Connectors for solar aircraft - Souriau is providing power and signal electrical composite connectors for the revolutionary Solar Impulse solar powered aircraft, which completed a 26-hour non-stop flight in July 2010 and is working up to circle the earth without fuel only propelled by solar energy.

Recipients of 2011 ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships announced - The International Society of Automation (ISA) has proudly announced the winners of the 2011 ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships.

Newsletters received in week ending:
29 July 2011

ThinClient Newsletter
Pharma Webwatcher
ControlGlobal enews
T&M Instrumentation
Motion Torque
The Shield
ControlDesign enews
ProfiNews (GB)
Automation Weekly
Pharma QbD enews
Automation
ControlEngineering EME
HazardEX
AutomationFocus
Sensors UpDate
Process News
EMT WorldWide
ProfiNews (NA) ControlGlobal enews
Durapipe
DPA Direct


We only include e-mail Newsletters which are also in Web Format.


Acquisition completed - ABB has completed its acquisition of Mincom, the privately owned software company, specializing in solutions for mining and other asset-intensive industries.

Automation system for Russian refinery - Invensys Operations Management has signed two contracts with TNK-BP, the third largest oil company in Russia and among the top 10 private oil companies in the world by production volumes for automation systems to drive control, environment and safety excellence at Saratov refinery

At-line measurement of collagen in meat - An extended range version of the InfraLab e-Series Multi-component At-Line Meat Analyser from NDC Infrared Engineering has been developed to include the measurement of collagen, as well as fat, moisture and protein.

Angled connector - Harting has introduced a new version of its Han® PushPull Profinet connector with an angled outgoing cable, making it suitable for use in situations where space is limited.

New training videos on key OEM motion control topics - Thomson has expanded its Online Education Centre with four new technical training videos to help machine builders select and apply industrial linear actuators, square rails, round rails, ball screws, gearheads, clutches and brakes.

Automation & electrical workshops for Dublin - IDC Technologies are running three public workshops over 5 days in Dublin (IRL) in mid November.

Reliable water monitoring makes money! - Analytical Technology has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 1998, culminating in a record month for the business in June 2011.

Valve sizing & selection software enhanced - Emerson Process Management has released an updated version of its Fisher® Specification Manager software, enhancing ease of use and adding flexibility to this widely-utilised valve selection tool.

Throwing light on the installation! - Designed to fit their full range of enclosures with minimum effort, Rittal can provide a large range of lighting and accessories for a small wall box through to a large floor standing enclosure whatever the location.

Research to improve electrical grid planning - Outram Research is conducting a research project with ScottishPower (Energy Networks) that aims to provide new insights into the characteristics of the electricity supply grid, enabling more accurate planning of capacity and upgrades.

New international rep for process automation division! - To keep pace with growing markets for remote I/O and signal conditioners in Europe, Asia, and many countries around the globe, Acromag has named John Hayward of Haymac Ltd. as their new international sales representative for the process automation division

When Worlds Collide in Manufacturing Operations: ISA-95 Best Practices Book 2.0 - What do you know about the international standard for the integration of enterprise and control systems?

27/7/2011

New version of control system! - Adoption of advanced field digital technology strengthens foundation for operational excellence Yokogawa Electric Corporation has developed Release 5 of the CENTUM® VP integrated production control system, the company's flagship product and a cornerstone of the VigilantPlant® concept that aims to help customers realise the ideal plant.

Portable hygrometer for natural gas! - Michell Instruments have introduced an intrinsically safe version of their portable hygrometer - the MDM300 I.S - which is designed specifically for applications in natural gas processing.

ZigBEE RF4CE USB stick! - Green Peak's RF4CE reference design for plug-and-play USB stick allows cost-efficient RF4CE implementation.

Most comprehensive user web experience! - Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation offers electronic engineers and procurement professionals "the most comprehensive user experience on the World Wide Web".

When Worlds Collide in Manufacturing Operations: ISA-95 Best Practices Book 2.0 - What do you know about the international standard for the integration of enterprise and control systems?

COTS rugged systems - GE Intelligent Platforms has expanded the company's range of COTS Rugged Systems.

