Undisturbed power. - The MF 320 IEC inlet EMC filter available now from EMIS improves EMI immunity of electronic equipment while adding a safety isolating dual pole switch and dual fusing. Designed to supress any undesirable incoming disturbances present on power lines the MF 320 also reduces any system noise being reflected on to the mains supply.

End Users Share Sustainability Driven Business Objectives. - Sustainability, particularly Sustainability Driven Business Objectives, was a major theme at this year’s ARC industry forum in Orlando (FL USA). (Larry O'Brien)

Rugged PC connects industrial floor to cloud. - The new PACSystems™ IPC 2010 Compact Industrial PC (IPC) has been announced by Emerson. This is a rugged industrial computer designed to handle a wide range of machine and discrete part manufacturing automation applications. The new solution is designed to serve manufacturing sites and OEM machine builders who need a ruggedized, compact, durable IPC to cost-effectively support their Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and other digital transformation initiatives.

A secret weapon against leaks. - Air Power East faced with a significant challenge in ensuring their systems were completely leak-free, a concern shared by their clients. Concurrently they were seking an effective way to manage and maintain their compressed air systems, with a specific focus on reducing energy waste and operational costs, emphasizing the need to save moneys, especially with high energy prices. They were introduced to the FLIR Si124 camera, an advanced acoustic imaging tool, capable of accurately detecting air leaks.

Carbon Dioxide derived concrete - an answer? - In a world with a growing population and a rapidly expanding construction sector to match, how do we prevent building homes from damaging our climate? Concrete is the second most consumed material on Earth, but its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for 7% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. The answer could come from thin air - CO₂-derived building materials.

Testing for ultrafast, large-capacity 5G communications. - Anritsu Corporation and MediaTek have verified Advanced three uplink transmission (3TX) Technology featured in MediaTek's M80 5G Modem by using Anritsu's MT8000A all-in-one Radio Communication Test Station, providing a flexible test platform for ultrafast, large-capacity 5G communications. The MT8000A supports sub-6 GHz and mmWave RF tests, as well as protocol tests for development of advanced 5G technologies.

International co-operation for Data science and ICT education. - The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science in Ireland, Simon Harris TD, together with U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, have announced parallel programmes aimed at fostering student mobility and research collaboration between the United States and Ireland.

Open Process Automation. - Creating a complete open process automation architecture is a big audacious goal that requires a broad base of users to buy into the business case. Progress has been made, reports Bill Lydon in his status update from ARC Forum 2024. (Automation.com)

Product offering expansion to meet evolving market demands. - Designed to streamline the presentation of LEMO's extensive range of solutions, the new product family portfolio highlights core series organized into six distinct families based on shared functionality and specific market applications.

Strain Gauge Modules and J1939 and CAN Protocol Sleds. - New strain gauge modules and J1939 and CAN protocol sleds designed to enhance and scale its FlexEdge® Intelligent Edge Automation Platform have been announced by Red Lion®.

Before you jump into Cloud hosted LIMS. - Autoscribe Informatics (A Xybion Company) took the opportunity in a recent webinar to discuss the much-misunderstood subject of cloud hosted laboratory software solutions. Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) are the heart of any modern laboratory, recording and storing all sample and associated meta data, as well as inventory, quality, staff training, and instrumentation information in one place.

AI Operator-Centric Next-Gen Corrosion Monitoring - Savvy industrial facility decision-makers have been shifting away from manually intensive corrosion monitoring methods of the Corrosion Monitoringpast and moving toward greater utilization of IIoT and Industry 4.0 approaches, resulting in sustainable operational and safety benefits, along with a more engaged, data-driven, and stewardship focused culture. These leaders include decision-makers at refineries, chemical, and other process facilities, and asset-intensive industries. They are reducing risks and enabling significant operational and cost saving improvements by replacing traditional techniques for corrosion monitoring with the new capabilities. Corrosion monitoring enables operational, safety, and stewardship goals to be met despite the negative impacts of corrosion on critical equipment and components. (ARC Advisory)

Speakers at cybersecurity summit announced. - The International Society of Automation (ISA) has announced two keynote speakers for the 2024 OT Cyber Security Summit in London (GB) from 18-19 June 2023. Sarah Fluchs, CTO, admeritia GmBH, and Simon Hodgkinson, former BP CISO will present at this year's event.

