31/1/2007

Low-power temperature transmitter is ideal for use with solar or battery power - Moore Industries' Low-Power Temperature Transmitter is designed for oil and gas well-heads and similar installations where line power is not available. With an exceptionally low power consumption of only 3mA, the LRX mounts in remote or infrequently accessed field locations where solar or battery power systems are used. It accepts a three-wire 100 Ohm platinum RTD, K-type thermocouple, or direct millivolt input. It converts the input to a 1-5Vdc signal for direct interface with readout instruments, recorders, DCSes, PLCs and computer-based SCADA systems.

Handbook for parametric parallel test - Keithley Instruments has just published Parallel Test Technology: The New Paradigm for Parametric Testing, a semiconductor parametric test handbook. The 60-page handbook offers an overview of the emerging test technique known as parallel parametric testing, a strategy for wafer-level parametric testing that uses concurrent execution of multiple tests on multiple scribe line test structures and helps semiconductor fabs maximize their test throughput and reduce their cost of test.

New catalogue - The new Tablar catalogue, February 2007 edition, presents a wide range of products for Flow, Level, Pressure, Temperature and Conductivity Measurement and even supplementary instruments like indicators, data recorder and converters, etc.

Soft PLC serves hardware-free Profinet - An IEC 61131-3 standard Soft PLC now supports the Profinet standard for real time communications over Ethernet hardware. An advantage of Profinet is that it uses standard CAT5 cables and connectors, compared to the expensive connectors and termination required by Profibus. Using the Soft PLC Straton from COPA-DATA, control engineers can reduce system costs further by replacing dedicated fieldbus hardware with a "soft" Profinet server, without any loss of performance.

Industrial connector hood with integrated cable gland - A new industrial connector hood with an integrated cable gland has been added to the Han® 3A Series from Harting. The new hood has been developed to aid the integration of data and power interfaces in the industrial environment: in particular, the need for patch cables to be integrated into industrial connector assemblies. The integrated cable gland also helps to reduce inventory levels.

Multi-function hand-held calibrator - The new Yokogawa CA150 is a multi-function high-precision calibrator designed to calibrate and test industrial process devices and electronics equipment. The instrument acts as both a source and a measurement unit, with an accuracy within 0.02% of the DC voltage range for both functions. Source and measurement functions can be carried out simultaneously, so that it is possible to measure current in the milliampere range while providing a loop power supply of up to 24 V DC at up to 22 mA load.

The world's most advanced Power Quality Clamp Meter introduced - Fluke has introduced the world's most advanced Power Quality Clamp Meter, ideal for technicians and engineers installing and commissioning variable frequency drives, UPS systems, lighting and other switching loads which can be difficult to measure and monitor. The new Fluke 345, with a CAT IV 600V safety rating, accurately measures AC/DC voltage, current and power, even with distorted waveforms. It verifies batteries, troubleshoots harmonics up to the 30th, investigates nuisance tripping due to inrush currents with a special Inrush mode, and measures peak currents up to 2000A without the need to break the circuit.

Memorandum of understanding established - ISA and OAGi are pleased to announce they have entered into an agreement to cooperate on joint projects and exchange standards documentation. The first step taken under this cooperative agreement includes OAGi's commitment to express the ISA-95 data models in the OAGIS standard as both UML data models and OAGIS XML Schema definitions known as BODs, and to recommend enhancements to the ISA-95 standard based on the content and experience of the OAGi constituency.
A year ago, ISA and OAGi announced their involvement in the Manufacturing Interoperability Guideline Working Group, a collaborative venture of ISA, MIMOSA, OAGi, OPC, and WBF. The group is supporting development of an industry guideline that defines generic business process models for data exchange between manufacturing operations management and business support systems.

New leader to head global sales drive - Emerson Process Management has appointed Steve Seddon as the new director, sales & marketing for the Mobrey Measurement division. He has worked for the group for 15 years, and was previously director, new business at Emerson's Micro Motion in Boulder, Colorado, and regional business manager at Emerson in England. He brings an enviable combination of technical product knowledge and global sales experience to the role. His task is to grow the Mobrey Measurement business worldwide.

Kazakhstan company selects comprehensive operator training system - Invensys Process Systems has been awarded an operator training system contract by PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company. The implementation will provide a comprehensive SimSci-Esscor operator training simulator (OTS) for the chemical section of the company's integrated refinery and chemical revamping project, which will process imported sour crude from Kazakhstan.

Keeping control systems cool - The DSV Mermaid Commander, part of the Thoresen Thai Group of Thailand, is a dynamically positioned dive support vessel, employed in offshore subsea construction and maintenance worldwide. On board the Mermaid Commander is a sophisticated ship management system. This uses state-of-the-art electronics and combines ship operation and control functionalities within a single integrated environment. As with many control systems contained in confined spaces, a heat is generated when it is operational. Many organisation use refrigerant cooling systems to avoid overheating and malfunction. Meech International had the ideal product ­ the MAT stainless steel cabinet cooler. This provides a cold air source to stop cabinets overheating and prevents the ingress of contamination such as dust or moisture. The Cabinet Cooler comprises a vortex tube that produces cold air that flows into the cabinet through the bulkhead fitting. It is then ducted to the centre of the cabinet. All their cabinet coolers are capable of cooling up to 2400 Btu/hr 703 Watts and are supplied with a set of four generators that can be easily interchanged for optimum efficiency.

Process imaging system for kiln shell temperature monitoring - Raytek has announced the availability of the new CS200 Process Imaging System for Kiln Shell Temperature Monitoring. The Raytek CS200 is a comprehensive temperature measurement system for monitoring, control, and analysis of rotating kilns primarily used in cement and lime production. This unique combination of infrared sensor technology and a powerful, industrial software program allows accurate detection and monitoring of refractory hot spots to prevent costly kiln damage and extend production runs between refractory replacement.