Certification for IEC 61850 driver - COPA-DATA has received another accreditation for its zenon hmi/SCADA software: the zenon Client Driver, developed in-house to meet the IEC 61850 energy technology standard, has been certified by KEMA.

Monitoring to avoid pipe fractures from oscillations - RDP Electronics' LVDTs are designed and manufactured, for accuracy and reliability and have been used extensively to monitor movement in pipework.

Partnership to enhance connectivity for mission critical wireless solutions - MatrikonOPC™ has announced that CalAmp Corp. is the newest member to join its Global Partner Network. CalAmp will integrate MatrikonOPC's full range of OPC servers into its mission critical wireless solutions.

Insider threat to utilities - In this article, Tofino's Eric Byres shares his thoughts on how critical infrastructure operators need to extend the US Department of Homeland Security's report's ("Insider Threat to Utilities") recommendations to include additional protective measures.

New integrated comms protocols for IR sensors - Raytek® has enhanced its MI3 Series infrared temperature measurement sensors with new integrated network communication options.

Measurement and instrumentation analysis - Frost and Sullivan have set up a Measurement & Instrumentation channel. This is to provide easier, centralised access to their popular Analyst Briefing series.

Power control strategy for team's hybrid vehicle wins! - National Instruments Technology helped Virginia Tech named as the overall winner of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a three-year collegiate vehicle engineering competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors (GM).

Automation's effect on jobs! - There's been no shortage of discussion over the past decade about the impact automation has had on manufacturing jobs. To uncover the industry's current state of mind on this topic, Automation World's Editor-in-Chief Gary Mintchell put the question to their discussion forum on LinkedIn.

As time goes on more and more is discovered about Stuxnet and its implications in automation. We have continued to add links on this devilish malware as we hear of them to Nick Denbow's article put on-line September 2010.

PID control design - A training course on "Introduction to PID Control Design" on 23rd - 24th August 2011 is scheduled for Scotland's second city, Glasgow.

Aircraft welding testing - The Metallurgical & Laboratory Services division of Keighley Laboratories has achieved the unusual distinction of having three of its senior employees approved by the British Civil Aviation Authority as Weld Specimen Supervisors.

CAN connect into industrial networks - The Anybus® Communicator CAN™ is a new protocol converter from HMS Industrial Networks. The gateway enables communication between any industrial device with a CAN interface and industrial networks such as Profibus, Profinet, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT or CANopen.

Supporting maintenance strategies at power plant - EDF Energy has selected Emerson Process Management's AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to help optimise maintenance practices at its new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station at West Burton in Britain.

Unique stroke lengths allowed - Thomson belt- and screw-driven systems are available to suit requirements, guided on linear slide bearings, rolls or balls. Belt-driven systems with stroke lengths of up to 12 metres as standard are already available. Special designs with longer stroke lengths can also be requested.

Actuator control in Russia - Surgutneftegas is to use Actuator Control Systems (ACS) from ASCO Numatics to control large actuators at its Kirishi refinery near St Petersburg (RU).
Newsletters received in week ending:
22 July 2011

Product InSights
PharmaWebWatcher
Training & Cert. enews
Test Industry News
Best darn newsletter
Motion Control upDate
PharmaManufacturing enews
ControlDesign enews
The Shield
Automation Weekly
ControlEngineering EME
HazardEX
Safety Automation InSights
Laser Measurement News
EMT Worldwide
ProductInsights
Lean CEO
MadgeTech news
ControlGlobal e-news
DPA Direct

We only include e-mail Newsletters which are also in Web Format.


European distributor awards presented in Dublin - Hitachi Europe Ltd, Display Products Group (DPG) presented awards to four of its distributors for their outstanding contributions in delivering growth and design win opportunities in a challenging but re-energized European marketplace that saw Hitachi DPG increase its market share and launch its new Rugged+ TFT display line-up.

Dough quality takes the biscuit! - Bolletje, a Dutch baked goods manufacturer with 500 employees and three plants in The Netherlands, needed to solve a production issue: variation in the quality of its dough from batch to batch due to inconsistent process execution. They turned to GE Intelligent Platforms for help.

