Don’t Be Another Statistic—Protect Your Machinery and Personnel
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Don’t Be Another Statistic—Protect Your Machinery and Personnel

In 2022, OSHA reported 5,486 fatal industrial accidents. Many more accidents resulted in injuries or lost work productivity. These accidents may have been avoidable. Proper training and machine safeguarding could’ve prevented many of these accidents, reducing injuries, downtime, and deaths. Industrial safety starts with training. In addition to training, proper machine protection is another layer…
AutomationDirect Sparks Innovation
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AutomationDirect Sparks Innovation

Our low-cost products and free support have fostered many innovations over our almost 30 years of business. Below is a small sampling of what a few customers have done with our products. Check them out! Proof of Success: Crafting a Distillation Upgrade These University of Colorado—Colorado Springs students performed their capstone design project by using AutomationDirect products…
You'll Always Land on Your Feet with EtherCAT®
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You'll Always Land on Your Feet with EtherCAT®

In the fast-paced world of industrial automation, even a millisecond delay can have a ripple effect, disrupting production lines and costing valuable time. This is where EtherCAT steps in, offering a solution to the real-time communication challenges faced by factories and other industrial environments. Developed by Beckhoff Automation, EtherCAT builds upon the familiar foundation of…
Motor Controls: Essential Components of Automated Systems
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Motor Controls: Essential Components of Automated Systems

Most factory automation involves moving machinery driven by electric motors. These automated systems frequently use general-purpose motors with simple on/off (across-the-line) control.  Although these applications seem deceptively simple, NEC article 430 provides lengthy guidelines for motor installations, wiring, and controllers. It covers the requirements and specifications for motor control components, such as: •            Disconnecting means…
Material Handling. Just like it sounds.
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Material Handling. Just like it sounds.

Material handling is a broad industry that can mean many things and include many different technologies. At the most basic level, this can include racks, which simply hold products, or pallet jacks and fork trucks which require human intervention. More complex systems include conveyors, high-speed sorters, pick-to-light systems, palletizers, robotics, case erectors, identification systems, and…
Old Reliable Just Got a Little Smarter
Content CollectionsPneumaticsProduct

Old Reliable Just Got a Little Smarter

When we think of pneumatics we think of simple, reliable, easy to troubleshoot, easy to fix, and just all-around something that always gets the job done and always works. It is no wonder why either since in manufacturing facilities, compressed air is so widely used that it is often regarded as the fourth utility after…