxygen basin agitators makes for faster processing with lower energy consumption.
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Contenders or Pretenders?
(07/21/2008)
Both Leaders and Followers Need to Cultivate Their Skills to Create a Successful Process Automation Environment
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Single Board Computers for Control Applications
(07/07/2008)
One of embedded systems’ greatest advantages for control applications is the variety of form factors available.
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Upgrading a Wastewater SCADA System
(06/11/2008)
The City of Yuma installed a SCADA system to control and monitor its water and wastewater distribution system remotely. But as the city expanded, the existing SCADA system lacked the needed support, performance and diagnostic capabilities
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Integrators' role key to automation growth
(06/02/2008)
Editor’s note: The Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) has a new chairman this month, Ed Diehl, a co-founder of Concept Systems, Inc., Albany, Ore. Diehl and InTech Editor Gregory Hale traded questions and answers about the role of the system integrator and how it relates to manufacturers.
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Robotic specialists
(05/19/2008)
The concept of specialist robots is gaining ground in industry. Whenever mass production of parts is necessary, a specialist may well be the economic solution.
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Why is Safety So Hard?
(05/14/2008)
Are accidents caused by pooor safety standards or by poor implementation?
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Security Goes Beyond Crypography
(05/06/2008)
Ecryption alone doesn't keep secrets. Engineers must assess overal system security needs.
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The Many Faces of SCADA
(04/28/2008)
Today’s state-of-the-art SCADA is not your granddad’s supervisory control and data acquisition system. It’s not even the one you may have cut your teeth on as a new process engineer back in the day. The monolithic master station running proprietary supervisory applications is long gone. So is communication via inflexible, single-purpose, analog remote terminal units (RTUs) over often-tenuous, low-bandwidth radio or telephone system-based links.
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New study of SCADA and energy management systems finds increase in adoption of cyber security defensive measures
(04/21/2008)
Ellicott City, MD, Mar. 25, 2008 -- The Newton-Evans Research Co. released preliminary findings and observations from its multi-month study of transmission and distribution monitoring and control systems used in international electric power utilities.
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Combining Cyber & Physical Security
(04/14/2008)
Security technologies developed in electric utility applications are spreading into broader use. IP based video expands functionality of Ethernet infrastructure.
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Getting Control of Electric Power
(10/29/2007)
Understand the basics of how to monitor and analyze electric power quality and how to remediate ailing distribution systems.
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Cookin' Up a Fine Elixir
(10/02/2007)
End-users, system integrators and suppliers are implementing ISA-88-based solutions in many new and unexpected applications
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Digital Manufacturing Takes Off
(08/28/2007)
With the evolution from 2D to rich 3D CAD visualization, product lifecycle management (PLM) software is reaching into manufacturing. The latest advances will directly impact control engineers.
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Rev Up Your Maintenance Strategy
(08/14/2007)
Shift your production into high gear using predictive maintenance to help meet business goals.
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CSIA Passes a Huge Milestone
(08/07/2007)
According to Lou Zimmer of CSIA, the Control System Integrators Association, CSIA has certified its 100th integrator member.
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Hard Target
(07/30/2007)
Data thieves are serious about snatching your company's most important assets. Are you serious about stopping them?
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Computerized Plant Maintenance
(07/24/2007)
Predictive maintenance prevents failures from happening at a bad time and fixes them before they cause damage
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The Energy Future - Process Control's Role
(07/17/2007)
"Green" expands process control's horizons.
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Get the Most from a System Integrator
(06/04/2007)
Five things to ask when interviewing integrators for your next automation project - and one extra question that can save years of aggravation afterward.
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Building the Perfect Beast
(05/07/2007)
The ISA-100 wireless use process reveals unique characteristics of industrial facilities.
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10 Control System Security Threats
(04/30/2007)
Based on work done by the North American Electric Reliability Corp, these control system vulnerabilities are the place to start to prevent a security breach.
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Fieldbus: Where do we stand?
