The first Read-out
September 1977


Ask about prices
Site Map
Signpost
Events
News
Organisations
publications
Acromyms
Education and Research
Standards
Jobs
News and Discussion Groups
Poetry
Directories & Portals
Links
Details of awards received by the Signpost are here.

Key Resource


All contents copyright © 1995 - 2021 Readout Publications
The Read- Out Instrumentation Signpost
Measurement, Control and Automation Resources throughout the World



NEWS
Date of last update as at the top of the list (d/m/yy).

Our Archive Page has earlier news.

Contact Details

Statistics

Your Advert (prices)

This Site

Automation News appears on our Facebook Page up to 24 hours earlier than on our news or home pages.
#PAuto tweets

All tweets hashtaged #Pauto used to be available here but this is no longer facilitated by twitter (technical reasons!) but by clicking the image above PAuto tweets may be viewed directly.

Press releases from your company may be sent to any of the addresses shown on our Contacts Page.

Worried about writing PR pieces?
And here is some advice from Control's Walt Boyes PR Wall of Shame and more recently Chris Rand on 10 questions about PR for technical companies ...and 10 answers is useful especially for the smaller enterprise - but the big ones can learn too!

And what about pictures? "Do your photos make - or break - your press releases?" asks Chris Rand on BMON.


Is your website helpful to journalists? Let Marcia Youdkin guide you!
Test your release for readability and understandability on the Gobbledygook Grader

News from the island of Ireland is indicated by the map or by a harp - the national instrument of Ireland! (right).


Nollaig 2020 December
31/12/2021
    publications The Future of Work. - The INSIDER has been on hiatus, but it is time to resume commentary on the world of technology and manufacturing. Amazingly, the same things are being discussed, studied, and argued over that were being discussed, studied, and argued over when we stopped publishing before. (Walt Boyes Insider 4.0)
29/12/2021
    APPLICATION Smart Manufacturing Trends and Technologies. - A smart factory is a highly digitized production facility that relies on fully integrated, collaborative manufacturing systems that can respond in real-time to changing and dynamic conditions. Additionally, the actual manufacturing processes are enhanced, and the product significantly improved through the adoption of emerging smart manufacturing trends and technologies. (ARC Advisory)
22/12/2021
    APPLICATION Reduce downtime and risk with effective alarm management. - Improper alarm management contributes to lost production, costing industrial facilities millions in unplanned downtime – not to mention creating the potential for a major industrial incident. When operators face dozens of alarms during a facility upset, it’s almost impossible to quickly separate important from unimportant alarms, slowing response time for addressing a problem before it escalates. (Control Engineering)

    NEWS Achieve multivendor industrial control program portability - The formation of the UniversalAutomation Organization is a bold strategy to achieve multivendor industrial program portability and interoperability with a single IEC 61499 runtime code in PLCs, DCS controllers, instruments, actuators, edge computers and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) devices. (ex Automation.com)

20/12/2021
    NEWSImproving Europe's digital infrastructure. - By fostering public and private investments, the European Commission's CEF Digital programme will contribute to connectivity projects of common EU interest and to the deployment of safe, secure and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, including Gigabit and 5G networks across the EU. Improving Europe's connectivity infrastructure will be fundamental for achieving Europe's digital transformation, as outlined in the ‘Path to the Digital Decade', and for ensuring that all EU households have gigabit connectivity, and all populated areas are covered by 5G by 2030. (ARC Advisory)

    NEWS VFD manufacturer drives ahead! - Invertek Drives is expanding following significant growth in global sales.said the investment will create an expansion to its global variable frequency drive (VFD) manufacturing and distribution centre, along with the development of a new Application Centre.

17/12/2021
    NEWS Leading in DCS. - Recognized as one of the industry’s most authoritative sources, the DCS market analysis and forecast report by ARC Advisory Group has been published annually for the past 40 years, with ABB consistently in the lead for more than half that time. The report lists the top DCS players, providing an overview of key trends, the progress of the DCS over the past year within regional and industry contexts, potential market impacts and the expected DCS trajectory over a five year period.

    APPLICATION Systems for long-range methane detection system. - FPGA cards are to be supplied into a basin-wide methane scanning and monitoring system by Abaco Systems. The system yields faster analysis and repair of oil and gas operations to reduce the accidental leakage of methane, which accounts for about 10% of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

    PRODUCT Air quality sensor. - The SGP41 VOC+NOx sensor for indoor air quality applications is supplied by Sensirion. The sensor is designed as a digital smart switch and regulation unit for air treatment devices such as air purifiers.

16/12/2021
    publicationsPositive Displacement flow. - A new study, The World Market for Positive Displacement Flowmeters, 3rd Edition, is now shipping from Flow Research. This is the most comprehensive study they have ever done on the positive displacement (PD) flowmeter market. The study includes a complete treatment of PD flowmeters by type, including oval gear, rotary, gear, helical, nutating disc, piston, diaphragm, and spur gear.

