See Archive Page for earlier news.

30/12/01

• New bus analyser - VMETRO has announced the immediate availability of the newest member of its popular Bus Analyzer product family: The EXERBAT-C CompactPCI Protocol Checker & Exerciser. They say it is the ultimate tool for CompactPCI hardware, software and system analysis. It is used with the PBTM-515 PMC Analyzer to form, in a single 3U slot, a complete Analyzer, Exerciser and Protocol Checker bundle for CompactPCI.

Linear position transducers - Gefran has launched the new MK2 and IK2 Linear Position Transducers. IP67 rated, the range is virtually wear-free due to non-contacting magnetostrictive operation. The stroke range is from 50mm to 4000mm and is designed to give absolute position and velocity measurements in environments where the presence of dirt, oil, dust or water can cause failure for units offering lower IP Ratings. The MK range is a rod-less transducer for external mounting whereas the IK range is designed for fitting into hydraulic cylinders or for use on tank level measurement.

• Directory on line - See the ISA Directory on-line recently re issued.
• Safe muting controller - The PMUT X1P muting controller is the latest addition to the PNOZ X-range from Pilz, which covers the diverse requirements for safety, compact design and universal application options. The PMUT X1P has inputs for every type of muting sensors such as light barriers, proximity switches, inductive sensors and mechanical switches, irrespective of their make. A separate emergency stop circuit can also be connected, which can trigger a shutdown irrespective of the status of the muting controller.
• New slot controller - Concurrent Technologies has announced the release of a new addition to its growing CompactPCI family. The PP 100/01x is a high performance, low power CompactPCI system slot controller, featuring the 1.2GHz Pentium III Processor-M CPU. In addition to high performance, the board offers support for PICMG 2.16 (Packet Switching Backplane), system management through its hot swap capability (PICMG 2.1) and system monitoring utilising IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface to the PICMG 2.9 standard). The board can operate as a Slot Controller or in Satellite Mode (powered stand-alone mode), and can therefore be used in systems where the boards communicate across the PCI bus in the CompactPCI backplane or in systems using PICMG 2.16 Packet Switching Backplane.

• Expansion in Far-East facilities - Tedea-Huntleigh, one of the world's leading manufacturers of load cell and related equipment, has announced plans to expand its manufacturing facilities in the Far East. The investment will enable the company to respond to rapidly growing demands for its load cells, not only in the Far East, but also worldwide. Design, manufacturing and quality engineers from Tedea-Huntleigh facilities world-wide, have been working with their Chinese partners to open a new production floor of 1600 square metres with state-of-the-art assembly equipment, test machines and temperature testing chambers.
• 24 percent annual growth rate projected in open PC control - The total Open Control Software (OCS) business, including SoftLogic and Motion Control, is projected to increase at an annual rate of over 24 percent through 2006. Although SoftLogic revenues are dominant at initial outset, it is clear that the take up in the Motion Control market will make significant strides by 2006. "Both the automation supplier and end user agree that PC-based Open Control Software has been established in industrial automation as a flexible and reliable control solution. Moreover, OCS providers have moved to new business models that include multiple automation solutions, integration, services, and support," said Dick Slansky, ARC Senior Analyst and author of a new study from ARC Advisory Group, "Open Control Software Worldwide Outlook".

• Customers benefit from new time-to-value tool - USData Corporations and Intag Systems, the manufacturing systems integrator, announced the availability of the xApplication Suite, a collection of tools for developers of USData's Xfactory 2.0 software.
• Company sold - Artesyn Technologies has sold its repair and logistics business unit Artesyn Solutions to Solectron Corporation. The purchase price for the transaction was $33.5m. Artesyn Solutions provides repair and refurbishment, final assembly and logistics services to leading technology OEMs. Artesyn's President and CEO, Joseph M. O'Donnell views the divestiture as "an important step in sharpening the focus of the company on core product lines and near term opportunities in our power and communication products business..."

• Operator panals - Nematron continues to pursue its new policy of price leading, quality products with the introduction of its Optimate Operator Panel Range. The extensive range of character based display, data entry and control device is suitable for PLC Workstation or Microprocessor based applications. A fifteen unit modular range addresses simple 4 line x 2OCHR display to full auto/manual Pushbutton and Annunciator stations. The design gives rise to flexibility by allowing the user to select a close fit to their needs from a standard product design.
• Simplified Chinese software system enables Chinese manufacturers to have better control over their plants by providing a view into their manufacturing processes - Wonderware, part of Invensys has reinforced its commitment to serving the Asian manufacturing automation marketplace with the introduction of the InTouch 7.11 Simplified Chinese version of its popular FactorySuite) human-machine interface (HMI) software.
• New development system - Ashling Microsystems, specialist supplier of microprocessor development systems and software quality assurance tools, are delighted to announce the Ultra-SmartXA2 Development System for the Philips SmartXA 2nd generation 16-bit microcontrollers. The 2nd generation SmartXA family features enhanced security and performance; a hardware configuration specifically designed to support multiple applications, and is targeted at mobile communication and secure network access schemes.