(04/16/2007)
There are two choices in network selection: Use your favored supplier and their network, or use a supplier who supports your chosen network. All networks are adequate.
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Plant to Enterprise
(04/09/2007)
The pressure is on to coplete the plant-floor-to-top-floor link, but the path there is still a twisty one dogged by complex technical and cultural issues.
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Plant to Enterprise
(04/09/2007)
The pressure is on to coplete the plant-floor-to-top-floor link, but the path there is still a twisty one dogged by complex technical and cultural issues.
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Select the Best Process Control
(02/13/2007)
When designing a new process, it is important to exercise some decision-making restraint. One critical area to hold back is selecting an advanced process control technology.
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Implementing Best Practices
(01/29/2007)
Applying a best practices strategy in parallel with an automation strategy can enhance your competitive edge.
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Best Practices in Control System Migration
(01/22/2007)
Migration from your old control system to a new one is as an inevitable as death and taxes. But, the key to minimizing the pain is to abide by the control system migration best practices listed here.
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Data Migration to Vista Made Easy
(01/15/2007)
The big migration to Windows Vista has officially begun. For system builders, this will mean lots of work ordering, installing and upgrading Microsoft's new OS on both new and old systems.
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Engineers Meet IT
(01/08/2007)
How engineers and IT professionals can coexist and even thrive in the changing world of automation
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Ethernet On the Floor
(01/02/2007)
There is a proper time and place for industrial communications deployment.
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GE Fanuc-Sponsored Study, “Metrics that Matter” Results Are In!
(12/18/2006)
Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) International and Industry Directions Inc. have recently unveiled the results of the “Metrics that Matter” research project. According to the groundbreaking study, success rests largely on how effectively manufacturers measure performance - both financial and operational.
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System Integrator Certification Catches On
(12/14/2006)
It's been five years since the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) began auditing its members to assess their compliance with the organization's Best Practices and Benchmarks Guidelines (Control Engineering, May 2001 and April 2002). To date, 80 of the CSIA's 230 members have passed their audits and earned the title "Certified Member" and the privilege of displaying the "CSIA Seal of Approval" logo (shown).
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Ensuring a Safe, Secure HMI
(12/13/2006)
At the HMI level, the relationship between safety and security is fundamental to optimizing system performance.
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Is Turnkey HMI Right For You?
(03/17/2005)
Visualization operations seldom stand alone today. Integration with other plant information systems and increasingly complex tasks are making a total-solution approach a more common choice.
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Control systems cyber security
(03/04/2005)
Terrorist threats, hackers, disgruntled employees, and vulnerable process control systems in highly volatile industries give plenty of cause for concern. Should voices calling for greater security be heeded, or are they just the cries of modern-day Chicken Littles?
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Beyond Flow
(02/17/2005)
Higher accuracy, self diagnostics, low maintenance characterize this next generation of measurement devices.
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Control Valve Cavitation
(02/09/2005)
When selecting control valves, is the efficiency of the pressure parameter more important than valve trim fluid velocity? There's been some important debate on this point recently in the valve manufacturing community.
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Alarm! Alarm! Your line is about to shut down
(01/20/2005)
If you were using predictive maintenance, you'd have time prevent the shutdown. Despite the promise of new technologies to optimize maintenance processes and reduce costs, most users are not achieving expected benefits.
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PLCs become small, fast, smart
(01/11/2005)
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are the logical choice for many control applications and, like many technologies in automation, continue to shrink in size, increase in function, communicate more, and integrate well with other forms of industrial computers.
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Safety Networks Up and Running
(12/14/2004)
If you can't actually see your safety network, then you'd better be absolutely sure you have some way of making certain it exists and is operating properly. Luckily, regulatory changes in the past couple of years are making it possible for developers to provide safety fieldbuses and related solutions, and give end-users the material, labor, and efficiency savings they need.
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HMIs in Robotics
(10/29/2004)
In complex, sophisticated manufacturing environments where robots are increasingly deployed, it is imperative to know at every moment what your robots are doing now as well as what they've done in the past. Whether the process involves initialization and commissioning, operations, or repair and maintenance, abundant information must be gathered, analyzed, and available at a moment's notice.
