How are you keeping your operators’ hands, head and other body parts away from running machinery? Suitable mechanical guarding and guard switches are a good place to start—whether they are tongue interlock, non-contact, hinge interlock, cable pull or other types of safety switches. However, for improved protection of operator body parts from operating machine hazards,…
Those of us who have worked with, or around, electrical equipment have witnessed electrical arcs. At the very least, we’ve seen the sparks produced when a relay or contactor switches off. This is easily observed by watching a motor starter with open contacts. When the motor turns on,
AutomationDirect’s ProSense FSA Series flow transmitters monitor liquid media and provide an analog output proportional to flow rate for various flow applications. Flow transmitters are ideal for applications with rapid temperature changes or where fast response time is required, such as machine tool coolant flow, HVAC cooling water flow, and injection molding cooling water flow….
Like many of us, PLCs have been around for decades. Also like many of us, they are improving as they grow in age and intelligence. PACs are a newer creation, originating in the 21st century. Now, it looks like these two product categories are coming together, with the result being the PLC-based PAC. This new name…
We asked you all to submit a photo to show us why you’re in need of an HMI upgrade. It didn’t matter if you were planning to build a new project, trying to bring life to an old machine, or wanting a new HMI just to have it. We just said get creative. So we didn’t know…
The new C-more HMI configuration software version 6.0, from AutomationDirect, delivers more functionality, more usability and more value to our popular C-more HMIs. The new software offers more alarm and recipe features, additional math and tag logic, plus improved Windows compatibility. New menu options, customizable toolbars, and updated graphics provide improved ease of use. The…
AutomationDirect’s new FM series harsh duty photoelectric sensors are IP69K-rated sensors in three-wire NPN or PNP styles and are available in 27 washdown models. Ideal for food and beverage applications, the 10-30 VDC rectangular sensors are fitted with 316L stainless steel housings and are available in diffuse, diffuse with background suppression and polarized retroreflective styles…
The annual Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Awards program recognizes categories of control, instrumentation, and automation products, revealing the best of those products as selected by their readers. Established in 1954, Control Engineering is recognized as the global information leader for the automation engineers who design, implement, maintain and manage control/instrumentation systems, components and equipment. The…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookeBookIssue 32 - 2015Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOnline OnlyOperator InterfaceProductTechnology BriefWhy HMI
Pick and Place your HMI
There are many ways to irritate an operator working with automated equipment and a bad human-machine interface (HMI) implementation is right up there with the worst of them. Following these guidelines can help you pick the right HMI for your application, keep you on the good side of your operators and engineers, and also help…
+Tech TopicsIssue 32 - 2015Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOnline OnlyOperator InterfaceProductTechnology Brief
Tips for a Better HMI Layout
Do you have an HMI project coming up? Here are some tips for you to remember during your planning and implementation. The following four design principles are a great start for any design project (and the four letter acronym is nothing if not memorable): Contrast – Make sure that items which are different/important stand out…