Redundancy Options for Smaller Automation Systems
Electrical PowerOperator InterfaceProcess Sensing & ControlProductProgrammable Control

Redundancy Options for Smaller Automation Systems

There are many practical and cost-effective ways for designers to incorporate automation redundancy for systems of any size. Automation redundancy has largely been reserved for larger process automation systems due to cost and complexity. However, there are now more products and design strategies suitable for applying redundancy to smaller-scale systems. Rin Irvin at AutomationDirect covers…
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…
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…
In-House Automation Focuses on People, Plant, and Profit
ApplicationApplication StoriesFood and BeverageHMIIndustryIssue 51 2024Machine 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 MonitoringIssue 51 2024Operator 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…