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Process Data Historian Improves Business
(09/30/2004)
Historian software helps collect and analyze data to improve manufacturing processes and decision-making. That capability can help rewrite the future history of any business, but is especially useful in the competitive market of supplying terephthalic acid (TPA), polyester resins, and polyester staple fibers to the western hemisphere. Doing so requires a firm understanding of capabilities and potential.
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Quality Boosting Batch Software
(09/22/2004)
The old family recipe: Sometimes it is carefully copied onto an index card and stashed away in a wooden box; sometimes it is scribbled in the margins of an old cookbook; and sometimes it is just part of someone's culinary experience committed to memory. Special recipes are part of family pride—history, lovingly preserved and passed on. Similarly, industrial recipes are painstakingly preserved.
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AC Drives Stay Vital for the 21st Century
(09/14/2004)
Physical size and weight provide the most visible evidence of the remarkable evolution of ac variable-frequency drives (VFDs) in the past 50 years. However, what's under the skin is even more dramatic for the performance, efficiency, and reliability now delivered by these motor controls.
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Get lean, eliminate waste
(09/10/2004)
Throw technology at old manufacturing processes and procedures, and you still can get a train wreck; it just happens faster. Infuse lean manufacturing techniques into the hearts and minds of those involved with plant processes, and your technological dollars will go a lot farther. The difference is like comparing the clunky 'Warning Will Robinson' Lost in Space robot to the deftness imagined in I, Robot.
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Beyond Automation
(09/03/2004)
Improving an organization's performance rests on its business processes. But what drives these business processes? People and their interactions with customers, suppliers, and fellow employees are the engine of every company. Future investments and systems should focus on enabling these constituents to act in alignment with an organization's strategic goals. How best to improve the workforce's contribution to the business is the place to start.
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Intelligent Data Access = Profitable Operations
(08/26/2004)
Deployment of standards-based, digital fieldbus networks has been steadily replacing combinations of proprietary local- and remote-I/O networks over the past decade, ushering in the plant floor information age, where flattened, streamlined organizations, offer the potential for everyone in the corporation to better understand the details of what does and doesn't make things work.
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When to Upgrade, Migrate, or Replace
(08/17/2004)
With so many aging industrial control systems in place, psychic powers aren't needed to know that major changes are in your future. Here's a guide to choosing the most practical and cost-effective options when a change is required.
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Caught in a Time Warp
(08/09/2004)
Manufacturers need to move away from proprietary protocols on the plant floor and towards SOAs.
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Advancements propel touchscreens to HMI forefront
(07/28/2004)
Recent advances in touchscreen technologies have done much to make touchscreens the method of choice for HMI system interaction. Progress has been made on many fronts, from refinements in long-standing, widely used resistive types to totally new possibilities.
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Demystify PID Controller Design
(07/19/2004)
The PID controller design process, once a considered a complex task, can be implemented simply and directly from a PID block diagram to a working circuit with an FPAA (field programmable analog array) device and software tools-using the device itself to model physical processes.
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Shrinking Hardware, Increasing Functions
(07/12/2004)
There's no question that board and chip-level control products are shrinking in physical size, while continuing to add embedded functions. It's part of a natural progression to smaller, portable, more functional devices and gadgets desirable in the commercial and consumer world. The trend extends into industry, as well, where original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face continual demands to reduce product size and cost.
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Meeting of the Minds
(07/07/2004)
Manufacturing intelligence and business intelligence applications could best be described as the fraternal twins of technology that have been separated at birth.
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Agile Plants, Agile Engineers
(06/29/2004)
No one can deny that the world is getting ever smaller. In business, communication technology substitutes for travel whenever possible, reducing apparent distances to almost zero. E-mail, teleconferencing, and the Internet can instantly bring team members from around the world into the same ``room`` for planning and other ``face-to-face`` discussions at minimal cost.
