*Dates follow the European Custom dd/mm/yy
31/1/98
- Merger announced - Leading infrared specialist Agema Infrared Systems has merged with FLIR Systems Inc (FSI) a major supplier of airborne thermal imaging systems to government users throughout the world. Both companies will gain significant inroads into the other's market areas, Agema is particularly strong in Europe and Asia while FSI has a strong presennce in America.
- Spring-loaded three-way ball valve - Parker Hannifin has launched a spring-loaded ball valve which is optimised for high-pressure applications.
- Waveform generator - The new Model 39 IUniversal Waveform Generator from Wavetek, creates virtually any waveform imaginable at sample rates as high as 30 Msamples/s.
- First for miniature pressure transducer - Special mechanical design renders the M10 pressure transducer, from GS Sensors of France, the first to be insensitive to tightening torque. The deatails from Seán Gough.
- Good results at Pantek - "Another positive year of continued success and expansion." is how 1997 is described by Pantek, who market Wonderware products in some Western Europe countries. Sales turnover increased from PStg4.40m to PStg6.00m while staff levels =have also increased by 20 in recent weeks.
- Papers for Fieldcomms - If you are interested in presenting a technical paper at one of the Technical Sessions at FieldComms (28/29 Oct '98 - Telford, England). they should contact Lyndsey Carter as soon as possible.
See also our Fieldbus Page. - 3COM selection - The high accuracy, DSP-based analogue measurement system PRISM=Z (Precision Integrated Signal Measurement) manufactured by Teradyne has been ordered by 3COM, a leading designer and supplier of network interfaces.
- Mass flow controller - The UFC-4000 Mass Flow Controller (MFC) provides precise, repeatable, accurate and reliable measurement and control of gas flow for an extensive range of industrial, medical and research applications involving the flow of any gas. A Mass Flow Meter (MFM) version is also available and a range of anciliary equipment including: power supplies; digital readout; programmable ratio control for blending/mixing; totalising; PC control; and other features. Full details from Peter English.
- 16 bit Analogue I/O puts PMC in control - Pentland Systems announces the arrival of the LM1 series of PMC based precision analogue I/O products in the all new Lomond range. LM1 is a versatile solution for industrial control applications combining both analogue input and input in a single width PMC module form factor. Talk to their Steve Dunn for details.
- New man at Furness - Furness Controls, leading suppliers of low pressure measurement through the world, has just announced the appointment of Keith Phillips as Sales manager. He has extensive international and customer care experience.
- Conference programme announced - SysComms'98 Conference has announced its programme which opens with a series of Tutorial Sessions. Dates are 25th and 26th March 1998 at the CERN facility in Switzerland.
- World's largest multilingual CD-ROM dictionary - French company LCI has developed Lexpro CD Databank, the world's leading multilingual terminology base. This vital computer-assisted translation tool contains more than 5 million words on two CD ROMS. More details from Erik Lebreton.
- New Business Information Service - The Business Information Service (BIS) packages ARC's most popular worldwide market outlook studies on business systems. A one-year subscription to the BIS is an exceptional value. This service includes the following global market outlook studies complete with market data including supplier market shares, 5 year market forecasts, competitive strategies, and supplier profiles.
- New servo drive - Mitsubishi has announced a new range of servo drives from 30W to 3.5kW with a unique autotuning algorithm that continuously optimises the drive system for on-line load and inertia changes in applications such as pick and place robots, machine tools, packaging machinery and printing.
- New OEM gear motors - A new range of UL and VDE approved geared synchronous motors have been introduced by Crouzet. They can be customised in days for volume OEM applications in programmers for HVAC equipment, white goods, office equipment, vending machines, domestic automation, security and access control etc. More details from Pam Gibson.
Evelyn Davies has been appointed General Manager of Crouzet UK following 10 years in the company including Sweden and Hong Kong, where she led the groups into the enormous Chinese market. - Universal temperature converter - The new MCR-T programmable temperature converter by Phoenix Contact now converts tepmperature signals from all commercial available resistance thermometers and thermoelements within a temperature range from -200 deg C to 2300 degC.
- Latest Issue - The latest issue of Readout is that for December'97/January'98.
- Inter-Protocol communications -
- Honewell is well! - Honeywell Inc reported 1997 net income of $471.0 million, or $3.71 per share for the year ended Dec. 31, compared with 1996 net income of $402.7 million, or $3.18 per share. Earnings per share increased 17 percent over the previous year. Sales for the year were $8.03 billion, up 10 percent compared with $7.31 billion for 1996. Operating profit was $873.9 million, up from $770.2 million in 1996. Total company orders increased 11 percent for the year. The profit in the industrial controls area is Industrial Control $309.2m up from $254.9m in 1996.
- Interested in SCADA? - Anyone interested in the subject of SCADA will be interested in the publication "SCADA Insider" published byEnergy Logistics Int. Take a look at SCADA Insider and you'll see what we mean. They have a comprehensive list of 150 SCADA links.
- Year 2k again...- You have read a lot of hype and news about the Y2 issue -- updating computers for the Year 2000 -- and so have we. It seems everyone is talking about the day the world's clocks might stop. Actually, if everything just stopped, the solution would be easier, but what potentially wreaks chaos, is what the computer's operating system will do in response to what it thinks is the right date when it is in fact the wrong date. For more info, see ICS News (ICSNews is a periodic electronic newsletter of the Industrial Computing Society. To subscribe or unsubscribe to ICSNews, see Subscribe Details.
