Wireless I/O network

Short picture video of Banner Engineering's SureCross Wireless IO network installed in a power plant to remotely monitor temperatures.

Jul 28th, 2009

Mobile robots use ultraviolet light to disinfect hospitals and other facilities.

COVID-19 Provides Use Cases for Mobile Robotics

Robots can tackle the three Ds they are known for to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Mobile robots are suited to disinfecting facilities, providing surveillance, and delivering goods.

GM engineer work on final testing and validation of medical mask assembly line from JR Automation.

Automation Suppliers Aid in the Fight Against COVID-19

There’s been plenty of good news from the manufacturing industry about efforts to help boost the U.S. supply of masks, respirators, and face shields to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. But what role are automation suppliers playing?

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Humanoid Collaborative Robot

Digit is a collaborative robot that can work alongside humans in factory environments to perform a variety of tasks.

Timothy S. Matheny, P.E., president of ECS Solutions,

The Benefits of Off-The-Shelf SOP Management Software

Being able to keep track of every step and every bit of data is a major necessity to every organization. An off-the-shelf standard operating procedure software is one way to implement new processes and keep track of a business operating standards.

Microsoft's Power Platform is designed to democratize advanced analytics, bringing the technology to companies of all sizes.

Understanding Analytics Software for Industry

From knowing the difference between basic and advanced analytics to applying the technology to address operations ranging from production to human resources, understanding analytics is fast becoming critical to the manufacturing and processing industries.

A working overview of Bardstown Bourbon's entire process shows all areas of operation—including grain operations, fermentation, mashing, distillation, and barreling—which can be clicked on to view a more specific process control screen.

Bardstown Bourbon Upgrades HMI for Strategic Connectivity

Moving to a new HMI built from Inductive Automation’s software platform allows Bardstown Bourbon to automatically deliver work orders from its ERP system, implement a custom batch tracking system, and deliver data to mobile devices.

Evan Barnett, project engineer, Avanceon,

Don’t Forget the Operator—The Importance of Proper Training With New Systems

When designing a new system, there are many things that need to be considered and thoroughly planned out. But one aspect of a system is typically thrown to the wayside, and that is its user-friendliness.

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Wearable Sensor for Worker Safety

The Fuse sensor is designed to be worn by workers to capture data up to 300,000 times per shift for safety analyses.

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Is Our Approach to Artificial Intelligence Wrong?

Will our use of AI doom humans to Alan Turing’s prediction that machines will one day take control, or can a different approach to the technology still deliver the benefits without endangering us?

Bosch Rexroth sees rising interest in using virtual assistants on the shop floor to aid in training and safety applications. Image courtesy of Bosch Rexroth

Are Virtual Assistants Headed to the Plant Floor?

Intelligent agent technology promises to boost operations and engineering efficiencies by delivering ready access to critical data and encouraging more natural interactions with industrial equipment.

An Appeal to Support Our Essential Services and Critical Infrastructure Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a tremendous global challenge that we must work together to defeat. Now, our essential and critical workers are being relied upon to provide the services we expect every day and we must do everything to support them.

XCSR sensor from Telemecanique Sensors.

Plug-and-Play Safety Sensors

The installation of safety sensors has, traditionally, been a long and expensive process, but newer safety sensor models are changing the requirements of this process.

Skye Clarke (front) and Sam Epperson (back) of Cardinal Spirits fill bottles of hand sanitizer that are headed to a senior living community.

Distilleries Refit to Fill Hand-Sanitizer Gap

During World War II, Ford made tanks instead of cars and Maytag made plane parts instead of washing machines. With hand sanitizer being the small-arms munitions of today’s pandemic crisis, cosmetics and distilleries are joining the war effort.

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The Potential of ERP Amid a Pandemic

Automation on the plant floor can keep production flowing to refill store shelves. But the biggest problem manufacturers face right now is a disruption to the supply chain.

How to Get a Quick ROI from Analytics Software

In this episode, we connect with Matt Boese of Columbus Global to better understand how to assess analytics software and how manufacturers and processors can effectively apply analytics for a fast return on investment.