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Choosing HMI Data Entry Tools
(06/21/2004)
Imagine, if you will, an operator on a plant floor monitoring a process...any process. The person is wearing a headset that includes a tiny display. An alarm sounds. The operator glances around, then speaks into the mouthpiece attached to the headset, verbally acknowledging the event and adjusting a setpoint. Sound like a scene from Star Wars? Perhaps. However, wireless HMIs that are integral to the operator are feasible, and information could be entered into a system in just that way.
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Get attention in a nanosecond
(06/16/2004)
It's past time for manufacturing to become the squeaky wheel and get more grease. Be an advocate for manufacturing and encourage discussion of pro-manufacturing policies among coworkers, family, and other friends. Why? Because elapsed time between heated water-cooler discussions and getting U.S. politicians' attention is about a nanosecond, according to Patrick J. Cleary, senior vice president, public and external affairs, National Association of Manufacturers.
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Dedicated I/O Delivers Faster Communication
(06/08/2004)
We are all aware of how important it is to choose the right combination of hardware and software to deliver optimal results in a manufacturing automation application in specific circumstances, even though we may not always apply it.
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Taming the Beast
(06/01/2004)
Strategic sourcing platforms are adding new spend analysis and other business applications to give companies more control over purchasing patterns and facilitate cost savings.
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Is Linux at the Gates of the Factory?
(05/20/2004)
Open solutions represent an increasingly clear direction for industrial controls. So it's not surprising that something as vital as the 'master regulator' of software in a computer-the operating system-attracts enthusiastic supporters for an open-source operating system (OS) like Linux. Significance of Linux OS is no longer in question for office automation, telecom, and server applications, yet this operating system's role on the shop floor remains to be decided, as some 'pro and con' issues show.
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PC-based automation paves way for integrated factory
(05/10/2004)
After more than 20 years with Grand River Rubber & Plastics, vice president Joe Misinec was growing increasingly concerned about his company's primary automation products supplier. What troubled Misinec was that the supplier was changing hardware platforms again; twice in a short time period.
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Productivity Through a Healthy Technology Infrastructure
(05/03/2004)
Competing on a global basis is not easy, but residence in North America confers certain advantages and recent productivity rates continue to prove it. Many of these advantages are related to ``soft`` issues such as shared cultural traits and work ethic, but North American workers have many other ``hard`` advantages related to our well-developed technology-based infrastructure.
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Decentralized Control
(04/27/2004)
History of centralized control in manufacturing and similar environments is, as with most technological developments, a double edged sword. The situation is reminiscent of the two-headed animal from the Dr. Doolittle children's stories: the ``Pushmepullyou.`` In this case, should the design shape the process or process dictate the design?
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Have HMI, Will Travel
(04/19/2004)
PDAs, personal digital assistants, you see them almost everywhere these days. And their increased application in the automation and controls environment is no exception. Use of PDAs as human machine interfaces (HMIs) is growing remarkably, and the market is expected to explode over the next few years.
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Minimize downtime with electronic circuit protection
(04/13/2004)
Switch-mode power supplies have many advantages, but when used to power industrial controls they can have one serious drawback. When a fault or overload occurs on one control circuit fed by a 24 V dc switch-mode power supply, the supply may shut down, removing power from all attached components and causing expensive downtime.
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Free at Last!
(04/05/2004)
How to Use Wireless on the Plant Floor Wireless is blossoming in many control and automation applications thanks to more reliable technologies, safer implementation methods, and unifying standards.
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The boundaries are fuzzier
(03/30/2004)
Sometimes integration between business systems and manufacturing systems seems harder now than in the past. This is not because the problem is harder; in fact, current industrial standards and XML integration schemas are making integration easier. It is more difficult because the underlying technologies are now the same.
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Specifying Trouble-Free Fieldbus Systems Successfully
(03/22/2004)
As the number of fieldbus projects continue to increase around the world, it seems that for every one of these new or retrofit installations, digital communications technology has either been deployed, or at the very least, seriously considered as a viable option. The sad part of it is, is that in the wake of these projects, many have yet to take advantage of this technology and reap the benefits of their investment.
