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RFID Improves Processes and Profitability
 Tags provide more data without requiring line-of-sight monitoring.
Product identification has evolved rapidly over the last decade as advanced techniques let companies get more data using systems that are easier to install. Radio Frequency Identification is seeing a rapid takeoff, employing readers that can monitor products that aren't directly in their line of sight.
RFID provides a number of benefits that can make it more viable than bar codes and other printed technologies. It eliminates the line of sight viewing that's needed for printed labels, giving installers more freedom when they're setting up systems... Read more
Tips on Choosing an Automation Architecture
 Distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers meet varying demands.
The advancing power of microcontrollers makes it much easier to do many tasks, but sometimes these advances make life more difficult. It's becoming more difficult to decide whether to adopt distributed control systems or programmable logic controllers.
As equipment designers leverage the soaring capabilities of microprocessors, the strengths and weaknesses between a DCS and a PLC have become blurred. At the same time, the adoption of flexible manufacturing has also transformed some of the requirements... Read more
Finding Harmony on the Factory Floor
 PROFINET, PROFIBUS team up to link entire enterprise.
Over the past several years, Ethernet has made an impressive footprint on the plant floor, becoming the de facto standard for most new installations and expansions. But fieldbuses like PROFIBUS show no signs of fading away soon, making it important to understand how they work together.
Ethernet has been beefed up by many companies and trade groups so it can work in harsh industrial environments without sacrificing the compatibility that makes the standard valuable. One of the most popular of these ruggedized versions is PROFINET, which carries many of the traits that made PROFIBUS a dominant technology during the first phase of industrial networking... Read more
Video Tutorials: Small Controllers solve Big Challenges
 Part 2 - Reusable Libraries programmed in Step 7 Basic Software for Simatic S7-1200 Compact Controllers
See how easy it is to implement reusable Libraries in Step 7 Basic Software eliminating time consuming coding of repeat functions. This is part two of a four part series showcasing the time and cost saving benefits of the new S7-1200 and its Step 7 Basic development software.... View now |
