Outfitting Your Panel Shop to be Safe and Efficient
Hand Tools &Test EquipmentIssue 55, 2025Notebook IssueProduct

Outfitting Your Panel Shop to be Safe and Efficient

AutomationDirect has created an extensive portfolio of professional-grade control panel products, tools, and test equipment, all readily available at reasonable cost so that shops can equip their technicians to deliver high-quality results. By Zach Ganster, AutomationDirect The “good/better/best” concept is familiar to most people. When it comes to obtaining anything we use in our daily…
Beyond Safety Slogans: Cultivating a Workforce Culture to Protect People and Productivity
Issue 55, 2025Notebook IssueProductSafety

Beyond Safety Slogans: Cultivating a Workforce Culture to Protect People and Productivity

By Travis Morris, Safety Administrator, AutomationDirect As we recognize National Safety Month this June 2025, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how industrial safety has evolved alongside technological advancement. At AutomationDirect, we’ve seen firsthand how the safety landscape in manufacturing and logistics continues to advance rapidly, creating both new challenges and unprecedented opportunities for…
Building a Safety Component Fortress Around Equipment
Issue 55, 2025Notebook IssueProductSafety

Building a Safety Component Fortress Around Equipment

By: Larry Reynolds, AutomationDirect Safety systems play a crucial role in industrial equipment, protecting personnel, guarding against machine damage, and minimizing unscheduled downtime. To make a machine totally safe, we could build a wall around it, cut the power, send staff home, and lock the doors after them. That approach isn’t particularly practical, however. Instead,…
Get Ahead with Node-RED
Content CollectionsProductProgrammable Control

Get Ahead with Node-RED

Node-RED is a visual programming tool for connecting physical hardware devices, APIs, and online services together as part of the Internet of Things. It was originally developed by the IBM Emerging Technology Services team and is now a part of the OpenJS Foundation. Node-RED’s low-code, drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create complex data flows…
Solving Frequency Signal Conditioner Challenges
Process Sensing & ControlProduct

Solving Frequency Signal Conditioner Challenges

Complex high-frequency signaling challenges, for both existing and new applications, can be solved using signal conditioners. Frequency signal conditioners—designed to handle high-frequency pulse signals from sensors and convert them into other useful automation signals—are an important industrial automation design component for both new and retrofit applications. High-frequency pulses may be generated from a proximity sensor…
How Low-Code and No-Code Visual Programming Tools Can Simplify and Accelerate Seamless Industrial IoT Connectivity
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

How Low-Code and No-Code Visual Programming Tools Can Simplify and Accelerate Seamless Industrial IoT Connectivity

In this article, we explore the transformative impact of low-code/no-code PLC programming in industrial automation with Tim Shippy, a veteran AutomationDirect Product Engineer. With a wealth of experience spanning decades in industrial and enterprise software development, Tim has been at the forefront of integrating industrial systems with enterprise connectivity. His expertise in both traditional and…
Six Tips to Help You Build a Better, Safer Machine
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueProductSafety

Six Tips to Help You Build a Better, Safer Machine

By: Joshua Draa and Larry Reynolds, Automation Direct Safety is an essential aspect of machine design and operation, protecting personnel, guarding against equipment damage, and maximizing productivity. The purpose of a safety system is to bring a machine to a known safe state as quickly as possible after a safety sensor detects a hazardous condition…
Recipe for Success: Automation Proves to Be a Key Ingredient
Application StoriesFood and BeverageHMIIndustryIssue 54 - 2025Operator InterfaceProduct

Recipe for Success: Automation Proves to Be a Key Ingredient

The right mix of automation elements is crucial for creating a consistent process yielding high-quality donuts and baked goods. By Roger Dyer, Mel-O-Cream Donuts International Mel-O-Cream, a commercial bakery in Springfield, IL, has been baking and perfecting donuts since 1932. From measuring precise ingredient amounts and maintaining a consistent mixing process, to ensuring uniform dough…
Unshackling Industrial Data Access
Issue 54 - 2025Notebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable Control

Unshackling Industrial Data Access

Modern PLCs and HMIs make it easy to implement extensive data connectivity and analytics. By: Damon Purvis, AutomationDirect Modern consumers are increasingly familiar with tailored experiences, abundant information, and generally getting things “their way.” Those working in the industrial manufacturing and automation sectors, on the other hand, have not always enjoyed such flexibility. Fortunately, hardware…