This issue you’ll learn how Viking Range uses products from AutomationDirect to turn out reliable cooking equipment. You’ll also see in our Student Spotlight how a group of students in Ohio are restoring gas turbines for alternative uses. Plus, our feature story details how a Michigan company breathed new life into old equipment.
– TJ Johns
Senior Editor
In this issue of the Automation Notebook…
In each issue of the Automation Notebook we feature a section of brainteasers. These are the brainteaser answers from Issue 24, 2012 of the Automation Notebook. The brainteaser questions are repeated in black. The answers to the brainteaser questions are highlighted in red with explanations. You can view the brainteasers from Issue 24, 2012 without the answers…
1. Widget Not The WidgetMaker2000 had only been making widgets for an hour before something in the drive train malfunctioned. The machine had to finish the production run at 3/5ths of its normal speed. This caused a two-hour delay for the completion of the production run. The operator explained that if the machine could have…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightData CollectionData System MonitoringEducation/DIYEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight
Gas Turbine Repurposed With PLCs
The Midwest Propulsion Group is a jet engine club dedicated to increasing the engineering knowledge and experience base of students by providing real-world engineering tasks related to gas turbine restoration and performance analysis, as well as finding vehicular applications for such engines.
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData System MonitoringHMIIndustryIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCPLC eBookProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control
PLCs Automate Reliability Testing
AutomationDirect PLCs enable continuous life-cycle testing, provide data collection, and shorten product design and verification cycles at Viking Range.
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFeature StoryHMIIndustryIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesMachine ToolManufacturingManufacturingNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlSimple PLC
Bringing Life to an Old Machine at American Label & Tag
An innovative employee at American Label & Tag was an automation neophyte, but AutomationDirect’s customer support showed him the way.
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTechnology Brief
Ease of Motion with Do-more PLC and the H2-CTRIO2
Part of the vision for the Do-more PLC control engine was to make maximum use of Host Engineering’s next generation High Speed Counter and Pulse Output module, the H2-CTRIO2. Pairing this new module with a Do-more CPU creates a solid motion control package that is easier to use than its predecessors while offering more flexible…
Automation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlSIDirectSystem Integrators
KCC Software
AutomationDirect is proud to have a network of system integrators covering a wide variety of industrial control processes across the country. KCC Software, in Huntsville, Alabama, provides services in all areas of the United States and in several countries around the world. Tim Roberts, Integrator Coordinator for AutomationDirect, recently talked with KCC Software owner and…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control
What is a Do-more PLC?
At 9:14AM on September 6, 2012, AutomationDirect released the new Do-more PLC. Many customers already knew that Host Engineering, the developer of the Do-more PLC, had been working on this next-generation CPU for several years. Here are some observations from a personal perspective. What is Do-more? If you have ever used a DirectLOGIC PLC, you…
We have added several exciting products since our last edition of the Automation Notebook. Here are some highlights about some of those new products including: Ironhorse Stainless Steel General Purpose AC Motors, More Ultrasonic Sensor Choices, Safety Speed Monitor Relays, Solve Noisy Signal Issues With High-Speed Optical Isolators, Industrial Safety Gloves, Dual Rod Guided Pneumatic Air…
AutomationDirect has released the latest addition to its PLC offerings, the Do-more H2 Series PLC. This new PLC line offers features and performance of high-end PLCs for an economical price. Using the proven DirectLOGIC DL205 hardware as a platform, the Do-more H2 PLC supports all base units, discrete and analog I/O modules available for the…
+Tech TopicsApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookCover StoriesEnergy/UtilitiesFacilitiesIndustryIssue 24 - 2012Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control
Reducing Total Cost of Ownership
Automation is a key component when developing strategies to help customers reduce their operating costs. Many times when making buying decisions, people look only at the initial price of an item without considering other factors that contribute to the overall cost of owning that product. For example, a certain laptop may seem like a great…