    PRODUCT A first in LAN modules. - Innodisk has announced its all-new EGPL-T101 M.2 2280 10GbE LAN module, the first 10GbE LAN designed in M.2 form factor, features flexible integration and excellent compatibility with existing network infrastructure for crucial backward compatibility.

    PRODUCT Efficient PSUs for medical & industrial applications. - The GB130Q family of highly efficient, 130W quad output power supplies in a 3" X 5" Open frame form factor is now available from SL Power Electronics. Rich in features and developed specifically for next-generation applications the screw-less design with no topside heatsink allows for a more automated assembly, increasing system reliability and reducing system costs.

    PRODUCT Boosting servo drive adoption. - Delta has launched the new compact and high-efficiency servo system ASDA-B3 Series, which offers a user-friendly operation environment with precise motion control functions, a newly- added safe torque off (STO) function, high responsiveness up to 3.1kHz and high positioning precision with over 16.7 million pulses per revolution to optimize production efficiency and output value in a wide range of applications, such as machine tools, electronics, semiconductors, industrial robots, printing, packaging, textiles, warehousing, and medical.

    NEWS Acquisition consolidates service to wind power generation. - Emerson has acquired Mita-Teknik in an all-cash transaction. Founded in 1969, Mita-Teknik is a leader in the control automation business for wind power generation, equipping wind turbines and wind farms with technologies for optimal performance and unsurpassed reliability.

15/12/2021
    NEWS Sustainability and Smart Home awards. - Schneider Electric has announced four CES 2022 Innovation Awards across the Sustainability and Smart Home categories. Their Wiser Energy Center, anchored by the Square D™ Energy Center in the US, has been named Honoree in Sustainability and Smart Home Categories
14/12/2021
    PRODUCT Smart thermal imager. - The LWIR-640 long-wavelength thermal imager from Ametek Land provides continuous and reliable temperature measurements in harsh industrial and environmental conditions. It delivers a full temperature measurement range of 0 to 1000 °C (32 to 1832 °F) in two ranges, as well as a choice of different optics and field of view (FOV) options.
13/12/2021
    APPLICATION Solar installation troubleshooting. - The new-to-market Fluke 393 FC Clamp Meter is the world’s only CAT III 1500 V rated true-rms clamp meter which enables technicians to take measurements in DC environments, such as industrial solar farms. The tool was tailormade to test and measure solar PV applications with key functions.

    PRODUCT Powering intelligent water loss management. - ABB’s AquaMaster4 Mobile Comms flowmeter is the latest wireless solution for continuous flow measurement, the logging of accurate data and communication of information that is critical for today’s water management. Superior connectivity on 4G-LTE and NB-IoT networks enables the AquaMaster4 electromagnetic flowmeter to facilitate 60 percent lower power consumption, identifying leaks ten times faster than the market standard.

10/12/2021
    NEWSMTP Added to PI Technology Portfolio. - Module Type Package (MTP) reduces the time and effort required for the planning, configuration and commissioning of a factory. The modularization of a production plant makes it possible to use standardized plant parts. MTP was created by NAMUR and ZVEI. In PI, both organizations have found a solid partner for the further development, quality assurance and international distribution of MTP. (PI)

    PRODUCT Miniaturized CO2 sensor. - Sensirion has launched a new product in its SCD4x miniaturized CO2 sensor series. The SCD42 has been designed for products that fall under California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24), and is therefore perfectly suited for US HVAC applications. The sensor is now available worldwide through their distribution network.

    PRODUCT Digitalization of process plants. - IO-Link is enjoying increasing popularity, with demand for the communications standard growing rapidly, especially in the food & beverage industry. The fieldbus-independent technology for point-to-point communication is easy to use and provides a cost-effective way to digitalize industrial plants. Endress+Hauser offers a wide range of IO-Link products for a large selection of process parameters.

    APPLICATION Industrial digitalization agreement. - Seeq Corporation has reached an agreement with Saudi Aramco to further expand its operational analytics strategy as part of the company’s ongoing Digital Transformation program. The agreement will provide Saudi Aramco engineers and subject matter experts with Seeq’s self-service analytics, predictive modeling data analytics, and visualization tools.

    PRODUCT Combustion optimization oxygen gas analyzer. - A new, compact process, in-situ gas analyzer from Process Insights, measuring both combustibles (COe) and oxygen (O2), provides fast, optimal combustion control for many applications like refining and petrochemical, power, and steam generation, and in furnace and kilns. (This product is only available in the U.S.A.)

