Fermenting a Homebrew Automation System
ApplicationApplication StoriesManufacturingPLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control

Fermenting a Homebrew Automation System

AutomationDirect PLCs and products help a hobbyist automate his homebrew equipment, taking quality to the next level. Back in 2012, Jason Wilson toured a local brewery, and soon thereafter became a homebrew enthusiast. He was fascinated by the detailed science and math underlying the production process, and quickly realized automation would be key to precisely…
Quick and Clean Automation Implementation
ApplicationApplication StoriesMachine ControlManufacturingPLCProductProgrammable Control

Quick and Clean Automation Implementation

To help meet COVID-19 needs for sanitizing wipes, an HVAC contractor used their multiple-discipline experience and AutomationDirect products to quickly create automated filling machines. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic during the summer of 2020, a St. Louis manufacturer wanted to utilize available factory space to produce pails filled with sanitizing wipes. They engaged…
ProductivityOpen Speeds OEM Feature Development
ApplicationApplication StoriesMachine ControlPLCProductProgrammable 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….
Crafting More Complete Customer Service
Application StoriesCommunicationsHMIIssue 45, 2021ManufacturingPLCProductProgrammable Control

Crafting More Complete Customer Service

AutomationDirect products and services enabled an industrial calibration provider to deliver more services to help their clients save time and money. Industrial calibration firm Gulf State Instruments (GSI) has a 20-year track record of helping their customers optimize operations. In this success story published in the July edition of Control magazine, titled Gulf States Instruments…
Automating Nehemiah Manufacturing
ApplicationApplication StoriesCommunicationsHMIIssue 45, 2021ManufacturingPLCProductProgrammable Control

Automating Nehemiah Manufacturing

Using AutomationDirect hardware and software, this company self-performed automation work to meet their needs and ready their team for the future. At Nehemiah Manufacturing in Cincinnati, OH, the core work is producing consumer products such as detergents and cleaners, but the company also supports the community by employing those who need a second chance. Writing…
Add Remote Monitoring to Your Maintenance Toolkit
ApplicationCommunicationsData System MonitoringProduct

Add Remote Monitoring to Your Maintenance Toolkit

Remote monitoring options help maintenance personnel respond faster for the systems they manage and support, saving time and money. Bill Dehner, technical marketing engineer for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the March-April 2020 issue of ISA InTech titled Add Remote Monitoring to Increase Maintenance Personnel Productivity. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for…
Integrated or Separate Safety Systems
ApplicationMachine ControlProductSafety

Integrated or Separate Safety Systems

Machine designers must consider many factors when deciding on safety system architectures for factory automation. Larry Reynolds, product engineer for safety components at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the September-October 2019 issue of ISA’s InTech titled Integrated or Separate Safety Systems. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full text. Factory equipment…
Modern Controls Automate Rock Crushing
ApplicationApplication StoriesHMIMachine ControlMaterial HandlingPLCProgrammable Control

Modern Controls Automate Rock Crushing

InterConnecting Automation, an AutomationDirect system integrator, helps in-house staff to upgrade an aging and highly manual control system into a modern and easy-to-configure design. Todd Timpa, assistant general manager at CTC Crushing, wrote an article for the October 2019 issue of Control titled Modern Controls, System Integrator Automate Rock Crushing. Here’s a summary, click on…
Cable-Pull Safety Switches
Machine ControlProductSafetySafety Common Sense

Cable-Pull Safety Switches

Full coverage E-Stop protection around your machinery We all know the importance of having emergency stop devices near and around machinery. There are numerous regulations (ANIS, ISO, IEC) that define emergency stop device requirements. In short they all state that they are actuated by a “single human action”, should be used to de-energize equipment to…
PLC Package Handling
ApplicationAutomation NotebookDistribution/LogisticsIndustryIssue 42 - 2019Learning 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…