Power modules for fast switching motor drive applications - An article from Vincotech, provides a comparison of two technologies, Trench Field Stop and Planar Cell Field Stop Technology, and explains what is best for fast switching motor drive applications.

Communication protocol leads the field! - According to a recent market study released by the ARC Advisory Group, 46 percent of all field devices installed worldwide at year-end 2010--32 million devices--communicate using the HART® Communication Protocol.

New roles at automation company - Moore Industries-International has promoted two executives, Scott Saunders and Gary Prenticem to new roles in order to facilitate the company's growth and maintain its leadership position in the design and manufacture of electronic measurement and interface instruments for the process industries.

Examining the automation market - ARC is hosting a mini-forum at Automation Week 2011, ARC Inside: Automation Market Outlook and Business Performance Strategies for 2012 and Beyond, where ARC Analysts will share results of timely market research and provide useful recommendations to help companies prosper in highly competitive global markets.

Asian motion control network makes strides in North America - Membership of The Mechatrolink Members Association (MMA) has reached the 900 member plateau, including 50 firms in North America. The MMA is a group of Mechatrolink product developers and users who promote the use of Mechatrolink, an industrial network optimised for motion control.
See our Fieldbus Page for details of this and other fieldbus protocols

Tools should not limit discovery and innovation! - National Instruments held a press conference in London to emphasise their commitment to the future of engineering and how they help solving real-world engineering challenges. It anticipated the launch of LabVIEW 2011 and the latest cutting edge NI software and hardware for test, control and design which will occur at NI Week in the US in the first week of August.

Flowmeters improve turbine proficiency - Ansaldo Energia is using Micro Motion® Coriolis flowmeters from Emerson Process Management to provide highly accurate measurements of the volumes of air and fuel being used by gas turbines on a test rig at its factory in Genoa (I).

Laureate recognises smart energy IT strategy - Mainstream received a Laureate Medal recently in the prestigious 2011 Computerworld Honours Program for their project "Faster, Better, Simpler IT Strategy with Smart Energy Reference Architecture."

New ATEX-certified junction boxes - Marechal Electric has introduced a new range of ATEX-certified, IP66-sealed junction boxes which combine safe electrical connections in harsh, wet and hazardous environments, with the flexibility to specify a mix of Exe terminals with currents ranging from 4A to 350A and cable sizes ranging from 1.5mm² to 240mm².

FDT White paper - The FDT Group has published a new White Paper titled, "Specifying FDT Technology - Putting Your Assets to Work!" which is now available.

Freedom of choice in platforms - This year has seen three test platforms continuing to develop their market message and attract new users from older platforms such as GPIB and VXI, the choices seem to continue to expand for users. David Owen, US Business Development Manager, and Bob Stasonis, US Marketing Manager Pickering Interfaces make a comment on industry developments.

What does # signify? Automation hashtags! - Do YOU know what a Hashtag is? Do you know what #ISAuto or #PAuto means! This is an interesting and needed resource is now on ISA Exchange!

Top custom magazine - For the fifth time out of the last six years, The Journal from Rockwell Automation and Our Partners has been recognized as a top custom magazine in business-to-business publishing. In addition, the magazine has won seven awards, setting a record for the most honours bestowed on the magazine in one year.

Innovative wireless marine polution control application - Emerson Process Management is installing an innovative wireless continuous emission monitoring (CEM) system at Singaport Cleanseas Pte Ltd, a large marine pollution reception facility for the collection and disposal of hazardous waste, located in Pulau Sebarok, Singapore.

Mission critical at eBay! - eBay chose a mission critical system that includes Quad PAC Redundancy Control Systems from GE Intelligent Platforms. This infrastructure investment is to avoid $2,000 per second impact for downtime

Ethernet conference to tour Europe! - To promote the benefits of Ethernet POWERLINK connectivity, the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) is holding a series of conferences across Europe. It is to show how a consistent and well integrated solution of robotics, machine vision, pneumatics and motion and control, could boost automation performance.

