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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

Cloud 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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.