Automation Expands a Machine Shop’s Success
Application StoriesHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Automation Expands a Machine Shop’s Success

By partnering with a local systems integrator and using AutomationDirect products, this machine shop enhanced its capabilities, allowing it to deliver the services required by its customers. Throughout the country, networks of small businesses—including machine shops and systems integrators (SIs)—innovate and integrate to deliver successful projects. One example is a collaboration between Stephens Machine and…
When and Why to Upgrade HMIs
Operator InterfaceProduct

When and Why to Upgrade HMIs

Intelligent HMI advances can justify upgrades based on significant improvements associated with ease-of-use, cybersecurity, and other advanced features. Consumers are accustomed to rapidly upgrading their personal electronic devices by buying new hardware and updating apps, but the industrial automation world usually works at a slower and more delayed pace in this regard. Greg Philbrook, HMI…
How Calgary Racing Uses Linear Position Sensors
Discrete SensingProduct

How Calgary Racing Uses Linear Position Sensors

UCalgary Racing has been using the Gefran PZ12-A-0050-L for the past 3 years to measure the suspension travel of the car. The potentiometers provide data that enable the team to understand and study the behavior of the vehicle at any given moment. It provides information that when analyzed, reveals how the car responds to road…
An Industrial-Grade Serial Communications Solution
ProductProgrammable Control

An Industrial-Grade Serial Communications Solution

Even though Ethernet is a widely-adopted standard, there remains a great need to connect with commercial, industrial, and laboratory devices using enduring serial RS232/RS485 communication technology. Chris Kregoski, product engineer for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for Industrial Equipment News September/October, titled Making Serial Connectivity Industrial-Grade. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the…
Selecting Discrete Sensors
Discrete SensingProduct

Selecting Discrete Sensors

By considering these application characteristics, specifiers can identify the best industrial sensor candidates for their applications. Discrete object detection refers to methods used to sense the presence—or the absence—of a target material or product, resulting in an “on” or an “off” signal. There are many options for these types of sensors on the market, so…