Portable Water Treatment Platform Removes Phosphorus Economically
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightData System MonitoringEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 34 - 2016Learning ResourcesMotion ControlNotebook IssueOnline OnlyOperator InterfacePLCPLC eBookProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightStudent SpotlightWater/Wastewater

Portable Water Treatment Platform Removes Phosphorus Economically

A trailer-mounted water treatment process controlled by a Productivity2000 PLC has recently been developed at the University of Idaho. Professor Greg Möller, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, along with engineers from the College of Engineering have teamed up to build the platform, and to further research the economical removal of phosphorus from various…
Trending Towards Green Machines
+Tech TopicsApplicationEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryLearning ResourcesMachine ControlOnline OnlyProcess Sensing & ControlProductVariable Speed Drives

Trending Towards Green Machines

When wandering the plant floor, keep an eye out for energy wasting machines. Those running conveyors, rattling pumps and hissing air lines on idle equipment not only raise the decibel level in the plant—they also waste energy. With proper monitoring and analysis, machine energy use can be optimized, and these energy saving measures will also improve…
Ohio Students Improve Assembly Process for Employees With Disabilities
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightControl & Signaling DevicesEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 32 - 2015Learning ResourcesManufacturingManufacturingNotebook IssuePneumaticsPneumaticsProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Ohio Students Improve Assembly Process for Employees With Disabilities

The annual SourceAmerica® Design Challenge is a national engineering competition to design workplace technology for people with disabilities. For this competition, high school students spend months partnering with a nonprofit that employs people with disabilities to invent a device, process, system or software for a more productive work environment. Kirby Harder, Copley High School’s (CHS) Industrial technology…
The Bulgarian Bat Detector - Simulating Bat Echolocation
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 32 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCSystem IntegratorsUser Solutions

The Bulgarian Bat Detector - Simulating Bat Echolocation

Over my years working as an Automation Systems Integrator, I occasionally get projects that are different from the normal industrial, process and manufacturing systems. I was recently asked to develop the controls for a museum exhibit to simulate a bat’s echolocation. The museum, Children’s Center of Sofia, in Sofia, Bulgaria, and I promptly named the…
Automation Improves Alternator Test System
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEducation/DIYHMIIndustryIssue 31 - 2015Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlTest and MeasurementVariable Speed Drives

Automation Improves Alternator Test System

Opening the hood of your car will reveal a mass of cables and hoses running around the engine block. Somewhere in there is an alternator, which helps keep your car supplied with electric power when it’s running. When an alternator goes bad, most mechanics will replace it with a used unit that has been remanufactured,…
Technical College Students Understand Protective Relays
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYHMIIndustryIssue 31 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightStudent SpotlightVariable Speed Drives

Technical College Students Understand Protective Relays

Protective relays are specialized devices designed to sense abnormal conditions in electric power systems, commanding circuit breakers to trip or close when needed. These relays are absolutely essential to the reliable operation of the electric power generating stations, substations, transmission lines, and distribution systems that comprise any large-scale electric power grid; they are increasingly finding…
Out of the Box - Contest Winners!
ApplicationApplication StoriesDrivesEntertainmentHMIMachine ControlNewsOnline OnlyOperator InterfacePLCPress ReleasesProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Out of the Box - Contest Winners!

What happens to AutomationDirect.com products when they are taken out of the box? We asked you guys to show us what happens when our products leave the box and you get your hands on them. Honestly, the applications that our customers shared with us were amazingly awesome. We had several great videos submitted over the last…
Machine Maintenance Checklist
+Tech TopicsApplicationeBookeBook Landing PagesFacilitiesIndustryLearning ResourcesMachine ControlOnline Only

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….