Reducing Total Cost of Ownership
+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…
Is It Time to Upgrade Your Control System?
ApplicationAutomation NotebookCover StoriesIssue 19 – 2011Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueOnline Blog

Is It Time to Upgrade Your Control System?

Are your machine or robot control systems good enough, or should you make a change? The machines and robots you build work well. You’ve kept up with periodic improvements. Most of your support calls are predictable. Why rock the boat? As a machine or robot builder OEM, you understand the favorable economics of selling machines…
A Condensed Guide to Automation Control System Part 4: Build, Launch & Maintain
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookEnclosures & AccessoriesIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductTechnical ReviewTerminal Blocks & Wiring

A Condensed Guide to Automation Control System Part 4: Build, Launch & Maintain

In Part 3 (Fall 2005 Issue 5), we covered how to design our automated control system and the importance of documenting the design. We discussed the various types of documents that would be typical for an automated control system design, why and how we would use these documents, and finally the tools that can be…
A Condensed Guide to Automation Control System Part 3: Design
+Tech TopicsApplicationAutomation NotebookEnclosures & AccessoriesIssue 5 – 2005Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTechnical ReviewTerminal Blocks & Wiring

A Condensed Guide to Automation Control System Part 3: Design

In Part 2 (Spring 2005 Issue 4), we covered how to specify the various devices required for interfacing and controlling the electrical equipment in an automated control system. In Part 3, we will cover the steps needed to design our automated control system. The design topics will include planning by defining our sequence of operation,…
How Secure Is Your Control System?
ApplicationAutomation NotebookData System MonitoringIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueTechnology Brief

How Secure Is Your Control System?

-Maroochydore, Australia, April 2000- Fired by the contractor who installed the control system at the local water treatment plant, engineer Vitek Boden was then rejected for a job by city council. Laid off and ticked off, Boden sought his foul revenge. Using a stolen laptop and two-way radio, he connected wirelessly to the plant’s control…