Fleet management and monitoring - The new ShockWatch EquipManager from Lamerholm Electronics is a fleet management and monitoring system that wirelessly monitors usage, controls vehicle access and ensures safety compliance to increase productivity and reduce costs. The RF based system, primarily for forklift trucks, has been designed to capture equipment operation and user data that can be used to monitor damage to facilities, equipment and products. It is also a vital tool to improve efficiency and lower maintenance costs. This new product complements Lamerholm's existing range of ShockWatch equipment monitors for improving forklift safety and therefore saving money throughout the materials handling industry.

First office in Aberdeen - Invensys Process Systems is to open its first office in Aberdeen as part of the North Sea initiative and escalation in the company's United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) business. Located adjacent to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, the new Invensys office will provide facilities for service support, engineering, system staging, and strategic sales, as well as a comfortable customer lounge area.

Rotary torque-setting new price standards - The new range of rotary torque transducers from Applied Measurements provide an economical solution to rotary torque measurement. With prices starting from as low as GBP980.00, they are designed primarily for use on test stands, machines in industry, aerospace, marine and the laboratory. Covering ranges from 0-0.2Nm to 0-80kNm these transducers use either conventional slip rings or for high speed applications, brushless transmission, enabling torque to be measured at up to 20,000rpm.

Enhancements deliver integration - GE Fanuc Automation has announced the availability of Version 5.60 of its award-winning Proficy™ Change Management solution. The upgrade provides enhancements with a focus on integration with their products and support for new third party programs and devices.

Free standards - In a change of procedure since 1st January 2007 ISA have eliminated the costs of downloading their standard from the WEB to ISA Members. Prior to this members were charged a reduced fee for copies of all standards.

International service network accredited - Materials testing machine manufacturer (part of AMETEK) is has announced that Jürgen Pletsch, Service Manager responsible for the UK and Germany, is the latest member of the group's large service team to become a UKAS accredited operator for the force calibration of universal materials testing machines to ISO 7500-1.
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the UK's sole recognised body for the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories, and organisations that provide certification in inspection services.

New open loop AC variable speed drive with full torque delivery at standstill - Gefran has launched a new range of high performance sensorless AC variable speed drives in two package sizes covering 0.37 kW to 2.2 kW that deliver full torque at standstill. After performing a static auto-tune routine with simple motor name-plate data for rated motor voltage, current and frequency, the Quix GV employs its patented 3GV open loop motor control technology to deliver 100% torque at 0.0 Hz. Furthermore, the vector control algorithm optimises dynamic response, energy saving and maximal torque delivery in real time, continually tracking motor inductance, resistance, current and power factor levels under dynamic application conditions.

Windows Vista capable industrial computers - latest additions to its flagship range of rackmount industrial computers based on PICMG-compliant single board computers (SBCs) and backplanes are Windows Vista capable. The Ventrix 4004 and Ventrix-W 4004 are 4U rackmount PICMG 1.3 compliant industrial computers that provide PCI express (PCIe) expansion, use Intel Pentium D Dual-Core LGA775 technology and have a high-quality industrial grade 600W power supply unit (PSU). They also come with a Western Digital 250GB HDD as standard and are electroplated for long-term protection against corrosion.
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Partnership established - ESA elettronicaM has established a partnership with Control Techniques (part of Emerson Industrial Automation), the major manufacturers in electronic drives for the control of electric motors. Focussed on customers needs, ESA & Control Techniques provide technological innovations and advanced products in the Automotive, Food & Beverages, Chemical, Packaging, Pharmaceutical, Machine Tools, etc. markets.

New compact linear actuator exceeds speed limit! - A new high speed industrial linear actuator, just launched by Copley Controls has a specially designed low profile body, making it more compact so that it can be easily integrated into confined spaces in machines. The latest addition to the ServoTube family, the ServoTube 11 measures just 28mm wide by 61mm high whilst still delivering the power, controllability and speed (up to 5.2 m/s) expected from linear motor technology.

Safer parking in UAE - Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, the biggest shopping and leisure complex outside North America, has chosen Crowcon gas detectors to protect visitors using its covered car parks. 660 Xgard carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are distributed throughout the car parks to detect potential CO build-up from car exhausts. CO detectors are mandatory in all covered car parks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The detectors are connected to a building control system which warns the site operators if CO levels exceed safe levels in any area of the car park.

New Multi Output Plug and Play Power Supply Development Kit - Excelsys Technologies, specialists in configurable power supplies, has introduced powerKit, a simple to use 1U modular power supply development kit. Part of the highly acclaimed Xgen series of multi-output, high power density power supply family, powerKit allows system design engineers to configure exactly the prototype power supply their application requires without lengthy design cycles and manufacturers prototype development or non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges.

Doing it right! - In this age of diminishing exhibition attendances it is refreshing to report a success story. When SPS/IPC/DRIVES closed in November 2006 a new record in the number of visitors of the event was announced. Today the organizer of the exhibition Mesago Messemanagement GmbH has confirmed the successful figures, certified by the Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM) in Berlin (D). Last year 43,891 trade visitors attended (2005: 34,653). With 6,229 visitors (2005: 3.487) the number of international visitors has clearly increased as well, which is a percentage of 14 % of all visitors of SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2006 (2005: 10 %).
SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2007 takes place from 27 ­ 30 November in Nuremberg. Sounds like it's worth putting in your diary.

Embedded software tool company acquired - SFO Technologies, a NeST Group Company, has acquired 100% of the share capital of Ashling Microsystems, the supplier of Embedded Software Development tools. SFO Technologies has growth plans for Ashling's Embedded Software Development Tools business and will create a new business unit in Ashling focused on the provision of Embedded Software and Hardware Development Services.