European dominance of general purpose test equipment markets maintained! - The European general purpose test equipment market is recovering from the economic recession. Significant research and development in Western Europe and the growing manufacturing opportunities in Eastern Europe are set to open up a number of lucrative market opportunities according to a report form Frost & Sullivan.

I & C for Saudi water installation - ABB has won an order worth about $15 million from Japanese pump manufacturer, Torishima Pump, to provide a turnkey electrical control and instrumentation solution for a new pumping station under construction in Saudi Arabia.

Enhanced SCADA! - Black Diamond 1.5 from Viklele Associates is a significantly enhanced version of our state of the art process automation and visualization SCADA.

Code reading system! - Vision systems integrator, Olmec-UK Ltd, has launched a versatile, extremely simple to use code reading system for standard and hi-speed character recognition and verification on labels.
Newsletters received in week ending:
15 July 2011

Pharma WebWatcher
Test Industry News
Motion Control
HardwarePT Monthly
ControlDesign enews
PharmaManufacturing enews
The Shield
Pharma QbD e-news
Automation Weekly
Control Engineering
Communications Test
EMT Worldwide
Process News
ProfiNet Update
Test & Measurement World
ControlGlobal enews
DPA Direct

We only include e-mail Newsletters which are also in Web Format.


Assembling fibre optic fibres! - Harting has introduced a new assembly tool which greatly simplifies and speeds up the assembly of polymer optic fibres, while also producing connections with low attenuation levels.

Totally integrated online experience - Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, offers electronic engineers and procurement professionals the most comprehensive user experience on the World Wide Web.
This release sent us philosophising!

Energy savings potential for production plants - Energy-efficient production means more than just the use of variable-speed drives and efficient motors with low energy consumption. The question going forward is how to selectively place complete production lines or portions thereof into an energy saving mode during unproductive times. Here Prof. Dr. Frithjof Klasen presents the results of a PROFIenergy study.

Analysis, Reporting of Engineering Measurement Data - National Instruments has announced NI DIAdem 2011, the latest version of the software tool specifically designed to make engineers and scientists more efficient when locating, inspecting, analyzing and reporting on measurement data.

Oil, gas and power users meet - More than 20 oil and gas super majors and power generation giants from Europe and the Middle East gathered at the SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy) Equipment Performance Centre just outside of Leeds (GB) for the SmartSignal Corporation User Group meeting, to learn about the value of Proficy SmartSignal solutions and the company's expanded roadmap as part of GE's Proficy software product suite.

Partner in automation event! - Schneider Electric is an ISA Automation Week 2011 Partner according to a statement from the International Society of Automation (ISA). Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management and sustainable manufacturing, helping businesses work better, faster, more efficiently and profitably.

Acquisition completed! - Since July 1, AWR, a leading supplier of electronic design automation (EDA) software for designing RF and high-frequency components and systems for the semiconductor, aerospace and defence, communications and test equipment industries, is operating as a wholly owned National Instruments subsidiary under the leadership of the existing management team.

Process management academy for Antwerp - ARC Advisory Group's 8th annual Process Management Academy (PMA) will be held March 5-6, 2012 in Antwerp, Belgium. With an emphasis on practical strategies, best practices, and maximizing the business benefits of safe and sustainable manufacturing,

Investment in gas detection - Senscient has secured a significant investment to support the global deployment of it multi-gas detection system.

Wireless seminars prove popular - WirelessHART vendor-neutral seminars provide valuable info & firsthand experience for industry users in Northa America and in Europe.

width=90 height=15> Coriolis flow measurement for corrosive & harsh environment - The Micro Motion® ELITE® High Capacity Coriolis meter is now available in Super Duplex material to handle corrosive applications and harsh environments.

Weighing systems European presence - Having only recently cemented the details of a newly formed partnership within India, Rice Lake Weighing Systems (RLWS) have announced the opening of a fully staffed European distribution center. Rice Lake Weighing Systems Europe B.V. is now open in Arnhem (NL).

Enhanced calibration services for power measurements - An enhanced calibration service for high-frequency AC power measurements is now being offered by Yokogawa Europe through its European Standards Laboratory in Amersfoort, Netherlands.

