Applying Industrial-Grade Automation to Small-Scale Processes
Application StoriesDrivesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Applying Industrial-Grade Automation to Small-Scale Processes

Even desktop- and garage-sized process and manufacturing applications can benefit greatly from automation, but only when the right products are available to help designers easily create a solution. This Control Design October 2025 article titled How to Apply Industrial Control to Small-Batch Distillation: A Case Study in Smart Reflux Automation followed a small team as…
From analog loops to IIoT-ready PLCs: What today’s engineers need to know
Automation NotebookIssue 56, 2025ProductProgrammable Control

From analog loops to IIoT-ready PLCs: What today’s engineers need to know

In process industries like oil and gas, chemical, paper, and water treatment, precision is everything. That’s why PLCs—once simple relay replacers—have evolved into powerful, real-time control hubs capable of enabling intelligent operations across increasingly connected systems. To explore how PLC technology is transforming process control, we spoke with Jeff Payne, Director of Business Development at…
Automation of a Pilot-Scale Distillation Process
Application StoriesAutomation NotebookHMIIssue 56, 2025Operator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automation of a Pilot-Scale Distillation Process

Applying large-scale automation concepts and technologies to a small-scale process operation. By Doug Reneker Small-scale distillation processes can take many forms because there are countless possible objectives, but the underlying principles reflect those used by large-scale companies to produce fuel, chemicals, and alcoholic beverages. Boutique and hobbyist practitioners creating products worthy of aging and imbibing…
Why a Single-Loop Process Controller Might Be Your Ideal Control Solution
ApplicationAutomation NotebookIssue 56, 2025Process ControlProcess Sensing & ControlProduct

Why a Single-Loop Process Controller Might Be Your Ideal Control Solution

By: Rin Irvin and Josh Waters It’s an engineering truth that there’s no such thing as a perfect solution, just the best solution for the project at hand. This principle remains true for process control applications. PLCs are powerful and comprehensive control solutions, but not every industrial process needs that level of functionality. For every…
Cooking Up a Partnership
Application StoriesAutomation NotebookCommunicationsEnclosures & AccessoriesHMIIssue 56, 2025Operator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Cooking Up a Partnership

A system integrator supports their food processing client, implementing industrial automation technologies for a mix of OEM equipment and systems throughout the facility. By Jordan Hulsey, Caldwell Electrical Contractors, Inc. With busy lives and schedules often bursting at the seams, ready-to-eat (RTE) food has become a convenience that many indulge in—and some may even rely…
Dedicated Devices versus a PLC for PID Loop Control
Automation NotebookIssue 56, 2025ProductProgrammable Control

Dedicated Devices versus a PLC for PID Loop Control

Closed-loop PID control is indispensable for a myriad of automation applications, and designers need to know the options for implementing PID using either dedicated devices or automation controllers. Automated regulatory control of characteristics like flow, level, pressure, temperature, and many other types of analog values is essential for countless types of machinery, processing equipment, and…
OEM Standardizes on AutomationDirect HMIs, Realizes Benefits
Operator InterfaceProduct

OEM Standardizes on AutomationDirect HMIs, Realizes Benefits

This OEM systems integrator has standardized on a common touchscreen user interface, improving their ability to create automated equipment for their clients. While automated equipment ideally runs itself, there remains a need for humans to interact with machinery for setup, monitoring, troubleshooting, and more. This role was once fulfilled by buttons, switches, lights, and the…
Demystifying Motion Control
Content CollectionsMotion ControlProduct

Demystifying Motion Control

Anyone who has ever observed a modern factory in action, whether in person or perhaps via an episode of the “How It’s Made” documentary television series, is aware of just how impressive machine automation can be. This is especially the case when witnessing robotic arms and other machine motion control, as mechanical apparatus and payloads…
Automating an Animatronic Robot
Application StoriesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automating an Animatronic Robot

This home-built robot was created with industrial-grade automation technologies, providing a unique platform for learning career-enhancing skills. Inspired by science fiction movies featuring robots like R2-D2 and WALL-E, Justin Flynn, a controls engineer, embarked on a journey to build a personal animatronic robot named Hubert Evolution 2 (HEV2), reminiscent of Johnny 5 from the 1986…
Automated Robotic Welding Cuts Production Time by Over 90%
Application StoriesHMIMotion ControlOperator InterfacePLCPneumaticsProductProgrammable ControlSafety

Automated Robotic Welding Cuts Production Time by Over 90%

A manufacturing company teamed up with a systems integration firm to significantly accelerate an infrastructure project by integrating a robotic welder with precision motion control, intelligent safety systems, and other advanced automation components. Tasked with producing over three miles of steel fencing in just 90 weeks, a leading steel fabrication company knew it needed to…