Major pharma plant for Ireland. -

Cybersecurity standard approved for industrial networking devices - a first. - Moxa has obtained the world’s first IEC 62443-4-2 certification for industrial networking devices, as per the International Electrotechnical Commission for Electrical Equipment (IECEE) Certification Body Scheme. The certification is for one of the company’s next-generation networking solutions, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series, that will be introduced in March.

Rugged embedded computer system. - Impulse Embedded now supplies the ECX-3000 series from Vecow, a fanless embedded system powered by the latest range of Intel 12th Generation Core ‘Alder Lake’ processors. Featuring breakthrough technologies, enhanced graphics and high speed I/O the ECX-3000 series is perfectly suited for IoT, machine vision, in-vehicle computing, public safety and Edge AI applications.

Virtual edge gateway wins. - IoT.nxt’s innovative virtual gateway V-Raptor™ has been selected as the winner of the Enterprise IoT Management Innovation category in the annual IoT Breakthrough Awards* program this month. V-Raptor received the honours in the Enterprise IoT Management Innovation category.

Information: The King of IIoT ROI. - The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has a unique place in the manufacturing world. It has little to no physical footprint in the organization and requires little space from a digital perspective, but its ability to interconnect and sort signal from noise allows data to be in the right place at the right time and in the right format. This allows good data to be refined into information and assimilated into knowledge. (Automation.com)

Agreement for LED panel lamp and indicator ranges. - Anglia Components has expanded its relationship with MARL International and been named Master Distributor for Britain and Ireland covering the full range of panel lamps, PCB mounting indicators and other standard LED components. As Master Distributor, Anglia will not only carry an extensive stock of standard devices for customers and for other resellers, but will also offer support for customers who require customised products.

Scientific research and engineering infrared cameras. - Two families of X-Series science cameras, the X858x and X698x have been introduced by Teledyne FLIR. They offer high-speed and high-resolution thermal imaging capabilities for scientific research and engineering applications within the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum.

The most accurate current measurement transducer. - The IN 200 current measurement transducer, from LEM, is offering record levels of accuracy performance in current sensing with the launch of its IN 200 current measurement transducer. As the most accurate sensor of its kind on the market, the IN 200 is ideal for use in such demanding applications as high-precision test & measurement (T&M) equipment used to analyse the efficiency of inverters fitted to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).The IN 200 is able to offer significant performance improvements – particularly in terms of linearity, offset and noise immunity – over traditional fluxgate transducers through its use of a new kind of digital technology.

Tank level measurement. - The TORRIX XTS fill level sensor from Fanfir is now available from PVL. It is a maintenance free instrument which does not require recalibration, minimising cost of ownership.

Reducing gas process noise. - The Fisher™ WhisperTube Modal Attenuator has been intruduced by Emerson for noisy gas or vapour applications in a wide range of industries. The modal attenuator is a full-bore device offering 15-decibel sound suppression to reduce noise inside pipes produced by sources upstream, such as control valves or other devices. It is installed downstream of these types of devices in place of a pipe spool piece, generates no additional pressure drop, and has no impact on process flow.

Interference waveform pattern software. - An Interference Waveform Pattern for 5G NR Receiver Test MX371055A and Interference Waveform Pattern for LTE Receiver Test MX371054A software has been launched by Anritsu.

Process solutions on new website. - Now, more than ever, industrial end-users are hungry for digital innovation in their interactions with technology suppliers. These expectations will only rise, as businesses rely on the resources provided by digital tools. Honewell have announced that their new Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) website is now live!

Time-sensitive networking (TSN). - It has been touted as a means to help Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications achieve higher production efficiency as well as lower maintenance costs. Industry players who have started to utilize TSN technologies have demonstrated to the world that TSN is not just an embryonic idea, but a concrete technology.Here Liam Cheng, a Product Manager for TSN solutions with Moxa lists some advantages.

