Communicator software released. - A new Android based Smart Device Communicator Software for Foundation Fieldbus (FF) has been released by ProComSol. The software uses the Device Descriptor (DD) for the connected FF device so the user has full access to every Parameter and Method.

"Better decisions" from elder of corporate journals. - Issue 3/2022 of ABB Review, the company's technical journal has been issued by ABB. The lead topic for this quarter is "better decisions," examining the decision making benefits of digital solutions throughout the enterprise, from the boardroom to the plant floor. As decision makers need to understand and analyze data quickly and accurately, ABB provides a broad variety of technical solutions to support them.

'Voyage for madmen!" -

Rounding fir-tree slots. - OTEC is the only supplier of stream finishing machines with integrated automation for large and heavy components: the newly developed SF-HP is suitable for workpieces up to 650 mm in diameter and weighing up to 200 kg. Their stream finishing technology is an ideal choice for components with similarly demanding post-processing requirements. Examples include turbine and compressor blades, turbine blade roots, blisks, servo valves, gear wheels, ball screw nuts and landing gear components.

The 2022 State of Physical Access Control Report. - HID Global has announced the publication of the 2022 State of Access Control Report, providing insightful perspectives of the market’s current state and trends. Produced by IFSEC Global in partnership with HID Global, the report surveyed just over 1,000 respondents from across North America (56%), EMEA (29%) and Asia Pacific (15%) to detail trends in the procurement, installation, specification and operation of physical access control solutions. It describes the current state of the market, the technology being used, and trends that security and IT professionals are witnessing and foreseeing in the years to come.

Helping water utilities improve & overcome operational performance challenges. - Emerson's Amy Thibault discusses how more and more utilities are finding the benefit of managing these pump and treatment stations with scalable, cloud-based systems like their Zedi SaaS SCADA. Instead of the old, costly system of relying on drive-bys to check on pumps and facilities, our scalable, cloud platform can give managers peace of mind while reducing those costs, all while keeping everyone’s water safer.

The European Automation Market is well Positioned, albeit Quite Diverse. - Looking at the European automation market and its suppliers, it becomes quite obvious that Europe has a large number of different players that either are specializing on specific automation topics, that are industry or application experts, or who are very focused companies with a solution portfolio addressing one specific vertical, or they are global broad solution providers.(ARC Advisory)

Electrical panel connectivity. - Much of the focus of electrical and control panel designers is on selecting, arranging, and protecting internal components. After all, locating power and automation equipment in the field, close to the loads and devices they serve, is the main purpose. However, it is also important to properly select, design, and install components to make associated electrical connections. Even though wireless is becoming popular for certain types of communications, it is often still necessary to connect electrical wires using terminal blocks or other connectors. (ISA)

Energy efficient motor-drive solution. - The MPD Series inverter with motor, suitable for pump and fan applications has been launched by Delta. The new series delivers the benefits of energy efficiency, intelligent water supply and ease of operation by featuring a Delta MSI class IE5 energy efficiency synchronous reluctance motor coupled with a motor-mounted Delta MP300 variable frequency drive. This combination drives down the cost of daily operation, while the high level of integration supports decentralized solutions, reducing wiring and simplifying setup.

Smart solid state drive. - Samsung Electronics has successfully developed a second generation of its pioneering SmartSSD. The new proprietary computational storage incorporates data processing functionality within a high-performance SSD. Unlike existing SSDs, Samsung’s SmartSSD can process data directly, thereby minimizing data transfers between the CPU, GPU and RAM. This technology can avoid the bottlenecks that often occur when moving data between storage devices and CPUs, resulting in markedly improved system performance and much higher energy efficiency.

With high speed to new spheres! - When fast-moving scenes need to be captured in all their details, a high-performance transmission interface is essential in addition to the right sensor. With uEye Warp10, IDS Imaging Development Systems is launching a new camera family that, thanks to 10GigE, transmits data in the Gigabit Ethernet-based network at a very high frame rate and virtually without delay.

