Let’s take a minute to think about how far we have advanced with innovation and technology. It is truly amazing when you look at the devices and products we develop these days. From a simple small piece of wood with a spring-loaded thin u-shaped metal rod and an extremely simple trigger mechanism designed to reduce…
You get a call from the production floor because a machine is not running right. You go check it and find out that the motor is acting up, has corrosion damage inside the junction box, which is probably also contributing to the imminent death of the motor. Now you need to replace it but don’t…
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What is IP69K?
IP69K Definition IP69K is a product standard rating developed to ensure that products carrying this rating comply with required simulated environmental conditions. The most common areas requiring IP69K devices are areas where heavy washdowns are required. Therefore, IP69K rated devices are a must to prevent damage to electronic devices and instrumentation during the washdown procedures….
What is a Ferrule? What is a Ferrule? I ask myself this question thinking specifically of the small metal tube with a colored insulated plastic end where you can insert wire strands and crimp the tube securely to the wire. To answer this question, I decided to do an internet search to see what I…
In the August 2017 issue of Control Design, the cover story discussed how micro-controllers coming out of the “maker” world hope to someday challenge PLCs in industrial applications. The article makes for very interesting reading, but if a picture is worth 1000 words, a video must be worth 1000 pictures. Doug Reneker and the team…
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Robotics Is So Much More Than Robots
If you subscribe to any of our media channels then I’m sure you know about our involvement with after-school robotics programs in our community. These programs prepare students for careers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields by getting them excited and engaged when it comes to not only learning new skills, but…
A quick look online for control of fluid power shows many types of pneumatic valves for use in factory automation, most of them standalone and individually mounted. But there are also many valve manifold options, including compact modular valves, which are often the best option in multivalve applications because they simplify selection, installation, use and…
Emergency. We need this working right away – stat! This may sound like a hospital ER, but when a customer’s technical system isn’t working properly, it can feel like an emergency situation. They want answers and solutions immediately to fix the problem right away so they can get back to work as quickly as possible….
Think your teenager receives and responds to a lot of messages and notifications on their cell phone? If so, they could be a good candidate for the AutomationDirect customer support team. That team processes a tremendous number of orders every day, by phone, email and fax – all with efficiency and accuracy.
Embedding videos is just one way AutomationDirect’s free Do-more® Designer Software does more. One of the big steps for an automation professional is understanding how to control a machine, and a huge part of that is becoming proficient with development environment for the PLC.