Ce 18 02

Be

Ba s

ic

fle xi bl e

www.controleng.com

See page 21 for details

tro l

on

ne

ili tie s

IM tw AT or IC ki S7 ng -1 p 20 o 0/ ss F ib

rS

le

st o

th a C nk

Your Success is Our Success

AutomationDirect is your trusted source for cost-effective control solutions

www.chemence.com

www.chemence.com

James Catlett

Chemence, the only industrial, consumer and medical cyanoacrylate manufacturer in the US, looks to AutomationDirect for their manufacturing and packaging control needs.

Plant Manager Chemence

“AutomationDirect’s low prices and free support keep us coming back. Their automation products are exactly what we need to get the job done and the new BRX PLC, with its motion capabilities and built-in analog, is perfect for our packaging lines.” - James Catlett At AutomationDirect, customer satisfaction is priority one and we are continually expanding our offering of practical, cost-effective industrial control products to meet a wide range of applications. The latest addition to our Do-more! family of programmable controllers is just another example. Starting at $199.00, the Do-more!

BRX PLC platform is packed with features and has the tools you need to “get the job done” for less.

Order Today, Ships Today! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2016 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

www.BRXPLC.com

1-800-633-0405

input #1 at www.controleng.com/information

the #1 value in automation

Connected Machines.

Efficient Communications.

Smarter Operations.

Kepware’s industry-leading industrial connectivity solution provides:

A Scalable and Flexible Architecture

with connectivity to hundreds of protocols covering D ZLGH UDQJH RI 3/&V 578V ȵRZ FRPSXWHUV VHQVRUV GDWDEDVHV FXVWRP DSSOLFDWLRQV DQG other industrial data sources.

Streamlined and Reliable Data Access

for +0Ζ 6&$'$ 0(6 +LVWRULDQ (53 FXVWRP

DSSOLFDWLRQV DQG LQGXVWULDO ΖR7 SODWIRUPV LQFOXGLQJ ThingWorx®.

Increased Visibility LQWR LQGXVWULDO GDWDȃVR HYHU\RQH IURP WKH VKRS ȵRRU WR WKH WRS ȵRRU FDQ PDNH VPDUWHU GHFLVLRQV

Learn more at www.kepware.com/CE

© 2018, PTC Inc. (PTC). All rights reserved.

input #2 at www.controleng.com/information

Slimmest. Smartest.

Easiest to Use. Industry’s slimmest at 2 cm wide Modbus, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP built in

LEDs visible from front and side Flexible DIN rail mounting

Rugged steel housing

Designed for Today's Machine Builders and OEMs If you're working with limited cabinet space, a tiny budget, and little to no formal network training, your life just got a little easier. The affordable new SDS-3008 smart switch fits into the tightest spaces and can be monitored over SCADA. • • • •

Easier, more cost-effective alternative to full managed switches Rugged, ultra-slim form factor with multiple mounting options Simple one-page configuration requires zero network training Integrates with HMI/SCADA for network monitoring

Learn more at www.moxa.com/smartswitch.

Vol. 65 Number 2

®

FEBRUARY 2018

ANSWERS 8 | Updating a DCS for optimized operations 10 | Biopharmaceutical company optimizes manufacturing processes with modern DCS 12 | Alarm management: Six hazards, four strategies 14 | Avoid alarm overload with consolidation and escalation 16 | Innovations in electric motor technology: the first 100 years 18 | Measuring torque with angle sensors

8, 10

INSIDE MACHINES

COVER IMAGE, ABOVE: Emerson’s DeltaV Mobile gives users plant control data and analysis tools whenever they need it from wherever they are. Courtesy: Emerson INSETS: Banks Integration selected a virtualized distributed control system from Rockwell Automation for use at a pilot laboratory to support research and development (R&D) for Gilead Sciences Inc. Courtesy: Rockwell Automation

5 | Research advice: Seven motor tips and advice for users 6 | Think Again: New, innovative automation applications

CFE Edu: https://cfeedu.cfemedia.com/catalog (PLCs, IIoT, arc flash and more) Webcasts: www.controleng.com/webcasts (Sensors, IIoT, and more)

M3 | Robust vision inspection in five steps M5 | Robotic machining used for aerospace applications

INSIGHTS

Get credit for learning

M1 | Machine vision systems pushing automotive industry towards full autonomy

CFE

Edu

INNOVATIONS 28 | 2018 Engineers’ Choice Awards: Spotlight on Innovation 46 | New Products for Engineers

TM

BACK TO BASICS

48 | Automation product design advice from 2018 Engineers’ Choice winners

CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 65, No. 2, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2018 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630/571-4070.

