Featured Articles

What is a Digital Twin?
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What is a Digital Twin?

A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that contain real-time data and information that allow engineers to assess a design without the need for a real-world object. This digital version can be used to measure, analyze, predict, control, or optimize its placement in the physical world – i.e., during product development or inspection, and postproduction to enable effective troubleshooting while minimizing downtime.

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. Achieves Precise and Delicate Capping Machine by Providing HMI, PLC, VFD, and Servo Components

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. Achieves Precise and Delicate Capping Machine by Providing HMI, PLC, VFD, and Servo Components

Packaging machinery customer, Balpack Inc., creates a highly precise capping machine with quick changeover functionality through programming expertise from HPE Automation and precision controls from Mitsubishi Electric. When Balpack Inc., packaging machinery specialists from Sarasota, Florida, were tasked with manufacturing a star wheel capping machine for a customer, they turned to automation vendor HPE Automation, a Diamond Partner Distributor Elite of Mitsubishi Electric Automation.

5 Things to Know About the VX SE Floormount Enclosure System
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5 Things to Know About the VX SE Floormount Enclosure System

As the landscape of modern manufacturing continues to change and evolve, today’s manufacturers need increased industrial enclosure versatility, particularly when it comes to floormount enclosures. Recent trends, like retrofitting for warehouse automation and the need to reduce your automation footprint, are pushing manufacturers to source enclosures that offer high levels of protection and durability without sacrificing flexibility or ease of integration. The new Rittal VX SE Floormount enclosure system fits the bill.

What Are Control Circuit Devices? Noark Electric Explains
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What Are Control Circuit Devices? Noark Electric Explains

A Control Circuit Device regulates and manages the operation of an electrical circuit by turning on or off the circuit. The control device regulates or limits the condition within the circuit by controlling the voltage and current. Examples of control circuit devices used are switches, solenoids, and relays. Noark is a reliable manufacturer of high-quality circuit control devices used in a wide range of industrial and motor applications. Learn more about circuit control devices and how you can partner with Noark.

Interview With Martin Rostan
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Interview With Martin Rostan on 20 Years of EtherCAT and the EtherCAT Technology Group – Powerful and Future-Proof Technology Plus an Active Community

EtherCAT offers numerous technological advantages, but it has also benefited immensely over the past two decades from the disclosure of the protocol and the foundation of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) related with it. In the following interview, Martin Rostan, Executive Director of ETG, describes the most important aspects of these two sides to the EtherCAT success story.

Get in Shape to Engineer Efficiently With Version 2024

Get in Shape to Engineer Efficiently With Version 2024

eLearning is a form of self-study that has been well received and is becoming increasingly widespread. Eplan, the solutions provider, has made significant investments in this field since 2020 due to its customer-oriented focus and provides numerous eLearning courses at www.eplan.com, including courses for the new EPLAN Platform 2024. Eplan’s Head of Professional Education Dr Dusko Lukac explains: “Our goal is that our users work as efficiently as possible with Eplan. With the update trainings in the eLearning format, we present them the software’s new features. Our experience shows that when users make full use of the software, they also have the greatest success in project planning and engineering.”

Finding Success as an Integrator Through Strategic Collaboration
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Finding Success as an Integrator Through Strategic Collaboration

In the fast-paced world of digital communication and connectivity, integrators bridge the gap between cutting-edge innovation and tangible, real-world application. Companies have great ideas and urgent needs as they upgrade facilities and plan expansions, and they need integrators to make it all happen. As an integrator, you’re constantly met with new opportunities, but you also face new challenges, and these can reshape the way you approach and execute your projects. Supply chain issues, labor shortages, expansion into new and more rural markets – all these challenges and more will present obstacles to your project’s success.

A Better Way To Manage Produced Water

A Better Way To Manage Produced Water

More than crude oil is extracted from oilfields. Naturally occurring water—or “produced water”—is a byproduct that must be managed in an environmentally compliant way. A key partner in recycling produced water is Endpoint Industrial Controls. Headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, the company is part of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork program and uses Rockwell technologies to create end customer solutions.

