See Archive Page for earlier news.

30/4/03

Will your calibration system stand up to the scrutiny of an FDA or IMB audit? - Roker provides a series of papers which help in getting ready for FDA approval as well as a comprehensive guide.
New book examines the landscape of industrial Ethernet, from devices and control networks on the factory floor to business systems in the corporate enterprise - Delmar Learning, a leader in educational resources for lifelong learning (part of The Thomson Corporation), has announced the availability of a technical overview of industrial Ethernet (iE) networking, providing standards-based information on the industrial adaptation of the popular Ethernet networking protocol now enjoying increasing use in manufacturing and process applications. To provide a common knowledgebase for IT and network professionals, control engineers, system integrators, plant/business management, and students, The Industrial Ethernet Networking Guide by Don Sterling and Steven Wissler, paints an in-depth picture of key iE technologies in view of the seven-layer OSI model. To provide additional perspective, readers are also shown how a data packet can be dissected with available "sniffer" software. More on our Fieldbus News Page
Novel two-piece ball valve provides compact reliability in high pressure applications - Parker Instrumentation has launched a ball valve range designed for high pressure operation at up to 10,000 PSIG/689 BarG. Utilizing a novel two-piece construction, the new Hi Pro valve reduces potential leak paths to a minimum. With the added ability to select integral compression tube fitting ends - avoiding the use of taper threads - the valve offers exceptional integrity to meet the most demanding requirements of oil, gas and chemical process control applications.
The Man Behind The Myth: Interview with Author, Innovator and Industry Icon Dick Morley - For 30+ years Dick Morley has had a profound influence in manufacturing and automation. He is the inventor of the Programmable Logic Controller, and author of numerous forward-thinking books and articles, including "Out of the Barn" and "The Technology Machine - Manufacturing in the Year 2020." He is especiually known for his work in automation and flexible manufacturing, and he has written columns in dozens of magazines. But to date no one has dug into the influences that shaped his career and thinking: Driving the tractor on the farm at age seven; teenage life in a bad neighborhood in New York City: his early science projects and discoveries, his contrarian views of achievement and education, and his unusual perspective on innovation. This interview from Contemporary Controls' Extension Newsletter is a fascinating insight into the phenomenon that is Dick Morley
Quick-select power conversion guide - Artesyn Technologies has published a new short-form guide to its AC/DC and DC/DC power conversion products. Now in its third edition, the popular 16-page Quick-select Guide is a valuable reference for electronic developers and system integrators - providing a rapid means of sourcing suitable power sources.
New handheld ATEX-certified process calibrator - Fluke has introduced a new loop calibrator, the first in a new line of test tools from Fluke developed specifically for use in hazardous environments such as petrochemical plants, oil platforms and refineries and other locations subject to risk of explosion. The Fluke handheld 707Ex complies with the latest European ATEX (ATmosphères EXplosibles) directive taking effect from 1 July 2003, which applies to all new products for use in these environments sold after that date.

Ireland's show satisfactory - The annual I&C show organised be the Ireland Section of the ISA - the instrumentation, systems, and automation society, was held in Cork city this week. Although attendance was comparable with previous years it was felt by many exhibitors that it was a "bit quiet". However most felt it was a success and worth attending. ISA personal confirmed that they will be examing the show with a view to encouraging a larger atttendance next year. It was a useful excercise in reestablishing contacts with existing customers and making the acquantenace of new ones in this important centre for chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.
Explosive programme at Interkama - Explosion protection will be in the spotlight at the Interkama Forum at the world's biggest I&C show in Duesseldorf next year (16/20-2-04). Views will be aired on the various philosophies held in the reagions of Europe, Aisia and North America while exploring which trends towards more cost-effective and safe installations. More information is on their lively page which includes a link to the explosion protection service of Namur.