Performance upgrade announced - Concurrent Technologies announces the release of an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor based VME/VXS single board computer (SBC) as a performance upgrade from the VX 405/04x released earlier in the year. The VX 407/04x uses the latest mobile dual core processor from the Intel® embedded roadmap, the 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, giving an even greater improvement in measured performance/watt. The VX 407/04x can access up to 4 Gbytes DDR2-667 soldered SDRAM at up to 10.6 Gbytes/s. The VXS switched serial standard - VITA 41.3 (1000Mbps baseband IEEE802.3) - is optionally supported to provide fast data transfer between other compatible boards in the system.
The VITA 41.3 standard defines an implementation of IEEE Standard 802.3 within the VXS framework that provides 1000Mbps full-duplex data transfer over two differential pairs using 8B/10B encoding and baseband signaling. This implementation is based on 1000BaseCX as defined in IEEE Standard 802.3- 2002, Clause 39 and is referred to as 1000Mbps baseband IEEE 802.3 signaling. VITA 41.3 is useful for both data and control planes in medium-performance applications that follow a packet-based communications model - system determinism is improved as no data transfer on a specific payload link will be interrupted by a higher priority transfer or have to wait for a bus transaction to complete before acquiring the communications hardware. VITA 41.3 is attractive because of the wide range of readily available low-cost hardware and software that has been developed using the IEEE 802.3 standard.

Wireless data logging made easy - These comments made recently by leading automation industry figureheads when seeing WiSensys® in practice. WiSensys® is a wireless, easy to install, ready to use sensing system with data logging capability. It is a product family for accurately measuring, securely transmitting and logging the output values from a variety of sensors. The wireless sensing system consist of sensor units and a base station. The sensors measure input values like temperature, humidity and process signals and transmit the measured values over a secure wireless link to the base station. Measurement and transmission intervals can be set by means of software in a PC. This SW called sensor graph is part of the WiSensys® and is used during installation.

Alliance to improve use of predictive asset information for improved operations - Emerson Process Management and Mtelligence Corporation have formed an alliance giving users effective integration between Emerson's PlantWeb® digital plant architecture with AMS™ Suite and enterprise asset management (EAM) systems such as SAP's Plant Maintenance system and IBM's MAXIMO® system.
Mtelligence Corporation , formerly Interactive Facilities Corporation, provides maintenance intelligence solutions that improve asset performance. Mtelligence is an industry thought leader in applying the MIMOSA standard to bridge the gap between Operations & Maintenance (O&M) for process and manufacturing industries.

COD Contract awarded - Wessex Water's laboratory at Saltford near Bristol (GB) performs a large number of COD tests and senior lab services technician Alan O'Reilly says "Hach Lange has been awarded a 3-year contract to supply COD reagents following a thorough evaluation of equipment and reagent options. We require a system which provides high levels of accuracy and reliability coupled with a fast process that is able to accommodate a high sample throughput. In addition, their reagent recycling service was a significant factor in the final decision."
The COD (chemical oxygen demand) test is one of the most important analyses conducted by the wastewater sector. It is a measure of organic pollution, and is the most frequently mentioned parameter in European environmental legislation.

Providing greater productivity in building embedded systems - Macraigor Systems today announced the immediate availability of a free Eclipse-compliant embedded debugging solution with sample Eclipse projects that run on many standard evaluation boards. This provides embedded systems engineers with an integrated platform for developing and debugging embedded systems using the widely supported Eclipse platform.

Data acquisition system "Best in Test" - Editors at Test & Measurement World named the NI CompactDAQ USB-based modular data acquisition system from National Instruments a Best in Test winner and a finalist for the Test Product of the Year in the publication's 2007 Best in Test Awards. "Our readers can benefit from rugged, portable and modular data acquisition systems that are flexible and easy to use," said Rick Nelson, Chief Editor of Test & Measurement World. "NI CompactDAQ fits the bill in that it combines plug-and-play USB capability with high-speed analogue and digital I/O for factory, lab and field applications."
2007 Best in Test award winners.

First non-water industry MCERTS flow monitoring installation - Krohne's TIDALFLUX flowmeter is performing a critical role in England's first non-water industry flow monitoring installation to receive MCERTS (Monitoring Certification Scheme) self monitoring of effluent flow approval by the Environment Agency. The instrument has been installed as part of a $385 million scheme to create an underground gas storage facility in East Riding, Yorkshire (GB).
MCERTS was set up by the Environment Agency and sets minimum requirements for the quality, installation and control of self monitoring of effluent flow. It is now being rolled out across other industry sectors and has also been extended to include the requirement to measure, collect and collate monitoring data.

Low-power FGPAs now available in micro BGA packages, providing optimized solutions for space- and power-constrained applications - QuickLogic Europe is making its low power FPGA devices available in smaller 6x6 and 8x8 mm form-factor BGA packages. The advanced packaging meets the aggressive requirements of handheld electronics integrating storage, wireless, mobile TV and other emerging technologies.

New money-saving IR thermometer/electrical test tool kits - Fluke is offering two new, money-saving electrical/HVAC kits. Containing a non-contact infrared thermometer, a choice of Clamp Meter or Voltage/Continuity/Current Tester and a Voltage Detector, both kits give a huge saving compared with the cost of buying the products separately. The kits are ideal for electricians, HVAC technicians and plant and facility maintenance personnel for locating overheating electrical devices, then for troubleshooting the electrical fault.

Interconnection products for rail applications - At RAILTEX 2007 (London, 20 - 22 February 2007), the Harting Technology Group will feature connector products specifically designed for use within the railway rolling-stock environment.

Encapsulated power supplies - Calex Electronics has announced the latest addition to its range of linear regulated power supplies, the new encapsulated 23000 series. The 23000 series of PCB mounting encapsulated power supplies offers four models with outputs of 5, 12, 15 or 24 volts DC. Each has an output tolerance of ±5% off load. All models provide an output of 6W, except for the 5V 23005 unit which has a 5W output.

All Ethernet-based high-availability control system avoid downtime in mission critical applications - GE Fanuc has announced the availability of its All Ethernet High-Availability Solution, designed to mitigate the risks of downtime, safety concerns, and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). The solution, based on GE Fanuc's PACSystems Rx7i and Rx3i control platforms, provides the ability to manage a large number of mission critical I/O at high speed in a distributed architecture.

