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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Recently Added to the Library
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Compressed Air Can Be Lethal
Compressed air can cause many hazards to workers’ eyes in manufacturing facilities, so review of applicable OSHA standards, common misuse and how to minimize hazards is always a good idea. Jim Krebs, technical marketing engineer at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the January 2019 edition of ISHN magazine titled Compressed air can be lethal. Here’s … Read More
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Larger 325 Frame Size Cast Iron Worm Gearboxes from AutomationDirect
The AutomationDirect mechanical power transmission lineup now includes larger 325 frame size cast iron worm gearboxes from IronHorse®. These 3.25” input to output shaft distance gearboxes areavailable in ratios of 10:1, 15:1, 20:1, 30:1, 40:1, & 60:1 with outputs in left hand shaft, right hand shaft, dual shaft, and hollow shaft. The 325 gearbox C-face … Read More
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Harsh Duty and Quadruple Sensing Distance Proximity Sensors from AutomationDirect
The AutomationDirect line of inductive proximity sensors now includes additional harsh duty sensors and new standard duty sensors with quadruple sensing ranges. Contrinex DW series 4mm, 5mm, 8mm and 12mm diameter round body inductive proximity sensors have been added. Priced at $99.00 and intended for harsh duty applications, 4mm smooth and 5mm (M5 threaded) models … Read More
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The FIRST Robotics Competition 2019 Digital Animation Award Winner
Sponsored by This award celebrates the art of digital animation and its close relationship to STEAM (Science,Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). The award is offered to help encourage students to cultivate skills in design and creation of animation including, but not limited to, storytelling, creativity, use of computer software, and an understanding of different techniques and … Read More
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PLC Fundamentals – The PLC Scan
With PLC control, it’s important to understand the sequence of operations for the CPU. Some may think when an output is set to ON in the ladder code, that this output change is immediately reflected in the output card. Or that when an input is activated, the CPU instantly sees it. While it may seem … Read More
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Sinking and Sourcing Circuits – PLC Fundamentals
Two of the most important fundamentals to understand when it comes to sensors is sinking and sourcing circuits. To properly wire your control device, you need to first know whether the sensor you are using is switching the positive or negative connection. For AC (alternating current) sensors, this is not an issue since AC power … Read More
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Honing in on Machine Automation
The automation and electrical system on a large, 82-year-old cylinder honing machine was replaced with a variety of AutomationDirect hardware to improve cycle time, safety and quality. Andrew Marks, Maintenance Foreman and Master Electrician at Exline Leasing Inc., wrote an article for the January 2019 issue of Control Design magazine, titled Honing in on Machine … Read More
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Productivity1000 PLC receives an Honorable Mention in Control Engineering’s Engineers’ Choice Awards
AutomationDirect’s Productivity1000 PLC was selected for its powerful features, which provide cost-effective control of machines and processes. AutomationDirect’s Productivity1000 PLC was announced as a Control Engineering 2019 Engineers’ Choice Awards Honorable Mention in the Machine and Embedded Control – PLCs category. Check out the new Productivity1000 PLC here, and please consider specifying it in your … Read More
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What is a Pneumatic System?
In machine automation a pneumatic system provides a simple and cost-effective means to move, clamp, rotate, grind and screw. A pneumatic system is a collection of interconnected components using compressed air to do work for automated equipment. Examples can be found in industrial manufacturing, a home garage or a dentist office. This work is produced … Read More
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Newsletter Volume 21, Issue 1
Newsletter Volume 21 Issue 1 Absolutely FREE PLC Training Well, we’ve heard you and we are now offering free unlimited online PLC training to go along with our extensive library of eBooks, whitepapers, how-to videos and more. We have also expanded this training offering to include non-customers as well. The more the merrier, right? And … Read More