Hear Stephanie and Beth talk shop

Dec 1st, 2016

Our writers share insights on the interesting—and sometimes quirky—automation applications they’re covering outside the factory environment. Focus includes a new type of virtual assistant with emotional intelligence, weather-responsive homes, drones being used to deliver blood in remote Africa (or as first responders closer to home), edible packaging and turning air into water.

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Survey Results Forecast Pros and Cons for Manufacturing in 2021

A new study from BDO reveals that, while the market for manufactured goods is improving, industry may yet have some challenges to surmount in 2021.

Cooling Channels Copy Resized

Increased Adoption, Acquisitions, and Partnerships Mark 3D Printing’s Advance

Having proved its value during emergency deployments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, additive manufacturing continues to gain adopters. And industry suppliers are adapting their positions in response.

Explainability improves quality control in manufacturing by identifying and highlighting the exact spot where an inconsistency or anomaly in vision inspection datasets occur. Source: Neurala

Can Artificial Intelligence Explain Itself?

As an end user, you may never have to work with artificial intelligence from a developer’s perspective, but knowing how it works is key to ensuring its successful use. Fortunately, the technology can explain itself.

Diane Sacra, Director of Marketing, LNS Research

Get Connected to Protect Frontline Workforce and Increase Operational Agility

With workforce shortages and COVID-19 continuing to challenge manufacturers, find out how a connected workforce can drive improvement and competitive advantage while keeping employees safe.

Conrad Leiva, Chairman of the Smart Manufacturing Working Group, MESA International

A Refined Smart Manufacturing Definition for 2021

Discover how industry organizations need to converge on concrete guiding principles and a definition for smart manufacturing, in order to achieve the next phase of Industry 4.0—democratization of smart manufacturing.

Belden HighFlex VFD Cables Available from Digi-Key

Belden HighFlex VFD Cables Available from Digi-Key

Belden's series of UL-rated, extra flexible VFD cables provides supremely pliable, flexible constructions for use on-machines (16-8 AWG) and increases ease of installation without sacrificing any crucial elements.

Worker inspecting recycled plastic in plastics factory. Source: Getty Images

Developing a Sustainability Program Focus

Though industrial sustainability efforts certainly have not stopped in the past few years, they also haven’t moved forward at the pace seen several years ago. Part of the problem is determining where to focus efforts.

Larry White, CMA, CFM, CPA, CGFM, Executive Director, Resource Consumption Accounting Institute.

What Financial Metrics Drive Manufacturing Company Value?

Find out what metrics manufacturers should use to gain insights into their performance, drive their stock price, and create long-term financial impact—outside of just routine financial statement-oriented accounting systems.

Chris Muir, General Manager of Asset Operations, SAGE Automation

Optimizing Asset Performance Through Procurement

Discover how procurement determines the management of risk and ultimate success of asset performance optimization and why finding the right outsourcing delivery model is so critical.

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Network Portal Targets Interoperability

With the release of its PCH Portal, Parker Hannifin looks to address industry’s ongoing need to integrate disparate networks and devices with a flexible network portal capable of communicating across protocols, standards, and vendors.

Is the Cloud Beneficial for Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturers?

Learn how manufacturers are actually using cloud computing today and how it can be leveraged for optimal application by smaller manufacturing organizations in this discussion with Brian Fenn, COO of system integration company Avanceon.

Belden HighFlex VFD Cables Available from Digi-Key

Belden HighFlex VFD Cables Available from Digi-Key

Belden's series of UL-rated, extra flexible VFD cables provides supremely pliable, flexible constructions for use on-machines (16-8 AWG) and increases ease of installation without sacrificing any crucial elements.

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Smart Sensors for Moisture Measurement

With quality assurance procedures continuing to move away from inspection and toward a real-time, continuous approach relying on process feedback, Kett has leveraged the growing computing power of sensors to provide a better means of measuring moisture.

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Report: Innovative New Controls at PACK EXPO Connects

PMMI Media Group editors—covering a virtual event instead of an in-person exposition—divided and conquered to collectively take in as much of PACK EXPO Connects as possible. Here’s what they saw in the controls category.

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Emerson Takes on Magnolia Power Plant Project in Mississippi

Manufacturers aren’t the only adopters of Industry 4.0 technologies—the utility sector has long been active in the space as well, and the Tennessee Valley Authority has recently pledged $110 million to digitally transform its power generation fleet.