Intuitive new web tool and search engine serves Worldwide electronics industry - TechWire International, a leading provider of global media communications services, today announced the availability of eeNewsFeed.com, a powerful, intuitive, and convenient single source for all the latest news and developments in the worldwide electronics industry.

New contact arrangements for D-Sub Combo connector family - Harting has added a number of new contact configurations to its D-Sub Combo family of mixed-contact subminiature PCB and cable connectors. The D-Sub Combo range combines standard D-Sub shells with a mixture of signal, coaxial, power or high voltage contacts to provide custom solutions for a wide range of applications. The product is fully shielded to minimise EMI/RFI leakage.

The only HMI/SCADA software that can run on all supported Microsoft operating systems, including Microsoft Vista™ - InduSoft announced support for Microsoft's latest Windows operating system, Vista recently. HMI/SCADA users, OEMs, and systems integrators can now take advantage of the latest Microsoft security improvements and graphical capabilities. Compatibility with Vista and other Microsoft operating systems means that InduSoft Web Studio is still the only HMI/SCADA solution that runs on virtually every type of hardware in the automation and control industry. Cell phones, PDAs, embedded computers and panel computers, industrial devices, and desktop workstations with dual-core processors and high-power graphic cards that take full advantage of new features in Vista, all enjoy continued support in ways that only InduSoft delivers.

Guy Oliver adds, "Had trouble contacting your favorite automation vendor this week? That's because Austin, Texas, otherwise known as the Silicon Hills and home to several major automation vendors, was hit by a winter storm on Monday, January 15, which essentially shut down the entire city and its automation industry for three days." Cold comfort to those of us in Europe buffeted by storms almost non stop for the last six weeks that even George W's back yard can have winter weather problems!

What is a BOM? The product structure is often called a bill of materials (BOM), which has traditionally considered only an assembly's physical items. Nowadays, though, the product structure includes all the information required to produce an assembly, including references to fabrication, assembly and test documentation.

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19/1/2007

Will RFID pilots in manufacturing applications convert to market growth? - he need for manufacturers to comply with supply chain and retailer mandates for tagged finished goods has led to rising interest in RFID for internal applications that promise greater ROI. While numerous pilot activities designed to evaluate the potential for RFID in manufacturing are currently underway, the number of pilots that actually result in full-blown implementations will be a key determinant of the rate and timing of overall market growth.
Continued growth in existing applications, such as WIP tracking, will combine with increasing adoption in growth segments, such as asset tracking, to fuel healthy overall market growth through the end of the decade. "Compared to the challenge of generating ROI from mandate-driven RFID implementations, numerous opportunities exist for internal RFID applications to generate ROI for manufacturers," according to Vice President Chantal Polsonett, the principal author of ARC's "RFID in Manufacturing Applications Worldwide Outlook".

Leading package now available in German, French, Polish and Russian - GE Fanuc Automation, has announced the availability of Proficy™ HMI/SCADA - iFIX® 4.0 in German, French, Polish and Russian languages. iFIX is a premier industry solution for the comprehensive monitoring, control and distribution of plant-wide data. A key component of the Proficy automation software platform, iFIX 4.0 delivers enhanced functionality including improved third-party PLC integration, and both Developer and Operator productivity enhancements.

New handy resource for flexible manufacturing - ISA recently announced the publication of a new resource entitled "Design Patterns for Flexible Manufacturing." Drawing from his vast experience in the development of multiple control projects and the ISA-88 batch control standards, author Dennis Brandl documents effective rules that should be used when applying the ISA-88 standard to both batch manufacturing (called the S88 design pattern) and continuous and discrete manufacturing problems (called the NS88 design pattern for non-stop production).

New VP of top global accounts - Emerson Process Management has promoted Ron Migliorini to Vice President of Marquee Accounts, with specific responsibility for the BG Group worldwide.
Migliorini began his instrumentation career in 1963 as an apprenticed instrument engineer in the paper industry. He then moved into marine instrumentation service and management, and spent two years in Saudi Arabia as a commission engineer with Aramco. Migliorini then joined Endress+Hauser where he filled many sales and marketing roles before joining Gervase Instruments as managing director.
In 1989 he was appointed as sales and marketing director for Rosemount in Britain. He was subsequently promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for the Rosemount® division of EPM, responsible for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He served in this role prior to the global accounts promotion.
He has also been very active in ISA, the instrumentation society, heading their District 12 (EMEA) for a number of years.

FM-approved programmable alarm trips monitor, control and shut down processes - Moore Industries' SPA2 Programmable Current/Voltage and RTD/Thermocouple Limit Alarm Trips received FM Approval, allowing them to be used in hazardous locations. The SPA2 alarm trips provide on/off control, warn of trouble, and provide for emergency shutdown by sending up to four relay outputs when a monitored process signal falls outside a user-selectable high/or low limit.Available SPA2 models accept input signals from transmitters, temperature sensors, resistance and potentiometer devices, and direct millivolt sources.

New appointment further boosts security automation expertise - Amplicon has appointed Gareth Rees to strengthen its newly-formed 'Security Automation Division'. Launched in 2006, the new division has produced immediate success, winning contracts both in the UK and abroad, leading to an on-going recruitment campaign for the Brighton-based company. To his new role as Sales Engineer, Gareth brings three years of CCTV / security market experience from his previous company LJD Group.
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Evolution of Magnetic Flowmeters Technological Innovation Makes a Proven Meter Type More Useful Magnetic flowmeters have emerged as an extremely popular method of flow measurement for a number of reasons, but most importantly because they excel in measuring most kinds of liquids. They are also relatively cost-efficient and straightforward to install. Further, with no moving parts, magmeters, as they're called, are easy to maintain and offer good accuracy for most applications. This is an article by Dr Jesse Yoder,from a recent edition of Flow Control

Crude oil measurement in Russia - In the Kaliningrad area of Russia, more and more oil fields are being developed. Due to the large distances in between and the relatively small supplies of oil per field it is not always appropriate to build a pipeline in order to get the oil to the refineries. The transport is therefore done by trucks with 20 m3 tanks. In the past, there was a float level measurement. But from time to time the tanks were overfilled which damaged the environment. In order to avoid overfilling, they used three beam ultrasonic flowmeters for the measurement of the crude oil volume and filling of the truck tanks, these were Krohne's UFM 3030 DN50, DN65 and DN80. The customer was satisfied with accuracy and repeatability which allowed solving the problems of this application.

