To keep pace in the machine design industry, companies require a delicate balance of innovation and an ability to get their products to market on time and on budget. Typically, issues with new designs will become apparent during commissioning, once physical prototypes shed light on oversights and errors.
Read more: Digital Twins: Creating Smarter Products On Time...
An aging electrical control system can lead to unplanned downtime and safety risks. When the time comes to replace it, make sure to choose your strategy wisely.
Read more: Make the Most of Your Electrical Control System...
Industrial companies expect visibility into every aspect of new or upgraded plants, including their electrical control system. Now, the pressure is on integrators to help connect these systems and make their real-time data available to workers.
With factories around the world jumping onto the IT bandwagon, IT engineers are on the lookout for products and solutions that allow them to easily connect their factory’s OT systems to IT networks. Although IT engineers are generally well versed in the various IT protocols used to transmit data across a network, they are less familiar the many OT protocols used in their factories.
The growing use of widely available technologies in industrial control systems (ICS) and the growth of more connected, information-enabled enterprises inherently increases security risks, and with it the responsibilities of control system providers and users alike.
Traceability can seem staggeringly complex. Barcode reading stations need to be integrated into complex systems to enable the collection, storage and analysis of massive amounts of valuable tracking data on a daily basis. Unthinkable quantities of work-in-progress (WIP) parts need to bear markings that will withstand the tests of time and tough environments.
Read more: Omron Whitepaper - MVRC: Mark, Verify, Read and...
I was recently invited to speak at the Future Mining Summit 2017 event hosted by the Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Group. The two-day conference was held in early December 2017. The venue was a fitting one: 20-metres below ground in Stockholm, Sweden at Epiroc’s test mine.
Bedrock Automation, maker of the Bedrock® Open Secure Automation (OSA) system, has announced the availability of the fifth in its series of white papers supporting implementation of Open Secure Automation (OSA).
Read more: New White Paper from Bedrock Automation Enables...
Adding more intelligence to e-houses – while managing multiple vendors and meeting tighter project deadlines – is not easy. But it’s a challenge that you and many other EPCs must meet today.
Read more: Rockwell Automation: Reduce Risk in Your E-house...
ABB Ability™ is about digital transformation. There are already over 200 ABB Ability solutions, including services, software and IoT (Internet of Things) devices, which offer significant advantages for customers, such as increasing process uptime and output with less risks and costs.
Editor's Pick: Featured Article
Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL
Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.
For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.
What Is Torsion?
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Sponsored Content
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Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force
With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.
The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.
This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.
In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.
Read more here
Product News
New Emerson Valves Deliver Proportional Flow Control Performance in Exacting Applications
Emerson recently introduced the ASCO™ Series 209 proportional flow control valves, which offer the highest standards of precision, pressure ratings, flow characteristics and energy efficiency available in a purpose-built, compact architecture. With this combination of size and performance, Series 209 valves allow users to precisely regulate the flow of fluid in a wide range of devices that require exacting performance, like those found in the medical equipment, food and beverage, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industries.
Accuracy, response time and repeatability are critical in high-precision flow control applications, such as controlling tool speed in dental chairs, the flow of steam in coffee makers, water flow in cooling systems and hydrogen flow in fuel cells. Series 209 valves have low hysteresis (less than or equal to 5%), excellent repeatability (less than or equal to 1%) and high sensitivity (less than or equal to 0.2%) that contribute to their precision.
To find out more, click here
Featured Product
Teledyne Announces New Ladybug6 Cameras for High Accuracy 360-Degree Spherical Image Capture
Teledyne FLIR Integrated Imaging Solutions is pleased to announce the all new Ladybug6— the latest addition to its field proven Ladybug series. Ladybug6 is the leading high-resolution camera designed to capture 360-degree spherical images from moving platforms in all-weather conditions. Its industrial grade design and out-of-the-box factory calibration produces 72 Megapixel (MP) images with pixel values that are spatially accurate within +/- 2 mm at 10-meter distance.
“The new Teledyne Ladybug6 is designed for mobile mapping and all-weather inspection projects requiring excellent image quality and high resolution,” said Mike Lee, Senior Product Manager at Teledyne FLIR. “With the addition of Ladybug6, we are now pleased to offer a wider variety of spherical cameras with higher resolutions ranging from 30 MP to 72 MP.”
To learn more, click here