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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Satisfy customers. Produce high quality, reliable switches. Continuously improve and align. Seventy-five years ago, Gustav Merz put these key values in place when he began manufacturing electrical switches in Gaildorf, Germany, in a building on his own property. These critical cornerstones formed the foundation of success that has propelled his company – MERZ Switchgear –…
September 22, 2021 – AutomationDirect has added new ProSense PLS series rotary paddle level switches to their already extensive line of process control solutions. Rotary paddle level switches utilize a shaft and paddle that are in constant rotation driven by a reduction gear and synchronous motor. Level is detected when the paddle’s motion is interfered…
An innovator found a way to upcycle bottle caps into extraordinary products, an activity that also helps support local children’s charities. By applying practical AutomationDirect devices and components, he has efficiently scaled up production. When Nathan Rues started a hobby of collecting bottle caps while in college, little did he know that one day this…
September 15, 2021 -AutomationDirect has introduced a wide assortment of T-slotted hardware components by FATH. Slotted aluminum rail structures are lightweight, economical, and easy to construct. This structure system is very versatile and has many uses, from stands that hold barcode scanners and label applicator machines to OEM machines made entirely of T-slotted aluminum rail….
Featured Products ProductivityOpen open-source controllerhas all the great features of a standard Arduino plus the added power and reliability of an industrial controllerCPU priced at $52 DC gearmotors with parallel or right-angle shaftsavailable in 1/19 to 1/5 hp ratingsstarting at $185 ProSense loop panel metersoffer a simple, low cost digital display of an analog 4-20mA…
Periodically, the AutomationDirect team reaches out to industry users in a variety of ways to gauge their interest on a variety of topics. For instance, in June 2016 we looked into whether users were “data-driven”. One of the questions in that survey addressed whether data was being accessed remotely via a web browser/client or mobile…
September 8, 2021 – AutomationDirect’s safety product offering now includes IDEM hazardous area safety devices. These safety devices provide similar functionality to their general-purpose counterparts but offer explosion-proof switching in hazardous locations. All of these devices are manufactured with ATEX Exd IIC T6 certified explosion-proof contact blocks, which are encapsulated to contain explosions and prevent…
Zig or Zag The factory manager wants to know how many routes there are for the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) in the lower left corner to get to the charging station in the upper right (see the diagram below). The AGV must always travel along the lines shown such that it gets closer to the…
“Fermenting a Homebrew Automation System“…AutomationDirect PLCs and products help a hobbyist automate his homebrew equipment, taking quality to the next level. Back in 2012, Jason Wilson toured a local brewery, and soon thereafter became a homebrew enthusiast. He was fascinated by the detailed science and math underlying the production process, and quickly realized automation would…
