The Automation Fair
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 …
Manufacturers and vendors of automation products and software
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 …
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 …
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 …
Despite being an Electrical and Controls engineer I often have to do mechanical design, albeit on a basic level. Whenever I need to fixture something, for instance on a vision application or other inspection, one of the first manufacturers I …
As mentioned in my previous post I recently took a trip to Japan. If you have ever been or plan to go there is something you should know: in general, the Japanese love gadgets and automation. The picture above is …
In my previous life as a consultant I was able to experience a wide variety of vendors and automation platforms. There is a wide variety of choices available though you are often restricted by the specifications of the company you …
This small test stand was built in 2005 for Kiesler Automotive, a custom transmission builder in Maryville, Tennessee. After placing the transmission into the cradle and closing a couple of DeStaCo clamps by hand, a 2 hand anti-tiedown station is …
With all of the different types of sensors available and so many manufacturers and vendors competing for your business sometimes it can be difficult or confusing to choose the correct sensor for an application. In many cases such as detecting …
When I worked for automation distributors I was required to promote and recommend only the products that the distributor sold. This sometimes caused a conflict of interest: is this the most appropriate solution for this application? The first distributor I …