Enhanced security and connectivity for server. - The Secure Integration Server (SIS) from Softing Industrial now supports the MQTT protocol. This improves connectivity and security for data integration in IT/OT cloud applications.

IEEE 802.11be Test System partnership. - The testing and measuring wireless devices experts ETS-Lindgren, is gearing up to optimize their products using Anritsu's Wireless Connectivity Test Set MT8862A to capitalize on the revolutionary advancements brought forth by Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE802.11be).

Rugged rack and panel connectors. - Weald Electronics has introduced a new LMR Range of rugged rack and panel connectors. The LMR Range is a direct alternative to the now obsolete ITW McMurdo Connectors Red Range which is widely used in blind mating applications. The new connector series will allow the many users of the ITW connectors to continue manufacturing existing products and supporting systems in use globally.

Cybersecurity certification progress achieved. - HMS Networks has announced that its Anybus brand has successfully attained Maturity Level 3 (ML3) certification in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62443-4-1: Secure product development lifecycle requirements, an industrial cybersecurity standard.

Weathering testing precision. - The S³T system from Atlas MTS is the latest advancement from the leader in accelerated artificial and natural weathering testing. Designed for the flagship Weather-Ometer® Ci4400 and Ci5000 instruments, the Atlas S³T system makes it possible for the first time to continuously measure the specific surface temperature of individual samples during live testing.

Key measuring tube supplier to be acquired. - Endress+Hauser has announced plans to take over Swiss Angenstein ESTECH AG, including the company's production site in Cernay (F), ESTECH Industries Angenstein SA. Representatives of both companies have signed a memorandum of understanding. All workplaces at the metal processing company are to be retained.

AI's biggest roadblock. - Though not strictly speaking in the area of control and automation artificial intelligence is becoming more and more a part of all sectors and indeed into our lives. Here BetterAI's Angel Vossough delves into the heart of AI's biggest roadblock.

The death has been announced of the founder and Chairman of FC Lane Electronics, Mr Frederick Lane (1931-2024). RIP

Compact motherboard. - Review Display Systems (RDS) has announced the introduction of two new mini-STX format motherboards from Kontron, a global leader in embedded computing technology. The Kontron K3921-N and K3921-H support the powerful Intel Core i3 and Intel Alder Lake-N series processors with the latest UHD Gen12 graphics based on the Intel Xe architecture.

Innovative Greenhouse Gas solution. - The new T-I Max AIRTM Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) Gas Analyser from Process Insights delivers continuous, real-time monitoring of CO², CH⁴, and H²O, making it an optimal solution for reporting mole fraction and monitoring atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Relay for heat pumps, smart building, factory automation and energy applications. - The relay portfolio of Omron Electronic Components Europe has been expanded with the introduction of its G6RN-E, for heat pumps, smart building, factory automation and energy applications. The latest model provides current load to 10A, with extended dielectric strength to 6000VAC, high sensitivity with 220mW coil power consumption.

Controller network conference. - The 18th international CAN Conference (iCC) organized by the nonprofit CAN in Automation (CiA) association will take place in Baden-Baden, (D) (May 14 and 15, 2024). The conference language will be English.

Recognition for sustainability. - OMRON Corporation has been listed within the top 97% among peer sector companies on the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), an SRI (socially responsible investment) stock price index. This is the seventh consecutive year that OMRON was rated highly across Environmental, Social, and Governance & Economic dimensions. Of the 3,555 internationally renowned corporations that were evaluated in 2023, 321 (of which 38 are Japanese) were selected for the DJSI World. OMRON was also listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific) for the 14th ensuing year.

Precise cooling. - P&N Europe's Peltier elements stand as the most efficient choice in many applications demanding precise cooling while dealing with limited space. These elements are available as single elements or in combination with heat sinks and fans. P&N Europe provides tailored optimizations in terms of shape, size, or performance to fit your specific applications.

Ten top torque tips. - Driveshafts deliver power as a rotary force, and in most applications there is a need to know the amount of power in the system. Getting measurements from a turning shaft requires some engineering ingenuity, and Tony Ingham from Sensor Technology runs through the basics.