Valves for hydrogen fueling stations. - The TESCOM™ Anderson Greenwood Instrumentation H₂ Valve Series for hydrogen applications up to 15,000 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) (103.4 MPa) has been launched by Emerson. The new solution reliably isolates process pressure in high pressure gas applications such as hydrogen fueling stations and tube trailers, reducing fugitive emissions and improving safety.

EtherCAT Master Software Stack Performance. - When using EtherCAT technology as a fieldbus, performance often plays a decisive role, but what is really meant by performance? Most often, performance is equated with speed. In the case of an EtherCAT network, this usually means a fast cycle time, around 1kHz or faster, to achieve fast control cycles. However, good performance can also be synonymous with a large amount of data, or with the ability to operate many devices from one controller. (Pressebox)

Cylinder sensors. - The Festo SDBT-MSX incorporates Hall Effect sensors and a micro-controller that enable approximate setting of the sensor, with the actual switching point being 'self-taught' by cycling the actuator a few times. This means that the actuator is driven to its end positions and the sensor learns the required switching point.

Hygienic bimetal thermometer. - The new bimetal thermometer model TG58SA bimetal thermometer from WIKA, meets the stringent requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry and also biotechnology. The display instrument is in an ASME BPE-compliant design, meets the 3-A Sanitary Standard and has EHEDG and ATEX approval.

Instrumentation calibration best practices, benefits. - Instrumentation calibration is critical for process facilities to meet stringent calibration verifications and certifications. Four best practices and three benefits are highlighted. (Control Engineering)

Portfolio of drive solutions. - NORD Drive Systems has expanded its successful LogiDrive concept with new markets and products to give additional applications access to the benefits of standardised, industry-optimised geared motor versions. With the new LogiDrive product family, the company offers a wide portfolio of perfectly matched drive solutions, which meet many different requirements and purposes – be it energy efficiency, version reduction, cost-effectiveness or flexibility.

Innovators' meeting. - Since 2000 Endress+Hauser has invited all employees involved in patent filings to the annual Innovators’ Meeting. No in-person events were held in the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company thus used this year as an opportunity to celebrate the event’s 20th anniversary. 360 innovators were invited to attend the two-day session at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany to be creative and celebrate with one another.

Towards 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030. - Emerson has joined RE100, a global initiative bringing together businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. This alignment with other sustainability pioneers in the effort led by Climate Group, in partnership with CDP, is the latest step in Emerson’s plan to source 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

Air quality monitoring capability more comprehensive! - Ashtead Technology has announced the launch of the TSI BlueSky™ 8145 air quality monitor which measures additional gas and weather parameters compared to the standard BlueSky™. The newest monitor in the low-cost BlueSky™ range has been designed to meet the needs of those looking to undertake gas monitoring (CO, CO_₂, NO_₂, SO_₂, O_₃), in addition to measuring particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations, temperature, relative humidity (RH) and barometric pressure (BP).

European Automation Champions. - ARC Advisory Group continuously researches automation markets, and Just a few weeks ago, they finished their client report on the European Automation Champions.

Mitigating vulnarabilities in industrial networks. - Since industrial networks are primarily built and expanded to address growing business demands, it may be easy for administrators to overlook common system vulnerabilities. For example, when adding a device to a newly built or expanded network, do you know which industrial Ethernet switches have unlocked ports? Or, do you simply connect new devices without a second thought?

Best in Europe for interconnect, sensor, antenna and high-speed cable solutions. - TTI - Europe has received the ‘Best Performance – EMEA 2021’ award from Amphenol. The prestigious award has been given to TTI Europe as the distributor that achieved the highest POS growth for Amphenol’s EMEA business in 2021.

Karl Roberts has been appointed European Director with NevadaNano.

Long-Term scalability in industrial automation. - Combining plug-and-play simplicity with expanded PoE budgets, Antaira LNP-C501G-SFP-bt and LNP-C501G-SFP-bt-24 Gigabit Ethernet 5-port unmanaged switches address the evolving network demands of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Both of these compact industrial switches are compliant with IEEE 802.3bt PoE++, allowing them to supply up to 90W per port to powered devices (PD), while providing all the bandwidth and connectivity necessary to ensure the highest level of industrial networking performance.

