Human-machine interface for adverse ambient conditions. - With the new variants in its Ex BF 80 product series, the steute business unit Extreme is not targeting the mass market of human-machine interface users. There is however an essential difference between these new devices and conventional products: they have been developed especially for use in explosive environments and in temperatures ranging from -60°C to +65°C.

Expanding System Integration/Services & Leveraging PTC Software - Rockwell Automation Fair 2019 - Automation.com's Bill Lydon reports Integration was the heavy emphasis for Rockwell Automation at Automation Fair 2019, th a particular focus on expanding the system integration business and launching Rockwell Automation Lifecycle Services, as well as greater PTC software integration.

Wind sensor in the cold! - A VENTUS X ultrasonic wind sensor, from the OTT Hydromet Group, has been deployed by researchers at the Summit Station on the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Arctic, 10,000 feet above sea level, as part of a project investigating the role of aerosols in cloud formation. With integrated heaters and no moving parts, the wind sensor does not require recalibration – a vital feature of equipment in one of the most remote locations on Earth.

Electronic product award. - Harting's T1 Industrial has won the award for 'Passive and Electromechanical Product of the Year' at the Elektra Awards held recently in London.

Who Is Accountable for Safety Systems’ Cybersecurity? - Overview Protecting hazardous and high-risk processes usually require a properly designed safety system. There has been considerable debate about the appropriate level of connectivity (if any) between safety instrumented systems (SIS) and basic process control systems (BPCS), most recently with respect to the security implications. While it is important to make the right choice in each specific situation, many factors must be considered to achieve secure operation. Integration of development systems is distinct from integration of safety and other controllers during regular operation.

Perfecting Heat Treatment and Endothermic Processing - For iron and steel, one of the most common approaches for hardening these relatively soft materials is to perform heat treatment under endothermic atmospheres. There are many methods for heat-treating metal alloys, some of which include case-hardening or surface hardening and annealing, but the general purpose of the treatment is to help improve the durability or hardness of the material.

Industrial box thin clients. - The industrial box thin clients from Pepperl+Fuchs are a reliable and rugged generation of computers for visualizing process information. They have been specially developed for use in harsh conditions and 24/7 operation in industrial environments.

Managing industrial wireless networks. - Emerson has added two new IIoT solutions to its Plantweb™ Insight data analytics platform that will enable industrial facilities to transform the way they manage their enterprise-level wireless network infrastructure.

Hollow shaft rotary actuators. - The new HLMT series hollow shaft rotary actuators from JVL A/S take a novel approach to decentralised precision positioning tasks on rotary tables and automated machines where a through aperture is required for routing services or maintaining a clear line of site. Available in the Britain from Mclennan the design features an offset motor mounting in five model variants with clear through-hole diameters from 20 to 30 mm and rated torque output of 5 to 142 Nm.

"Data is power" examined. - Manufacturing companies are working on a European data infrastructure in which they shall have full control over their data and in which real-time processing and artificial intelligence (AI) for the digital transformation and networking of industry are possible. Gaia-X is the name of the project, and it calls for new solutions. Learn more about the Gaia-X digital large-scale project and other solutions for the challenges of digital transformation in the new issue of “be top” – in the printed magazine or online.

Cybersecurity courses agreement. - The International Society of Automation (ISA) and the University of Akron, an influential public research university in the region (OH USA), have entered into a workforce training agreement to offer the ISA IEC62443 Cybersecurity Training and Certificate program in Akron.

Enhancing truck and railcar loading. - Emerson now offers a MID-certified, turnkey flow measurement solution in Europe that enhances truck and railcar loading operations by improving measurement accuracy and traceability, increasing loading bay availability, and reducing operating costs. The new solution addresses custody transfer applications for downstream terminals, refineries, LNG plants and chemical plants, where accurate and reliable measurement of all product transfers is essential.

CAD Software. - RS Components (RS) has introduced the latest version of its award-winning free-for-use DesignSpark PCB electronics CAD software. New features within DesignSpark PCB version 9 include dangling connection detection in schematics, net selection in copper pour areas, and enhancements to Excellon NC drill files.

