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!

Awesome stories of how the next generation is going to change the world are found in our Student Spotlight. You can also read about how our system integrators have designed innovative solutions that make your life better by fixing those nagging problems you face at work! Learn how our products have inspired new ways to improve or even reinvent automation control systems for businesses like bakeries, factories and even egg farms. Don’t miss our newsletter for the latest industrial automation news! Click here to visit AutomationDirect.com.

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Recent Posts

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AutomationDirect’s C-more CM5 Headless HMI Nominated for Control Engineering 2025 Product of the Year Awards

The C-more CM5-RHMI headless HMI offers all the features of the traditional touchscreen C-more line, but in a compact and connectable low-cost form factor. AutomationDirect’s C-more CM5-RHMI has been nominated for Control Engineering’s Product of the Year program in the human-machine interface (HMI) category. Help us bring home the gold by visiting https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8206433/f8132b621423 and casting…
Process Sensing & ControlProduct

Solving Frequency Signal Conditioner Challenges

Complex high-frequency signaling challenges, for both existing and new applications, can be solved using signal conditioners. Frequency signal conditioners—designed to handle high-frequency pulse signals from sensors and convert them into other useful automation signals—are an important industrial automation design component for both new and retrofit applications. High-frequency pulses may be generated from a proximity sensor…
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Newsletter Volume 27 Issue 3

Six Tips to Help You Build a Better, Safer Machine Safety is an essential aspect of machine design and operation, protecting personnel, guarding against equipment damage, and maximizing productivity. The purpose of a safety system is to bring a machine to a known safe state as quickly as possible after a safety sensor detects a…
AutomationDirect SpotlightSupplier ProfilesSupplier Profiles

Supplier Profile: Master Appliance

Headquartered in Racine, WI, Master Appliance has been a leader in heat tool innovation since the 1950s. The company introduced the first portable industrial heat gun to North America, coining the term “heat gun” and revolutionizing how industries apply heat for tasks such as heat shrink packaging, drying parts, shrinking plastics, paint stripping and shaping…
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Issue 54, 2025

Easy, Educational, and Entertaining Automation At AutomationDirect, the goal is to educate customers on the best industrial products for their applications. The mission is also about making industrial control easy — and sometimes even entertaining. In this issue of NOTEBOOK, we demonstrate how AutomationDirect delivers on these important objectives. Here, we focus on modern PLC…
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueProcess Sensing & ControlProduct

How to Choose a Sensor for the Production Environment 

By: Andrew Waugh Sensors play essential roles in the modern production environment, capturing data on position, speed, proximity, pressure, temperature, level, flow, current, voltage, and more. There is such a wide variety of sensors on the market that finding the right device for your application can seem overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. The goal…
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

How Low-Code and No-Code Visual Programming Tools Can Simplify and Accelerate Seamless Industrial IoT Connectivity

In this article, we explore the transformative impact of low-code/no-code PLC programming in industrial automation with Tim Shippy, a veteran AutomationDirect Product Engineer. With a wealth of experience spanning decades in industrial and enterprise software development, Tim has been at the forefront of integrating industrial systems with enterprise connectivity. His expertise in both traditional and…
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueProductSafety

Six Tips to Help You Build a Better, Safer Machine

By: Joshua Draa and Larry Reynolds, Automation Direct Safety is an essential aspect of machine design and operation, protecting personnel, guarding against equipment damage, and maximizing productivity. The purpose of a safety system is to bring a machine to a known safe state as quickly as possible after a safety sensor detects a hazardous condition…
AutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Cultivating Curiosity with Automated Edu-tainment

Crafting agricultural education experiences that are also fun is a specialty requiring a mix of creativity and technology. Byline: Justin Hiemstra, Heemer Crafted Capturing the interest of a young person today can be a tough task, especially considering the proliferation of mobile devices and the obsession with screen time. However, there are still important opportunities…

Press Releases

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Datasensing SH4 Category 4/Type 4 Safety Light Curtains from AutomationDirect

March 26, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added Datasensing SH4 series 14mm finger and 30mm hand safety light curtains that are available in basic models with automatic restart or standard models, which include external device monitoring (EDM) and an optional manual restart. Body protection models in 300 or 400mm resolution are available only in the standard…
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Wenglor OPT25 Series Laser Distance Measurement Sensors from AutomationDirect

March 26, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added Wenglor OPT25 series laser measurement sensors that offer best-in-class distance sensing for ranges within 1 meter. These sensors are IO-Link v1.1 compatible, employ a Class 1 red or Class 2 blue laser, use triangulation to measure distances with extreme accuracy, and can reliably detect tiny objects with a…
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Autonics Miniature Photoelectric Sensors from AutomationDirect

March 26, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added Autonics BTF, BTS, and BPS series miniature photoelectric sensors featuring ultra-compact slim or narrow housings that are easy to install in tight spaces. The lineup includes:        These miniature sensors offer sensing distances up to 3m, durable PBT thermoplastic housings, and an IP67 protection rating. They…
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ProSense Linear Potentiometers from AutomationDirect

March 19, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added ProSense linear potentiometers that offer reliable and consistent position measurement while delivering exceptional value and performance. These position sensors measure linear displacement by converting mechanical movement into a resistive output. Typically, they require a signal conditioner or a 10 VDC supply to provide an analog signal for a…
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IronHorse® Aluminum Worm Gearboxes with IEC Input from AutomationDirect

March 19, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added IronHorse worm gearboxes with IEC inputs that offer all the same features and advantages as our existing aluminum models, including 30mm to 75mm frame sizes, 10:1 to 100:1 ratios in most sizes, and maintenance free operation.  They are factory filled with synthetic oil and their double lip oil…
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METEcon Multi-Wire Connectors from AutomationDirect

March 12, 2025 – AutomationDirect has added METEcon multi-wire connectors that feature quality and cost-effective inserts and housings. Inserts are available in multiple pole configurations from 2 poles plus ground up to 108 poles plus ground, with screw or crimp termination types and sizes ranging from 26 to 12 AWG, 10 to 80 Amps. METEcon…