A team of students at the UMass Amherst College of Engineering recently completed a capstone project to allow remote monitoring of a wind turbine. This team of mechanical engineering students consists of five students, each with an area of primary responsibility: Jay Sant; Team Lead, Ryan Sullivan; Design Lead, Thomas Haley; Analysis Lead, Jack Drummond;…
Manufacturers are finding they can rapidly and flexibly adapt to changing production needs by engaging in-house personnel to deploy automation solutions. Automation is essential for improving productivity and quality, but many manufacturers serve markets where production volumes and product options vary drastically. As a senior maintenance and integration supervisor at Keytronic, Jose Luis Rodriguez Persona…
This company is using modern PLCs and HMIs to revamp existing agricultural equipment automation systems, improving efficiency and adding advanced IIoT capabilities. Modern agriculture relies directly and indirectly on automated equipment for growing, processing, and transporting product. Vinny Endres grew up in a farming family and quickly learned how to keep things up and running….
AutomationDirect’s BRX PLC brings new world capabilities to old world machines. David Adams founded Design Automated Controls (DAC) in Alabama to support clients with design/build capabilities and onsite service, and he has had great success using AutomationDirect PLCs and products. In an April 2022 Tech Briefs article bylined by David, titled Ginning Up a Modern…
PLC and HMI automation helps even the smallest manufacturers and home-based businesses enhance efficiency and improve quality. Daniel Oberholtzer, an independent systems integrator consultant, wrote an article for the June 2022 online version of Machine Design titled Automation a Scalable Solution for Smaller Manufacturers. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full…
This microbrewery owner used AutomationDirect products to create a highly efficient keg cleaning system, which is used to improve in-house operations and support other similar small business owners. Microbreweries and brewpubs have gained in popularity in recent years. Many of these are smaller operations owned by passionate craftspeople who perform many of the brewing functions…
Using the AutomationDirect Do-more BRX PLC, an extrusion company progressively upgraded and simplified their legacy manufacturing lines, greatly improving performance, while minimizing scrap. The situation is common at many manufacturing sites: production equipment is old, degrading, and mismatched, leading to operational and maintenance inefficiencies and nightmares. In an April 2022 Automation.com article bylined by Gary…
AutomationDirect’s ProductivityOpen Arduino-compatible automation controller enabled this company to deliver reliable HVAC controls enhanced with modern computing capabilities. The hands-on attitude of Frank Bicknell led him to start Bicknell Heating & Cooling in the Cincinnati area to support commercial and industrial clients with all types of HVAC needs. In an April 2022 InTech article bylined…
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 49, 2023Machine ControlMotorsPLCProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives
Opening the Automation Door
A home project to upgrade a garage door system with an AutomationDirect PLC, HMI, and VFD made the equipment run better, added many functional features, and provided extensive visibility and diagnostics. Industrial automation components have many applications outside the factory. Home and hobbyist projects can be a great way for learning how to execute larger…
The AutomationDirect ProductivityOpen is a versatile Arduino-compatible controller designed into a tough form factor suitable for industrial environments. Hobbyist-grade Arduinos and other microcontrollers are interesting for a variety of applications, but they are simply too frail for any type of industrial application. AutomationDirect has listened to the needs of end users, systems integrators, OEMs, makers,…