Supporting Gen5 testing. - A new PCI Express test solution, supporting the Gen5 Base Specification Stressed Receiver Test has been released by Anritsu Corporation.

Call for papers - IIoT & Smart Manufacturing. - The IIoT & Smart Manufacturing Conference, (14-17th April 2020 - Galveston TX USA) encompasses advances in connectivity, automation, and security within the operational context of hybrid manufacturing applications across multiple vertical industries and focuses on real-world applications that examine the challenges of adoption, integration, and implementation of new technology.

Manufacturing's contraction continuing at a faster rate. - The Manufacturing ISM Report On Business is published monthly by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the largest supply management organization in the world, as well as one of the most respected. Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in November, and the overall economy grew for the 127th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. Manufacturing contracted in November, as the PMI registered 48.1%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the October reading of 48.3%.

Seamless Communication from the Field Level to the Cloud. - Pepperl+Fuchs has become the first company to offer IO-Link masters with an OPC UA interface and is therefore paving the way for end-to-end, transparent, and seamless communication from the lowest field level to the cloud.

What is on the list of trends for 2020? - Growing volumes of data, a secure European cloud (data control), rapid upgrades of data centres and rising energy consumption are the IT/data centre trends for Rittal in 2020. For example, the use of OCP (Open Compute Project) technology and heat recovery offers solutions for the challenges of the present.

A clean connection. - Businesses in the food industry who want to shorten set-up times and reduce production stoppages can do so by using connectors. As a result, Harting have developed the Han® F+B series. The series is specially designed to provide strong resistance to detergents, function in a wide temperature range from -40 to +125°C and prevent the build-up of dirt.

Advanced analytics. - Seeq Corporation has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Industrial Software Competency status. This designation recognizes that Seeq has demonstrated technical steps proficiency and proven customer success building solutions targeting one or more of the primary steps in discrete manufacturing or process industries in Product Design, Production Design, Production/Operations.

Pressure sensor with mobile equipment. - Variohm EuroSensor's new EPT31LE series pressure sensor features extremely fast power-up and response times and a low power consumption that perfectly suits mobile equipment pressure monitoring used in combination with battery and/or solar powered wireless transmitting systems.

Autoscribe Informatics has appointed Claude Hatfield as President, North American Operations.

Battery management in electric cars. - Rimac Automobili is planning to incorporate ADI's (Analog Devices) precision battery management system (BMS) integrated circuits (ICs) into Rimac's BMS. ADI's technology provides Rimac's BMS with the ability to extract maximum energy and capacity out of its batteries by calculating reliable State of Charge and other battery parameters at any given time.

AI inference development platform. - Xilinx has announced its AI inference development platform, Vitis™ AI is available for immediate download free of charge.

Solderless connectors. - Intelliconnect has extended its award-winning range of solderless, field-replaceable connectors to include a version for 0.047" semi-rigid cables. When assembled, semi-rigid cables can be factory formed or routed as required in situ.

3 Gigabit Ethernet Switch. - Red Lion Controls have just released their innovative new NT328G Layer 3 Ethernet switch. Offering 28 high-speed ports (24-Gigabit, 4-10 Gigabit) and reliable wire-speed switching performance, the NT328G offers exceptional performance and reliability to meet the current and future needs of the Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, Energy, Transportation, and video and security sectors, as well as other bandwidth-intensive industrial applications.

Inventors recognised! - Siemens has honoured 23 particularly resourceful researchers as Inventors of the Year 2019. Together, these scientists are responsible for some 1,450 inventions and 1,500 individual patents. Most of the inventors are from Germany, the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, Spain, Italy and Romania.

Asset Management Trends - With the pace of change accelerating in today's industrial organizations, the expectations of the maintenance and operations departments continue to grow as well. In fact, this change is advancing in lock-step with the underlying equipment that must be more productive, efficient, and reliable than ever before. For maintenance organizations to keep up, new approaches and solutions to maximize equipment productivity and uptime are needed.

Slurry Sensor and Transmitter for high noise applications. - Emerson's Rosemount™ MS Slurry Sensor with the 8782 Slurry Transmitter is a slurry magnetic flow meter specifically designed for high noise and slurry applications for use in the oil and gas, mining, and pulp and paper industries.