Featured Articles

How Digitalizing Industrial Enclosure Design Can Help Automotive Manufacturers Outpace the Competition

How Digitalizing Industrial Enclosure Design Can Help Automotive Manufacturers Outpace the Competition

The need for speed and visibility into industrial automation system design is a top priority for automotive manufacturers, especially with the continued demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and the trend of reshoring manufacturing programs. This is where digitalizing the design of industrial enclosure solutions can help automotive manufacturers create more versatile, flexible automation systems via more efficient, connected workflows.

How Row-Based Cooling Can Optimize the Performance of Small to Medium-Sized IT Installations
|

How Row-Based Cooling Can Optimize the Performance of Small to Medium-Sized IT Installations

Small and medium-sized IT installations encounter some unique challenges when it comes to integrating IT cooling systems to maximize heat removal performance. To start, space constraints and the need for a more self-contained climate control footprint means network engineers need flexible solutions without sacrificing system performance. But what further complicates choosing the right cooling infrastructure for small and medium-sized IT applications is the ability to remove high heat loads more effectively than other kinds of cooling systems.

Rittal is Ready for Digital Health
|

Rittal is Ready for Digital Health

Digitalization is transforming the entire healthcare sector, with e-health set to play a more important role in healthcare provision. Examples include services such as video consultations, incorporating data from wearable devices in diagnostics and patient care, and using digital solutions in surgeries, hospitals and laboratories. Rittal is helping the healthcare sector with this revolution. Rittal can draw on it’s extensive experience in areas such as data analysis, secure storage of confidential data, networking companies and infrastructures of all sizes, and planning and providing fail-safe systems.

How to Select the Correct Data Cable for Your Industrial Application
|

How to Select the Correct Data Cable for Your Industrial Application

All cables and wires that contribute to communication in any way are commonly referred to as data cables. However, there are significant differences such as the multitude of structures including copper and fiber optics, for example. Copper data cables come in many different types: low-frequency, coaxial, telephone, and bus cables, diverse Ethernet systems, or microwave cables for special applications that require gigahertz transmission rates. Selecting the wrong cable can quickly lead to costly disruptions and errors.

Why Manufacturers Are Turning to Busbar to Help Reduce Energy Usage and Costs

Why Manufacturers Are Turning to Busbar to Help Reduce Energy Usage and Costs

The move to busbar power distribution systems was ignited in large part due to new regulations outlined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) about the importance of global standardization in the design and functionality of industrial power distribution. But in the handful of years since busbar emerged on the world stage, manufacturers have experienced a variety of key benefits in incorporating this more modular approach to power distribution, particularly in terms of reducing energy consumption and costs.

Novatek Halves Production Time by Automating Processes with nVent HOFFMAN ModCenter 163

Novatek Halves Production Time by Automating Processes with nVent HOFFMAN ModCenter 163

Seeking to expand production capacity as part of the Italian government’s Industria 4.0 campaign encouraging the digitization of industry, Novatek began exploring automation solutions that would be suitable for a small manufacturer like itself. nVent HOFFMAN ModCenter solutions stood out by offering the potential to drive both efficiency and cost savings. Following detailed discussions with the nVent team and demonstrations of the technology, Novatek selected the nVent HOFFMAN ModCenter 163, a versatile, automated modification solution for the machining and building of electrical control panels and enclosures.

How the OS33C Safety Scanner is Making Workplaces Safer and More Efficient
| | | | |

How the OS33C Safety Scanner is Making Workplaces Safer and More Efficient

In today’s fast-paced and demanding industrial environments, ensuring workplace safety and operational efficiency is paramount. However, customers often face a range of challenges that hinder their productivity and increase costs. Enter the OS33C Safety Scanner, a reportedly revolutionary solution that addresses these issues head-on, making workplaces safer and more efficient than ever before. This article will discuss the main challenges faced by customers in mobile and fixed applications, and how the OS33C Safety Scanner effectively solves these challenges, making workplaces safer and more efficient.

Case Study: Forced-Air Ventilation of Electrical Enclosures in a Food Processing Facility

Case Study: Forced-Air Ventilation of Electrical Enclosures in a Food Processing Facility

The food and beverage industry relies on complex electronics to power its processing, packaging, and labeling lines. Heavily regulated by government health and safety agencies, these facilities are often subject to routine sanitation, including frequent high-pressure washdowns. Only specialized thermal management solutions will protect the heat-sensitive electronic components to maintain optimal performance and help prevent costly downtime. This case study describes how Kooltronic engineers developed a unique and effective approach to cool several NEMA 4X electrical enclosures in a meat packing plant.

