VFDs Take Control
ProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

VFDs Take Control

Many VFDs now have on-board logic programming and I/O, enabling them to perform real-time control for localized applications. Jeff Payne, Product Manager for the Drives & Motors Group at AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the April 2020 issue of Design News titled The Logic of Balancing VFDs and PLCs. Here’s a summary, click on the…
Automating the Hendrick’s Gin Grand Garnisher
Application StoriesDrivesHMIIssue 44 - 2020Notebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductVariable Speed Drives

Automating the Hendrick’s Gin Grand Garnisher

The Grand Garnisher has been turning heads as it tours the United States and Europe. AutomationDirect hardware and software automation underpins the attractive, steampunk contraption. By Stuart Ostroff, Salmon Studios Picture this: you are in the back garden of the grand duke’s estate, enjoying social hour with great company, a botanical cocktail in your hand….
Crushing the Control System
ApplicationApplication StoriesDrivesHMIIndustryIssue 42 - 2019Machine ControlManufacturingMotorsNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Crushing the Control System

Upgrading to a modern control system platform with the help of a local system integrator transforms a rock crushing plant from manual to fully automatic operation. By Todd Timpa, Assistant General Manager at CTC Crushing Impact Sand and Gravel is the leading supplier of aggregate and sand in the Las Vegas area, producing and distributing…
Programming and Setup Considerations for VFDs with Integrated PLCs
Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMotor ControlsOnline BlogProductProgrammable ControlVariable Speed Drives

Programming and Setup Considerations for VFDs with Integrated PLCs

Control capability built-in to VFDs are moving machine intelligence to the edge. Jeff Payne, Product Manager for AutomationDirect, wrote an article for the March 2019 issue of Design World, titled VFDs with integrated PLCs for motion and machine controls: Programming and setup considerations. Payne explains how AC drives can be controlled by either an external…
AC Drives Applications
ProductVariable Speed Drives

AC Drives Applications

When powering AC motors, the electrical supply can be at full power to run at full speed, or at variable power to run at variable speed. Applications with fluctuating loads benefit from the variable speed provided by an AC drive because less power is used at lower loads and speeds, and this article explains how…
Student Spotlight: Droid Names, Faraway Galaxies or Automation Components?
2018AutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 39Issue 39 - 2018ProductStudent SpotlightVariable Speed Drives

Student Spotlight: Droid Names, Faraway Galaxies or Automation Components?

VFDs, RS485, PLCs — these terms may seem like names of droids or faraway galaxies and planets in a “Star Wars” movie. However, they really refer to earthly based components that Vermont Technical College engineering student Dan Rapoza learned about when he set out to help a dairy farmer save time and money by automating…