High-performance 20 MHz pulse/function generator - The new Tabor 8021, now availablefrom TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments), is a high-performance pulse/function generator which produces a wide range of waveforms including sine, triangle, square, positive pulse, negative pulse, pulse complements, positive ramp, negative ramp and TTL pulse (sync. out). Waveforms can be produced to a maximum frequency of 20 MHz. Pulse-width and ramp-width ranges are controllable over a wide range from 25 ns to 99.9 seconds.
New general manager for users and manufacturers group in North America - CAN in Automation (CiA), international users and manufacturers group, announced today the selection of Bill Seitz as the General Manager for North America, who combines experience in managing emerging technology companies with first-hand knowledge of embedded networking systems.
They released their 2003 product guide during the Hanover Fair
New education programme to keep the life sciences industry up to date with current FDA Regulations - Lecan, an international IT solution provider to the life sciences industry, has announced the launch of its Education Programme, focused on the requirements of regulated companies who are obliged to comply with the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The first part of the programme will centre on Part 11 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulation: Electronic Records & Signatures (21 CFR Part 11). This ruling affects aspects of computer systems used in Good Practice (GxP), and as such demands a very effective project management strategy across an international organisation to ensure compliance.

Remote control and diagnostics of pipe-line automation help Snam Rete Gas manage distribution network in Italy - Emerson Process Management has successfully provided turnkey automation of an unmanned, remote gas distribution station near Alessandria, Italy. Built on the proven PlantWeb digital plant architecture, this project for Snam Rete Gas is part of their programme to renew the automation of their gas pipeline network. Snam Rete Gas operates more than 29,000 km of gas pipeline in Italy and 11 compressor and booster stations. The Dispatching Centre at San Donato Milanese in Milan controls and manages this transmission system.
New CCD detector - The Optical Spectroscopy Division of Jobin Yvon has released its new Liquid Nitrogen Cooled, Back Illuminated, Deep Depleted, CCD Detector. The Back Illuminated Deep Depleted Detector is ideal for low light level applications in the NIR region (500-1000 nm) including Raman, Photoluminescence, and Fluorescence spectroscopy. Its back illuminated design offers increased quantum efficiency and sensitivity. Etaloning effects, which are commonly experienced in standard back illuminated CCDs, are nearly eliminated due to the deep depletion architecture.

New open channel flow logger helps water companies meet EA regulations cost-effectively - A new flow logger unit - the latest addition to the new MCU range from Solartron Mobrey - measures instantaneous flow and records daily totals of open channel flows for up to 60 days, in accordance with Environmental Agency (EA) regulations. MCULOG comes complete with PC software LOGView, to provide an ideal solution for flow discharge or intake monitoring, costing about 30% less than equivalent competitive products.
Motor adaptor eases connector installation - A new adaptor designed to ease the installation of industrial connectors onto motor junction boxes has been introduced by HARTING. The new Han 3A adaptor allows an angled connector to be fitted to a standard PG 13.5 cable entry with a choice of mounting positions. The circular nickel-plated brass adaptor plate contains 12 holes, allowing the housing to be turned in steps of 30° after termination.
Advanced point-of-load DC/DC converters deliver versatile, VRM9.1-compliant, CPU power management for computer OEMs - Artesyn Technologies has just launched two high-current, point-of-load DC/DC converters for powering Intel's Xeon� and Pentium 4 processors. Delivering up to 75A, and compliant with the latest VRM9.1 specifications, the converters employ multi-phase techniques for advanced performance, and come in PCB-pluggable forms to assist computer OEMs in creating flexible products that may be upgraded in the field.

New portal launched - ValveDirectory.com is an ongoing online resource for the valve community which was launchec earlier this week. A nice clean easy to navigate site. "We help you find the product/supplier or manufacturers you need to know and we even answer you questions!"
They have included The Signpost on their links page too!

