A team of students at the UMass Amherst College of Engineering recently completed a capstone project to allow remote monitoring of a wind turbine. This team of mechanical engineering students consists of five students, each with an area of primary responsibility: Jay Sant; Team Lead, Ryan Sullivan; Design Lead, Thomas Haley; Analysis Lead, Jack Drummond;…
It happens more often than we’d like in the material handling industry. During an accumulation conveyor start-up, the photoelectric sensors cannot detect the totes that the conveyor transports. Even worse is when a conveyor system that has worked fine for a long time is suddenly unable to detect new totes introduced into the system. In…
When choosing a photoelectric sensor for an application there are many things to consider. One of these considerations is whether to select a light-operate or dark-operate photoelectric sensor. The terms “light-operate” and “dark-operate” refer to when the sensor activates its output. For a light-operate sensor (also called light-activated, light-on, or simply L.O. sensor), the output…
Manufacturers are finding they can rapidly and flexibly adapt to changing production needs by engaging in-house personnel to deploy automation solutions. Automation is essential for improving productivity and quality, but many manufacturers serve markets where production volumes and product options vary drastically. As a senior maintenance and integration supervisor at Keytronic, Jose Luis Rodriguez Persona…
ApplicationCircuit ProtectionElectrical PowerFood and BeverageProcess ControlProductRelays & TimersTerminal Blocks & Wiring
Robotic Beer Dispenser Hits the Ground Running
Reliable, rugged, and economical automation components are essential building blocks for bringing high-tech into consumer-facing applications. After working for more than a decade on industrial and automation projects, Grayson Dawson founded Hop Robotics to bring high-technology robotic serving systems to the food & beverage and hospitality sectors. He wrote a success story article that ran…
This microbrewery owner used AutomationDirect products to create a highly efficient keg cleaning system, which is used to improve in-house operations and support other similar small business owners. Microbreweries and brewpubs have gained in popularity in recent years. Many of these are smaller operations owned by passionate craftspeople who perform many of the brewing functions…
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 49, 2023Machine ControlMotorsPLCProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives
Opening the Automation Door
A home project to upgrade a garage door system with an AutomationDirect PLC, HMI, and VFD made the equipment run better, added many functional features, and provided extensive visibility and diagnostics. Industrial automation components have many applications outside the factory. Home and hobbyist projects can be a great way for learning how to execute larger…
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 48 -2022Notebook IssueOpen source controlOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control
Connecting AI to the OT
This greenhouse automation startup shows how AutomationDirect controllers are a flexible platform for connecting cloud-based artificial intelligence to practical operations manufacturing automation. Connecting AI concepts to age-old agricultural operations using modern IoT methods is the ambitious undertaking of Kenneth Tran and his team at Koidra. The resulting “artificial intelligence of things” (AIoT) is yielding positive…
An innovator found a way to upcycle bottle caps into extraordinary products, an activity that also helps support local children’s charities. By applying practical AutomationDirect devices and components, he has efficiently scaled up production. When Nathan Rues started a hobby of collecting bottle caps while in college, little did he know that one day this…
Whether pumps are automated with hardwired controls or PLCs, designers can provide enhanced functional and protective features using control and monitoring relays. Lenny Filipkowski, Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the August 2021 edition of Process Instrumentation magazine titled Exploring Options for Process Pump Automation. Pump control is a common application used in…