Automating a Donut Packaging and Labeling Line
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookDrivesFood and BeverageFood Beverage AutomationIndustryIssue 25 – 2013Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMaterial HandlingNotebook IssuePackagingPLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives

Automating a Donut Packaging and Labeling Line

When people hear the name Mel-O-Cream, they usually think of donuts. Founded in 1932 as a retail shop in Springfield, Ill, Mel-O-Cream International (www.mel-o-cream.com) manufactures bakery products, primarily for wholesale distribution to supermarkets and bakeries.
Bio Diesel Fuel Gets a Boost from Automation
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 23 – 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCPneumaticsPneumaticsProcess ControlProcess Sensing & ControlProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLCUser Solutions

Bio Diesel Fuel Gets a Boost from Automation

Systems produce bio diesel for a total cost as low as 67 cents per gallon, turning waste into profit. Imagine if restaurants and other commercial food enterprises could turn used kitchen oil into fuel instead of simply disposing of it. Then imagine if they could do that in an economic and automated way for a…
PLCs Give Wastewater Pumping Stations a Lift
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData System MonitoringIndustryIssue 19 – 2011Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsWater/Wastewater

PLCs Give Wastewater Pumping Stations a Lift

Flexible, economical PLCs provide automatic failover, backup pump control, and remote lift station monitoring. The Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is part of the Interceptor Sewer System, which has served Chattanooga, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan areas since it was built in 1952. The WWTP includes pumping stations as well as liquid and solids…
Advanced Automation, LLC Takes Baking To The Next Level
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFood and BeverageFood Beverage AutomationIndustryIssue 19 – 2011Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Advanced Automation, LLC Takes Baking To The Next Level

Advanced Automation, LLC, in Riverdale, New Jersey, is an automation systems manufacturing company specializing in creating solutions for companies in need of more efficient automated processes. One such need is in the baking industry. Food associations, such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Safe Quality Food (SQF) and the American Institute of Baking (AIB), are…
Small-Scale Hydroelectric Plant Promises Profit
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnclosures & AccessoriesEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 21 – 2011Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Small-Scale Hydroelectric Plant Promises Profit

If there’s access to a stream, the only requirements to generate electricity are a 2 ft. drop in water level and two gallons of flow per minute. A hydroelectric system isn’t overly complicated, it isn’t difficult to operate and maintain, it has longevity and it’s often more cost-effective than other forms of renewable power. Some…
House Theatre of Chicago
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEntertainmentIndustryIssue 20 – 2011Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePneumaticsProductStudent SpotlightUser Solutions

House Theatre of Chicago

House Theatre of Chicago’s original-script production of The Nutcracker demanded moving, changing scenery that magically transformed the set at the push of a button. AutomationDirect’s extensive line of pneumatic and electrical components helped us realize these design elements easily, elegantly, and reliably.
M.M. & I., Inc Provides Production Information 24/7 To Pratt Industries
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData CollectionDistribution/LogisticsIndustryIssue 16 – 2010Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

M.M. & I., Inc Provides Production Information 24/7 To Pratt Industries

Michael Miles and Investors (M.M. & I.) has been in the commercial and industrial electrical markets since 1986. The company began by offering Web-based database and Visual Basic applications supporting school systems. In 1994, we ventured into the computer market, becoming proficient in information technologies and high level programming. In 2002, we saw a need…
Volatile Material Handling for IBM
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightFacilitiesIndustryIssue 17 – 2010Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlSystem IntegratorsUser Solutions

Volatile Material Handling for IBM

When IBM needed a control and delivery system for Silane gas at the T. J. Watson Research Facility in Yorktown Heights, NY, they turned to KCC Software of Huntsville, AL. Managing Silane Gas Silane gas is essential in an ultra-pure method of applying silicon in the manufacturing of semiconductors and solar panels. The SiH4 compound,…
Ohio Energy Group Finds Alternative Control
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Ohio Energy Group Finds Alternative Control

The Problem I am a member of a small alternative energy group in Ohio. Many of us generate our own power using wind turbines. These wind turbines vary widely from low power to high power and from homemade to high-tech. Among all of this diversity, we had one common problem – we were looking for…