Access to centralised device management. - Eplan eStock gives companies access to centralised device management in the Eplan Cloud, simplifying collaboration and reducing coordination times and media discontinuities. Working with eStock has become even easier in the Eplan Platform 2024, meaning that users can automatically and quickly access the full range of more than 1.5 million device datasets in the Eplan Data Portal. Another benefit is that all the data – from a company's inhouse device management system or from the Data Portal – can be edited together and saved via user rights management.

Feedthrough connectors. - A full size Displayport connector has been added by Cliff Electronics' to its range of FeedThrough connectors. The new connector joins the existing Mini DisplayPort version and both may be assembled into an industry standard 24mm diameter XLR connector panel cut-out. The FeedThrough connector series from Cliff offers a wide range of connector types which may be assembled in a panel using the same XLR connector cut-out simplifying system design and assembly.

GDP compliance assured at pharma distribution facility. - PostNord TPL has developed an impressive warehousing and distribution facility in Sweden, designed specifically to handle medicinal products, including both prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals. In compliance with numerous life science industry requirements such as the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) regulations, the internal environment of this facility is carefully controlled to protect the large numbers of products that are processed every day. The warehouse is highly automated and has recently been equipped with an advanced network of humidity and temperature loggers, supplied and installed by the measurement technology company Vaisala.

Testing for transitioning from high-cost networks. - The 400G (QSFP-DD) multi-rate module MU104014B, just introduced by Anritsu, supports the new interface standard OpenZR+, as a module of the Network Master Pro MT1040A. OpenZR+ enables low-cost Data Center Interconnects (DCI) and metro network construction.

Connectors for Clean Air. - The CONNEX pluggable connection system from PFISTERER has been successfully certified by Siemens Energy for use in 420 kV Clean Air switchgears. PFISTERER is the first manufacturer to be certified for this application and is thus making an important contribution to environmentally friendly energy transmission.

IoT and software analytics platform for oil transformers. - Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure™ Transformer Expert service is now available to businesses in Britain & Ireland. Designed to help extend the life of oil transformers and meet regulatory requirements, the subscription-based service monitors the health of transformers using a combination of IoT sensors and advanced software analytics. The all-in-one and easy to deploy solution provides cloud-based analysis based on real-time data to deliver aging insights and risk assessment, in addition to expert advice and consultation.

Memorandum of understanding combines robots with LIMS. - ABB Robotics and Mettler Toledo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to offer an innovative solution that seamlessly integrates ABB's robots with LabX™, Mettler Toledo's laboratory instrument management software (LIMS).

GNSS Antenna. - Septentrio has announced AntaRx-Si3. This is the first GNSS/INS (Inertial Navigation System) Smart Antenna on the market in an ultra-rugged enclosure, designed for easy installation on machines such as agriculture robots. AntaRx-Si3 is the new member of the family of receivers leveraging FUSE+, which is designed to answer the need for position availability in tough industrial environments where GNSS signal reception may be temporarily compromised, such as under foliage. The IMU sensor in FUSE+ also improves positioning integrity and reliability, which is critical for autonomous systems.

Expansion of process safety in Scandinavia. - The HIMA Group has acquired the Norwegian technology company Origo Solutions. Both companies intend to continue their growth strategies and expand their range of solutions for the process industry and renewable energies. Main focus here is the digitalisation of functional safety, which HIMA is pushing under the motto "Safety goes digital".

European Automation Champions Report 2023. - This Insight shows the European Automation Champions (Global HQ in Europe). The ARC Champions Radar can be read like a speedometer. The further away a company from the center, the broader the offering is. The further up and right, the deeper the solution and digitalization know-how of a company. The heart of this analysis is the ARC database on products and solutions, on which analyst then perform a deep dive and individual adjustment on the company's capability and portfolio.

Maria Wright celebrated 20 years as the very first employee of Intelliconnect.

Power boost for single frequency infrared lasers. - Toptica's new highly reliable Raman fibre amplifiers (RFA) are based on patented technology. With their high power of up to 30 W the amplifiers cover the wavelength range from 1120 to 1370 nm that is not accessible by Yb or Er fibre amplifiers.

Module targets AI market. - DFI is targeting the AI application market by launching the embedded system module (SOM) MTH968 equipped with the latest Intel® Core™ Ultra processor. It is the first product integrated with an NPU (Neural Processor Unit) processor, representing the official integration of AI with industrial PCs (IPCs). With the expansion into AI IPC, DFI expects to inject new momentum into the AI edge computing market.