Linking Machines to IT Systems
+Tech TopicsApplicationCommunicationsCover StoriesData and IIoTData CollectionIIoT and DataIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable Control

Linking Machines to IT Systems

Once upon a time, individual machines were stranded on an island, or just linked to other machines using a few discrete I/O and dry contact relays. Then came machine-to-machine data links such as a proprietary PLC-based network. Today, and certainly in the future, machines are being linked to IT systems.
What is Productivity2000?
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTechnology Brief

What is Productivity2000?

It’s not just the low price, but the incredible built-in features that make our Productivity2000 a must-have controller. As the newest programmable logic controller from AutomationDirect, the Productivity2000 (P2000), is built around a compact modular form factor that allows both fit and functionality in a small space. But, what is Productivity2000? In this introduction we…
Pulp Processor Speeds Production of Healthy Supplement
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightDrivesEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMotorsNotebook IssueProcess ControlProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Pulp Processor Speeds Production of Healthy Supplement

Students at Penn State have been working on a Baobab pulp processor in conjunction with the residents of villages in Benin, Malawi, South Africa, and Madagascar. Native to Africa, “Baobab” is the common name for the Adansonia tree and the fruit that it bears. There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the health…
Converting a Mill/Drill and Installing a VFD
AC Motors and ControlsApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookDrivesEducation/DIYEnclosures & AccessoriesIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMachine ToolMotorsNotebook IssueProductUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives

Converting a Mill/Drill and Installing a VFD

Several years ago I purchased a Wadkin lathe made in England in late 1964. It is equipped with a very special motor that is 220V, three-phase and 50Hz. Because of the special design of the motor, it has a long extended shaft that carries the four sheave pulley, and because I do not have three-phase…
Shier Terror Haunts West Coast
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYEntertainmentIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Machine ControlNotebook IssuePneumaticsPneumaticsProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Shier Terror Haunts West Coast

Scott Shier, with his namesake organization, Shier Terror, presented a pneumatics seminar in May, 2015, at the West Coast Haunters Convention in Portland, Oregon. His intent was to expose a group of fifteen “Home Haunter” students to the capabilities of pneumatic systems as they are often used in haunted houses. ‘Haunting’ with Pneumatics West Coast…