Managed vs Unmanaged Switches?
Communications

Managed vs Unmanaged Switches?

Unmanaged switches may be able to do the job in some applications, but managed switches deliver improved performance and cybersecurity. Bill Dehner, technical marketing engineer for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the February 2020 issue of Applied Automation titled How to Choose Between Managed and Unmanaged Switches. Here’s a summary, click on the link above…
White Paper: When to Use Steppers for Motion Control
Motion ControlMotorsProductUncategorized

White Paper: When to Use Steppers for Motion Control

Stepper motors can be the best option, even for precision motion control applications, while avoiding the expense and complexity of servo motors. Standard AC induction and DC motors can only produce basic motion control, and servo motor solutions provide exceptional performance but drive up costs and complexity. For many motion control applications, stepper motor solutions…
Stepper Motors | White Paper
Learning ResourcesMotion ControlProductWhite PapersWhitepapers

Stepper Motors | White Paper

Stepper motors play an important role for motion control applications requiring more precision than standard variable speed motors, but not warranting the expense and complexity of servo motors. For many applications, a stepper motor solution occupies the sweet spot of providing the required performance, but at a much lower cost than servo solutions. This white…
AutomationDirect PLCs and HMIs On Board Luxury Yachts
Application StoriesIssue 46, 2021Notebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable Control

AutomationDirect PLCs and HMIs On Board Luxury Yachts

A seagoing story about how a premier yacht builder has progressively incorporated reliable AutomationDirect devices for monitoring and controlling ship systems. Westport Yachts, based in Washington State, constructs luxury 112- to 172-foot-long models and has launched hundreds of seagoing vessels since 1964. As the leading yacht builder in North America, and one of the largest…
ProductivityOpen Speeds OEM Feature Development
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 46, 2021Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable Control

ProductivityOpen Speeds OEM Feature Development

AutomationDirect industrialized open-source hardware and software provides flexibility and options for OEMs looking to deliver tough, IT-capable systems. Güntner is a worldwide original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of evaporative condensers, serving a wide range of industries and users with their reliable large-scale heat exchangers. The company has developed in-house embedded microcontrollers specifically optimized for their equipment….
What is Safe Torque Off (STO)?
ProductVariable Speed Drives

What is Safe Torque Off (STO)?

Let’s say you have a system with some Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and you want to integrate those VFDs into your emergency stop circuit to ensure the VFDs will place the motors into a safe state upon an emergency stop condition. How do you do this? There were many ways this was done before advanced…
Creating a YouTube Playlist
Company TopicsNews

Creating a YouTube Playlist

We’re excited to share our AutomationDirect YouTube videos with you! The easiest, quickest way to get access to our videos is through creating a YouTube playlist. We highly recommend this method and here’s why. Why Create a Playlist? It’s fast and easy! Your playlist will always be up-to-date with accurate information since we can update…
Leadshine - Motion Control Supplier Profile
AutomationDirect SpotlightSupplier ProfilesSupplier Profiles

Leadshine - Motion Control Supplier Profile

Superior product quality. Close collaboration with customers. Professional technical and customer support. Strong research and development. A great value for the price. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) note these key attributes when talking about Leadshine Technology Co. Ltd. and the motion control products and solutions it manufactures. Leadshine works with OEMs around the world in the…
PLCs Integrate Industrial Data to the Cloud
CommunicationsProductProgrammable Control

PLCs Integrate Industrial Data to the Cloud

New PLCs gain capabilities to connect industrial-sourced OT data with higher-level IT and cloud-based systems. Damon Purvis, PLC Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote a cover story article for the January 2021 issue of Control Engineering. The article is titled PLCs Power Industrial Data Integration and it looks at the many ways PLCs have gained enterprise…