Salad days in Britain. - Existing leek harvesting machinery is adapted to lift the lettuce clear from the ground and grip it in between pinch belts. The lettuce’s outer, or ‘wrapper’, leaves will be mechanically removed to expose the stem. Machine vision and artificial intelligence are then used to identify a precise cut point on the stem to neatly separate the head of lettuce.The IDS Imaging GV-5280FA-C-HQ model with the compact 2/3" global shutter CMOS sensor IMX264 from Sony has been selected for this application here.

Event rescheduled. - Due to the current worldwide situation, this year’s HANNOVER MESSE has been rescheduled for 30 May – 2 June 2022.

Champion resellers and service partners! - Seeq Corporation has announced its 2021 Reseller and Service Partners of the Year. These partners have been selected for their excellence in providing value to customers, their continued investments in technical expertise with their Seeq-certified employees and training professionals, and for creating awareness of Seeq through collaboration in marketing activities and events.

Ethernet switches. - The expansion of its networking infrastructure portfolio has been announced by Antaira Technologies with their LMP-1600G-M12-67-24 Series of 16-port fully managed gigabit Ethernet switches providing 10/100/1000 Base-T(X) Ethernet connectivity, including models with PoE+ to deliver up to 30W of power to devices per port.

Foundry temperature measurement. - Atik Metal the foundry industry leader, has approved AMETEK Land's Cyclops L portable pyrometer for use in its furnaces, with the aim of replacing its traditional dip thermocouple instruments.

Top 11 Industrial Automation Articles for 2021 - Automation.com published 2,600 industrial automation feature, news and new product articles in Automation.com during 2021. Here is a list of the best-read ones.

Keeping building occupants safe and healthy. - OpenBlue Indoor Air Quality as a Service is being launched by Johnson Controls. The new offering is the first dedicated "as-a-service" Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solution for buildings, delivering energy-efficient, turnkey clean air outcomes with an innovative financing model.

Simplifying creation of advanced IIoT applications. - PACSystems™ Edge Solutions is a new portfolio of turnkey industrial edge hardware and software solutions from Emerson. This portfolio simplifies selection and deployment, helping original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators, and end users significantly reduce the time spent integrating, developing and validating digital transformation projects.

Helmut Schmid has taken over as CEO at AGILOX since January 2022..

Digitalisation and automation. - The dozen trends that are manifesting the manufacturing digital revolution feature in Bill Lydon's ebook "The Digitalization Dozen" where he examines some of the trends in this area.

River quality report calls for better river monitoring. - A report on river water quality, published by the British Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has been welcomed by Meteor Communications. Following consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, the Report revealed damning evidence of river pollution in England.

For accurate fast moving inspections. - A New Product Bundle from FLIR provides reliable & affordable 10GigE performance with Oryx Camera + Myricom Card.

OCR in freight terminals. - An American global port operator deployed Moxa PoE+ (Power over Ethernet) switches to provide highly reliable data transmissions for their crane optical character recognition (OCR) system. The OCR system tracks the loading and unloading of freight containers at port terminals, and may help in lessoning the severe supply chain issues currently impacting the global economy.

Tiny Hall -effect sensor. - A new A33230 sine/cosine 3D Hall-effect position sensor IC has been announced by Allegro MicroSystems. The A33230 is the smallest sine/cosine 3D sensor currently available in the market, and offers system designers a cost-effective solution for automotive and industrial applications with a quick time to market.

Cost effective LED indicators. - Anglia Components has signed a distributor agreement with Ekinglux for Britain and Ireland, a leading ISO approved manufacturer of cost effective, quality discrete indicator LEDs to complement its existing ranges.

Launching rockets securely by converging IT, OT and high-speed DAQ. - Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) have been quickly converging. The flow of information combined with the operation of physical processes and the hardware that makes them happen are a potent efficiency boon. Whether controlling an oil pipeline or a factory floor making tennis rackets, IT and OT are used together to achieve previously impossible efficiencies.(Control Engineering)

Pressure transmitters with USB connection. - The new line of ADZ Nagano pressure transmitters featuring USB powered plug-and-play interfaces covers user-selectable pressure measurement ranges between vacuum and 5000 bar is now available in Britain from Variohm Eurosensor. Their broad specification, with parameters adjusted according to customer needs, is aimed at general industrial and process technology applications. Generic drivers allow measurement data to be recorded and processed on computers using simple commands or as part of front-end development software.

