Automation of a Pilot-Scale Distillation Process
Application StoriesAutomation NotebookHMIIssue 56, 2025Operator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automation of a Pilot-Scale Distillation Process

Applying large-scale automation concepts and technologies to a small-scale process operation. By Doug Reneker Small-scale distillation processes can take many forms because there are countless possible objectives, but the underlying principles reflect those used by large-scale companies to produce fuel, chemicals, and alcoholic beverages. Boutique and hobbyist practitioners creating products worthy of aging and imbibing…
Cooking Up a Partnership
Application StoriesAutomation NotebookCommunicationsEnclosures & AccessoriesHMIIssue 56, 2025Operator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Cooking Up a Partnership

A system integrator supports their food processing client, implementing industrial automation technologies for a mix of OEM equipment and systems throughout the facility. By Jordan Hulsey, Caldwell Electrical Contractors, Inc. With busy lives and schedules often bursting at the seams, ready-to-eat (RTE) food has become a convenience that many indulge in—and some may even rely…
Automating an Animatronic Robot
Application StoriesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automating an Animatronic Robot

This home-built robot was created with industrial-grade automation technologies, providing a unique platform for learning career-enhancing skills. Inspired by science fiction movies featuring robots like R2-D2 and WALL-E, Justin Flynn, a controls engineer, embarked on a journey to build a personal animatronic robot named Hubert Evolution 2 (HEV2), reminiscent of Johnny 5 from the 1986…
Automated Robotic Welding Cuts Production Time by Over 90%
Application StoriesHMIMotion ControlOperator InterfacePLCPneumaticsProductProgrammable ControlSafety

Automated Robotic Welding Cuts Production Time by Over 90%

A manufacturing company teamed up with a systems integration firm to significantly accelerate an infrastructure project by integrating a robotic welder with precision motion control, intelligent safety systems, and other advanced automation components. Tasked with producing over three miles of steel fencing in just 90 weeks, a leading steel fabrication company knew it needed to…
Efficiently Updating Pump Stations
Application StoriesIssue 55, 2025Notebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProduct

Efficiently Updating Pump Stations

Because industrial automation systems often remain in service for decades, it is important to select a hardware/software supplier and integration specialist familiar with performing incremental updates as needed. By: Randy Ames, Ames Electrical Consulting, Inc. Repair or replace: a conundrum familiar to owners of appliances, consumer electronics, cars, homes, and also industrial processing facilities. For…
Recipe for Success: Automation Proves to Be a Key Ingredient
Application StoriesFood and BeverageHMIIndustryIssue 54 - 2025Operator InterfaceProduct

Recipe for Success: Automation Proves to Be a Key Ingredient

The right mix of automation elements is crucial for creating a consistent process yielding high-quality donuts and baked goods. By Roger Dyer, Mel-O-Cream Donuts International Mel-O-Cream, a commercial bakery in Springfield, IL, has been baking and perfecting donuts since 1932. From measuring precise ingredient amounts and maintaining a consistent mixing process, to ensuring uniform dough…
Automating a Luxury Bus
Application StoriesDistribution/LogisticsHMIIndustryOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automating a Luxury Bus

Industrial automation products are useful for much more than traditional applications, as PLCs and HMIs can be used in all sorts of unique commercial markets. Byline: Mark McHenry, Systems & Controls Other than being large and generally rectangular-shaped, a modern custom bus—the type frequented by touring music stars, mobile multi-millionaires, and campaigning politicians—bears little resemblance…
Turning Up the Heat on a Balky Boiler
Application StoriesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Turning Up the Heat on a Balky Boiler

Applying commercial off-the-shelf automation products can provide the most capable and supportable solution for end users trapped with underperforming automation systems, as with this application. By: Aaron Stahl and Edward Stahl, Spring Valley Electric Worldwide, there are countless examples of businesses forced to work inefficiently because they are using equipment which is automated by systems…
Automating Escape Room Experiences
Application StoriesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automating Escape Room Experiences

Industrial automation products can also be applied to unique applications, like the advanced control needed for a sophisticated escape room. Escape rooms are immersive adventure games where players solve puzzles to break out from a themed environment within a set time. While seemingly unrelated to industrial automation, a systems integrator (SI) leveraged expertise gained from…
Big Rig Custom Shop Accelerates Automation into the Passing Lane
Application StoriesIssue 52, 2024Notebook IssuePLC

Big Rig Custom Shop Accelerates Automation into the Passing Lane

Modern PLCs and HMIs have empowered a big rig customization shop to create increasingly sophisticated automated lighting effects for their customers. Byline: Dustin Dickerson, Dickerson Custom Trucks “Less is more” and “function over form” are phrases often associated with the design of objects—anything from office supplies up to buildings or larger—to promote a concept of…