E-mail: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Postmaster: send address changes to CONTROL ENGINEERING, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Email: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $ 150/yr; Canada/Mexico, $180/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); International air delivery $325/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30 US and $35 foreign.

Please address all subscription mail to CONTROL ENGINEERING, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Printed in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.controleng.com

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

3

Keep Your Instrument Processes Locked Down Tight.

Instrumentation that Keeps Danger at Bay SFY Functional Safety Frequency-to-DC Transmitter

Put a fortress of protection around your process with FS Functional Safety Series instrumentation from Moore Industries. You can be conďŹ dent that it will safeguard your processes when you need it the most. Our STA, SSX, SST, SRM, STZ and the NEW SFY Functional Safety Frequency-toDC Transmitter have been designed and built to strict IEC 61508 standards, ensuring safe and reliable function – particularly in environments where hazardous or emergency situations are likely to occur.

2018 HONORABLE MENTION

Demand Moore Reliability

input #3 at www.controleng.com/information

To learn more about our Functional Safety Series, call (800) 999-2900, or go to: www.miinet.com/safetyseries

INSIGHTS RESEARCH ADVICE Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering

Seven motor tips and advice for users Survey respondents on motors and drives survey from Control Engineering provide tips related to motors. Online: see more advice about drives.

A

dvice for use of motor was included among respondents to the Control Engineering motor drive research study. Respondents were asked what advice they would offer about motors.

1. Consider using advanced motor technologies.

2. Engage your local vendor, and don’t overcomplicate the design. Servo and stepper motors are close in price so the decision to use a servo should be function rather than cost.

3. For large motors, provide at least two protec-

tion devices, so if one should fail, an alarm is given and the motor is not shut down, and the second protection device provides backup.

The installation must be designed so the failed device can be removed and replaced without a shutdown of the control circuit or the motor.

4.

Gather knowledge about how motors (and

related products) work to judge suitability for a purpose.

5. Seek differentiation in motor products. Examine the power density, control precision, and phase awareness advantages inherent in closed-loop brushless torque (especially thin annular ring: large central hole) motor innovations.

Use passive cooling with sealed operations where possible. It is disruptive technology.

6. There is a significant lack of understanding of motor theory, drive theory, and basic mechanics, which is needed for end users to better understand the equipment they purchase, as well as its capabilities and limitations.

7. Understand the load connected, what you want to do with it, and how fast you want to do it. ce Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

Motors, motor tips Research from Control Engineering on motor drives asked respondents for advice.

Seven tips on motors were offered, including selection, motor design, and application fit.

See two other motors articles in this issue, with more online Have you looked at Control Engineering research reports for additional motor and drive and other advice? www.controleng.com/ ce-research

Within the News Products for Engineers database at www.controleng.com/NP4E, find new product information in the “Actuators, motors, drives” group, under the following categories:

www.controleng.com

KEYWORDS:

CONSIDER THIS

New Products for Engineers Database Motor categories

• ac induction motor • ac motor • brush dc • brushless dc motor • brushless permanent magnet ac (PMAC) motor • brushless permanent magnet synchronous motor • dc motor

M More INSIGHTS

• electronically commutated motor • gear motor • internal permanent magnet (IPM) motor • linear motor • servo motor • stepper motor, step motor • variable or switched reluctance motor.

CONTROL ENGINEERING

ONLINE Research delivers a dozen drives tips: Respondents of the motors and drives survey from Control Engineering give 12 tips related to motor drives.

2017 Motor Drives Report: Five high-level findings: Key trends in variable-speed, servo and/or stepper, and medium-voltage drives from buying and specifying respondents to the Control Engineering 2017 Motor Drives study. Amanda Pelliccione is the CFE Media research director.

February 2018

•

5

INSIGHTS THINK AGAIN

®

3010 Highland Parkway, Suite 325, Downers Grove, IL 60515. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

New, innovative automation applications Startups, 3-D printing, drones, and automation in space are among the expanding uses for automation.