Overcoming Common Cable Management Challenges in Modernizing Data Centers
|

Overcoming Common Cable Management Challenges in Modernizing Data Centers

In today’s modern digital era, data centers serve as the cornerstone of this information-centric world, playing a vital role in processing and disseminating enormous amounts of data across multiple sectors and various industries. Due to the vast intricate network of cables within these centers, efficient cable management is crucial to the success of these facilities. A truly effective cable management system boasts a plethora of benefits, including optimizing data flow, maintaining data integrity, minimizing downtime and enhancing personnel safety. Collectively, all these advantages help to optimize the data center for peak performance, saving time, money and energy in the process.

Colocation Facilities vs. Private Data Centers: What Manufacturers Should Know About These Two IT Installations

Colocation Facilities vs. Private Data Centers: What Manufacturers Should Know About These Two IT Installations

For today’s manufacturers, the choice of IT computing installation most often comes down to colocation vs. private data center. Each type of IT installation comes with its own benefits and opportunities, and the challenge for manufacturers is understanding which of the two is ideal for their IT computing and data processing needs. The considerations that factor into this decision are established and understood in the manufacturing space: time, money, and resources. However, the discussion between colocation and private data centers does contain some nuances that are unique to the IT computing world.

Siemens to Demonstrate The Path to “Empowering The Digital Machine Shop” at IMTS 2024, Booth 133249

Siemens to Demonstrate The Path to “Empowering The Digital Machine Shop” at IMTS 2024, Booth 133249

At the upcoming IMTS 2024 in Chicago, September 9–14, Siemens will present its extensive machine tool CNC portfolio and digitalization software technology, highlighted by the digital native SINUMERIK ONE control platform for machining applications.  Also, using a sports theme of “Speed, Agility and Endurance,” aimed at the machine shop on its path to digitalization, Siemens will introduce MACHINUM to the North American market.  MACHINUM brings together machine tool controls, digitalization software and machine shop services from Siemens to help manufacturers optimize their production processes, to provide agility for quick adaptation to changing customer requirements and calculated uptime needs, plus enable digitally proven endurance to maximize the productivity of the entire machine shop or production department.

4 Benefits of Choosing a Filter Fan Enclosure Cooling Unit
|

4 Benefits of Choosing a Filter Fan Enclosure Cooling Unit

The ability to cut through the complexity of modern manufacturing is a chief concern for companies across nearly every industry. This is due in large part to the diversification of the manufacturing landscape to include more uncontrolled or outdoor environments, but also because of the rapid growth in industries like material handling, automotive, and energy & power. Filter fan industrial enclosure cooling units can help manufacturers leverage powerful cooling outputs that can meet the rigors of a range of industrial environments, while also helping to elevate their application versatility and configuration flexibility.

First Mate Last Break: Electrical Safety and Reliability for Medical Devices
|

First Mate Last Break: Electrical Safety and Reliability for Medical Devices

Medical device manufacturers must maintain the highest safety standards while ensuring ease of use. Although medical devices are usually enclosed and have easily accessible switches, buttons, and displays, the infrastructure can pose safety risks. Connectors and their connection points are particularly vulnerable, especially when dealing with electricity. It’s important to exercise caution to protect both users and patients, as well as the delicate technology within the device. The IEC 60601-1 standard for medical electrical equipment provides a clear framework for this. Special “First Mate Last Break” connectors meet the requirements of this standard, offering a combination of electrical safety, mechanical reliability, and user-friendliness.

Design Cable Pathways in 3D
|

Design Cable Pathways in 3D

How can the advantages of pre-assembled cables be utilised in mechanical engineering? Not every machine builder has asked themselves this question – yet it is high time to start saving money and resources using plug-and-play methods. Solutions provider EPLAN has had the topic of machine cabling in its sights for some time now and will be presenting a preview of EPLAN Cable proD at this year’s Hannover Messe.

Molex Releases Report on Thermal Management Challenges and Opportunities for I/O Modules amid Emerging Solutions for Next-Gen Data Center Cooling

Molex Releases Report on Thermal Management Challenges and Opportunities for I/O Modules amid Emerging Solutions for Next-Gen Data Center Cooling

Molex has published a report that examines thermal management pitfalls and possibilities as data center architects and operators strive to balance high-speed data throughput requirements with the impacts of growing power density and the need for heat dissipation on critical servers and interconnect systems. Molex’s In-Depth Report of Thermal Management Solutions for I/O Modules addresses the limitations of legacy approaches for thermal characterization and management and explores new innovations in server and optical module cooling to better support 112G and 224G connectivity.

OT Cybersecurity Assessments – Which is Right For You?
|

OT Cybersecurity Assessments – Which is Right For You?

The adoption of smart manufacturing is spreading at a rapid pace. With the introduction and implementation of new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Industrial Internet of Things, technology is taking manufacturing to a place it’s never been before. With the increased connectivity comes increased cybersecurity risk. Threat actors are evolving and advancing their techniques for infiltrating OT networks, and according to the Rockwell Automation State of Smart Manufacturing report, 71% of all ransomware attacks on industrial organizations are focused on manufacturing.