In-House Automation Focuses on People, Plant, and Profit
ApplicationApplication StoriesFood and BeverageHMIIndustryMachine ControlOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

In-House Automation Focuses on People, Plant, and Profit

A cheese manufacturer developed in-house automation capabilities to keep legacy equipment running and responsively adjust to production demands. Many companies rely on external firms for automation upgrades and changes, and this works well for countless applications. But Pacific Cheese Company faced a dual challenge of maintaining and improving manual and legacy systems, while at the…
Opening the Automation Door
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…
Upcycling with Automation
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 47 -2022Machine ControlOpen SourcePneumaticsPneumaticsProduct

Upcycling with Automation

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…
Quick and Clean Automation Implementation
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 47 -2022Machine 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 StoriesIssue 46, 2021Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable 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….
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…
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…