S

tart-up automation-related com- Space Station (ISS), someone said, “I wish panies, drones, 3-D printing, and I had a tool of this size.” Two weeks later, space missions are among the NASA was uploading a digital file to the expanding uses for automation, as ISS. In space, it’s easier to have digital files explained at the 2018 A3 Business Forum than actual parts or tools for every possibilin Orlando in January. Innovation also ity, especially for longer missions, she said. creates and extends interest in When used for health care, engineering automation. low-cost 3-D printing may mean Automation is being applied more patients get care more for humanitarian benefits using quickly, especially in areas that additive manufacturing and may not have specialized meddrones, helping in remote geoical care. That would include graphical or economic situaspace. Astronauts cannot take tions, including space travel, everything needed into space, explained Dr. Julielynn Wong, but they can bring or uplink 3-D Mark T. Hoske, MD, MPH, who is founder, Content Manager files for medical supplies. chairman, and CEO of 3D4MD. Drone technology also is Wong challenged assemwidely accessible and have bled automation leaders (about 650 were potential to help, especially those 1 billion expected) to sponsor a 3-D printer make- people who live on less than $2 per day. a-thon to address a humanitarian need. A Drones are used to speed drugs, lab samside benefit, she suggested, is attracting ples, medical supplies, and food in critiwomen and younger talent that automa- cal situations. Automation technologies tion-minded companies try to attract and used in drones may include: motion conretain. Automation technologies used in trollers, motors, sensors, vision system, 3-D printing include: sensors, actuators, actuators, GPS, HMIs (which may include motion controllers, motors, a network, augment reality display and or smartphone a human-machine interface (HMI), and interface), wireless communications, and software. onboard networking.

Sponsoring a medical make-a-thon 3-D printing, drones to address a humanitarian need can help Wong brought a carry-on-sized 3-D decrease the 9-month average wait for printer to the presentation and set it to resources in the field. A Mars resupply miswork on stage printing a part. Technology sion would be a similar time, she said. advances have made printers smaller.

In 2015, while listening in on astro- Startups in robotics Startup companies offering various naut communications on the International new automation-related technologies included a pick-and-place robotic arm designed to mount on mobile robots, a vision-guided robot without position or At www.controleng.com/magazine, see force sensors, robotic grippers, simple more details and photos online, where this machine monitoring, and a talent assessarticle, in the digital edition links to: ment and development dashboard softAdditive manufacturing, drones, use ware. Think again about how to excite automation for humanitarian benefit and involve the next generation in autoAutomation startups for robotics, vision, machine monitoring, and talent. mation-related engineering. ce

M More INSIGHTS

6

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

Content Specialists/Editorial Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager 847-830-3215, MHoske@CFEMedia.com Jack Smith, Content Manager 630-907-1622, JSmith@CFEMedia.com Kevin Parker, Senior Contributing Editor, IIoT, OGE 630-890-9682, KParker@CFEMedia.com Emily Guenther, Associate Content Manager eguenther@CFEMedia.com Amanda Pelliccione, Director of Research 978-302-3463, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com Chris Vavra, Production Editor CVavra@CFEMedia.com

Contributing Content Specialists Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk

Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia ekaterina.kosareva@fsmedia.ru Seweryn Scibior, Control Engineering Poland seweryn.scibior@trademedia.us Lukáš Smelík, Control Engineering Czech Republic lukas.smelik@trademedia.us Aileen Jin, Control Engineering China aileenjin@cechina.cn

Editorial Advisory Board

www.controleng.com/EAB Doug Bell, president, InterConnecting Automation, www.interconnectingautomation.com David Bishop, president and a founder Matrix Technologies, www.matrixti.com Daniel E. Capano, president, Diversified Technical Services Inc. of Stamford, CT, www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-capano-7b886bb0

Frank Lamb, founder and owner Automation Consulting LLC, www.automationllc.com Joe Martin, president and founder Martin Control Systems, www.martincsi.com Rick Pierro, president and co-founder Superior Controls, www.superiorcontrols.com Mark Voigtmann, partner, automation practice lead Faegre Baker Daniels, www.FaegreBD.com

CFE Media Contributor Guidelines Overview Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media stands for, and what CFE Media is all about – engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome content submissions for all interested parties in engineering. We will use those materials online, on our website, in print and in newsletters to keep engineers informed about the products, solutions and industry trends. www.controleng.com/contribute explains how to submit press releases, products, images and graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white papers, and other media. * Content should focus on helping engineers solve problems. Articles that are commercial or are critical of other products or organizations will be rejected.

(Technology discussions and comparative tables may be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor corroborates information with sources cited.) * If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines, expect to see it first on our Websites. Content for our e-newsletters comes from content already available on our Websites. All content for print also will be online.

All content that appears in our print magazines will appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print if more content from that article is available online. * Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print magazines are at least two months in advance of the publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature articles with the appropriate content manager prior to submission.