Boosting Machine Performance: How Motors, Drives and PLCs Enable Success

Boosting Machine Performance: How Motors, Drives and PLCs Enable Success

In today’s competitive market, machine builders face pressure to deliver highly reliable, cost-effective, sustainable and energy-efficient machines. Customers also expect new equipment to be compatible with digitalization and automation technologies. The key to meeting these customer expectations is using high-quality, advanced variable speed drives (VSDs) also known as variable frequency drives (VFDs), or just drives, along with  programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

Your Guide to Arc Flash Assessments
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Your Guide to Arc Flash Assessments

This webinar is a guide to understanding and mitigating the risks associated with arc flash. It provides a detailed exploration of the causes, potential hazards, and the critical importance of adhering to safety standards to protect personnel and equipment. This webinar is helpful for businesses and individuals operating in environments with complex electrical systems, especially those in industrial sectors. It is particularly beneficial for those in job roles that are responsible for maintaining electrical safety, risk management, and operational efficiency in their organizations.

How to Ensure the Best With Omron’s Certified Partner System Integrator Develop Program

How to Ensure the Best With Omron’s Certified Partner System Integrator Develop Program

With so many companies offering systems integration services in the automation industry, finding the right partner can be a daunting task. Omron understands the importance of seamless integration, efficient automation, and adaptable manufacturing processes. That’s why Omron has introduced the Omron Certified Systems Integrator Program – a platform designed to elevate Omron’s partners’ proficiency in Omron technology. The goal is to empower partners to enhance productivity and cost-effective for mutual customers.

Siemens Webinar: Drives and Main Circuit Dimensioning in One Tool

Siemens Webinar: Drives and Main Circuit Dimensioning in One Tool

How can you integrate a drive configuration into the main circuit Today, the drives can be designed in the TIA Selection Tool according to the application. However, the embedding in a higher-level main current view was missing until now. The latest update now makes this possible. Plan your control cabinet’s electrical system from the top feed to the bottom drive. Other aspects such as controls and other consumers are integrated as usual. In this webinar, experts from Siemens will introduce you to the new functions.

ABB Upgrades Drive Control System at Jujo Thermal Paper Mill in Finland for Improved Machine Runnability

ABB Upgrades Drive Control System at Jujo Thermal Paper Mill in Finland for Improved Machine Runnability

Jujo Thermal selected ABB to upgrade its drive control system at its mill in Kauttua, Finland, for improved runnability and efficiency. ABB’s scope of delivery included the provision and commissioning of the upgrade package for the existing PM2 drive control system and new drives. Jujo Thermal is one of the world’s major suppliers of durable, direct thermal papers for labels, tickets, tags and point-of-sales use. It also generates one-side coated self-adhesive label stock and has a production volume reaching 72,000 tons per year.

Safely Navigating the Deployment of Autonomous Mobile Robots in Your Facility

Safely Navigating the Deployment of Autonomous Mobile Robots in Your Facility

The integration of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) into your facility’s operations can offer a multitude of benefits, such as increased efficiency and productivity. However, ensuring the safety of these robots and those who interact with them is paramount. This blog post will delve into key safety considerations for organizations and end-users when deploying AMRs in their facilities, with a focus on the application environment.

Yes, Unibody Industrial Enclosures Can Provide Configuration Flexibility

Yes, Unibody Industrial Enclosures Can Provide Configuration Flexibility

In the world of industrial automation, there’s something of a tug of war between modular industrial enclosures and unibody enclosures in terms of which design truly offers configuration flexibility. While the interchangeable panels and parts found in modular enclosures do provide a high degree of versatility, unibody enclosures also feature some key design and engineering components that help manufacturers create a more flexible industrial automation framework.

How Busbar Power Distribution Can Help Manufacturers
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How Busbar Power Distribution Can Help Manufacturers Maximize the Space Inside Their Industrial Enclosures

One of the more pressing concerns for automation architects in the last year is specifying equipment that can help manufacturers reduce the footprint of their industrial automation infrastructure. This is particularly important for manufacturers who are looking to retrofit existing facilities for warehouse automation, as older buildings often come with unique floor plans or space constraints.