Build your Own Enclosure
Back in November I posted an article about the PLC Trainer Kits that I had created for people to wire their own PLC. I mentioned that the plastic boxes I was using didn’t travel well, and that the one I …
Category: Product Development
The Automation Academy
As part of an effort to bring more students to my training facility in Lebanon, Tennessee (near Nashville), I have started a new training course that I believe is one of a kind. I have been teaching PLC and HMI/SCADA …
My Little Factory – Innovate
The week before last I talked about how I make some of the mechanical things for My Little Factory. A quick update on that: I have managed to make some progress on fabricating the escapements for the indexing conveyor, but …
Sensors 102: Signal Conditioning
Today’s post is about what goes on between an actual detection device and the input of a control system. In many control applications you don’t need to think about what goes on inside of a device. The signal is converted …
The IEM Dilemma
First I’d like to apologize for a term I’ve mis-used in the past, that of the OEM. I’ve always considered manufacturers of specific types of industrial equipment to be “OEM”s, or Original Equipment Manufacturers. After looking carefully at the various …
Rendering and Product Development
This article is a guest post from Pivot International ******************************************************* How Can Rendering Amp Up Your Product Development? Just about every product ever created begins with an image, some concept of the finished product. With today’s technology, it’s a fairly …
Design By Committee
Several years ago at my previous employer, I was tasked to do a feasibility study for a large consumer products company. Their patent was about to expire on a product used in the medical field and their marketing department had …
OEM Controls
* OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer. Early in my controls career I had a symbiotic relationship with a machine builder. I went so far as to move my company a few miles down the road and locate right next door; …
My Automation Software Project
Over the last couple of months I have mentioned that I am working on a pretty big software project. The diagram above is a graphical layout of some of the tools I have used in the past to accomplish a …
Databases
Before I get into today’s topic I’d like to mention a software project I am working on. For those of you who have subscribed to my blog via Mastering The Machine or otherwise, I have already sent you an e-mail. …