Learn more at: www.controleng.com/contribute

www.controleng.com

Allied Delivers Innovative, and Industry-Proven Control Solutions Reliable, easy-to-install products for both inside and outside the cabinet.

input #4 at www.controleng.com/information

Š Allied Electronics & Automation, 2018

Find this and more at

alliedelec.com

1.800.433.5700

ANSWERS

COVER STORY: DCS Aaron Crews, Emerson Automation Solutions

Updating a DCS for optimized operations If a company’s distributed control system (DCS) is more than 10 years old, it is likely a significant barrier to reaching production goals.

A

Emerson’s DeltaV Mobile (cover photo above) gives users both plant control data and analysis tools whenever they need it from wherever they are. Courtesy: Emerson Automation Solutions

M More ANSWERS

KEYWORD: Distributed

control system Although vintage distributed control systems (DCSs) might continue to operate reliably, facilities that employ them may be lulled into a false sense of security.

Facilities employing older systems do not operate within a security-conscious environment.

Modern DCSs have embedded security upgrade options.

CONSIDER THIS Does your plant have a legacy DCS that prevents your company from optimizing operations?

GO ONLINE Read the full version of this article at www.controleng.com.

8

•

lthough vintage distributed control systems (DCS) might continue to operate reliably, facilities that employ them may be lulled into a false sense of security thinking, “Everything is fine.” In reality, maintaining the status quo of older DCSs leaves organizations falling behind. When facilities delay or avoid system updates, risks grow.

Competitors improve their operations. Personnel leave and organizational expectations change.

Dynamic markets require agility and insights older DCSs cannot provide. When updated, DCSs enable facilities to take advantage of recent and powerful technology advances.

Twenty or 30 years ago, many technologies such as wireless networks, intelligent devices, and of course, the internet, did not exist. These innovations allow modern systems to offer greater reliability and are designed with greater consideration for system interoperability, flexibility, analytics, operator awareness, and alarm management. Perhaps most importantly, features and methodologies supporting cybersecurity and safety have become stronger and more standardized over the years.

Protect with enhanced cybersecurity power

Manufacturers designing systems built circa 1990 and 2000 could not anticipate the security issues industries face today. Facilities employing many older systems today do not operate within the security-conscious environment that provide the agility and lifecycle management structures necessary to respond to new and frequent threats. Putting strategies in place for those systems can be extremely difficult.

In many cases, it is impossible to properly secure these older systems. If the team tries to respond to a cyber attack without the right infrastructure and tools, mistakes are probable, expenses are high, and the probable downtime is much longer. Plus, the team would be forced into upgrading to address the security breach in a reactive action rather than through proactive planning.

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

Take advantage of information across the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

The IIoT and the technologies that surround it offer profound power to the modern facility. Information distribution, a smart infrastructure, the integration of systems, and the sharing of expertise improve reliability, bring sharper insights, and deliver decision-making power to the right people.

Find strong productivity through operational improvements

When people can view and use information wherever they are in the formats they need, they can better respond to the process, make productive decisions faster, and drive operational improvements leading to safety, reliability, and efficiency. Recent advances in DCS foundations employ HTML5 to create an environment where digital workers can view and use data from many sources across the organization. This gives them more ways to visualize information and augment their environment onthe-fly for better real-time results.

Opportunities and success in updates

The cost of addressing security, connectivity, and operations is minor compared to the returns obtained by the organization because automation is a lever for business success. The end results of improving automation include distributing information securely and easily to and from the DCS and simplifying operations for stronger productivity.

After updating, the DCS will no longer limit production and efficiency and will enable organizations to move closer to operational certainty. Security and information reach will be flexible enough to take advantage of upcoming opportunities and meet demands from the marketplace for safety and production. ce

Aaron Crews is director global modernization solutions at Emerson Automation Solutions. Edited by Jack Smith, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, jsmith@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

We kick acid.

Having washdown or corrosion issues?

It’s time to kick acid with our Food Industry Package. It conquers corrosion with its epoxy primer, USDA finish, fully encapsulated stator, epoxy conduit box, and stainless steel TorqLOC® keyless hollowshaft. It’s no wonder that our motor lasts 10 times longer than the competition in extreme environments such as the poultry industry!

seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537 input #5 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

COVER STORY: DCS Stephen Rose, Rockwell Automation

Biopharmaceutical company optimizes manufacturing processes with modern DCS Gilead Sciences used a new, flexible distributed control system (DCS) for a pilot lab to support research and development (R&D), clinical trials, and meet pipeline demands.

A

M More ANSWERS

KEYWORD: Distributed control

system (DCS) How a DCS can help streamline manufacturing processes Choosing a DCS for production improves intelligence How to improve the data collection and reporting process.