RIP
The sudden death of Steven Meyer, South African Instrumentation & Control Editor, has been announced.

Rapid roaming enhanced WiFi. - Antaria has introduced new Rapid Roaming Technology for wireless industrial networks. Rapid Roaming provides many of the same advantages of 802.11r wireless at a much lower cost in areas where necessary infrastructure does not exist.

Testing facilities for electric mobility.. - The Emitech Group is expanding its activities in the field of electric mobility with test facilities dedicated to hydrogen fuel cells and equipments.

Cybersecurity in your enterprise. - ISA/IEC 62443 provides a powerful tool to reduce the risk of financial, reputational, human, and environmental impact from cyber-attacks on Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). A new white paper, Implementing an Industrial Cybersecurity Program for Your Enterprise, published by the ISA, is intended to address the needs of Owner/Operators of industrial facilities.

Probing deep into machinery. - Sensor Technology has extended its new range of torque sensors with a model that has the sensing head and electronics in separate housings. This has two advantages: the sensing head can fit into very confined spaces, and the electronics can be located in a position where they are protected from physical damage, dust, dirt, moisture, electromagnetic forces, etc.

Sharing recorded data easily. - The latest versions of FLIR Research Studio software has just been released by Teledyne FLIR. This new release includes both a Professional Edition with FLIR Research Studio Player—designed for research and science applications requiring robust data capture and analysis—and an upgraded version of the FLIR Research Studio Standard Edition. Both the Standard and Professional Editions are now offered as one-year subscriptions or perpetual licenses.

Immersive technology explored. - The newest issue of the Mouser Electronics's Methods technology and solutions journal has been published. Immersive Technology, the third issue of volume four, offers a collection of articles that explore emerging technologies, including augmented reality (AR), extended reality (XR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR), that are integral to living, working and studying in new sensory environments.

The first line of defense for industrial cybersecurity. - In the IIoT era, previously unconnected systems are now connected over private or public networks in order to gain more insights and improve productivity. The downside of this greater connectivity is that industrial networks are no longer immune to cyberthreats. The upside is a growing chorus of experts who are sharing their knowledge to help shore up cybersecurity in industrial networks.

Thermal-mass standard. - EN 17526 is the new European standard dedicated to thermal-mass gas metering. It can now be used to certify new thermal-mass gas meters deployed in the field. EN 17526 is the first standard for a static technology to cover not only residential but also commercial and industrial gas meters.

Improving speed, quality, and traceability in Industry 4.0 journey. - Aegis Software has announced that CARI Electronic, EMS partner in Valence (F), has chosen FactoryLogix as a key part of their MES Industry 4.0 journey.

Looking after the optics. - The Endress+Hauser subsidiaries SpectraSensors Inc. and Kaiser Optical Systems Inc. have joined forces to form a new company: Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis Inc. By consolidating its expertise in the field of laser-based measurement technology, the Group is strengthening its focus on laboratory and process analysis and positioning itself to provide customers with even better support for analysis tasks in the future.

Digital twins calibrated with operational data drive efficiency. - By deploying a closed-loop digital twin throughout a system's entire lifecycle, machine builders and end users can reduce costs and optimize efficiency. This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue of InTech magazine. (Colm Gavin)

CAN Newsletter. - 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.

Fans slash energy consumption. - EAO Ltd has introduced a new series of exceptionally energy efficient electronically commutated (EC) axial fans. The latest additions to the Sanyo Denki San Ace family of equipment cooling fans, the San Ace 172AD and 172ADW measure just 99mm by 250mm but deliver the cooling performance and low noise requirements demanded by high static pressure cooling applications such as FFU (fan filter units), air purifiers, cooling inverters and high-density telecom cabinets.