• Versatile temperature control solution provided by new analog technology - Anadigm has published an application note (pdf) detailing how field-programmable analog arrays (FPAAs) simplify the control of Peltier-effect thermo-electric coolers. Peltier devices are widely employed for the precision temperature control of electronic equipment, including lasers and new generations of optoelectronic devices for DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) communications applications.

• radio telemetry module - Westermo Data Communications has just announced the availability of the 105U-4 radio telemetry module for digital telemetry, for use in systems with transmission distances of up to 10km. The modules are available in either the 869MHz or 458MHz license-free band. Transducer signals connected at one module (input signals) are transmitted to other modules, where the signals are recreated as output signals. Other radio bands can be used, if required. The 105 series is a wireless alternative to expensive cabling, and can be used to link PLCs, dataloggers, supervisory computers and intelligent transducers etc, or for simple control and monitoring applications where cost and speed of installation are critical.
• Company changes - Teknis will now be concentrating on ESD protection products. They have sold their non-ESD product range to ATEK Technology

• Interkama changes position on calander - In a surprise announcement Interkama has changed the time of year for future fairs. Originally intended for October 2003 the comittee of user and anufacturers representatives has decided to retime to 16th to 20th February 2004. Their president elect, Anton Huber of Siemens stated, "From now on, Interkama, the world's No 1 international trade fair for process automation, will be first on the Automation trade fair calendar and demonstrate its power as innovations hub."
  See Interkama 2001 Report to see what happened at the last show
• For sale - It has been clear for some times that Invensys cannot survive, with its debt burden. This week, it became official. The company has hired two brokers ("investment bankers" is the respectable name)- Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan - to sell £1b worth of the business (nominally flow controls and battery systems). Analysts have pointed out that Invensys has £3.3b debt and raising money through disposals is difficult in current economic conditions. They expect industrial automation systems and other businesses to be sold off as well.
  Source: Jim Pinto email No 70
• Touch-screen operator panals for motion-equipped automation - Baldor has added two advanced touch-screen operator interface panels to its range of motion control system building accessories. The panels provide rugged display facilities for industrial machinery, capable of displaying sophisticated quarter VGA size graphical man-machine interfaces, or up to 16 lines x 40 characters of text.

• Open frame modules have an industry-standard quarter-brick footprint of 2.28 x 1.45 inches - "Small is beautiful!" appears to be the motif of Artesyn Technologies' introduction of a series of low-profile 50W modules. The new EXQ5O series converters are high-efficiency, open-frame units with very low internal power dissipation, and do not require heatsinks. The converters have an industry-standard quarter-brick footprint of 2.28 x 1.45 inches and a height of just 0.4 inches, yielding a power density of 38W/in2. Artesyn's EXQ5O series converters are available with 5.OV, 3.3V, 2.5V or 1 .8V outputs, and are designed specifically to meet the low voltage, high current needs of latest-generation semiconductor technology.
• New isolation transducer - Shenzhen Sensor Electronic Technology Co is the leading manufacturer of electric parameter isolation sensor/transducer in China. Their CE series products includes 6 sub-series: sensor\transducer of voltage type, sensor\transducer of electric current & voltage combination type, sensor\transducer of frequency type, sensor\transducer of power type, Recently they have introduced their new type - the multi-parameter combined electrical parameter isolated sensor/transducer (AC voltage/current input, corresponding AC voltage, current virtual value and correlative power, power factor frequency and other parameters output through RS485 interface).

• Infrared read - The latest edition of Flir News has just reached our desks. As usual it is filled with lots of information on applications for their cameras interspersed with interesting questions like "Can thermal imaging be used for humting?" or the adventures of ThermaCAM as hero of Algeria! Or an examination of thermal vision as against "night gogles!.

• Ready To Install Temperature Assemblies for Surface Measurements - Moore Industries' ready-to-install temperature assemblies for surface measurements mount directly to tanks, pipes, motors, compressors, reactors, or anywhere a skin (surface) temperature measurement is needed. These versatile assemblies include the company's WORM Flexible Sensor coupled with the users' choice of PC-Programmable or Smart HART Temperature Transmitters. Precise engineering and stainless steel mounting accessories allow these assemblies to endure the harshest field environments.