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Common dc bus drive advantages
(03/15/2004)
Common dc bus drive systems are gaining in popularity. They are compact and require less cabinet space. Efficiency is enhanced because they share power on the dc bus. Ultimately, they are cost-effective solutions to common drive problems and offer a wide range of features applicable to many industries and power ranges.
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Accuracy and Precision
(03/08/2004)
With growing demand for real-time decision support, analytic accuracy and precision are more important than ever. Systems are increasingly embedding analytics and eliminating immediate human oversight from operational processes in the name of speed, efficiency, and economy.
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Design for a fallible world
(03/01/2004)
As control engineers, we tend to think that keeping the process running is our only job, but just because the process is operating doesn't mean that the plant is operating. A larger issue also needs to be addressed when using IT systems in manufacturing operations. That issue is a system architecture designed for IT failures.
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The Wireless I/O World
(02/23/2004)
Just because you can't see large sections of an industrial network doesn't mean they aren't there. Wireless networks need much of the same TLC as their hardwired and twisted-pair counterparts, even though caring for a wireless system means different tasks, tools, and an awareness of the differing physics of wireless communications.
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Ethernet Hits Real-Time...Really
(02/16/2004)
Ethernet starts out fast, with micro-second-level response times, when it runs alone under good conditions. However, Ethernet-based networks usually begin to bog down, to multiple milliseconds and longer, for many of the same reasons that strain capacities of all communication, automation and/or control networks.
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So Many Loops, So Little Time
(02/09/2004)
Many who watch motorsport racing become fascinated by the crew chief's last pit stop strategy decisions:put on four tires or two; add or remove a half-pound of tire pressure; adjust a torsion bar or not; and decide if more fuel is needed to finish.
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Data Acquisition Systems Fit Wide-Ranging Applications
(02/03/2004)
Quality data acquisition provides industrial users with the ability to optimize processes, maintain and/or improve product quality, ensure operational safety and environmental compliance, minimize downtime, and improve overall productivity. Control engineers have long depended on accurate data to provide their window into the manufacturing or testing process.
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Temperature control: PID vs. Fuzzy Logic
(01/27/2004)
The common perception is that temperature control is a mature and largely unchanging area of technology. There are still industrial applications (for example, injection molding processes), which desire not only precise temperature control, but also a faster warm-up phase and quicker response to disturbances with minimal overshoot and undershoot when the setpoint changes. Traditional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control techniques cannot meet these extra challenges.
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Asset management: Bad Medicine or Good Medicine?
(01/19/2004)
Asset management may just be what the doctor ordered, but unless it is prescribed correctly, the cure might be worse than the disease.
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Emulation and Control System Assurance
(01/13/2004)
Determining that a control system works before you build it seems like a contradiction. At best, it represents a considerable challenge. Years ago -when the industry was young - you could build a prototype, try it out, make modifications, try them out, and so on. Today, this approach generally falls short for three main reasons.
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Fieldbus Couplers Protect Automatically
(01/06/2004)
Conventional fieldbus installations require two separate segment terminators that have to be manually set. And if there is a short circuit, today's protective devices typically allow high currents that can lead to other failures in the segment.
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Software-Intensive Plant Systems Need Sound Acquisition Planning to Avoid Delayed Startups
(08/05/2003)
Time-to-market (TTM) for a new product is a primary success metric in a broad range of manufacturing industries. Achievement of this goal is continually impacted, however, by delayed production startups caused by increasingly software-intensive plant systems.
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Loop Tuning Fundamentals
(07/14/2003)
PID loop tuning may not be magic, but its intricacies do lie somewhere between science and art. The following proven tuning tips will help you craft your processes.
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ISA SP95- Crafting A Common Language For Enterprise Integration
(07/09/2003)
A discussion with Keith Unger, chairman of the ISA SP95 Enterprise-Control System Integration Committee, about the SP95 standard and its implications for manufacturers.
