Future-proof digitalization concepts are becoming increasingly important in the process industry. Predictive maintenance, data-based process optimization, or targeted plant modularization are intended to increase efficiency, output, and availability. With automation technology from Beckhoff, you can flexibly digitalize your process plant.
Who is using PlantPAx DCS to help Country Maid Inc.? Meet Ray Berning, an automation manager with Interstates. They’re a global provider of electrical, automation, and operational technology solutions and were recently designated a Rockwell Automation Platinum System Integrator partner. Country Maid, Inc. a manufacturer of seasonal and specialty bakery items, is a long-time Interstates client. Facing growing product demand, Country Maid wanted to increase production and efficiency without having to expand their facility.
Today, laser cladding is often used for coating rotationally symmetrical components. Ponticon GmbH, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, is expanding its range of applications to include coating and additive manufacturing of any geometries with the pE3D system. The requirements regarding the precise control and coordination of the tripod, rotary/swivel table, and laser would have been difficult to implement without TwinCAT CNC, EtherCAT, and eXtreme Fast Control Technology (XFC) from Beckhoff.
One of the challenges panel builders and systems integrators face is the time-intensive nature of their manual panel modification processes. The labor intensive nature of manual modifications already results in extended throughput times, and recent market forces like labor shortages and supply chain disruptions only serve to exacerbate these issues. This is part of the reason why manufacturers are moving to a more connected ecosystem in order to unify the parts of their panel modification process.
Noark’s Mod Center is Expanding to Better-Serve Electrical OEMs Across North America – Noark is a global manufacturer of low-voltage electrical components for industrial applications and their specialties involve motor control and circuit protection products for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Their entire portfolio of products is designed for ease of manufacturing and assembly. Each component is developed in-house by their engineering team to meet the strictest standards and performance requirements and is covered by their exclusive five-year limited warranty.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology has been making great strides in expanding the capabilities that manufacturers have in Traceability. Due to its industry-proven, robust, short, and long-range design to identify, track, and trace products and carriers, RFID offers solutions beyond optical barcode reading. It can also be easily integrated into automation platforms using standard Network protocols like EtherNet/IP.
A recent update from the Biden Administration revealed that there are more than three million EVs on the road in the U.S., and more than 130,000 EV charging stations currently in use. The President’s goal is for EVs to make up 50% of all new car sales by 2030, and this benchmark also calls for a nationwide network of more than 500,000 EV charging stations. IP and NEMA ratings certify an enclosure’s capacity to perform in harsh environments, but the unique nature of EV charging stations can leave designers a little unclear as to which rating system carries more weight for this kind of application.
The IP rating indicates to what extent an electrical device is protected against the penetration of foreign objects and moisture. In this blog post, you can find out which IP codes there are, what the differences are between them and what you need to pay attention to when choosing a power supply. Environmental influences such as dust or moisture can prevent the electrical components in a power supply from functioning correctly. In addition, the interior of the power supply may need to be protected from penetration by foreign objects, such as tools, screws and wires, and from accidental contact by the user.
Intelligent power management company Eaton has announced significant investments in its North American manufacturing and operations to support rapidly growing demand for its electrical solutions. The company is expanding manufacturing and bolstering resilience to increase the supply of its solutions for customers in utility, commercial, healthcare, industrial and residential markets across North America. The majority…
August 29, 2023 By Scott Martin, KCC Software When support for legacy systems fades away, there are options to keep them up and running. Experienced systems integrators are well-versed in up-to-date digital platforms to modernize operations with minimal effort. For a period beginning in the late 1990s, Windows CE was a popular choice as a lightweight…
Southwire’s long-held commitment to sustainability has been evident throughout its history and was formalized with its first official sustainability report in 2007. Reflecting that commitment, the company recently launched its 2022 sustainability report. The report highlights all areas of sustainability at Southwire and showcases the company’s most significant impacts by focusing on its five core tenets – Growing Green, Living Well, Giving Back, Doing Right and Building Worth – which include actions to enhance safety performance, strategic initiatives, team member engagement, community involvement and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
As technology advances, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have emerged as valuable tools for improving efficiency and productivity in various industries. From warehouses to manufacturing facilities, these intelligent machines are revolutionizing the way manufacturers handle tasks and streamline operations. However, deploying AMRs successfully requires careful planning and consideration. In this blog post, let’s explore some common mistakes that people make when implementing autonomous mobile robots in their facilities and provide insights on how to avoid them.
In dynamic applications typical to mechanical and plant engineering or drive and automation technology, cables and wires are frequently subject to mechanical bending stresses. Although these stresses also occur in static installations, they are much higher in dynamic applications because the force and direction of movement are constantly changing. Such situations are pure stress for the cable. The wires, conductor insulation and jacketing material are squeezed on the inside and stretched on the outside, and the cable can tear. Degradation, up to and including cable damage, leads to faults and functional failures.
Modularisation, standardisation and automation – these topics will dominate again at this year’s EF|A – EPLAN Forum for Automated Engineering. The need for action in machine building and plant system engineering is higher than ever, which also helps explain the great interest in the run-up to this international event, with participants from more than twelve countries. In practice-oriented presentations, companies will be showing the next steps they’re taking on the pathway to automated engineering. Their motto: Think big!
Poultry has been one of the food and beverage industry’s biggest growth areas in recent years, and projections indicate this growth shows no signs of slowing down — in fact, a recent report estimates the poultry market will grow by more than 6% annually through 2028. This is just one example — pet food and plant-based foods being a couple others — of why food and beverage producers need to unlock new levels of productivity and efficiency to meet customer demand and seize opportunities in new or emerging markets. With this in mind, let’s look at a couple of reasons why design engineers should consider energy-efficient enclosure climate control units when designing an automation infrastructure for food and beverage manufacturing sites.
By: Kooltronic August 18, 2023 Building electrical enclosures presents many challenges. Considerations such as ingress protection, mechanical strength, component costs, National Electrical Code (NEC) compliance, and thermal management are equally important when building safe, reliable, cost-effective control cabinets. Panel builders may also face challenges related to the availability of materials, the complexity of the design,…