New website in force! - The Chatillon® brand moves into its 176th year with exciting new products and a completely revised website.

New flexible temp Tx gives user flexibility - Status Instruments has launched a new 'smart' temperature transmitter range that accepts resistance signals including RTD, Slidewire or Thermocouple sensors, and converts them to a standard industrial (4 to 20) mA transmission over a user programmed range.

Head for new environmental unit! - Graham Leggett has joined Tiger Optics as product manager of its environmental division.

Video monitoring nuclear bomb site clean up! - Industrial Video and Control (IVC) is supplying video cameras - 50% of which are radiation tolerant - to Parsons Corporation for the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), a plant designed to process liquid waste stored in underground tanks at the Savannah River Site, a former nuclear facility.

Enterprise partnership - Invensys Operations Management has been recognised in being named as Microsoft Global Enterprise Partner of the Year in the category Alliance ISV Industry for excellence and innovation in using Microsoft-based solutions to help its manufacturing and infrastructure management customers achieve operational excellence.

Exhaust temp profiling! - Madgetech's exhaust temperature profiling system is now available with additional features to address carb regulations.

Boosted attendance at user group event! - Focus is on transformation, via mobilization and virtualization says Nick Denbow of IAI in his report on Honeywell's User Group event in Arizona last June.

The passing of a pioneer! - His many friends throughout the world will be sad to hear of the passing of Maurice Radford, a founding member of ISA Ireland and onetime District 12 VP. He was aged 77 and died peacefully on Sunday 10th July after a long illness. R.I.P.

Expands its transformer business - Dry-type transformers and inductors from Trafor Group to complement ABB portfolio and help address fast growing markets and applications.

Merger agreement announced - ITT Corporation and privately held YSI Incorporated have entered into a definitive agreement for ITT to acquire, via merger.

Multilingual website! - Thomson Industries' website is now available in seven new languages. Already available in English, German and Chinese, the site is now fully translated and functional in Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Polish and Turkish.

Test tools for competition - Fluke test tools have been chosen by WorldSkills 2011 to be used by the Competitors within the 'Manufacturing and Engineering Technology' category at the event, to be held over four days at ExCeL London from 5-8 October 2011.

Network diagnostics workshop! - This new seminar focuses on the practical aspects of maintenance and diagnostics of PROFIBUS and PROFINET installations (23rd September 2011, Warwick GB).

New com port software for RS232, Modbus and RS485 Devices - Windmill Software have a new version of the ComDebug data logging and com port trouble-shooting software.

Automation social networking! - The new educational, news-and-blog site from ISA, ISA Exchange, provides automation professionals with an opportunity for finding relevant, high-quality technical knowledge; engaging with each other for information sharing and problem solving; and strengthening professional networks.
Newsletters received in week ending:
8 July 2011

Pharma WebWatcher
Industrial Networking enews
Test Industry News
ISA InSights (Member newsletter)
PharmaManufacturing enews
Factory Automation update
The Shield
ControlDesign
ProfiNews (GB)
David Spitzer's ezine
Product InSights
PAT QbD insider
Automation Weekly
Switch Channel News
ControlEngineering EME
NewsInsights
HazardEx
ControlGlobal enews
EMT Worldwide
Connections
Contemporary Controls
DPA Direct

We only include e-mail Newsletters which are also in Web Format.


Sub-Saharan Africa representation - Invensys Operations Management has appointed EOH, the largest enterprise applications provider in South Africa, as its sole representative in sub-Saharan Africa.

Software deployed in coal, wind and gas power generation - SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) is widely expanding its use of GE Intelligent Platforms' Proficy® SmartSignal predictive-diagnostic software and services. Predictive diagnostics will be used in combined-cycle, coal, wind, and gas storage--along with new research project on boiler tube leaks.

Missing the security boat? - "Navigating the World of Automation" was the theme of the Siemens US 2011 Automation Summit held last month in Orlando Florida. Here are some thoughts based on tweets and other reports!

Cryogenic fluid custody transfer - Micro Motion® Coriolis flowmeters from Emerson Process Management are being used by Cryostar in its fuel dispensers for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vehicles because they have have European, Asian, Australian and U.S. approvals for cryogenic fluids in custody transfer applications.

