What’s the Difference Between Traditional and Hosted VPNs?
CommunicationsIssue 42 - 2019Learning ResourcesOnline BlogProduct

What’s the Difference Between Traditional and Hosted VPNs?

Jonathan Griffith, Product Manager, Industrial Communications & Power Supplies at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for Machine Design April 2018 titled What’s the Difference Between Traditional and Hosted VPNs? Griffith points out that connecting programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human machine interfaces (HMIs) and other automation system components to the industrial internet of things (IIoT) for remote…
PLC Package Handling
ApplicationAutomation NotebookDistribution/LogisticsIndustryIssue 42 - 2019Issue 46, 2021Learning ResourcesMaterial HandlingNotebook IssuePackagingProductProgrammable Control

PLC Package Handling

PLCs play a major role when it comes to material or package handling operations. Conveyors, motors, drives, object detection sensors and of course controllers are used quite often when it comes to delivering your suitcase to the right airplane or getting the laptop you ordered to the right delivery truck. But how would you go…
Mobile Industrial is the New Normal
Automation NotebookData System MonitoringIssue 42 - 2019Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct

Mobile Industrial is the New Normal

Most plant floor workers already carry mobile devices, so using them to access, control and monitor equipment is a natural next step. The September 2018 issue of Control Design magazine featured a cover story spotlighting new and better ways for delivering a mobile industrial operator interface experience. Titled A Better Interface, the article presented input…
Crushing the Control System
ApplicationApplication StoriesDrivesHMIIndustryIssue 42 - 2019Machine ControlManufacturingMotorsNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Crushing the Control System

Upgrading to a modern control system platform with the help of a local system integrator transforms a rock crushing plant from manual to fully automatic operation. By Todd Timpa, Assistant General Manager at CTC Crushing Impact Sand and Gravel is the leading supplier of aggregate and sand in the Las Vegas area, producing and distributing…
Eastern Washington University Students Look for a Smooth Ride
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 42 - 2019Machine ControlNotebook IssuePneumaticsPneumaticsProductStudent Spotlight

Eastern Washington University Students Look for a Smooth Ride

Everyone likes a smooth ride in their vehicle — unless you are off road in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Most of us will avoid the bumps and potholes to drive on the smoothest pavement possible. Car manufacturers recognize this too. They spend lots of money on TV, print and digital advertising to promote that their…
Brain Teasers - Issue 42, 2019
Issue 42 - 2019Notebook Issue

Brain Teasers - Issue 42, 2019

1.) The Fly’s Journey      The fly can crawl completely around the base of this solid cube in four minutes.  How long would it take for it to crawl from corner A to corner B? 2.) The Ant and the Honey      An ant is on the outside of a cylinder one inch from the…
Machine Automation Basics
CommunicationsMotor ControlsProductProgrammable Control

Machine Automation Basics

Automation systems must integrate multiple power and control subsystems and components into a coherent whole. Read on to learn more about machine automation basics. Chip McDaniel, who works in technical marketing for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the Mar/Apr 2019  issue of InTech magazine titled Machine Automation Basics. In the article, he first lays out…
Working with the Cloud
CommunicationsProduct

Working with the Cloud

Using the cloud for data logging and remote access can improve operations, cut costs and simplify interactions. Jonathan Griffith, product manager for Industrial Communications & Power Supplies at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the April 2019 issue of the Applied Automation supplement to Control Engineering and Plant Engineering titled Working with the cloud. Griffith says…
Cut-to-Length Bulk Sensor / Actuator Cable from AutomationDirect
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Cut-to-Length Bulk Sensor / Actuator Cable from AutomationDirect

Flexible multi-conductor sensor/actuator cable is now available from AutomationDirect in 24 AWG and 22 AWG with 3, 4 or 5 unshielded conductors, and in customer specified one-foot increment lengths. Individual conductors are stranded bare copper for flexibility, with color coded PVC insulation for easy identification. The cable outer jacket is a flexible PVC available in…