GO ONLINE

new distributed control system (DCS) is helping a biopharmaceutical company in a pilot laboratory application support research and development (R&D) and meet pipeline demands.

For 30 years, Gilead Sciences Inc., headquartered in Foster City, Calif., has developed treatments to address significant unmet medical needs. Banks Integration Group was tasked to design, program, and install a process control information system within a constructed pilot lab to provide an easier way to collect data, reporting, and provide enough flexibility to grow with Gilead.

Selecting a DCS for the new pilot lab

Banks Integration wanted a system that could easily integrate with the new equipment and vendor-supplied control systems in the new, 23,914-sq-ft pilot lab.

CONSIDER THIS Banks Integration selected a virtualized How can other industries DCS to meet project requirements and reduce optimize their manufacturing processes with more modern server hardware. Having one common syscontrol systems? tem across all of the facilities would allow GilSee two more photos on p. 3. ead the flexibility to maintain the system and make necessary changes, which has something it had struggled to do in the past with other proprietary systems.

Banks Integration leveraged the DCS library of process objects for life sciences. This “out-of-the-box” library of modules included preprogrammed code, modules, and faceplates customized for life sciences applications and a full set of design and testing documentation that followed the good automated manufacturing practice lifecycle model. Using the process A greenfield pilot lab objects library allowed Banks Integration completed required Gilead Scithe programming in days compared to weeks.

More information is available online, including a link for more about Banks Integration Group.

ences to select a process and information system that could ease flexibility and compliance as the company grew. Courtesy: Rockwell Automation

10

•

Less programming, hardware

A big benefit of using the library of process objects for validation testing meant Gilead had the necessary design and test documentation, knowing that the automation vendor had tested and verified the modules.

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

The virtualized platform consisted of nine virtual servers, but only required two physical host machines onsite to run the human-machine interface (HMI) and historian software. The virtualized solution helped reduce costs by minimizing the amount of hardware and power needed.

The information-enabled functionality of the new system included redundant historian capabilities to provide production intelligence to operators and scientists. The system pulled the data into trend reports that the scientists rely on for day-today decision-making instead of manually collecting the data.

Banks Integration implemented five thin-client HMI stations throughout the pilot lab as part of the system. At each station, scientists can easily access historian data to view trends and pull robust reports in real-time. The HMIs include alarm notification software. The software is integrated with the alarms and DCS’ events component and automatically send alarm email notifications to the appropriate personnel to help make more informed decisions.

Because the DCS was built on open software and communication protocols, it could be integrated with the PLC-based original equipment manufacturer skid equipment deployed across the pilot lab.

Improved visibility, flexibility, and scalability

The new system is also flexible, which allowed Gilead to adapt each manufacturing process for each different drug at the lab. The facility produces a wide range of products for research and experimentation, rather than one drug consistently. So, they created a DCS based on a reusable, maintainable library of code modules to help ensure system changeovers are streamlined.

System scalability also means the company can expand and integrate additional systems as the future pipeline grows. ce

Stephen Rose is an account manager at Rockwell Automation. Edited by Emily Guenther, associate content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

Technology Elevated to the Cloud.

Grounded by Honeywell’s Dependability.

Time to Elevate Your Thinking.

Experion® PKS and SCADA control are now available in secure hosted solutions - for lower upfront cost and continual support. Experion Elevate is process SCADA delivered as a scalable service. Open VEP (Virtual Engineering Platform) – Engineer’s Choice Honorable Mention - offers off-process development, testing, and training.

2018 Connected Industrial

HONORABLE MENTION

For more information, please visit

Connected Plant

www.honeywellprocess.com/Elevate www.honeywellprocess.com/OVEP © 2018 Honeywell International Inc.

input #6 at www.controleng.com/information Connected Worker

ANSWERS

HOW TO MANAGE ALARMS Shashidhara Dongre and Manoviram Rath, L&T Technology Services

Alarm management: 6 hazards, 4 strategies Alarm management in an IIoT world: Correlation and classification of industrial process control alarms are vital for safety, speed, and efficiency. Software helps.

A

n alarm management system communicates any hindrance in the smooth functioning of plant operations. Plant manufacturing remains a key element of the overall business ecosystem and business continuity is a direct function of the uptime of such plants. Large displays that show a number of alarms and information associated with it could be baffling to the operator. This could strain human alertness levels and hamper the operator’s capacity to deal with a potential situation.

