Our guest at Friday’s Mastering the Machine event at the Automation Academy was Doug Alward, Senior Applications Engineer (retired) at Wright Industries. Doug has a wealth of experience in the applications field and shared all kinds of insights on what …
In 2013, I created a document called Mastering the Machine, a 26 page e-book about planning and building a machine or production line with an emphasis on documentation. I had just started my business again after spending 6 years working …
The following story is from my book Industrial Automation: Hands On (McGraw-Hill, 2013). I wrote it to illustrate how a machine or production line is concepted, purchased, designed, built and delivered. This is a pretty typical description of the procedures …
Its been about two years since I made Mastering the Machine available on this website. For those who haven’t read it, it is a short e-book describing the process of concepting, quoting, building and installing custom machinery. I have also …
This week’s post is intended to explain a little bit about the applications process machine builders use when quoting custom machinery. Just because a machine is customized to produce a specific product doesn’t mean it is unique or necessarily qualifies …
One of the most difficult tasks in project management and quoting machinery is determining how long the project will take to complete and what resources will be required. Estimates directly impact the bottom line as well as determining whether you …
Automated machinery can be very complex and cost millions of dollars. When it breaks down seconds can count… lost production affects the bottom line and can lead to lost customers when deadlines aren’t met. So why is machine documentation considered …
In several previous posts I have mentioned that my company is undergoing a radical shift in focus. I had hoped to have my business website completed by the beginning of September so that I could have a kind of “grand …
Well, its official: after something like three years from initially concepting the book I finally have it in my hands. Now the task of promoting it and leveraging it into a different career direction begins. As I mentioned in a …
In several of my previous posts I have touched on this subject indirectly. As I finish up on my current project I am reminded of how every system has its own challenges and seems different from every other machine or …