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Fault-Tolerant Factories
(07/09/2003)
Servers and UPSs with continuous-operation technology keep equipment up even when power is down or components fail.
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We`ve Moved!
(11/12/2002)
As of November 25, 2002 Our new physical address will be: 123 Main Street Three Forks, Montana 59752
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Application/System Integration
(05/14/2002)
Are you lying awake at night worrying about your plant`s large application and/or systems integration project? You`re probably not alone. See how others are managing similar projects, learn some new secrets for success, and keep up with the latest application and system integration trends.
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Ethernet
(04/09/2002)
The questions and debates surrounding Ethernet continue. Is Ethernet moving closer to the field level? Is the argument Ethernet vs. fieldbus, or Ethernet AND fieldbus?
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Standard Automation
(02/25/2002)
Much of the world of automation relies on the communication and control of manufacturing equipment, and the resulting data accessed from this equipment. Get the scoop on the standards and protocols that fuel said communication and control.
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The Sound of Quality
(01/28/2002)
The economy bottomed out. Pennies have been pinched and costs reduced. As you look for other means for trimming the fat, don`t forget the impact quality --or the lack thereof -- can have on operating costs.
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Power Measurement & Management
(01/07/2002)
This spotlight is on power measurement and management. You must be able to measure power if you are to manage it. It also helps if you understand how power works before you do any measuring.
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Supervisory Control
(12/03/2001)
Discover the future of supervisory control. All about SCADA and more in this spotlight.
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Continuous Improvement
(11/27/2001)
As the economy struggles to return to some normalcy, many plant operations personnel are left in the position to do more with less. Having the right continuous improvement methods in place during such times can help lessen the strain. This article compares major manufacturing improvement methods, has a couple of perspectives on the Kaizen management philosophy, and a wealth of resources for those who may be just beginning their continuous improvement journey.
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Software Solutions
(11/09/2001)
From information gathering to system control, the use of software on the plant floor has evolved to a level very few could have conceived of even a decade ago. Get a better understanding of this evolution and the variety of software solutions available to support the plant engineering and maintenance functions by clicking below.
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Get Your Motor Running
(10/12/2001)
Before you can 'get your motor running', you need to consider several factors, from type and application to maintenance and efficiency. Take a look at some of the latest developments in the field of motors and strategies to maximize your investment in these devices.
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Supply Chain Management
(10/08/2001)
Learning how to manage your supply chain can save money. Lots of money. Learn how to master the supply chain, whether JIT is still viable in theInternet Age and decide if its time to move beyond the supply chain to the demand pipeline.
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Temperature Measurement
(10/08/2001)
From determining the efficiency of an HVAC system to ensuring the proper operation of 'hot' continuous process applications, the amount of and need for quality temperature measurements can be challenging. We take a look at a variety of temperature measurement and sensing technologies and offer some related resources.
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SPOTLIGHT: Wireless Communications
(10/01/2001)
The often-hyped, yet full-of-potential world of wireless continues to creep its way onto the plant floor. This spotlight provides a wide range of articles on the topic to help clear the air, from the struggles to get wireless to the plant floor, to the capabilities and the wide array of products on the horizon.
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SPOTLIGHT: Programmable Logic Controllers
(10/01/2001)
This article is a summary of recent research on PLC`s, from many different sources.The coverage ranges from the basics and essentials to more advanced thinking on PLCs. Get the details, including related events and resources.
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State of the Automation Universe
(08/07/2001)
In the fast-paced life we all seem to work in these days, we're frequently reminded to stop and smell the roses. In our latest Processing & Automation community spotlight, we're taking that message to heart. From announcements at recent automation shows to user satisfaction with automation and control product suppliers, take a minute to measure the pulse of the automation universe.
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Asset Management
(08/07/2001)
From roofs to maintenance to mini-mills, we take a look at the use and value of asset management in the latest Plant Operations/MRO community spotlight. And in a Manufacturing.Net exclusive, 'How Wall Street Evolved the e-Manufacturing Mindset', we serve up some insight on how making sense of e-manufacturing will serve as a definitive guide to streamlining asset management and other internal processes.
