Industrial Automation News for the Next Generation
Welcome to Library.AutomationDirect.com, where the stacks are filled with tons of industrial automation news & you don’t even need a library card! Here you can read articles from the Automation NOTEBOOK loaded with informative technical articles keeping you on top of what’s happening in the automation industry. Company news, press releases, application stories and more are right here at your fingertips!
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Recent Posts
Each day, New Zealanders are the first to see the sunrise due to the country’s location west of the international date line. But that’s just the beginning of the country’s claims to fame. The first commercial and legal bungee jump was invented and performed there, and New Zealand was the first country to grant women…
Edward Ashcroft was a pioneer in pressure measurement instrumentation. He started the company in 1852 after acquiring the U.S. patent rights for the Bourdon tube from its inventor Eugène Bourdon. This milestone led to the widespread adoption of the “Ashcroft Gauge” in American industry and laid the foundation for the company’s continuous growth and innovation….
Point-to-point wireless I/O technologies provide a helpful solution for efficient low-I/O-count remote connectivity. While some industrial monitoring and control systems are easily connected to their associated field devices, the harsh reality is that many installations are much more complicated. Input/output (I/O) signaling over long distances, especially where there is not a convenient wiring path, is…
16 Tips for an Effective HMI When designing an effective human-machine interface (HMI) system, every screen, button and graphic matters. This article, “16 Tips for an Effective HMI”, offers a clear and practical roadmap—from layout planning and color usage to alarm handling and usability testing—to help you create an HMI that’s intuitive, efficient and reliable….
The right surge suppression technologies help protect valuable equipment and digital systems from electrical surges, while ensuring designs comply with regulatory requirements. Electrical surges represent a persistent yet often underestimated threat to today’s technologically advanced commercial and industrial facilities. In this Automation World December 2025 article titled Industrial Surge Protection: Essential Technologies and Installation Standards…
Industrial motion control is used to operate a variety of apparatuses, including gripping, transporting, and moving mechanisms on small machines, plus multi-axis robotics, large web handling systems, and much more. This overview explains the key concepts of motion control systems. In an industrial automation context, the term “motion control” usually refers to using an electric…
Every workplace shares a common goal to keep employees safe and productive while preventing costly accidents. The reality is, moving machinery means risk. But with the right protection, that risk can be minimized. That’s where Velox Machine Guarding comes in. Designed to create a safe perimeter around equipment, it helps businesses meet regulatory standards, reduce…
Highlights When it comes to keeping the plant running efficiently, there’s an element that is always present but often overlooked. It’s the power and current that runs through machines. And all that needs to be managed and protected. In this issue of NOTEBOOK, we explore all aspects of this invisible force, exploring the need for…
When a plant’s main control panel went up in flames, it wasn’t a lightning strike or a voltage surge that caused the damage. The root cause was far more preventable and far more common: an undersized circuit protection device that couldn’t handle the available fault current. The result was catastrophic. The customer lost the entire…
Press Releases
January 14, 2026 – AutomationDirect has added more Epson LabelWorks heat-shrink tube labels that offer a durable, professional, and permanent labeling solution. The tubing shrinks tightly around wires, providing both clear identification and protective insulation, which helps reduce maintenance errors and downtime. Designed for easy printing with Epson LabelWorks PX printers, they save time, improve…
January 14, 2026 – AutomationDirect has added more WEG CFW500 washdown AC drives that increase the horsepower offering of this series—up to 30 hp for the 460 VAC models and up to 20 hp for the 230 VAC models. These drives are manufactured by WEG, a well-known and trusted brand in VFDs. CFW500 drives are…
January 14, 2026 – AutomationDirect has added more innovative terminal block solutions which are designed for flexibility, safety, and space efficiency. New fuse holder options offer a fully enclosed design for 5 x 20 mm or 5 x 25 mm glass fuses up to 10A, with jumper capability for streamlined power distribution. Triple-level multi-function fuse…
January 14, 2026 – AutomationDirect has added more Flowline LR80 series EchoBeam FMCW radar level sensors that increase sensing ranges up to 393.7 ft (120 m) for liquids and 196.8 ft (60 m) for bulk solids. These sensors are built on Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology and deliver reliable, high-precision level measurement. They offer…
January 14, 2026 – AutomationDirect has added Hammond Aluminum Command Enclosure (ACE) series HMI enclosures which offer a versatile solution for housing your HMI devices. Designed for maximum flexibility, these enclosures feature removable front panels for easy machining, quarter-turn latches for secure closure, and oil-resistant gaskets for superior protection. Constructed from durable Type 5052 H-32…
December 17, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added Dold RK 6929 compact safety relay extension modules from the SAFEMASTER series. They amplify and multiply safety relay outputs while providing galvanic isolation between control and power levels. They support applications requiring safety levels up to Cat. 4 / PL e or SIL 3 and are ideal for…