New application for automatic meter data collection - Jekyll Electronic Technology announces the launch of PrimeRead, a multi-vendor, multi-networking application for automatic meter data collection. This new software provides utilities and commercial and industrial companies with an affordable and well-supported application to cost-effectively and efficiently collect data from utility meters.

Direct-drive rotary stage breaks the mould for large aperture positioning applications - Aerotech's new ALAR large aperture rotary stages combine brushless direct-drive motor technology and integral precision encoders with angular contact bearings for backlash-free, fast and ultra precise positioning with a high payload capacity.

Co-operation in education and research in discrete manufacturing control systems - GE Fanuc Automation has announced a cooperative agreement for education and research of discrete manufacturing control systems with Kettering University in Michigan (USA). Kettering is one of the top institutions in the US educating engineers specifically for work in a variety of engineering and technical fields, including the automotive industry. As part of the agreement, The company will provide Kettering University with a set of manufacturing controls components consisting of GE Fanuc's Assembly Application Suite (AAS) hardware and software products to simulate manufacturing environments. Kettering will install the components in the University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) labs.

New president at Invensys - Following an extensive executive search, Paulett Eberhart has been appointed CEO and President of Invensys' Process Systems division headquartered in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Ken Brown, who has served as Acting President of Invensys Process Systems since June 28th, 2006, will re-assume his former position as General Manager of the divisions' Measurements & Instruments business unit. She was previously with EDS, the global technology services company, which she joined in 1978. She held a number of senior roles within EDS, latterly as President of its largest operating unit, the Americas.

Chief strategic officer appointment causes excitement - Emerson Process Management has announced the appointment of Peter Zornio to the new position of chief strategic officer. Zornio will direct strategic initiatives for Emerson Process Management, which specialises in innovative technology and services that enable businesses like oil and gas facilities, refineries, power generators, chemical plants, pharmaceutical companies and other enterprises to automate their operations. "Peter will have a leadership role in prioritising our technology investments and identifying acquisition candidates," said John Berra, president of EPM. "Peter's experience and leadership qualities will add greatly to the meeting of our goals for the future and, ultimately, in helping Emerson retain process automation industry leadership worldwide. We are extremely excited to have him join us."

New 12 inch touch panel HMI - National Instruments has announced the release of the NI TPC-2012. The new 12-inch touch panel computer works with the National Instruments LabVIEW 8.20 Touch Panel Module, giving control and design engineers another option for deploying the LabVIEW graphical development environment on Windows CE HMI devices for machine control, embedded control and distributed data acquisition systems.

The end users choice! - In this age of reality shows, viewer participation etc etc it is I suppose inevitable that we have a Reader's Choice in the area of Instrumentation and Automation. However this Reader's Choice competition, organised by the Control Magazine in the US, has been going on for some 15 years. Some Europeans may say "Who?" for some of the "winners," as they may not be house hold names there. However while we might be sceptical, cynical even, of surveys like this the fact is that these end users, 700 of them, took part in this web-based survey and the result is bound to be interesting.

Milk standardisation application - GEA Westfalia Food, a global leader in the design and manufacture of separation systems, has chosen to use Krohne's OPTIFLUX 6000 electromagnetic flowmeters in its STANDOMAT® automatic milk standardising unit.
Milk standardisation ensures that different milk products - such as full fat, skimmed and semi-skimmed - have the right level of fat concentration. The OPTIFLUX installed in the STANDOMAT® is used to make sure that the milk is standardised to the required fat concentration to an accuracy of ± 0.025%

Free application guide to static solutions in the printing industry - Meech International has produced an Application Guide that highlights the problems that can occur due to uncontrolled static charge within the printing industry. The document, written by specialist engineers, shows how Meech's tried and tested solutions can be used to increase both productivity and profitability in a wide variety of printing processes.

New CEO appointed - Catalyst Systems Corporation (Openmake) has announced that Stephen J. King has been named CEO. King's background and experience in leading companies to accelerated growth signals Catalyst Systems' intent to capitalize on increased industry interest in software build and release management.

New product literature released - Cormon has released a new product data sheet for the Ring Pair Corrosion Monitor (RPCM ™) used for real-time integrity management of pipelines, flow lines and piping, both on and offshore. The data sheet (GL016) details the principle of operation, applications, outputs and capabilities of the equipment with illustrations of some existing applications including Statoil's Snævhit pipeline - the longest subsea multiphase pipeline in the world.

Software agreement - ExperTune has announced that Lyondell Chemical Company has executed an agreement to license PlantTriage® Performance Supervision Software at up to 25 of its manufacturing facilities worldwide. Under the agreement, Lyondell will use the PlantTriage Performance Supervision Software to monitor and analyse real-time data from their plant control systems. This data will be used in identifying and prioritising specific plant improvements, including identifying instrument and valve failures and maintaining control of tuning issues.

Life sciences speaker - GE Fanuc Life Sciences Global Marketing Manager, will be speaking at the International Foundation for Process Analytical Chemistry (IFPAC) annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, January 28-31, 2007. Reitter's presentation will discuss "Providing the Foundation for Routine Chemometric Processing in the PAT World."