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The Road to Quality
(08/03/2001)
Do you cringe when you hear the 'Q' word, or is it something you eat, sleep, and drink? Regardless of your position within the manufacturing industry, I think everyone would agree it's a word you can't escape. As we see in our latest Processing & Automation community spotlight, there is not a single, specific road to quality that everyone must follow. And deep pockets and pools of talent aren't necessarily a requirement either. Learn the quality improvement secrets of others as well as some tips for implementing the proper ISO 9000 compliant quality management system in our Road to Quality spotlight.
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Sensor-Mania
(08/03/2001)
The use of sensors on the factory floor can be summed up in one word: ubiquitous. Well, more like two words: ubiquitous and evolving. The popularity of sensors keeps designers busy, looking for ways to pack more punch into these little devices than what many of us would consider humanly possible. From discrete and pressure to soft and safety, catch up on the multitude of ways sensors can and will improve productivity in our Sensor-mania spotlight at:
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Developing Supplier Strategies
(08/01/2001)
Supplier partnerships are critical to the success of your supply chain operations. The latest SupplyChainLink community spotlight takes a look at the good, bad, and future of supplier relationships, from how Saturn has elevated the often-overlooked supplier relationship to an art form, to the lowdown on counterfeit parts.
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The World of Packaging
(08/01/2001)
Should packaging be managed as part of the total product? Are servo motors the obvious choice for engineers who design packaging machines? Does your company need a protective packaging adviser? These are just a few of the issues we present in the latest Processing & Automation community spotlight.
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Energy Costs Necessitate Efficiency
(07/03/2001)
Energy costs and supply problems underline the need for electric motors to be as efficient as possible. In this recent web exclusive from our network site, Control Engineering Online, learn more about what makes motors efficient, how efficient motors can save money, and some products in the energy-efficient motor sector.
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Machine Tools and Machining Equipment
(05/14/2001)
Less down time means more throughput, higher yield, and increased sales. To meet this goal, many integrate linear motors into their designs of cutting machines, inspection stages, pick-and-place devices, wire bonding, and screen-printing machines.
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Will Windows Be Later than XPected?
(05/14/2001)
Microsoft originally promised to deliver its next operating system over the summer. Now, rumor has it that we won`t see Windows XP until October. Windows Guide Ed Bott speculates on possible reasons for this disturbing delay.
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Communications
(05/14/2001)
The technology for wireless supply chain management is available today, even if there are few wide-scale deployments.
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Computers, Software and Data Processing
(05/14/2001)
AMD's chief says the PC sector will lead the semiconductor industry out of the doldrums.
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Training and Education
(05/14/2001)
Like any other project or program undertaken at your facility, training has to be done right in order to work. But before anything begins, it's necessary to gauge the need for training, and the level of training that might be necessary. The following will help you do that.
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Gartner Analyst Donna Scott Answers Your Questions About Managing End-To-End IT Services
(05/14/2001)
The viability of today's enterprise largely depends upon the consistent delivery of high-quality IT services. In this moderated discussion, Gartner analyst Donna Scott offers tips on how to monitor and manage the full scope of your IT operation.
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Instrumentation and Control
(05/14/2001)
Experts agree advanced process control (APC) delivers lasting benefits when built on a solid foundation.
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Installing Exchange Server 5.5 SP3 Before Exchange 2000
(05/14/2001)
Are you running Microsoft Mail, Exchange 4.0, or Exchange 5.0 and thinking of moving to Exchange 2000? You?ll have to upgrade to Exchange 5.5 SP3 first-and you may want to stop there, for the time being. David Williams shares his migration story.
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Why America is Phoning Behind
(06/19/2001)
The United States and Canada used to be called ``the new world.`` But when it comes to mobile communications technology, Europe and Asia are leading the way. Cell Phones Guide Eric Bernatchez wonders why the top toys come to North America last.
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