Dave Jacek, additive manufacturing technician, oversees production of 3D-printed disposable respirator mask prototypes at Ford's Advanced Manufacturing Center.

Ford Motor Drives COVID-19 Medical Mission

Responding to the Coronavirus crisis, the automotive manufacturer teams up with 3M and GE Healthcare to expand production of much-needed medical equipment.

Dana Inc.'s Toledo Driveline facility

Maintenance Leads Dana Inc.’s Digital Transformation

A look at how Dana Inc. is digitizing to improve production operations, reduce costs, and train workers using Fluke’s emaint CMMS as a core tool in the process.

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Packaging and Processing Industry COVID-19 Resources

PMMI collated resources for the industry to navigate business in uncertain times.

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Nord Gear's Condition Monitoring Software

Dan Breitbarth of Nord Gear demonstrates how the company’s condition monitoring software works on Nord’s variable frequency drives, which have internal PLCs for data analysis and Ethernet communication capabilities to transmit data to dashboards.

Swiss machine builder Credimex deploys Beckhoff transport technology to maximize small parts production.

Modular Machine Maximizes Production With Linear Transport Technology

With modular machines making their way onto the factory floor, the Swiss machine builder and system integrator, Credimex, took advantage of linear transport technology to enhance production and create flexible and expandable processing stations.

More in Home

How Morrison Container Handling Solutions and F.R. Drake Company are Navigating COVID-19

OEM Covid-19 Response #4: Morrison Container & F.R. Drake

Special UnPACKED with PMMI podcast series offers operational best practices for dealing with the pandemic.

Where Ethernet (Still) Isn’t

Automation World’s latest poll revisits our 2016 survey on the state of industrial Ethernet adoption. The numbers seem to suggest nothing much has changed. But is that what’s really going on?

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GE Digital Responds to COVID-19 Concerns

To help manufacturers work remotely and keep production going, the company is offering free remote monitoring licenses to iFix and Cimplicity customers.

How Pearson Packaging Systems is Navigating COVID-19

OEM Covid-19 Response #2: Pearson Packaging Systems

Special UnPACKED with PMMI podcast series reveals how packaging offers certainty during uncertain times.

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OEM Covid-19 Response #1: ProMach, Inc.

Special UnPACKED with PMMI podcast series offers candid insight from a global OEM supplier on surviving in a world that changes from day to day.

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AI-Based Analytics for Oil and Gas

An agreement between Emerson and Quantum Reservoir Impact is designed to deliver an industry-specific offering for the global oil and gas industry to optimize analytics used for on-site decision-making.

Robot Studio 3 D Printing Power Pac

RobotStudio Brings 3D Printing Capabilities to ABB Robots

New capabilities added to ABB’s RobotStudio software aim to eliminate the manual programming associated with traditional 3D printing software.

Royce Lee, lead automation engineer at Panacea Technologies

Centralizing Your Systems

Not having a centralized system is a risk to your organization, as it can make everyone incapable of accessing key information and can leave important data unprotected and vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Tim Debus, president and CEO of the Reusable Packaging Association presenting at PACK EXPO East.

Sustainability and the Economy

In the circular economy there is a growing need for durability in product packaging. Not only could a model of packaging reuse help the environment, but, when done right, it could also be financially effective for manufacturers.

How to Select IoT Sensors

In this episode of the 'Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered' podcast series, we connect with Allan Hottovy of Telemecanique Sensors to learn how to evaluate sensor selection for Industrial Internet of Things/Industry 4.0 applications.

Veo Robotics co-founder Clara Vu tests robot interaction with the company's FreeMove system.

Making Industrial Robots Collaborative

With its FreeMove system in use in the aerospace, automotive, appliance, and construction equipment manufacturing industries, Veo Robotics is proving that high-speed, heavy-payload robots can be cobots too.

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UnPACKed with PMMI PACK EXPO East Rewind Series

So you missed the most successful PACK EXPO East to date? No worries, unPACKed with PMMI has you covered.