New rackmount industrial monitors and keyboards - Amplicon has enhanced the versatility of the KwikDraw industrial monitor family with the introduction of the new KwikDraw-B series. The KwikDraw-B series supercedes the KwikDraw series, offering a multi-function 15, 17 or 19-inch cascadable rackmount monitor, keyboard, touchpad and 1, 8 or 16-port KVM in a 1U 19-inch rack space. Greater flexibility is provided with three new model options: touchpad keyboard only models; monitor only models; and monitor and touchpad keyboard models.
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CPM-P market to grow 12% annually says report - The Collaborative Production Management Market for Process Manufacturing (CPM-P) is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% over the next five years. The market was slightly greater than $1.6 billion in 2006 and is forecasted to reach nearly $2.8 billion in 2011, according to a new study by the ARC Advisory Group. "The market will experience significant growth partly because of favorable economic conditions, in-creased global competition, and the need to satisfy regulatory compliance," said Senior Analyst Dr Tom Fiske, principal author of the report.
"Collaborative Production Management Systems for the Process Industries Worldwide Outlook" - ARC Report 10/1/2007

ATEX approval for applications to -170° - Liquid gases stored at low temperatures are often also in ATEX zoned areas particularly LNG, propane etc. In some products and cryogenic processes, the temperatures can get very low indeed and the standard 'T' (temperature) class of the instrument in the ATEX certificate can be no longer valid. VEGA have now gained a unique ATEX approval for applications down to (minus) -170°C to +150°C. The approved device is the VEGAPULS 63, a 2-wire loop powered non-contact radar transmitter with flush transmitter face in TFM-PTFE.

High-voltage microstepping motor driver IC with built-in translator and overcurrent protection - The new A3987 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a microstepping motor driver IC which combines an output drive capability of 50 V and ±1.5 A with built-in translator circuitry and overcurrent protection. The new device is designed to operate bipolar stepper motors in full, half, quarter and sixteenth step modes, and includes a fixed off-time current regulator which has the ability to operate in slow or mixed decay modes.

Stainless steel filter regulator to complements solenoid valve range - ASCO Numatics has introduced the Series 342 stainless steel filter regulator to complement the existing range of stainless steel solenoid valves. Suitable for inlet pressures up to 20 bar, the _ and _ inch filter regulators have a fully stainless steel construction and comply with the requirements of NACE MR 01.75. The square design facilitates easy mounting and there is a separate connection for the optional pressure gauge. An external relief is built in as standard to prevent rising pressure at the outlet. The regulator is ATEX II 2 G/D EEx c IIC X certified.

Speakers announced - The Fieldbus Foundation (FF) has announced the speakers for its 2007 General Assembly, to be held in Houston, Texas, on February 22-23. Planned for the Houstonian Hotel, this important annual event, entitled "Changing the Playing Field," is expected to host 150+ controls and instrumentation end users from the process industries, as well as a large number of automation suppliers and members of the foundation's board of directors.

Wireless in Europe - no wires no limits! - Emerson Process Management launched their 2.4 GHz in-plant Smart Wireless solutions at an event in Bologna (I), the birth place of the Father of Wireless Guglielmo Marconi. Representatives of 60 publications attended. This solution enables European mainstream manufacturing to move to the next level of reliability and operational performance. Their 900 MHz Smart Wireless solutions are already shipping in North America (see American launch details).
By capturing information that was previously inaccessible, Emerson’s Smart Wireless networks extend asset optimisation and predictive maintenance, helping manufacturers avoid costly, unexpected process interruptions and shutdowns; optimise performance and the lifetime of processing equipment; and maximise production output. Response to safety incidents can be improved, and emissions reduced.
Read-out's Impressions - (also includes texts of Emerson's press releases).

Magmeters standardised in chemical company - The largest chemical company in the world, BASF, has adopted the Optiflux 5300 electro-magnetic flowmeter as standard. It had previously passed a type test and been integrated to the standard, and BASF has now also transferred the results to the versions with ceramic measuring tube linings. This means that this instrument is part of the worldwide framework contract, making Krohne an official global supplier of flow and level measuring equipment to BASF.

USB data acquisition now with 40 devices - National Instruments has announced two new high-performance M Series multifunction data acquisition (DAQ) devices for USB. With the new NI USB-6221 and USB-6229 DAQ devices, which provide up to 32 analogue inputs with a 250 kS/s single-channel sampling rate, NI has extended its USB DAQ offering to 40 devices. The complete NI USB offering now includes low-cost devices, high-speed devices featuring 1 MS/s sampling speeds and modular USB data acquisition systems for low-, mid- and high-channel-count applications.
The USB-6221 and USB-6229 ­ as well as bus-powered and other high-performance USB DAQ devices ­ feature NI signal streaming technology, which utilises the bandwidth and performance of Hi-Speed USB technology to allow bidirectional high-speed transfer of data between the USB device and a computer.

Photonics web portal launched - Messe Muenchen International's World of Photonics Portal has just launched. This new site provides information geared specifically towards meeting the needs of manufacturers, technology users, and scientists in the field of optical technologies. With news covering the topics of business life, the market, products, and events, the portal closes a gap in the information offerings for this industry.

Slim line switches can fit anywhere! - Sixnet has announced of its newest innovation, the Slim Line (SL Series) Industrial Ethernet Unmanaged Switches, available in five port (SL-5ES), eight (SL-8ES) and nine port (SL-9ES) models. The very compact and slim packaging design allows them to fit into the tightest DIN rail applications. They require no user setup and immediately start operating as soon as you power them up, making them a low cost and time saving investment. The small size however does not hinder their ultra-reliability and industrial ruggedness.

Specially coated detectors - Applied Scintillation Technologies (AST) has produced specially coated CCD detectors for use in a range of spectrometers including those for spark emission - where they are used for the analysis of ferrous or non-ferrous metals; with the CCD solid state detectors providing detection of optical emission lines over the spectral range of 170 - 460 nm.

Ultra-high performance STEM announced Hitachi High-Technologies has announced the launch of the HD-2700 ultra-high resolution scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). This instrument is characterized by new electron optics which now includes a spherical aberration correction system (developed in collaboration with CEOS GmbH).

