From the Primer: A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a device for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. Variable frequency drive controllers are solid …
This week I had the pleasure of attending the Automation Fair at the McCormick Center. This is about the sixth or seventh time I have gone since the early 1990s but my first time in Chicago. For those who don’t …
This was the final week of my Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing courses through Purdue University. I took my final exam this morning and I’m happy to say that I aced the test, though since it was open book that’s …
The first machines I programmed when I started my old company ACS were primarily packaging machines. As I have mentioned previously I teamed up with NAS early on, becoming their de-facto controls department. In the beginning we built a lot …
During the process of specifying HMI hardware for my current project some fairly deep discussions were had concerning touchscreen technology. One part of the specification stated “No SAW or APR touchscreens”. Why would you want to avoid these in an …
A few weeks ago I covered robots and robotics a bit and it was recently brought to my attention that I hadn’t covered much in the general motion control field. Maybe that’s because most of the applications I have worked …
As I progressed through my automation career I was exposed to many different PLC platforms. My first job out of college was as an applications and sales engineer for a distributor of Eagle-Signal, Omron, Idec and Fuji PLCs. Back then …
The picture above is a manually operated station where an operator places two metal parts into a fixture. When the second item is placed a sensor activates a press mechanism and the two pieces are pressed together. When evaluating an …
When I was growing up one of my favorite shows on TV was the Jetsons. There were cool looking houses, flying cars that folded up into a suitcase and best of all, robots! Then Star Wars came out in the …
From The Primer: 4.2 Indexers and Synchronous Machines 4.2.1 Rotary Cam Indexers Rotary indexers are used to move actuators to fixed points in a circular path. They are built to move to discrete points and are typically available in 2-12 …