9/12/2021
    Education and Research Reduce downtime and risk with effective alarm management - Improper alarm management contributes to lost production, costing industrial facilities millions in unplanned downtime – not to mention creating the potential for a major industrial incident. When operators face dozens of alarms during a facility upset, it’s almost impossible to quickly separate important from unimportant alarms, slowing response time for addressing a problem before it escalates. (Control Engineering)

    StandardsCloud library launched. - The OPC Foundation has announced the launch of the globally available UA Cloud Library co-developed with the Clean Energy and Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII). With its multi-cloud architecture, the UA Cloud Library saw contributions from all major cloud vendors leveraging open interfaces and is available for sharing, finding, and collaborating on OPC UA Information Models.

    PRODUCT Pressure sensor module. - The model MTF-1 pressure sensor module from WIKA is a simple and flexible option for integrating pressure measurement into a wide variety of applications. The pressure value is digitally processed in the module and output as a standardised digital or analogue signal.

    NEWS Gas sensor manufacturer acquired by global instrument company. - Alphasense, the English gas sensor manufacturer, has been acquired by AMETEK the well known group specialising in electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.

8/12/2021
    PRODUCT Bucking delivery trend for pyrometers. - High-performance infrared temperature measurement systems with a low, consistent, and reliable lead time are offered by AMETEK Land. Industries are facing significant delays in the supply chain but AMETEK Land is bucking this trend and maintaining its excellent delivery times, particularly with the SPOT high-performance pyrometers.

    PRODUCT Full version of innovative cloud software. - The free version of eManage allowed users to upload, share and manage EPLAN Platform projects in the cloud environment. EPLAN is now presenting the full version of the software, which offers considerably more added value: master data can be accessed in the cloud as can supplementary documents, and performance is increased with additional capacity. Collaboration is at the heart of the application, which networks OEMs, system integrators, machine builders and operators.

    Education and Research Evaluating and mitigating process control safety risks. - Automation and safety systems protect us from accidents that can cause serious incidents leading to loss of production, equipment damage, environmental releases, and harm to personnel. Here’s how to prevent these potential catastrophes before they occur by applying proper safety procedures and standards. (Inside Automation)

    PRODUCT Helping accelerate the drive to vehicle electrification. - Support for the automotive industry's changing needs as it transforms from the internal combustion engine (ICE) towards electrification is an important part of Festo's expertise and resources. From its comprehensive product portfolio, Festo offers coordinated solutions for the robust, safe and precise gripping and transport of battery cells, along with many years of experience to help optimise machine safety and energy efficiency.

    PRODUCT Safe differential pressure measurement. - The new model DPT-20 differential pressure transmitter from WIKA is suitable for many industrial processes. As a SIL-2 certified instrument, it meets the highest safety requirements.

    Education and Research Security for IoT Networks Needs to Reflect an OT Mindset, - ​As defenders and engineers who need to keep systems running securely and safely, it’s important to understand how the adoption of IoT impacts visibility and security for OT systems. (Automation.com)

7/12/2021
    PRODUCT Digital humidity sensor for industry. - Sensirion is expanding its series of fourth-generation humidity sensors to include its SHT4xI-Digital sensor platform, which has been designed specifically for challenging industrial applications. The series consists of two accuracy versions SHT40I and SHT41I, which offer 5 V supply voltage, outstanding reliability and increased ESD protection.

    PRODUCT 16 Protocol Conformance Test - a first. - The Conformance Agreement Group (CAG) operated by Global Certification forum (GCF) has approved the industry first Release 16 Protocol Conformance tests for 5G New Radio (NR) at the CAG#68 meetings held in October 2021. This industry-first achievement has been verified on the Anritsu 5G NR Mobile Device Test Platform ME7834NR.

    PRODUCT Compact computing system. - A new rugged, compact computing system from AAEON is now available from Review Display Systems. The BOXER-6643-TGU is powered by 11th Generation Intel Core U processors which enable the system to deliver enhanced performance, wide temperature range operation, 5G support and other innovative technologies to support embedded controller and industrial IoT applications in challenging industrial environments.

    PRODUCT Pressure and vacuum switches. - PVL has announced the availability of a new series of pressure and vacuum switches with integrated EUROSWITCH S.p.A. connectors. These new products not only offer a wide range of integrated connector options but also provide the opportunity to be adjusted or recalibrated even with the connector mounted and potted for rugged weatherproofing. This allows adjustments to be made at the final stage of the production process or directly at the customer's site during system commissioning.

    APPLICATION Robotics lock the door! - METAL LS is a Bulgarian manufacturer of door locking systems, door and window handles and building hardware. They started planning the new automated assembly of door locks in 2019. The robotic systems that the company already used for other applications were too large for the planned production site, so the new solutions needed to be as compact and precise as possible, in addition to being state of the art. Following a comparison of various manufacturers and products, METAL LS opted for a robot system from Delta.