New interactive tube connector website - Parker Instrumentation has launched a website dedicated to its groundbreaking permanent tube connection technology for higher pressure applications, Phastite. This product's 'push-fit' operation offers major savings - reduce installation costs by a factor of 90% or more - over traditional permanent and higher pressure connection techniques such as welding and cone-and-thread, and provides a wealth of information to help instrument and piping engineers understand exactly what the 20,000 PSI rated technology can do for them.

New materials testing brochure - Lloyd Instruments has produced an 18-page full colour Materials Testing Solutions brochure, which covers the complete range of the company's single and twin column universal materials testing machines, it's software and application solutions, as well as the Davenport range of plastics and polymer testing instruments. The brochure also contains a demonstration CD for the highly acclaimed new NEXYGENPlus multilingual materials testing software for the range of 'Plus' universal materials testing machines.

Industrial routers connect remote sites securely via VPNs - Westermo Data Communications has released two industrial routers designed to be compatible with the current and future requirements of remote telemetry and industrial control systems applications. They can also be used for remote sites access, allowing the user to browse WEB pages, monitor / edit PLCs or access any device connected to the LAN. They will allow devices on the LAN side to send emails or connect to FTP servers for transferring files.
The MR-200 router is a GPRS router with an integral Ethernet port and a 25 pin RS-232 serial interface for local connectivity. The Ethernet interface supports Multicasting (IGMP), VLAN, SNMP, SNTP, FTP, SNMP as well as all the standard TCP, UDP and DHCP protocols.
The DR-200 router uses ADSL broadband technologies to give high speed access to remote sites over an existing analogue telephone connection, at speeds of up to 2 Mbit/s. The unit has an integral four port Ethernet switch and a 25 pin RS-232 serial interface for local connectivity.

Environment-friendly legislation creates exciting growth prospects for Western European air pollution control equipment market - Legislation is creating excellent growth opportunities for the air pollution control equipment market in Western Europe. While the future of coal in power generation remains a challenge in some markets, the high price of gas and the emergence of advanced clean coal technologies - coupled with enhanced operational efficiencies promises to help coal-fired generation - retain its relevance and boost the market for air pollution control equipment. Frost & Sullivan finds that the Western European Air Pollution Control Equipment Market earned revenues of €970 million in 2005 and estimates this to reach €1.165 billion in 2012.

Vessel control systems acquire first marine vessel certification in Japan - Yokogawa Electric Corporation has announced that its CENTUM CS 3000 integrated production control system has acquired the Software Conformity Assessment Certificate from Lloyd's Register Asia for use in marine vessels. This is the first such certificate for a vessel-related control system to be issued to a Japanese supplier.

New WiMAX solutions at the show - Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe (FME) will be exhibiting its WiMAX devices, demonstrating its WiMAX solutions and unveiling its WiMAX SoC roadmap at the 2007 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona next month. They also will be at embededworld 2007 (Nuremberg (D), February 13-15)
The 3GSM World Congress (Barcelona (E), 12-15th February 2007) is one of the biggest mobile technology exhibitions in the world attracting over 50,000 visitors during the four days and is uniquely fully endorsed by the GSM Association.


Custom-designed reel optimising systems in Russian pulp and paper mill to improve production - Vishay Intertechnology tells us that its systems division recently sold five Reel Optimizing Systems (ROS) to Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill (CSC Kondopoga), the largest Russian producer and exporter of newsprint. CSC Kondopoga is located in the Karelian Republic in the northwestern part of the Russian Federation. Reel Optimizing Systems use strain gage-based load cells and transducer-based measurement and control technology to improve productivity at paper manufacturing plants. Vishay is the major producer of strain gages and strain gage-based load cells, as well as systems based on strain gage technology. The Vishay Systems office in Sweden will install five of the custom-designed Vishay Nobel Reel Optimizing Systems in the Kondopoga facility, with completion expected by May 2007.

Low-cost WiFi test system - The new range of low-priced GaGe Applied Technologies' 802.11 WiFi test systems is now available in Britain through TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments), their exclusive distributor. The NEXUS turnkey wireless testing systems provide all the signal generation and analysis hardware and software required for complete testing of 802.11 a, b, g, j, and n wireless devices.

New website inaugurated - From its inception in 1996, Classic Technology has set out to build close links with their customers by supplying products and expertise that address diverse process manufacturing and control requirements. These customers include most of Ireland's leading companies who value a unique mix of local flexibility and expertise that is strengthened by the global presence of some of the worlds leaders in their fields whom Classic Technology represent. As part of this ongoing development their new website has just been launched.

Connector hoods with M50 cable entry for industrial environments - The new M50 version of the Han® B hood from Harting extends the company's established Han® range of industrial connectors product range to applications involving larger cable or conduit sizes. With the addition of an M50 cable entry, it has an increased height of 110 mm, and offers 30% more wiring space than the M40 variant.

Live webinars to resume - Consistent with its history of providing quality educational programs to its members and the larger automation community, WBF have just announced that they will be re-introducing its live webcast series in 2007. The seminars will be held once per month and will cover introductory, advanced, and popular topics in the automation industry. The first four seminars in the series are complimentary for members, while non-members will be charged.
More details on these and other events on our Events Page

TCI Specification Completed - PI (ProfiBus & ProfiNET International) has completed the TCI (Tool Calling Interface) specification after less than a year of development work. TCI is manufacturer-independent and allows dynamic parameters to be loaded to PROFIBUS and PROFINET devices without having to exit the automation-system engineering tool. This makes it much quicker and easier for users to configure their systems and machines.
More on this on our Fieldbus News Page

Half a million spam messages killed stone dead - Out of 593,912 messages received by us since 2002 only 33741 were good bone fide messages. But we don't worry because the 560,171 spam messages were trapped by Spamarrest. As they say themselves "Spam Filters Don't Work. This is what we've been saying for years, and we must be right as over 90% of the customers flocking to register for Spam Arrest's patent-protected technology and service already utilise at least one spam filter on their email accounts." We cannot praise the system enough as it has saved us countless hours trawling through useless messages. Take a look at Spamarrest see how it works and save time.