New prototyping kit - Ashling Microsystems, specialist supplier of microprocessor development systems and software quality assurance tools, has developed a prototyping kit for Philips Semiconductors 2nd Generation SmartXA series Smart Card Microcontrollers. The Prototyping Kit for Smart Cards, PKSC-SmartXA2, provides users with essential stand-alone device emulation for the Philips SmartXA 16-bit Smart Card Family. After testing and debugging a Smart Card program (using Ashlingís Ultra-SmartXA2 in-circuit emulator, for example) the designer can download the Smart Card ROM code to the Ashling PKSC-SmartXA2 and test the code in a fully functioning card reader system. The Prototyping Kit will behave like the target Smart Card containing the actual ROM code.

Guided wave radar technology proves reliable in monitoring turbulent liquid propane surface level - Liquid propane is used as a refrigerant in various industrial chemical plants: a standard process problem is monitoring the level of propane liquid in the accumulator tanks, to control the recirculation process and ensure the propane supply is not exhausted. Because of surface turbulence, low dielectric constant and temperature variations in the liquid, level measurement has historically been unreliable in this application. Faced with this problem, engineers from Emerson Process Management applied the latest Guided Wave Radar (GWR) based level measurement system, the Rosemount Model 3300. This was felt to be more reliable technology for this application, because it has proved tolerant of liquid density changes and surface turbulence in other similar process vessels.

Quickly Setup Your Plant For Performance Monitoring - ExperTune's newest development is a bulk database import for setting up an entire plant for monitoring and assessment in PlantTriage. PlantTriage continually monitors the plant and assesses its performance. Areas with the greatest need are prioritized for maintenance and engineering. The initial challenge in monitoring and assessing an entire plant, is setting up the addresses for all the instruments and controllers. John Gerry of ExperTune tells us, "PlantTriage makes this easy by using a smart wizard-based bulk import. The wizard (Patent Pending) has intelligence about specific control systems so that it polls the control system for most of the data it needs."
Rising energy costs power LP AC drives - market to grow 4.7% annually - Rising energy rates, difficult economic conditions, and increasing concern for environmental distress due to power generation, have increased the importance of using energy saving AC drives. The worldwide market for low power AC drives is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.7 percent over the next five years. The market was €4,120 million in 2002 and is forecasted to be over ¤5,200 million in 2007, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study, Low Power AC Drive Worldwide Outlook."

New dry-well offers high calibration capacity to 700ºC - Hart Scientific, a world leader in temperature calibration products and services, has developed the Model 9122A High-Accuracy Dry-Well that can simultaneously calibrate up to nine temperature probes, with four of its test wells accepting interchangeable inserts. It calibrates a variety of temperature sensors within the range 50degC to 700degC and offers high-capacity annealing for reference thermocouples and PRTs.
New user group leadership reflects expanded mission - Traditionally associated with open architecture controls for CNC applications, the OMAC Users Group has evolved to the point where it is now an epicenter of activities applicable to process and hybrid manufacturers as well as its original discrete manufacturing constituency. This evolution was recognized recently through elevation of an end user evangelist for open packaging machinery, Andrew McDonald of Unilever, to the position of Co-Chairman of the OMAC Board of Directors. The changing of the guard was accompanied by an organizational realignment that not only reflects the group's expanded mission, but also provides a support infrastructure for working group activities and validation of deliverables.

New catalogue - Omega has launched its latest publication. New Horizons in Temperature Measurement and Control is an excellent introduction to their full range of products. It has 144 pages featuring 100s of New products with metric ranges, dimensions and threads, IEC and ANSI colour coding and has product ranges including temperature sensors, wire, connectors, panel meters & controllers, transmitters and infrared thermometers. All with prices in GB pounds.
Industrial ScopeMeter with even more troubleshooting power - Fluke, a leader in compact, professional electronic test tools, has extended its Industrial ScopeMeter 120 Series of truly integrated industrial troubleshooting tools. Compared to the previous model, the new, combined oscilloscope, multimeter and paperless recorder has double the bandwidth, more memory locations, new oscilloscope cursors and a more powerful battery. This is a truly integrated test tool, combining the three most frequently used service tools: a dual input oscilloscope, a true-rms multimeter and a 'paperless' recorder in one affordable, easy to use instrument. With the unique 'Connect-and-View' hands-off trigger functionality, it is the ideal choice for technicians servicing and troubleshooting today's complex industrial systems.