Gas analysis highlighted in publication. - Servomex has launched a special edition of its Expert Solutions magazine focusing on its gas analysis expertise over the last 70 years. Now celebrating its 70th year in the industry, the edition includes a history of the company since its formation in 1952 and information about its latest – and very first – products.

Cloud-native and SaaS operations. - The latest version of Körber's market-leading Manufacturing Execution System (MES), addresses key customer challenges: Werum PAS-X MES 3.3, the NextGen MES for pharma, biotech and cell & gene, brings together over 30 years of expert domain knowledge with leading IT technologies to provide a GMP-ready product that is built for the future of the industry.

Compact, reliable and versatile circuit protection. - The Easy9 Compact Multirow Consumer Unit has been launched by Schneider Electric. The next generation consumer unit complements the existing premium Easy9+ range in order to meet the needs of every household and electrician. It incorporates flexibility, simple installation and ample cable space to easily connect multiple devices and provide peace of mind when it comes to regulatory compliance.

Across the industrial edge and hybrid cloud. - A global partnership has been announced which enable industries using ABB’s process automation and industrial software to scale rapidly and flexibly leveraging Red Hat’s industry leading enterprise platforms and application services built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Industrial robots have moved from maturity into a fast-growth phase. - The past five years have been a roller-coaster ride for the industrial robot market. A market decline in 2019 was followed by disruption in 2020, a record high in 2021, and we now see a long-term positive growth forecast. In fact, it could be said that the industrial robot market has, as a result of COVID-19, done something highly unusual – it has moved from a mature and conservative phase into an exciting, fast-growth, almost start-up-like phase. That said, in the short-term, though industrial robots have received a COVID-19-boost, they are also susceptible to the same post-COVID-19 challenges as all industries. (Control Engineering)

Heater differential temperature monitoring. - A facility needed to measure inlet and outlet temperature of a process heater using existing three-wire RTDs and provide a 4-20mA process variable signal, representing the differential temperature across the heater, to a local alarm trip for heater protection and share that differential temperature signal with the Basic Process Control System (BPCS). In addition, the measurements were in a hazardous area and plant standards require the use of a certified IS system. They used a Moore Industries THZ3-DIN Dual Input Temperature Transmitter with the Associated IS (AIS) option and SPA2 Alarm Trip with self diagnostics capability, and local display/alarm status indicators.

Transformer monitoring. - As part of an initiative to safeguard reliable power output and reduce risk, a biomass power plant in the north of the Netherlands has installed a continuous transformer monitor. The Vaisala MHT410 continuously measures three key parameters in transformer oil – moisture, hydrogen and temperature. Owned and operated by the energy company Eneco, the Bio Golden Raand plant produces steam for local industry as well as power, with a capacity of approximately 135 MW thermal and 49.9 MW electrical.

From AMQP through Blockchain and Hadoop to Zigbee - Just what does these terms mean? - "Smart Manufacturing Terms You Need to Know!" is recent publication available in paper or e-format. Smart Manufacturing incorporates terms from the telecom, consumer electronics, and other industries onto the plant floor and even seasoned professionals are wondering "what does it all mean?". Compiled by Mike Nager, a noted Control & Automation Engineer, this useful compendium should serve as a reference to Smart Manufacturing's terminology.

Monitoring methane emissions. - Continuous methane emissions monitoring solution for the energy industry Sensirion Connected Solutions has launched Nubo Sphere, its end-to-end solution for supporting customers in the energy industry with locating unintentional leaks and quantifying methane emissions in a cost-effective manner.

Compact and reliable signal, power, and grounding connectivity. - The DP2.5SG sensor/actuator terminal block family has been announced by Dinkle International. These provide adaptable cable connectivity options for a variety of automation needs.

High-speed camera for integration into optical tracking system. - The FLIR RS8500 is a high-performance thermal camera and infrared telescope combined in a single weatherproof housing, designed for long-range tracking and measurement applications. Since the unit is a radiometric infrared camera and the continuous metric zoom lens provides instantaneous focal length and position information on every frame, the system can also be used to capture target data, including signature and apparent temperature measurements.