Award-winning software architecture management solution extended beyond applications to include databases and services - Lattix, leading provider of innovative software architecture management solutions, today announced the release of its newest solution, Lattix LDM 3.0. With this major release, the company enables managers, architects and developers to visualize, specify and maintain the architecture of a complex enterprise software system.

Water monitors at Irish show - Analytical Technology Inc (ATi) will be exhibiting a range of its industry-leading water monitors on stand B68 at Irish Water Waste & Environment (IWWE), March 7-8 2007, RDS, Dublin. Products being showcased at the exhibition include their innovative Dissolved Oxygen Monitor, Particle Counter, Chlorine monitor and Turbidity Monitor.

The cold hard facts about low power programmable logic! - QuickLogic has launched its 'Power Comparison Resource Package' that includes a low power programmable logic video, power comparison demo platform, a white paper created by a third-party consultant and a micro website. The purpose of this package is to help designers compare FPGAs and CPLDs between the leading vendors, in order to make the best decisions based on design power constraints and requirements.
The demo platform video clip and the power consumption white paper are available at no cost.

Cooperative business agreement for the nuclear market renewed - Invensys Process Systems (US) and INVAP (AR) have announced that the two companies have renewed an existing cooperative business agreement for an additional three years. Under this alliance agreement, the companies will continue to work together to provide mutual customers with comprehensive, world-class product and service solutions for the design, engineering, construction, control, protection, and maintenance of nuclear facilities.
INVAP is a respected designer and constructor of nuclear facilities around the world. Invensys is a highly experienced global supplier of safety and control systems for nuclear facilities, including many of the world's largest nuclear power plants.

'Next generation' protocol selectable serial-to-WLAN gateway - Amplicon has announced the SW5001, 'next generation' protocol selectable serial-to-WLAN gateway. The SW5001 builds on the success of its predecessor, the GW51W-MAXI, offering improved functionality, greater ease-of-use and additional security features. It provides an 802.11b/g wireless gateway for RS232, RS422 and RS485 devices. Comprising a rugged metal IP50 rated enclosure, signal strength LED indicators, DIN rail mounting and 9-30V DC operation (via screw terminal block), the SW5001 is ideally suited for industrial applications where traditional serial cabling is not practical, not possible or is cost prohibitive.
Amplicon advertise with the Signpost on the Acronyms Page

Multivariable pressure/flow transmitter with FF capability - A Foundation Fieldbus (FF) version of the Yokogawa EJX910A multivariable pressure/flow transmitter, along with a flow configuration tool using FDT/DTM technology based software, is now available from Yokogawa. The patented DPharp single-crystal silicon resonant sensor technology ensures high accuracy, provides superior overpressure protection, minimises the effect of temperature and static pressure changes and provides a unique multi-sensing capability. Multi-sensing is the measurement of both differential and static pressure from a single sensor.

A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge provides the reader with comprehensive information about all major topics in the broad field of automation. It defines the most important automation concepts and processes, while also describing the technical skills professionals require to implement them in today's industrial environment. Whether you are an engineer, manager, control systems integrator, student, or educator, you will turn to this book again and again as the ultimate source on what is encompassed by automation. A GUIDE TO THE AUTOMATION BODY OF KNOWLEDGE 2nd Edition; ISA Vernon L. Trevathan;



• Also a new Windows-based software tool has been introduced by Yokogawa for use with their AQ6370 high-resolution optical spectrum analyser, adding powerful viewing, control and analysis functions to enhance the instrument's productivity.

  Step-down regulator ICs combine wide input voltage range with 3 A and 4 A outputs - Two new devices from Allegro MicroSystems are constant off-time current mode step-down regulators targeted at general-purpose applications requiring an 8 V to 25 V input voltage rating and 3 A (A8698) or 4 A (A8697) output current. The regulated voltage is set by external resistors to output voltages as low as 0.8 V, and the 'off' time can also be set with an external resistor, allowing flexibility in inductor selection.

  New program provides integrated solutions and tools for global OEM partners to produce enhanced competitive products and drive growth - GE Fanuc has announced an innovative program for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that provides them with a significant edge to attract new customers and expand their existing base to grow their businesses. The global program, called OEM Edge, includes integrated solutions and tools that give OEM partners a competitive differentiator in their marketplace to fuel machine growth and maximise profits.

  Innovative Wireless In-store POP displays - Henley & Henley, Retail Consultants for Nintendo UK, and Comtech M2M, a leading Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solution provider, have unveild the latest innovations in Point of Purchase (POP) with an in-store Retail Communication Display (RCD), which is controlled and updated from Nintendo's Head Office by wireless.

Cut out the wires - 21st century communication! - On the surface phenomenal savings can be made in using wireless instead of expensive cable in manufacturing and process facilities, not to mention building and environmental applications. However, as in all "new things," situations may not always favour the use of wireless. The next few years will witness very interesting developments in the field of industrial communications.
The Read-out Instrumentation Signpost has just launched a new page dedicated to Wireless transmission especially in the field of process and automation. This is an addition to the Standards area of the site.

Launch pad in England - Triteq has announced that it will again be exhibiting at Southern Manufacturing in February (Thorpe Park, Stand M56, 7-8 February 2007). The company will be highlighting its core innovative design engineering and manufacturing skills and will be looking to meet with entrepreneurs and organisations who want to connect with a truly original design partner. "Southern Manufacturing 2006 kick started what has been a phenomenal year for Triteq; we have expanded our engineering and sales teams, achieved ISO13485 accreditation and won industry awards for our innovation and design," said Louise Fairley, Marketing Manager for Triteq. "Southern Manufacturing presents a superb opportunity for us to meet new and existing customers from a wide spectrum of industries and launch our growth plans for 2007. With particular expertise in safety critical, telematics and military design we will have both engineering and business development experts on hand to discuss any new or future project requirements."