Machine Maintenance Checklist
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Machine Maintenance Checklist

It is important to develop a routine maintenance schedule for your automated control system. Having a routine schedule for checking critical components and devices in the system will increase the longevity of the system and more importantly, it will help reduce future problems. Set up the schedule based on a monthly or quarterly time period,…
UCONN Student Design Team Automates RFID Tagging
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 30 - 2014Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMotion ControlNotebook IssuePLCPneumaticsProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

UCONN Student Design Team Automates RFID Tagging

In the aerospace industry, any substance that is foreign to the aircraft engine and could potentially cause damage is known as FOD (foreign object debris). FOD costs the industry 4 billion dollars per year on average. Some of the most common causes of FOD damage are the tools required to build or maintain the engine….
Precise Motion Control Gives Famous Vessel New Life
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookHMIIssue 30 - 2014Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMaterial HandlingMotion ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Precise Motion Control Gives Famous Vessel New Life

A piece of Cold War history uses automation for precise control of its floating dry dock. Less expensive components and in-house engineering allowed for a more advanced system. A covered dry dock, with a history worthy of spy novels and action movies, recently received a sophisticated automation motion control upgrade from its previous all-manual controls….
Systems & Controls Takes Time for Tea
ApplicationApplication StoriesDrivesFood and BeverageFood Beverage AutomationHMIIndustryMachine ControlOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Systems & Controls Takes Time for Tea

Systems & Controls in Lenoir City, Tennessee, was contacted by a scale manufacturing company to develop a brewed tea and coffee container filling machine using four weight transmitters, a DirectLOGIC DL-205 PLC, a RHINO power supply,  a C-more touch panel and a GS2 variable frequency drive.
What a Drag!
ApplicationAutomationDirect SpotlightDiscrete SensingEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 28 - 2014Machine ControlNotebook IssueProductRelays & TimersStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

What a Drag!

CO2 powered drag strip teaches students the science of speed. John Harpell’s 9th grade class at Moira Secondary School in Belleville, Ontario, Canada has built and automated a model racecar track for CO2 powered “dragsters” using various components from AutomationDirect. A CO2 powered dragster is a small lightweight vehicle fitted with a CO2 cartridge; think “pine-wood-derby on…
Beyond the Machine: OEMs Provide System Integration
ApplicationAutomation NotebookCover StoriesIssue 28 - 2014Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook Issue

Beyond the Machine: OEMs Provide System Integration

Machine builders use technologies and expertise to provide system integration services that were once the realm of systems integrators and engineering firms. As automation systems become more integrated, the design, installation and commissioning of machines and robots on the factory floor can be a complex process. The machines must interact not only with existing production…
DaMan Revealed During the Final Four Activities in Atlanta
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEntertainmentIndustryIssue 26 – 2013Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

DaMan Revealed During the Final Four Activities in Atlanta

Earl Bouse, with E. Larue Enterprises in Dahlonega, GA., has been developing his idea of the “perfect” automated basketball defender for the last two and a half years. Although Bouse says that his DaMan creation is not quite ready for prime time, he is ready for prospective customer feedback and field tests.