Old-fashioned automation architectures suffer from complexity and slow communications. See how today’s PLC advances boost simplicity and performance. Damon Purvis, PLC Product Manager at AutomationDirect, an article for the April 2021 edition of Machine Design. The article is titled The PLC Breaks Out! and it looks at how modern PLCs can streamline classically rigid architectures…
The innovative AutomationDirect ProductivityOpen controller combines the IT-centric open-source capabilities of an Arduino® microcontroller with the robust reliability needed for industrial OT applications, leading to end user recognition for Plant Engineering’s highest award. AutomationDirect’s ProductivityOpen controller was announced as a Plant Engineering 2020 Grand Award recipient. This is the highest award a product can receive…
A seagoing story about how a premier yacht builder has progressively incorporated reliable AutomationDirect devices for monitoring and controlling ship systems. Westport Yachts, based in Washington State, constructs luxury 112- to 172-foot-long models and has launched hundreds of seagoing vessels since 1964. As the leading yacht builder in North America, and one of the largest…
ApplicationApplication StoriesIssue 46, 2021Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable Control
ProductivityOpen Speeds OEM Feature Development
AutomationDirect industrialized open-source hardware and software provides flexibility and options for OEMs looking to deliver tough, IT-capable systems. Güntner is a worldwide original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of evaporative condensers, serving a wide range of industries and users with their reliable large-scale heat exchangers. The company has developed in-house embedded microcontrollers specifically optimized for their equipment….
New PLCs gain capabilities to connect industrial-sourced OT data with higher-level IT and cloud-based systems. Damon Purvis, PLC Product Manager at AutomationDirect, wrote a cover story article for the January 2021 issue of Control Engineering. The article is titled PLCs Power Industrial Data Integration and it looks at the many ways PLCs have gained enterprise…
Maker hardware and software is now available in industrially-hardened form factors, adding the reliability required for critical applications. Bill Dehner, technical marketing engineer for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the May 2020 issue of Control Engineering titled Open-Source Benefits for Industrial Controllers. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full text. Industrial…
AutomationDirect products and services enabled an industrial calibration provider to deliver more services to help their clients save time and money. Industrial calibration firm Gulf State Instruments (GSI) has a 20-year track record of helping their customers optimize operations. In this success story published in the July edition of Control magazine, titled Gulf States Instruments…
ApplicationApplication StoriesHMIIssue 45, 2021ManufacturingOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control
Automating Nehemiah Manufacturing
Using AutomationDirect hardware and software, this company self-performed automation work to meet their needs and ready their team for the future. At Nehemiah Manufacturing in Cincinnati, OH, the core work is producing consumer products such as detergents and cleaners, but the company also supports the community by employing those who need a second chance. Writing…
Our Productivity2000 and Productivity3000 PLCs have been used successfully over the years in many industries, even those that constantly evolve with new standards, techniques, and acceptable practices. One specific industry is the marine or maritime industry which includes yacht construction among other areas. To build a quality-certified vessel, a yacht builder can choose to apply…
Deciding between a PLC or Industrialized Open Source Controller can be difficult. These two control platforms are often compared against one another in the battle for which is better. Saying that one platform is better than the other is impractical. Both platforms have advantages and disadvantages dependent on the environments that they will be used…