- Contol package using "model-free" adaptive control technology - Cybosoft, a division of General Cybernation today announced the introduction of Cybocon, annovative control package based on the company's patent-pending Model-Free Adaptive (MFA) control technology. This is claimed as the first "plug-and-play" single and multivariaqble control package for adaptively controlling simple to complex processes.
- Data Logger at MTEC'98 - The 900 Series Data Logger from RiL for distributed data gathering is enhanced by the addition of a GPS unit along with digital I/O, provision has been made for analogue retransmission. For limited channel data gathering the 800 series of stand-alone battery operated loggers are on show at this exhibition. More details from +44 115 973 0115.
- New worldwide marketing VP - Intellustio, supplier of industrial automation software has named Linda M Autore as senior vice president, worldwide marketing.
- Computer Products and Zytec merge - Computer Products and Zytec Corporation have completed their merger and will in future conduct business as Artysyn Technologies.
- Net-surfing process manufacturing data - Fisher-Rosemount Systems has introduced an 'Intranet Server' that allows standard Web browser technology to view pages of virtually real-time production data over an intranet using a desk-top PC. External access can also be granted to allow the same data to be viewed from any phone connection world-wide.
- A new spin on temp calculation - The latest contribution to make life a little easier comes from temperature and pressure measurement and control specialists, HAWCO. They have come up with a brand new thermocouple selectin device. It is a rotating calculator in full colour designed to help engineers identify output voltages on all popular types of thermocouple over a wide temperature range as well as resistance values and sensitivity of PRTDs per degree C. The reverse features a complete colour chart.
- Collecting data from Ethernet and PC plug-in cards - The Wavedisk in Windows software, from Biodata, now captures data from both Ethernet units and data acquisition cards for the PC.
- New VP - Summit Design, a leading manufacturer of systems-level design automation (SLDA) software, has just appointed Joe Masarich as senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.
- New products to be unveiled at Syscomms'98 - SBS Technologies announces that it will unveil a full array of standard bus embedded computer components at SysComm'98 (25-26 Mar'98-Geneva).
See our Fieldbus Page for more details of SysComms'98
- Autumn Show - ISA's fall event in Houston is expected to be the biggest ever. Already, more than 500 companies from the U.S. and around the world have signed up for exhibit space covering more than 250,000 square feet of Astrodome floor.
- BChanges at Xycom - Thomas Gross, formerly a Vice President and General manager of Rockwell Automation, has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer and President, and has been elected to the board of Xycom.
- Shrink control systems for hazardous areas - A new range of intrinsic safety galvanic isolators from Elcon Instruments provides control system builders with the means to cut the number of cabinets needed for interfacing to hazardous areas, and make substantial savings in assembly and maintenance.
- New trade fair centre - A new trade fair centre at Munich, bult on the site of the former airport at Munich-Reim will be oficially opened on 12th February 1998 and will be attended by guests from industry and politics worldwide.
Exhibitions in Munich are included in our Exhibitions and Conferences Page.
- Tool-kit in motion! - ASAP Inc announced the release of Motion Direct, a software tool-kit which allows a wide variety of motion cards to be easily and quickly interfAced to its PC-based ASIC-100 software. ASIC 100 is an open control package that integrates discrete logic, process and motion control. MMI and communications into a single PC running under Windows NT.
- New trading name - S-S Technologies has just announced that as of the beginning of the year business will be conducted globally under the new trading name of SST . The company is recognised as one of Canada's 50 best managed companies for 1997 and is also the first company to pass the ODVA's (OpendeviceNet Vendor Association) Conformance testing and the ProfiBus-DP Master Certification Testing.
- Basic Gas Chromatography - This book blends coverage of principles with practical information on the instrumentation, operation, applications and limitations of Gas Chromatography.
Basic Gas Chromatography by H McNair, John Wiley & Sons. - Small big revolution - Sierra's Innova Mass is the first vortex mass flow meter to deliver high-accuracy measurements of mass flow, volumetric flow, temperature, pressure and density - from a single entry point in the process line.
- New non-isolated DC/DC converters - Computer Products has introduced its new SIP20 Series of non-isolated, 20 Watt DC/DC converters.
- New US liquid level sensor - A new low-cost non-contacting ultrasonic (US) sensor for liquid level detection and measurement in recepticles, such as vials, basins, containers etc is now available from Ixthus. Contact Malcolm Read for full details.
- Your own I&C control system - Many North American organizations use AutoSpec in their engineering. Now from the web site of BergoTech Inc you may try an on-line demo.
- Custody transfer costs cut in petrochem industries - A powerful new PC work station-based version of Solartron's MCS software makes high integrity costody transfer systems available to oil, gas and petrochemical companies at substantially lower cost.
- Modernisation and used machinery - The demand for pre-owned machinery and reconditioned equipment is increasing fast according to the organisers of the ReTec'98 Fair for Modernisation and Used Machinery . Following the success of the show in 1997 the 1998 the show is to be hel from 19th to 21st march. This fair is organised by Leipziger-Messe.
- New Site - "Our new site illustrates the natural synergies among our operations and product offerings," stated Steve Cooper, President and Chief Operations Officer of SBS Technologies (NASDAQ:SBSE) on the launch of their new web site. IT may be found on http://www.sbs.com.
- Intelligent IndustryPack - SPS Greenspan Modular I/O (part of SBS Technologies, has just announced the availability of the new VIP360, a new 3U VME dual IndustryPack carrier board with two IndustryPAck sites and a 32 MHz communications processor providing a high density, high performnce solution for ruggedised control and telecommunications applications.
A happy new year to you all
The Internet Directory of Instrumentation is the world wide Directory of Instrumentation and Control launched by BDI in May 1995.The Instrumentation Signpost has interesting pointers for the I&C Professional.