In-House Automation Focuses on People, Plant, and Profit
ApplicationApplication StoriesFood and BeverageHMIIndustryMachine ControlOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

In-House Automation Focuses on People, Plant, and Profit

A cheese manufacturer developed in-house automation capabilities to keep legacy equipment running and responsively adjust to production demands. Many companies rely on external firms for automation upgrades and changes, and this works well for countless applications. But Pacific Cheese Company faced a dual challenge of maintaining and improving manual and legacy systems, while at the…
Modern PLCs Provide Support for Advanced Data Access
CommunicationsData and IIoTData System MonitoringOperator InterfaceProgrammable Control

Modern PLCs Provide Support for Advanced Data Access

Although many think of PLCs as primarily for real-time control, modern versions make it easy to implement extensive data connectivity and analytics. While everyday consumers are familiar with getting things their way, this type of flexibility has often been less available within the industrial manufacturing arena. This is an issue for many end users when…
Linear Actuator Options
Mechanical Power TransmissionMotion ControlProductProgrammable Control

Linear Actuator Options

Linear actuators, driven with servo or stepper motors, are an effective way to implement accurate automated machine motion. Chip McDaniel at AutomationDirect wrote an article for the January 2023 issue of Design World’s Linear Motion Tips. Titled A Straight Line to Effective Linear Motion, this article explains linear actuator technologies, and it shows how they…
What is PID Control?
ProductProgrammable Control

What is PID Control?

PID is the most common industrial technology for closed-loop control. Despite the elegant mathematics behind PID loops, they are easily implemented with modern PLC technology. Closed-loop control, where a digital system monitors a measured value and then controls some device to accurately drive the process to a desired setpoint, is a fundamental strategy widely applied…
Practical Motion Control Using Micro-PLCs
Issue 50 - 2023Motion ControlProductProgrammable Control

Practical Motion Control Using Micro-PLCs

Designers working on smaller automation systems can now take advantage of advanced yet economical motion control by using micro-PLCs and stepper motors. Conor Perry, Technical Product Manager for the HMI and CLICK product groups at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the October 2022 issue of Applied Automation. Titled Micro-PLC Motion Control Made Practical, the article…
In-House Automation is the Key to Customization
ApplicationApplication StoriesHMIManufacturingOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

In-House Automation is the Key to Customization

Manufacturers are finding they can rapidly and flexibly adapt to changing production needs by engaging in-house personnel to deploy automation solutions. Automation is essential for improving productivity and quality, but many manufacturers serve markets where production volumes and product options vary drastically. As a senior maintenance and integration supervisor at Keytronic, Jose Luis Rodriguez Persona…
Upgrading Agricultural Automation
Application StoriesCommunicationsHMIOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Upgrading Agricultural Automation

This company is using modern PLCs and HMIs to revamp existing agricultural equipment automation systems, improving efficiency and adding advanced IIoT capabilities. Modern agriculture relies directly and indirectly on automated equipment for growing, processing, and transporting product. Vinny Endres grew up in a farming family and quickly learned how to keep things up and running….
Industrializing an Arduino: Making a Single-Board Controller Fit for the Factory
Issue 48 -2022Notebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

Industrializing an Arduino: Making a Single-Board Controller Fit for the Factory

Arduinos and similar devices can be highly versatile but are too delicate for industrial environments. We test a new version designed with a tougher form factor. Byline: Doug Reneker In two previous project articles, we set out to prove that single-board controllers, common to the maker community, can be adapted to industrial applications. Or it…
Designing Control Panels for Processing Plants
Operator InterfaceProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Designing Control Panels for Processing Plants

Modern processing plants need control panels built in accordance with specific design details. Chris Kregoski, product engineer for AutomationDirect, authored an article for the July 2022 Processing magazine titled Process Control Panel Design Basics. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full text. Processing plants typically incorporate extensive automation. The control panels…