6/12/2021
    PRODUCT Shaft selector tool. - A real-time special machining configuration capability has been added by Thomson Industries to its online shaft selector tool. The new functionality enables customers to reduce the time spent in customising round rail shafting for their application needs to mere minutes instead of hours or even days.

    Education and Research Monitoring: The key to vaccine production and distribution safety - Manufacturing of any vaccine is a complex process that requires consistent monitoring to ensure efficiency and safety for the end user and for everyone involved. Just how vaccines are monitored... (Lab News)

3/12/2021
    Education and Research Drones as an Automation Tool. - Drones are being used to aid worker safety, perform facility inspections, detect anomalies, and collect data for Internet of Things applications in the discrete and process manufacturing industries.(Automation World incl video)

    PRODUCT Edge computing for AIoT. - The Moxa UC-2100 Series Arm-base computing platform is designed for embedded data acquisition and processing applications. It comes with up to two software selectable RS-232/422/485 full-signal serial ports and single or dual Ethernet ports. A variety of models are available for a wide range of interface requirements, such as single or dual serial and Ethernet ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and wireless connections. These versatile communication capabilities allow users to efficiently adapt the UC‑2100 for a variety of complex solutions.

    APPLICATION Solara panels installed on Irish island. - Almost 240 solar panels on twenty buildings on Inis Mór, Árainn are making the most of the sun on Inis Mór in Galway Bay as part of a European renewable energy project being implemented by Údarás na Gaeltachta and Comharchumann Forbartha Árann. This is Phase 2 of the ReAct initiative to have been implemented by the Údarás. (An t-alt seo i nGaeilge)

2/1/2021
    Education and Research Event-driven applications for embedded systems. - When opening any PC program, it’s obvious it is an event-driven application. Users need to click at a specific button/gadget to prompt the application to execute a desired action; otherwise, nothing happens. And if you are familiar with the C# programming language, which is probably the most important language for writing such PC applications (at least those running under Microsoft Windows), very likely you will use such code constructions. (Control Engineering)

    publications CAN Standard Newsletter magazine - The December issue of the CAN Newsletter magazine is online. It contains articles about generic CAN (FD) security requirements, achieving correct ESD protection for CAN FD, migration to CAN FD, application reports, and more. Additionally, Ken Tindell informs about how to defend against the Janus low-level CAN attack.

    APPLICATION Future mobility. - A subscription option focused on Future Mobility is being offered by IDTechEx as part of their market intelligence subscription services, including over 10,000 original analyst-created slides, more than 100 forecast lines across 50+ mobility markets, over 200 company based profiles based on primary research, and much more.

    PRODUCT Torque by wireless! - Sensor Technology has extended its new range of non-contact torque sensors up to 13,000Nm. When the range was launched in late 2020, the largest unit was 500Nm.

    PRODUCT Streaming four cameras for awkward installations. - The new Quartet TX2 carrier board from FLIR, enables streaming of 4 x high performance USB3 board level cameras simultaneously and at full bandwidth. This custom carrier board with TX2 is ideal for space constrained applications, eliminating the need for peripheral hardware and host systems.

1/12/2021
    PRODUCT Live fibre detector. - Fluke has launched a handheld tool that detects invisible near-infrared (850-1625nm) wavelengths used in fibre-optic communication to troubleshoot cable, port, polarity and transceiver issues.

    NEWS Energy competency status achieved. - Seeq Corporation has achieved Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) Energy Competency status. This designation recognizes that Seeq has demonstrated deep expertise helping customers leverage AWS cloud technology to transform complex systems and accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future.

    APPLICATION Fixed gas sensor for marine applications. - NevadaNano has announced a partnership with Recom Industrial in Genoa, (I), to deliver the Gas Point Safe Zone system, their unique Molecular Property Spectrometer™ (MPS™) fixed gas sensor for naval and shipyard environments. The Gas Point Safe Zone MPS-driven detection system reduces maintenance costs and increases uptime, protecting workers in virtually any environment where flammable gas mixtures are present.

    NEWS Flow calibration capabilities expanded. - The calibration capabilities in the U.S. of Endress+Hauser have been expanded with a new flow calibration rig located at the company’s recently inaugurated Houston Campus (TX USA). The rig will service customers’ flowmeters, including those from third-party vendors, and will have expanded line size and flowrate capabilities.

Samhain 2020 November

There are many online college and university degree programs available with distance learning. These include the associate degrees,the bachelor degree program and online mba degrees for a more comprehensive study.



The site is mantained by Eoin Ó Riain and any suggestions or thoughts are more than welcome.
Suggestions should be mailed to readout@iol.ie. Other Contact Details

The Signpost has been honoured to receive a number of awards.