Upcycling with Automation
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 47 -2022Machine ControlOpen SourcePneumaticsPneumaticsProduct

Upcycling with Automation

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…
Mobile Connectivity Industry Survey
+Tech TopicsCommunicationsLearning ResourcesProduct

Mobile Connectivity Industry Survey

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…
Brainteasers - Issue 46, 2021
Issue 46, 2021Notebook Issue

Brainteasers - Issue 46, 2021

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…
Process Pump Automation Options
ApplicationIssue 47 -2022ManufacturingMotor ControlsProduct

Process Pump Automation Options

Whether pumps are automated with hardwired controls or PLCs, designers can provide enhanced functional and protective features using control and monitoring relays. Lenny Filipkowski, Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the August 2021 edition of Process Instrumentation magazine titled Exploring Options for Process Pump Automation. Pump control is a common application used in…
PLCs Provide a Conduit for Better Predictive Maintenance
ProductProgrammable Control

PLCs Provide a Conduit for Better Predictive Maintenance

AutomationDirect PLCs can now easily bridge the OT/IT gap, pulling data from the field and pushing it to the cloud to support predictive maintenance programs. Damon Purvis, PLC Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the August 2021 edition of Plant Engineering. The article is titled PLCs Improve Predictive Maintenance, and it shows how…
Simpler Servos Speed Solutions
Motion ControlProduct

Simpler Servos Speed Solutions

Servo systems are a leading way to implement high-performance motion control, and the latest servo drives offer functional, programming, and diagnostics capabilities to help users quickly create and commission solutions. Chip McDaniel, technical marketer at AutomationDirect, wrote an article posted July 2021 on Control Design titled Servo Systems Lead the Way to Implement High-Performance Motion…
Cloud-Capable PLCs Enable More IIoT Applications
CommunicationsProductProgrammable Control

Cloud-Capable PLCs Enable More IIoT Applications

PLCs can now be directly integrated with cloud-based computing platforms, empowering end users and OEMs to quickly and easily add IIoT functionality to their systems. Damon Purvis, PLC Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the August 2021 edition of Machine Design. The article is titled Modern PLCs Simplify Cloud-Based IIoT and it talks…
What is a VPN?
CommunicationsProduct

What is a VPN?

VPNs are just as important for securing industrial automation systems as they are for personal internet connectivity. Here is what a VPN does, and how industrial users can quickly implement VPNs for all their sites and users to provide upgraded cybersecurity. If you spend any time at all watching TV, browsing websites, or listening to…
Solenoid Valve Banks Provide Machine Automation Options
PneumaticsProduct

Solenoid Valve Banks Provide Machine Automation Options

Networked electro-pneumatic solenoid banks can be distributed on machines for better control and more efficient installations. Kevin Kakascik, Technical Marketing Engineer with AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the June 2021 issue of Fluid Power World titled Distributed Electro-Pneumatics Maximize Machine Automation Options. It examines how intelligent solenoid manifolds save space, minimize installation effort, and provide…