General results indicate a typical plant

loses more than 5% of its total capacity each year due to slowdowns and an approximately equal amount due to offspec product, quality giveaway, and other lost opportunities, not considering any unscheduled unit outages that might occur.

Correlation and classification of alarms before they are shown to the operator is vital. Companies also are exploring augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to complement alarm management.

Alarm management systems are one of the undervalued aspects of process automation and face a number of challenges,

which could prove to be a hindrance to the process operators responding to a critical situation. Six hazards are highlighted.

1. With more low-cost sensors and digital controls, the ease and low cost of adding alarms could lead to unchecked growth in the number of alarms installed at the plant. This leads to the problem of alarm floods, which is where the same fault triggers multiple alarms in a short time.

2. Multiple alarms show extensive amount of data to the operator. During an

Your enclosure alternative.

Thousands of products IN STOCK! Quality you can trust.

Industrial enclosures for all applications.

Visit hammondmfg.com

to find a Hammond enclosure distributor.

(716)630-7030 | sales@hammfg.com input #7 at www.controleng.com/information

Quality Products. Service Excellence.

event when these alarms are triggered in a flood, it could lead to the operator missing critical signals in the chaos.

3. Without a disciplined alarm management program, the systems and momentum will be disrupted due to false triggers, which will prevent operators from correctly identifying critical alarms.

4. Alarm systems that have not received the attention and resources that are warranted often encounter the issue of nuisance alarms, which are triggered when no abnormal condition exists or when no operator action is required.

5. Alarms assigned with the wrong priority can become unimportant to the operator and potentially meaningless. Multiple alarms can lead to wrong choices.

3. Cloud-based alarm management: A cloud-based alarm management application can help an organization enhance alarm management. It provides a plant manager quick access to real-time meaningful alarms when mobile or away.

4. Integrated operator response guidance: An abnormal situation might make the operator is incapable of dealing with the situation efficiently. Integrating

operator response guidance and abnormal situation response guidance into an alarm management strategy can help. ce Shashidhara Dongre is head of delivery, plant engineering, and Manoviram Rath is senior DGM, plant engineering, both at L&T Technology Services, a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

Rugged Precision The MAQ®20 Industrial Data Acquisition & Control System

6. Some plants still use the alarm management philosophy from when the plant was built. This adversely affects the speed and accuracy with which the operator can identify the alarms that require immediate action.

Integrated alarms: 4 steps

Strategies are changing for deploying an efficient integrated alarm management system because of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Integrated alarms should follow four steps.

1. Alarm integration and correlation: Alarms in a plant typically come from disparate multivendor systems. Alarms should be integrated using IoT as it will enable the operator to quickly identify the underlying cause.

2. AR and VR technologies can save the operator a significant time in resolving an issue.

More

Signal Integrity, Compact Design 2 Software Packages for DAQ or T&M • $17 per Channel Possible – Lowest Cost in Industry

M ANSWERS

• Up to 384 Channels in 19” Instrumentation Rack

strategies, alarm hazards

• ±0.035% Accuracy

CONSIDER THIS

• 1500Vrms Channel-to-Bus Isolation

KEYWORDS: Alarm management, alarm

How can smarter alarm strategies and technologies improve overall effectiveness?

• PID Software Control - Up to 32 Loops with ReDAQ® Shape - Unlimited Loops with IPEmotion

ONLINE More advice is in this article online. From the digital edition, click on the headline.

Get the process and advanced control newsletter at www.controleng.com/enewsletter

February 2018

•

• Application Software from $250

• –40°C to +85°C Operating Temperature

13

Instrument Class® Signal Solutions dataforth.com • 800-444-7644

input #8 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

ALARM MANAGEMENT Travis Cox, Inductive Automation

How to avoid alarm overload Improve supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) alarm management and avoid alarm overloading by consolidating alarm systems and setting up protocols.

ELECTRIC! !

NEW Series EGRR Electric High Capacity Grippers

Series ECVA/ECVR Rail Screw Electric Cylinders

A

n operator’s dream shift doesn’t include being overloaded by alarms. In reality, it happens more often than operators and supervisors prefer. With a flood of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) alarm notifications, there’s a danger of missing a critical alarm among a sea of ordinary ones. Consider three tips for improved alarm management.

1. Consolidation: Consolidating alarms allows the user to reduce clutter and to process information more quickly by receiving one notification with a list of 95 alarms instead of 95 separate notifications, which is exhausting and impossible to manage. The principles of “delay” and “frequency” are what make consolidation work. When a delay is set, the user is telling the system to hold onto an alarm for a while before sending out a notification. This gives the system time to take in more alarms so it can collect a batch and send them all. The user defines the delay, which will vary by system. The clock on the delay resets with each new alarm. If alarms keep coming, the clock will continue to reset, and the system wouldn’t send a notification. That’s where frequency comes in.

