Automation Upgrade Gives New Life and Performance to an Aging Aeration Bridge
Application StoriesDiscrete SensingIndustryPLCProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Automation Upgrade Gives New Life and Performance to an Aging Aeration Bridge

Mounting a Wi-Fi PLC directly atop a rotating aeration bridge keeps the equipment on track and adds real-time stall protection. One wastewater treatment plant’s aeration basins have run fairly well for 30 years using the same rotating bridge equipment, but there was no effective way to warn operators if anything went awry. In an August…
Industrial Motion Control Powers Open-Source Metal 3D Printing
Application StoriesIssue 60 - 2026Motion ControlMotorsNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable Control

Industrial Motion Control Powers Open-Source Metal 3D Printing

Reliable off-the-shelf automation components can accelerate the development of prototype projects and ready them for scale-up. By: David Powell The shipbuilding industry—where lead times for new vessels often stretch into years and repairs are time and safety critical—often requires large, specialized parts, which are costly and time consuming to manufacture with conventional methods. For this…
Supporting Small and Specialized Automation Applications
Application StoriesDrivesHMIIssue 60 - 2026Notebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Supporting Small and Specialized Automation Applications

How a small system integrator relies on proven automation products to reliably and responsively serve clients. Byline: Mike Watkins, AutoWorks Like enterprises in almost any sector of the economy, industrial automation systems integrators (SIs) come in a wide range of sizes. Many designers and developers, myself included, have worked at a few operations both small…
A Hands-On Home for Automation Learning
Application StoriesHMIIssue 60 - 2026Notebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

A Hands-On Home for Automation Learning

How a main-street innovation center is helping small-town utilities, students, and researchers get comfortable with industrial controls. By: Greg Martz, CoStream Small municipal water and wastewater systems are among the quietest success stories in American infrastructure. Some estimates suggest that about 90% of the water systems in the United States fall into the “small” category,…
Mission Control Built on an Industrial Foundation
Application StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 59, 2026Notebook IssuePLCStudent Spotlight

Mission Control Built on an Industrial Foundation

These engineering students relied on an industry-proven automation platform and other products, to rapidly create a reliable rocketry ground test system. Byline: Jayden Sorensen, Electrical Lead As rocket companies have advanced from using single-use, expendable rockets to now achieving landing and reuse of the vehicles, much of the cost of transporting people and payloads into…
Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations
Application StoriesIndustryOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations

A wastewater treatment utility is moving away from aging control hardware by replacing specialized components with easy-to-use programmable logic controllers. Like many small utilities throughout the country, the Harvest-Monrovia Water & Sewer Authority in Alabama was faced with supporting an aging mix of control technologies. Wesley Benefield of RTUDirect wrote this article for Automation.com April…
Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications
Application StoriesPLCProductProgrammable Control

Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications

The AutomationDirect BRX PLC incorporates capabilities essential for this software services company to create a reliable SCADA solution tailored for municipalities. Massive metropolises and humble hamlets both depend on reliable water and wastewater treatment facilities. In the United States, some estimates indicate that relatively few large systems may serve about 80% of the population, while…