Industrial controls solutions champion company - Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions (ACS) announced today that it has been named 2003 Industrial Controls Solutions Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, a global leader in growth consulting. Honeywell's success can be attributed to key competitive wins achieved with products such as Experion PKS Process Knowledge System, which automates, controls and monitors manufacturing operations, increasing production and reducing operational costs. "Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions implemented focused growth initiatives with the intent of expanding both internally and through acquisitions," says Daniela Carrillo, a Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst. "These strategies have built their exposure and business with a broader product line and innovative sensing technologies."

Industrial process plants to be recognized for innovation - The HART Communication Foundation (HCF) is currently seeking candidates for the 2003 HART Plant of the Year. The awards are presented annually by the HCF to recognize innovative, cost-saving use of HART Communication in real-time industrial process plant applications worldwide. Deadline for nominations is May 15.

High-density connectors offer significant space savings - Harting has extended its range of D-Sub connectors with the introduction of a new family providing a higher-density capability within the same standard D-Sub shell pattern. The new connectors are available in 15, 26, 44, 62 and 78 pole versions are available, yet fit within 9, 15, 25, 37 and 50 pole shell sizes, respectively.
Brushless AC servo helps OEMs squeeze performance from lean motion hardware - Baldor's new MicroFlex brushless AC servo drive provides OEMs with the means to squeeze extra performance out of motion machinery - while also trimming costs. Although designed for low cost and volume manufacture, the new single-axis drive nevertheless incorporates advanced features to improve motor speed and smoothness of motion, including space vector modulation (SVM), and high resolution synchronous serial interface (SSI) and incremental encoder feedback interfaces.

Acquisition of wafer ID company - Cognex Corporation, the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced today that it has acquired the wafer identification business of Siemens Dematic AG, a subsidiary of Siemens. Siemens Dematic is the world's leading supplier of logistics and factory automation equipment and has been the leading supplier of wafer identification systems to semiconductor manufacturers in Europe.

New Vice President of worldwide manufacturing - Tektronix has announced that Amad Doratotaj has joined the market-leading test, measurement, and monitoring company as the new Vice President of Worldwide Manufacturing. In his new role, Doratotaj is responsible for worldwide manufacturing operations, supply chain management, and manufacturing engineering, which is part of the company's Central Operations headed by Senior Vice President Dave Coreson. Doratotaj will draw upon his more than 20 years' of executive leadership and senior management experience in manufacturing, design engineering, business development, and supply chain management to develop a new manufacturing structure that best supports the company's strategic initiatives and utilises the talent, experience, and strengths of the current manufacturing management team.
Software company expansion - Europe's largest software company, SAP, will establish a technical support centre in Europe's fastest growing city, Galway. The German enterprise solutions firm already employs 310 support staff at its largest global support centre in Dublin's Citywest Business Park. Tánaiste (Deputy head of Government) Mary Harney welcomed the announcement, pointing out that this brings to 14 the number of new investments in the first quarter of 2003, creating over 3,000 new jobs in Ireland.

Self-calibrating gear-tooth sensor with 9-bit signal capture - Allegro MicroSystems has introduced a new self-calibrating gear-tooth sensor with 9-bit signal capture. Their new ATS672LSB features tight timing accuracy over temperature, true zero-speed operation, true power-on sensing and airgap-independent switch points. It will operate down to 3.3 V, and its high vibration immunity and temperature capability make it ideally suited to automotive applications.

Moisture proof temperature probes - Betatherm's 'Moisture Proof Probe' has been developed as a solution for a wide range of applications where moisture proofness is required. These include refrigeration applications (including avaporator coil and industrial case refrigeration), under floor heating systems, climate control systems, swimming pools, sauna and oceanographic equipment.
Betatherm will exhibit in Hall 9, stand no. 237 at Sensor & Test 2003, May 13-15th in Nuremberg, Germany.