Siemens Industrial Edge v1.0 platform encompasses an edge management system, edge apps, and edge devices. Source: Siemens

Edge Computing Gets a Platform Focus

Recent announcements from Siemens and Stratus Technologies/Rockwell Automation show how edge computing is evolving into a platform for broader industrial digitalization applications.

Production of the Atlas SUV at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., site.

Volkswagen Expands Cloud Project Beyond Europe

The Industrial Cloud Initiative at Volkswagen, designed to streamline data gathering and analysis as well as best practice adoption, is expanding to one U.S. plant and two in Mexico.

David Smit, OT Infrastructure and Security at Interstates.

The Benefits of a “Deny All” Approach to Security

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has typically been used to protect and manage IT networks, but its device-based, zero-trust security, and administration benefits can provide real value for operational technology (OT) spaces as well.

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Where Do Operators Fit With Current Manufacturing Technology Trends?

What if technology could be adopted that brought about an improvement in business processes and fostered the up-skilling of people?

The compact machine adds no more than 34 in. to the length of a packaging line. It reliably inspects all angles of the bottle or label at speeds to 100 bottles/min.

Barcode Readers Aid in Serialization

Packaging machinery OEM Packaging Efficiency Solutions found just the right bar code scanners for a system that inspects all angles of the bottle or label at speeds to 100 bottles/min.

More in Home

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Easing the Path to a Connected Workforce

In an effort to extend overall operational visibility to plant floor workers, the Aveva Teamwork platform promises to provide knowledge sharing, digital training, and streamlined communication capabilities.

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Technology Matters: New Servo Drive, Robots, and Flexible Feeder System

Highlights of several new automation technologies showcased at PACK EXPO Connects, including Lenze's new i950 servo drive, Omron's HD-1500 autonomous mobile robot & FH 3D vision sensor, and Epson Robots' IntelliFlex flexible feeder and C12XL 6-axis robot.

Matt Ruth, President, Avanceon

Manufacturing Innovation – Who Do The Little Guys Turn To?

Learn how organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center are working to close the manufacturing innovation gap which impacts many small to mid-sized manufacturing companies.

Ecolab is using augmented reality from Microsoft to help service its customers remotely, particularly in light of pandemic restrictions on access.

Remote Access Technologies Help Keep Food Sanitation Workers Safe

Cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, and videoconferencing applications are among the latest tools that suppliers are using to keep food and beverage workers safer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Improving Process Accessibility with Wireless Metering

Emerson’s 5700 Coriolis transmitter features Wi-Fi connectivity, but can also be delivered without Wi-Fi for applications in which such connectivity brings undesirable risk.

Industrial IoT architectures typically comprise out of a production asset level, edge level and cloud level. Source: Open Manufacturing Platform

Crossing the Interoperability Chasm

A new white paper from the Open Manufacturing Platform highlights production asset level connectivity issues, with a focus on OPC UA and MQTT.

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Bridging the OT Cybersecurity Gap

With the need for remote access ballooning, Claroty offers users an integrated platform to detect, investigate, and respond to cybersecurity threats at the OT level.

Alec Konynenburg

Digitization – A Case For Manufacturing

Learn how implementing Industry 4.0 can improve your company’s productivity, opportunity, and growth from the Managing Director of Nukon.

Networks Take Center Stage

With networking technologies increasingly taking the lead role and acting as the heart of automated processes, does that change the role of controllers in more connected industrial environments?

Eddie Habibi, founder and CEO of PAS Global

Acquisition Paves New Path for PAS Global

Industrial design software company Hexagon will acquire PAS, a provider of OT integrity offerings, giving manufacturers across industry segments a holistic way to manage the plant lifecycle.

Powertrain Manufacturer Deploys New High-Payload Cobot

FPT Powertrain Technologies installs a new high-payload collaborative robot that combines vision technology, laser area scanners, and a touch-sensitive tactile skin—further blurring the line between cobots and traditional industrial robots.

Industrial Sustainability Focuses on Energy Management

Comparing results of Automation World’s sustainability survey conducted in 2016 with the results seen in 2020 seem to indicate that sustainability efforts are becoming more aligned with specific energy efficiency goals.