Low cost video tracker - GE Intelligent Platforms has announced the ADEPT3000 miniature rugged automatic video tracker. Designed for the detection, surveillance and tracking of still or moving objects,

Flexible and modular - Rittal's Ri4Power, Form 1-4, offers an economic approach to low voltage switchgear requirements with easy planning, simple handling, quick installation and a high-degree of modularity. Ri4Power Form 1-4, allows switchgear manufacturers to fabricate every known form of internal subdivision from one single set of modules.

Machine safety in Europe: "Safety is Good Business!" - Stringent regulatory norms in Europe are supporting the strong growth of the machine safety market in the region say new research from Frost & Sullivan.

Systems integrator in South Africa - Invensys Operations Management has named Advansys (Pty) Ltd to its global ecosystem of partners as an Endorsed System Integrator (ESI).

Safety offering deepened! - Emerson Process Management has acquired Net Safety Monitoring, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of fixed toxic and combustible gas detectors, flame detectors, safety systems, and other safety and security products.

Pulp & paper offering strengthened - ABB has agreed to acquire Lorentzen & Wettre from ASSA ABLOY AB (publ) for a price of about €83million, to strengthen its business in the pulp and paper area.

Practical lab measurements & instrumentation - The Handbook of Laboratory Measurements and Instrumentation is a practical oriented book which presents to readers experimental and laboratory activities with an approach as close as possible to reality, even offering remote access to experiments, providing to the reader an excellent guide and tool for learning laboratory techniques.
Critique by Dr. Sergey Y. Yurish, International Frequency Sensor Association (IFSA)

Fault insertion modules - Pickering Interfaces is expanding its range of PXI Fault Insertion solutions with the introduction of the 40-197 and the 40-198. Fault Insertion (FI) modules are used within an Automatic Test System to simulate common fault conditions such as an open, short to ground or a short to other connections in a device under test.

Trace gas analyser for SF - Tiger Optics is continuing to expand the capabilities of its patented CW-CRDS technology, and has just announced plans to introduce the LaserTrace 3TM trace gas analyzer at the Semicon West trade show in San Francisco (US).

Switch based on RFID - A new electronic contactless safety switch for protective equipment, such as covers, flaps and doors, has been introduced by Siemens.

A new momentum! - Recently Read-out attended the Summer Leaders' Meeting of the International Society of Automation in the city of St Louis in the United States. These are some reflections on the event.

"It's an ill wind..." Storm chaser to blow in! - National Instruments has announced that Tim Samaras, severe-storms researcher and star of the Discovery TV Channel show "Storm Chasers," will deliver the closing keynote address at NIWeek 2011 scheduled for Aug. 2-4 in Austin, Texas.

Flexible data cables for 10 Gigabit Ethernet applications - Harting has developed a new generation of flexible data cables which guarantee transmission in accordance with the IEEE 802.3an 10 GBase-D Ethernet standard.

Affordable non-contact torque transducer avoids need for slip-rings - For applications where measurements are to be taken from a rotating shaft without resorting to the use of slip rings, then the new Model 1700 Series transducers from RDP Electronics provide a cost effective solution.

Control & instrumentation for South Africa power facility - Yokogawa South Africa has received a contract from Eskom, a South African public power utility, to supply control systems and instrumentation for the outside plant and water treatment plant at Tutuka Power Station.

Reducing costs, improving quality & reducing waste in paper mill - Cartiere del Garda is using a Micro Motion(R) density meter from Emerson Process Management to accurately measure the concentration of kaolin and other additives in the coating process at its paper mill on the banks of Lake Garda in Italy.

Global demand for humidity and gas analysers boosts growth - Michell Instruments has begun work to expand its head office and British manufacturing site. The increased capacity - from 20,000 sq ft to 40,000 sq ft - will include new production and development facilities, as well as increased office space.

Temp compensated liquid dispenser - The Deeter Group has introduced their new Liquid Volume Dispenser. Typical applications include dosing of chemicals, colours, flavourings or control of any liquid being dispensed in a manufacturing process or laboratory.