Welcome PAC: Moving On To The Next Generation Controller
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 9 – 2007Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTech Thread

Welcome PAC: Moving On To The Next Generation Controller

Log on to any industrial control discussion forum, and you will read passionate debates about the advantages and disadvantages of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) compared to PC-based control. Amongst the PLC/PC debates, there most likely were some threads discussing PACs, which begs the question, “What the heck is a PAC?” PAC, a new acronym, stands…
Anti-Terrorist Barriers Help Protect Facilities
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFacilitiesFeature StoryIndustryIssue 9 – 2007Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlSecurity

Anti-Terrorist Barriers Help Protect Facilities

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the need for perimeter security of potentially threatened facilities has increased dramatically. To accomplish this, several facilities around the globe have been installing devices called anti-terrorist barriers, used as added protection against invasion of potentially dangerous vehicles. Domestically, these anti-terrorist devices can be found at Federal Reserve…
Improving Factory Workers’ Efficiency is All in a Name
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData CollectionHMIIndustryIssue 7 – 2006Learning ResourcesManufacturingManufacturingNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Improving Factory Workers’ Efficiency is All in a Name

As most everyone is aware, from a business standpoint, we live in a numbers-based society. In all businesses, whether a small company with a dozen employees or a large conglomerate of thousands, the focus is on the bottom line. Executives are scrutinizing annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and even daily reports to determine how productivity is…
Iboxes...The Latest Craze
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 7 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control

Iboxes...The Latest Craze

In our last issue of Automation Notebook we introduced you to DirectSOFT5 (version 5.0), the latest version of programming software available for the DirectLOGIC PLCs. DirectSOFT5 received an overall facelift including selectable themes, configurable toolbars, dockable and floatable views, HTML help files, and a helpful “Tip of the Day” feature. However, the most notable improvement to the software…
PLC Tips from the Tech Team
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookFYIIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

PLC Tips from the Tech Team

AutomationDirect’s Technical Support Team receives a vast array of inquiries on programming and installation of our DirectLOGIC PLCs. We asked the team to provide some Tips and Techniques to help make programming and installation easier for our users. Here are some of the topics that come up regularly. Regular Topics Locating problem code: Having trouble locating a…
System Integrator Slashes Retrofit Price While Adding Value
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMotorsNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePackagingPLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives

System Integrator Slashes Retrofit Price While Adding Value

Box Making Machine Retrofit Project in Ravenna, OH CorrTech, Inc. is an industrial machinery services company that focuses on the corrugated paper and container industry. One of their customers, Smurfit Stone Enterprises in Ravenna, Ohio, recently requested the retrofit of a heavy-duty box-making machine built in the US circa 1970. The S&S ZLR Flexo Folder…
DL205 Performs in Theatrics
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEntertainmentIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlStudent Spotlight

DL205 Performs in Theatrics

Theatrical automation is a newly emerging field of technology. Through the use of automation, the University Of Arizona School Of Theatre Arts is enhancing the overall theatrical experience. Students Nathan Cross and Phillip Toussaint are using various types of AutomationDirect equipment to automate scenery. According to Nathan, the use of motors and computer control gives…
The Latest In PLC Ladder Logic
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control

The Latest In PLC Ladder Logic

Developed in the early 1990s to program DirectLOGIC PLCs, DirectSOFT programming software was one of the first Windows®-based ladder logic software packages on the market. Over the years, it has seen several major enhancements and improvements, but this year DirectSOFT is receiving the most dramatic makeover of its existence. DirectSOFT5 As users became more comfortable with the features…
Dredging Up The...FUTURE
ApplicationApplication StoriesCover StoriesIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Dredging Up The...FUTURE

People around the world are aware of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina along the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. What started around the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005 as Tropical Depression number 12, quickly became the fourth hurricane of the season just 48 hours later. When her catastrophic winds finally subsided,…