Painlessly Connect OT with IT Using Industrial Edge Switches
CommunicationsProduct

Painlessly Connect OT with IT Using Industrial Edge Switches

Unmanaged+ industrial Ethernet switches apply key IT technologies—including VLANs, QoS, IGMP snooping, and more—in easily deployed OT-friendly hardware, all without any required complex management. Today’s manufacturers are pursuing data analytics, AI-driven optimization, remote support, and enterprise-wide visibility, which means that their operational technology (OT) networks can no longer remain isolated from information technology (IT) systems….
Tech Advancements Make Motion Control More Accessible
Issue 59, 2026Notebook IssueProductVariable Speed Drives

Tech Advancements Make Motion Control More Accessible

Modern servo and stepper motors and drives—combined with innovations in controllers, communications, and software—have simplified motion control integration and multiplied the possibilities for applying these technologies. By Joe Kimbrell, AutomationDirect Early motion control applications developed a (mostly) well-deserved reputation for requiring costly and esoteric components and technologies that are complex to design, install, configure, and…
Taming Ladder Logic with Object-Oriented Techniques
ProductProgrammable Control

Taming Ladder Logic with Object-Oriented Techniques

User-defined instructions are flexible and reusable blocks of code, useful for simplifying and speeding logic development. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), prized for their ruggedness and real-time performance, have formed the industrial automation backbone of operational technology (OT) systems since the late 1960s. While traditional PLC programming methods were historically less sophisticated than solutions developed for…
Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations
Application StoriesIndustryOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Accessible Automation Helps Small Utilities Modernize Operations

A wastewater treatment utility is moving away from aging control hardware by replacing specialized components with easy-to-use programmable logic controllers. Like many small utilities throughout the country, the Harvest-Monrovia Water & Sewer Authority in Alabama was faced with supporting an aging mix of control technologies. Wesley Benefield of RTUDirect wrote this article for Automation.com April…
Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications
Application StoriesPLCProductProgrammable Control

Modern PLCs Support Dependable SCADA Communications

The AutomationDirect BRX PLC incorporates capabilities essential for this software services company to create a reliable SCADA solution tailored for municipalities. Massive metropolises and humble hamlets both depend on reliable water and wastewater treatment facilities. In the United States, some estimates indicate that relatively few large systems may serve about 80% of the population, while…
No Screen, No Problem: Maximizing Visualization Flexibility with Minimum Hassle
Issue 58 - 2026Notebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct

No Screen, No Problem: Maximizing Visualization Flexibility with Minimum Hassle

Headless HMIs slash costs, simplify installation, and unlock creative display options ranging from handheld tablets to wall-mounted scoreboards. By Bobby Thornton, AutomationDirect On a traditional factory floor, operators usually monitor and control equipment using classic panel-mounted touchscreen human-machine interfaces (HMIs). But to meet the demands of a modern facility, designers need technologies to more effectively…
Getting with the Object-Oriented Program
+Tech TopicsIssue 58 - 2026Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

Getting with the Object-Oriented Program

The recent introduction of user defined instructions in AutomationDirect PLCs provides another tool for accelerating PLC and HMI development. By Tim Ensminger, AutomationDirect Many industrial automation products and practices have been developed as more robust versions of commercial-grade technologies. As microprocessors, memory, and communications hardware and software have evolved throughout the information technology (IT) world,…