Robotic Beer Dispenser Hits the Ground Running
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…
Controlling Keg Cleaning
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 49, 2023PLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control

Controlling Keg Cleaning

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…
Connecting AI to the OT
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…
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…
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…
Effective Process Skid Automation
ApplicationProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control

Effective Process Skid Automation

Process skids are used in many industries and present a host of automation challenges, each of which can be met by using the right controller hardware and software. Jeff Payne, the Automation Controls Group Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote an article appearing in the September 2018 issue of Processing magazine titled Effective Process Skid Automation….
Open System Provides Precise Temperature Control
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightFacilitiesIndustryIssue 41 - 2019Notebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlSystem Integrators

Open System Provides Precise Temperature Control

System integrator Affinity Energy worked with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to design and install a new temperature control system for their research chambers. By Allan Evora, President of Affinity Energy The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill was spending too much time and money supporting an existing control system….
Automating Small-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants
Application StoriesHMIIndustryPLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Automating Small-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants

Gary H. Lucas, Director of Innovation at Innovative Treatment Products, wrote an article that ran in the July 2018 issue of Control Design magazine titled Wastewater Treatment Plants Can Be Built for Small-Scale Applications. Any facility too isolated to connect to a larger sewer system—such as a school, office or retailer—will have to supply its…
System Integrator and AutomationDirect partner Affinity Energy Designed, Built and Installed a Research Chamber Temperature Control System
ApplicationApplication StoriesEnergy/UtilitiesFacilitiesHMIIndustryLearning ResourcesOnline BlogOnline OnlyPLCProcess Control

System Integrator and AutomationDirect partner Affinity Energy Designed, Built and Installed a Research Chamber Temperature Control System

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill spends almost $1 billion on research annually, ranking eighth among universities in the U.S. However, it was spending too much money and time supporting an existing temperature chamber control system.