Featured Articles

The Right HMI for Food Processing Machines

The Right HMI for Food Processing Machines

Machines and appliances used in the food processing industry are continuously exposed to dirt and moisture. The operation of these machines must be reliable, safe, and efficient. Besides the demanding conditions under which the machines must operate, hygiene and safety play an important role. Machines must meet strict food safety certification standards. As a result, the control panel must be designed to withstand frequent and thorough cleaning, often under high pressure.

Automotive Test Stands with Siemens SINAMICS S120 – Your One-Stop for Precision, Efficiency, and Flexibility

Automotive Test Stands with Siemens SINAMICS S120 – Your One-Stop for Precision, Efficiency, and Flexibility

In the automotive industry, test stands are essential for precise quality assurance procedures no matter what the make or model of the vehicle. The increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is transforming test stand requirements – and Siemens has solutions for this industry segment. In this article, Kaitlin Werth, Testing Equipment Industry Manager – Digital Industries at Siemens discusses what makes Siemens DC technology and the SINAMICS S120 family of drives the solution for automotive end of line (EOL) testing.

How to Choose the Ideal Outdoor Industrial Enclosure for Your Application

How to Choose the Ideal Outdoor Industrial Enclosure for Your Application

The manufacturing industry is continuing to make the move to the great outdoors. During the last few years, the growth of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the automotive industry and the rapid expansion of distribution centers in the material handling space have prompted companies to adapt to what outdoor production applications can look like. What’s more, the diversification of the power & energy industry to include more green energy production in the form of solar, wind, and water is making it more critical for companies to configure and operate industrial automation systems that can operate in challenging outdoor environments.

PC-Based Control – All Control Functions on a Single Platform

PC-Based Control – All Control Functions on a Single Platform

An average car consists of around 10,000 individual parts. This calls for extensive production processes and machinery within the automotive industry, which all require equally diverse and sophisticated control solutions. At the same time, ever shorter product life cycles demand a high degree of flexibility. This is where PC-based control from Beckhoff provides crucial benefits, as the modular control technology offers scalable options based on specific needs. By incorporating retrofits, it safeguards investments in proven systems while also facilitating the production of cutting-edge technologies through innovative solutions.

Why Automation Inspection Systems Are Critical for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing
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Why Automation Inspection Systems Are Critical for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing

Safety trumps all other concerns in the automotive industry, and electric vehicle manufacturing is no exception. However, safety can also introduce complexity, and the complexity of today’s vehicles – particularly EVs – is such that manufacturers are no longer able to rely on traditional sample or audit-based inspection methods. Fast, 100% inspection of devices has become a requirement, while inspection accuracy and tolerance demands are also increasing.

Why Automotive Manufacturers Should Make the Move to Busbar Power in 2024

Why Automotive Manufacturers Should Make the Move to Busbar Power in 2024

Automotive manufacturers are poised to hit the gas in terms of production in the coming years. Recent projections suggest that North American automotive manufacturing will grow by about 5% annually through 2031. This steady growth means manufacturers will need flexible industrial automation solutions that can quickly and easily adapt to changes in production volume and create more efficient, cost-effective workflows.

Enhancing Efficiency and Scalability in Industrial Control Panel Manufacturing
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Enhancing Efficiency and Scalability in Industrial Control Panel Manufacturing

Efficiency on a large scale is paramount for integrators navigating multiple sectors, as maintaining operational efficiency across complex landscapes becomes synonymous with sustaining competitiveness. For a national integrator, the need to scale operations is imperative to continue growth and meet the multifaceted demands of diverse projects. A national integrator in the oil and gas, material handling, and logistics sector approached Rittal to address challenges hindering their scaling and business management. However, with Rittal’s comprehensive solutions and expertise, the customer was able to overcome complex engineering and manufacturing issues.