2. Alarm frequency overrides

Series ESK/ESL Electric Thruster Slides

Series ESFX Modular Electric Slides

USDA Certified for CIP Series ECP IP69K Cylinders

Series ESG Electric Gantry Slides

• Electrically-powered units built on the foundation of PHD’s proven pneumatic product technology • Electromechanical actuators offer flexibility to use the motor of your choice

Your Motor, Your Way! With PHD Plus, you can use the motor of your choice.

• High thrust and speed capacities

Call 800-624-8511 or visit phdplus.phdinc.com/plusad

P.O. Box 9070 • Fort Wayne, IN 46899 USA

input #9 at www.controleng.com/information

delay, sends the notification: Let’s say you set frequency to 60 seconds.

That means the system will send all the collected notifications from the last 60 seconds, even if the delay clock is still being continually reset as new alarms continue to come in. The delay setting gets the system to collect a bunch of alarms, and the frequency setting ensures nothing is delayed for too long. Adjusting delay and frequency together while finetuning the system will allow companies to find settings that work best.

3. Escalate: Escalation involves telling the system to notify others if the primary operator isn’t responding in a certain time. Type of notification also can be escalated. (Read more online.) ce Travis Cox is co-director of sales engineering at Inductive Automation. Edited by Jack Smith, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, jsmith@cfemedia.com.

14

•

February 2018

Protect against current and emerging USB-borne threats with Secure Media Exchange.

Securely use removable media across industrial control networks.

Connected Industrial

Secure Media Exchange (SMX) reduces cyber security risk and limits operational disruptions by monitoring, protecting, and logging use of removable media throughout industrial facilities.

An award winning technology

Connected Plant Connected Worker Industrial Cyber Security Cyber Security Solutions

For more information, visit www.hwll.co/SMX Š2018 Honeywell International Inc.

input #10 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

MOTORS AND DRIVES Dan Messina, Rensenhouse Electrical Supply

Innovations in electric motor technology: the first 100 years Motor advancements originated from 19th century experiments with electric coils and the three-phase induction motor.

Have a Problem a Cabled Switch Can’t Solve? … a Steute Wireless Switch could be a solution.

Problem: Manufacturer wanted a means of automatically signaling the stock room when parts at remote assembly stations needed replenishment.

Solution: STEUTE provided rugged, battery-less, wireless position sensing switches beneath the feed track for each assembly item. When the last bin of each assembly part moves into position for consumption, the switch senses the absence of an additional bin of parts sending a signal to the stock room. Additional stock is immediately dispatched to the assembly location, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

What’s your problem?

Call to discuss a possible solution.

Creating Industrial-Grade Switch Solutions without Cables

(800) 927-6298

www.switches-sensors.zf.com/us

E-Mail: switches-sensors@zf.com

input #11 at www.controleng.com/information

T

he concept of mechanical motion from an electrical current source is not new, but the discoveries of the past provide the foundation for today’s advanced motors. In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted observed that current from a battery deflected a compass needle, and AndreMarie Ampere invented the solenoid coil.

Michael Faraday’s 1821 experiments demonstrated rotation of a wire in a circular orbit around an electromagnet.

Over the next 70 years, numerous electrical giants progressed toward a true induction motor and pushed inventors to fund and create systems capable of powering these new devices. (See more online.)

Now with an ac variable frequency drive (VFD) the number of poles is no longer a driving factor nor is applied frequency a constant. Previously, motor starting methods for ac induction motors were either across the line or soft starting (reduced voltage starting or split winding delta/wye). Instead of a pure sine wave, a VFD uses pulses of voltage in a method called pulse width modulation (PWM).

The ac voltage is converted to dc then inverted back to ac and the voltage is pulsed though a solid-state switch, called an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). An IGBT allows the user to modulate motor speed by adjusting the Volts/Hertz ratio; 460/60 is full speed, and 230/30 equals half speed, etc. This control method causes electrical stresses, which led to the inverter duty rated motor. In an across-the-line motor starter, frequency is constant, and voltage has an upper limit—no more than the utility supply. With a VFD, frequency is no longer constant, and voltage is switched (pulsed) thousands of times per second from zero to peak to mimic a sinusoidal wave form familiar to the motor. Peaks may reach 1,500 V or higher, which can damage windings in an unsuitable motor.

