Free HMI eBook AutomationDirect’s HMI Handbook delves into the world of human machine interfacing with informative chapters on selecting, designing and installing HMIs. But that’s just the first half, the back half of the book focuses specifically on C-more HMIs with chapters covering how to use screen objects, how to configure events, simulation basics, recipe…
16 Tips for an Effective HMI Do you have an HMI project coming up? Here are some helpful tips and guidelines for you to remember during your planning and implementation. A good starting point for HMI design is a text-based outline documenting each screen’s content. With the operator’s point-of-view and ease-of-use in mind, detail the…
Applying the Right Position Sensor Many products are available in good, better, and best versions—and so it is with industrial positions sensors—with products ranging in functionality from basic general-purpose to enhanced mission-specific styles. The latter usually cost more but have additional features, and this article examines some criteria end-users should use when choosing the best…
Robroy-AttaBox | Tough on Protection What do oil refining, rail and transit systems, outdoor water parks, wastewater treatment plants, and breweries have in common? They are environments that need high-quality, watertight, corrosion resistant enclosures to protect critical equipment such as electrical connections, wiring, control panels, and sensitive measurement systems. In harsh places like these, non-metallic…
Benefits of Connecting a PLC to the Internet PLCs have traditionally excelled at using wired inputs and outputs (I/O) to execute automation logic quickly and reliably. Now, users are recognizing the internet contains a wealth of information useful for PLC applications either directly in the logic or for operator displays. Many websites can programmatically deliver…
Specifying Performance Instead of Parts Specifying performance instead of parts when purchasing machines and process skids cuts costs, reduces lead time and guarantees reliable operation. Many plants and facilities rely on pre-packaged machines and process skids purchased from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) suppliers. They want the components installed in this equipment to match what they…
As electricity bills continue to rise due to new government mandates, manufacturing plants and other industrial facilities are making reducing energy consumption a priority. No company can afford to waste money by using machines or processes that consume too much energy. Since pneumatic systems are ubiquitous throughout manufacturing and can consume a large share of a plant’s power costs, ensuring they consume only the air required is extremely important.
Machine Automation Basics Automation systems must integrate multiple power and control subsystems and components into a coherent whole. Faced with ever-increasing cost pressures and demands for improved performance, machine builders are actively seeking new automation solutions with improved cost/performance ratios. In response to these demands, vendors must often incorporate commercial off-the-shelf components and other technologies…
Free Online PLC Training Program AutomationDirect’s free online PLC training program has been expanded with over a hundred additional training videos. The complete video training series encompasses various levels of training from entry level programming to advanced PLC functions and is available to anyone interested in learning about industrial controllers. The training video library is…
Newsletter Volume 21 Issue 2 Productivity1000 PLC receives an Engineers’ Choice Award AutomationDirect’s Productivity1000 PLC was announced as a Control Engineering 2019 Engineers’ Choice Awards Honorable Mention in the Machine and Embedded Control – PLCs category. Check out the new Productivity1000 PLC and see what it can do for your next application. Check out the…