Siemens Offers Optimized Control Panel Construction to Machine Tool Builders

Siemens Offers Optimized Control Panel Construction to Machine Tool Builders

Panel building on machine tools is no longer as simple as wiring a few components and calling it a day. Now, there are more deadlines, cost pressures, standards, new directives, plus an increasing pressure to innovate. Besides commonly encountered problems related to time, cost, compliance and quality, there is also an increased degree of automation in the pre-fabrication of cables and the automated production of sheet metal parts. In addition to the mechanical design and development of the automation concept, planning of the electrical power supply and distribution is the third engineering discipline involved in the production of a new machine.

Century Aluminum Upgrades Mt. Holly Facility With Siemens Drives, Increasing Uptime by Over 50%

Century Aluminum Upgrades Mt. Holly Facility With Siemens Drives, Increasing Uptime by Over 50%

The Mt. Holly, South Carolina smelting facility of global producer Century Aluminum houses casting equipment to process nearly 230,000 metric tons of material into standard-grade ingot, HDC ingot, extrusion billet and other products. As the first primary aluminum plant in the world to achieve the ISO 9001 Quality System Standard, Mt. Holly has the highest standards for production efficiency, energy utilization and environmental control.

How Protocol Gateways Enable Digital Transformation of Smart Grids
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How Protocol Gateways Enable Digital Transformation of Smart Grids

Digital transformation is converting outdated utility infrastructure into smart grids as the race to achieve net zero carbon emissions picks up speed. This model aims to improve energy management by collecting and analyzing data in real-time. However, maintaining a smart grid’s smooth operation is no easy feat, which has engineers scrambling for ways to enable timely notifications, data analysis, and acquisition among complex subsystems.

Sustainable Wire Marking

Sustainable Wire Marking

Clear wire identification with different colors is essential for the fast and safe connection of cables and wires. However, conventional marking methods also have disadvantages, such as environmental compatibility, for example. “Pastel B” is an alternative method for marking wire pairs in a more resource-efficient, low-CO2 and sustainable way. One potential application for the new marking method is four-pair data cables, such as those used in Ethernet cabling. In these cables, each pair of wires has an A and a B wire, which are color-coded for easy identification.

How Real-Time Performance Data for Industrial Enclosure Climate Systems is Helping the Automotive Industry Keep Cool

How Real-Time Performance Data for Industrial Enclosure Climate Systems is Helping the Automotive Industry Keep Cool

The automotive industry is in a period of significant growth, especially given the rise in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and a more stable global supply chain. U.S. automotive producers have had to adapt to shifts and fluctuations in consumer demand to keep pace with the type and quantity of vehicles entering the market, and this has created some unique challenges in terms of creating an industrial automation infrastructure that can support increased productivity.

The Benefits of a Connected Ecosystem for More Streamlined Enclosure Assembly and Installation
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The Benefits of a Connected Ecosystem for More Streamlined Enclosure Assembly and Installation

A recent survey of 200 global manufacturing decision makers found that the most pressing challenges manufacturers are likely to face in 2024 includes creating more agile and resilient production cycles. This is due in large part to the continued skilled labor shortage, and how increased consumer demand for a variety of goods is forcing manufacturers to figure out how to maintain productivity in the face of a limited labor pool. As a result, manufacturers are incorporating more advanced automation solutions to help unlock greater levels of productivity and efficiency in the coming year. In fact, creating a more connected ecosystem can accelerate the enclosure assembly and installation process, and this helps increase your speed to market and makes for more flexible production.

Why the Energy and Power Industry Needs Standardized Modular Enclosures

Why the Energy and Power Industry Needs Standardized Modular Enclosures

The energy and power industry is in the midst of a transformation. The continued evolution of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, along with the trend for engineering smarter, more robust grid systems, is pushing energy companies to adopt more flexible approaches to their industrial automation infrastructures. Not only does a more flexible architecture help energy companies scale based on demand, it can also help save time, money, and resources.

The Industrialization of Satellites

The Industrialization of Satellites

The use of satellites in space has historically focused on the aspects of science, communication, and military. This will change massively in the future. Whole swarms of small satellites orbit the globe and supply mankind with Internet access. Modern day satellites are packed with state-of-the art electronics. They must be as small as possible, light, and yet powerful. This reduces the cost of transporting them into orbit and enables them to function correctly. On the other hand, high-performance electronics must fit into the smallest possible space.

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.