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, …
In 1995 I started building control panels in my garage. I was still working for an electrical distributor at the time, and one way to make a sale was to provide a complete solution rather than selling individual components. Since …
Today’s post relates to a new method I am using to teach some of my advanced classes. In a basic PLC training class, pushbuttons and pilot lights built into a trainer are used to complete exercises, usually in order to …
Today’s post is a guest post on HMI programming from MRO Electric, an automation product supplier. Designing HMIs for Mobile Devices Well-designed human-machine interfaces (HMI) reduce operator error, saving companies millions of dollars by reducing down-time and increasing worker safety. …
Today’s post is a response to frustration. Some times when dealing with potential customers you waste a lot of time trying to save them money. They may want you to cut corners, spend a lot of your time (for free) …
How To Design And Build A Small Controls Project Read more →
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 …
This is a pretty cool article and Infographic from Dorner. I used to use them a lot in the old Automation Consulting Services, Inc. and working with NAS. As they mention in the infographic and in their blog, a lot …
Make vs. Buy: An Infographic from Dorner Conveyors Read more →
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 …
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 …
Hello from Atlanta, Georgia where I am about to teach a 4 day class on Siemens’ TIA Portal. I have been away from home for two weeks trying to finish up my project down at American Beverage Depot in Miami …
