Special machines and custom projects
Everything that is accomplished in industrial automation requires design. It may be written on a napkin, but there is still thought required before starting a project. Industrial Automation Design Tools: CAD: My first CAD tool that I used was Autosketch, …
When I started my first company in 1996, I would take just about any job that came my way. At first, these were generally small jobs modifying PLC code or adding features to machines. Two of these jobs stick out …
Laser cutting has become a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, redefining how industries approach precision, efficiency, and scalability. By leveraging focused light beams to cut, engrave, and shape materials, laser cutting integrates seamlessly into industrial automation, enabling advanced production processes. This …
How Laser Cutting is Transforming Modern Industrial Automation Read more →
The Mastering the Machine Workshops are a series of lectures and hands-on lab exercises with the goal of training students on system integration, design, and programming in industrial automation. In last week’s post, the process of learning industrial automation skills …
It has been a couple of months since I posted here, some may have wondered if I am still keeping up this blog… Actually I have been actively posting on Linked In, YouTube and my Facebook group, but its a …
If someone asks me what I do and I answer “System Integration”, sometimes I get a blank stare. System Integration is defined in Engineering as bringing together the component subsystems into one system and ensuring that the subsystems function together …
As many of you know, I have been pretty focused on my Automation Academy project. Because of this and some guidance I received this Summer to “repurpose everything”, I have decided to start an applications series here on the Primer. …
Most of the people who follow this blog know me as an instructor or trainer, and that is certainly what I have focused most of my efforts on lately. I do however still do some programming and systems integration work, …
Have you ever wondered why some seemingly simple systems integration jobs take so much time and money to complete? The picture above shows a section of a film wrapper build by a French company, Cermex. I would estimate that this …
Just an update on my PLC Trainer project. These are two of the Allen-Bradley Micrologix 1400 Trainers along with the Fischertechnik models I mentioned in my last post. The program and documentation for the Color Sorter, shown at left, is completed. …