Validation for radio test station. - Hirokazu Hamada, the President of Anritsu Corporation has announced that Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has validated Radio Communications Test Station MT8000A. This is now supported by the Qualcomm® Development Acceleration Resource Toolkit (QDART) for testing 5G NR Sub-6 GHz small cells using the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platform.

Industrial cybersecurity: A layered approach. - As business operations become more digitized, cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought because the implications of failing to stay abreast of the latest protection solutions and best practices pose much more than just financial risk. (Automation.com)

High-reliability terminal blocks. - BEC Distribution Ltd has announced the availability of a new range of high-reliability terminal blocks. They are part of their "BEC Select" range of quality Alternative Passives, offering affordable, high-quality Alternatives to the major manufacturers.

target="blank">Climate neutrality goal. - The NI 2021 Corporate Impact Report outlines the company’s first full year of progress toward its 2030 goals to make a positive impact on society and the planet. This progress ranges from building infrastructure for increasing NI’s workforce and supplier diversity over the next decade to creating hands-on STEM education programs that are already changing children’s lives every day.

Lightest in industrial cameras. - The latest additions to the Teledyne FLIR Blackfly S UB3 camera line – the BFS-U3-50S4M-C (Mono) and BFS- U3-50S4C-C (Colour) have been introduced. These 5 MP models are particularly well suited for integration into small handheld devices with their impressive low weight of 53 grams and high pixel density ideal for integrating with compact, less expensive lenses.

Battery pack distributorship. - Anglia Components has signed a distribution agreement with Alexander Battery Technologies (ABT) which manufacturers custom battery packs for high end applications. Anglia is thus the first distributor that Alexander Battery Technologies has appointed and will become their exclusive distribution partner in Great Britain & Ireland.

Board for digital signage and automation. - A 3.5-inch subcompact single board computer (SBC) from AAEON is now available from Review Display Systems (RDS). The GENE-TGU6 features the latest 11th Generation Intel Core i7, i5, i3 and Celeron SoC processors and can deliver performance enhancements of up to 20% over previous generations of embedded processors.

New premises emphases growth path. - More space for the production of flow measurement technology and the development of IIoT solutions. Over the past five years the number of employees at the Endress+Hauser's Reinach location in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft has grown by 20 percent to more than 2,000. At the same time, the number of units produced has significantly increased and the digital solutions portfolio has expanded. In order to simultaneously meet the new demands of the work environment, vocational training positions and digitalization, the measurement and automation technology specialist invested 60 million Swiss francs in the Reinach campus.

Performance digital twins accelerate APM. - Performance digital twins apply to the long operate and maintain phase of an asset's lifecycle. The term "digital twin" has become popular with a wide variety of interpretations. The first step for a meaningful review requires a definition: A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical entity and is dynamic using real-world data synchronized from multiple sources. (ARC Advisory)

Lynx Software Technologies has appointed Tim Reed as Chief Executive Officer.

Harvesting the power of data. - With the maturation of renewable-energy harvesting technologies, green energy is gradually becoming a viable alternative to conventional, environment-unfriendly power sources. For all its benefits, this new reliance on green energy puts stress on grid stability. Since grids rely heavily on balancing power supply and demand, the unpredictability of green energy brings about several challenges. Technology that allows a grid to respond quickly to power fluctuations is crucial to ensure a more resilient grid. This is where the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) enters the picture.

Metal quality and casting safety. - AMETEK Land has supported a major India-based manufacturer in its metal quality and casting safety goals. DN Castech had been using dip thermocouples for this application. However, these have a long measurement time, require operators to get quite close to the hot process, and use disposable tips.

Air-compressor maintenance. - A new CO2 emission indicator to the online LeakQ reporting tool has been launched by Fluke. In addition to the existing estimated leak size and costs, this new feature adds a third element: the estimated electricity related CO2 emission in relation to the identified leaks.

Life sciences offering strengthened. - Emerson has acquired Fluxa, a leader in the life sciences industry that uses software and modern technology architectures to accelerate the speed to market for new therapies, drugs and vaccines. The acquisition builds on Emerson's leading software and solutions portfolio and life sciences expertise.