Inverter duty rated motors combat this problem by using winding insulation that eliminates corona inception voltage (when insulation becomes conductive). ce

Dan Messina, CEP, is power technical consultant, Rensenhouse Electric Supply in Kansas City, Mo., part of CED’s Industrial Solution Network. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

16

•

February 2018

Simplify pressure calibration for faster, more accurate results

Let the new Fluke 729 Automatic Pressure Calibrator change the way you calibrate.

• Fast, easy setup with automatic pressure regulation • Automatic, no-hassle calibration and documentation • Built-in HART communication • No hand pumps or manual adjustments required

2018

Check out this revolutionary tool at fluke.com/729 ©2018 Fluke Corporation.

6010485a-en

WINNER

input #12 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

ENERGY EFFICIENCY Brian Bannister, Lafert Electric Motors

Design motors to achieve energy efficiency requirements Original equipment manufacturers and end users can comply with (and exceed) current electric motor energy-efficiency requirements (for extra benefits).

T

M More ANSWERS

KEYWORD:

Motor efficiency standards European Commission statutory efficiency regulations for electric motors cover ac industrial electric motors from 0.75 up to 375 kW. High-performance permanent magnet IE4 and IE5 motors offer benefits.

GO ONLINE Read this article online at www.controleng.com for more.

CONSIDER THIS What benefits accrue by buying motor ahead of standards?

he European Commission’s statutory efficiency regulations for electric motors, which came into force in January 2017, require all ac industrial electric motors with a rated output of 0.75 to 375 kW to operate within the Regulations’ specified parameters.

The most common solutions offered to achieve these efficiency levels are based on either an IE2 motor with a variable speed drive (VSD) package or a stand-alone, direct on-line IE3 motor. Compliance should be a company’s first goal; achieving it can be dictated by numerous factors.

For applications where equipment is driven by motors with power ratings lower than 0.75 or above 375 kW, there are no specific guidelines or requirements.

Equipment and machine manufacturers can continue to use IE1 efficiency motors in the European Union (EU) if they have them in stock, but cannot continue making IE1 motors for customers in the EU. They can continue to supply IE1

High performance permanent magnet motors aren’t required yet by the European Commission’s statutory efficiency regulations but offer benefits for OEMs and end users. Courtesy: Lafert Electric Motors

18

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

motors outside the EU where equal efficiency levels are not demanded.

IE4 and IE5 motors

High-performance permanent magnet IE4 and IE5 motors might be considered by some as excessive, but they do offer immediate and future benefits for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end users.

One immediate benefit is compliance for the foreseeable future. Design engineers can develop equipment with confidence, knowing which motors they can incorporate in their designs to achieve specific performance characteristics, while not having to change machines from a weight and size point of view.

Some IE4 and IE5 motors can offer up 50% savings in weight and can reductions of up to two frame sizes.

When making decisions about how to meet the required efficiency standard, return on investment (ROI) should be considered. An IE3 motor carries an estimated 20% premium over an IE2 alternative, but energy savings from higher efficiency make it possible for users to achieve payback in less than two years.

IE4 and IE5 motors will become standard in the next few years. It is worth adopting the higher efficiency motors today to gaining the energy savings now.

This might be the case with VSDs because both IE4 and IE5 permanent magnet motors require them.

While compliance is obligatory, it is up to the OEMs and end users to adhere to the standards.

According to the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA’s) June 2013 environmental reporting guidelines. (See details with this article online.)

It’s better for manufacturers to build in compliance with the future in mind so they can avoid product redesigns and associated price increases later on. ce

Brian Bannister is a motor specialist at Lafert Electric Motors. This article appeared Oct. 30, 2017 on the Control Engineering Europe website. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com. See more at www.controleng.com/international. www.controleng.com

input #13 at www.controleng.com/information

ADVERTISEMENT

L

&T Technology Services Limited is a leading global pure-play engineering services company with a multi-vertical expertise across five industry segments and serves more than 200 customers globally, 48 of which are included in the top 100 Global Engineering R&D spenders. With a annualized run rate of USD 500 million in revenues, the company offers consultancy, design, development and testing services across the product and process development life cycle.

Having valuable experience in multiple technologies, industry knowledge, multi-site project management expertise, and cutting-edge engineering tools, L&T Technology Services enables its customers to reduce time-to-market of their end products and services, innovate

in the areas of mechanical and manufacturing engineering, embedded systems, software engineering and process engineering.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dr. Keshab Panda says, “In an evolving technology landscape, harnessing organizational efficiency and reducing business complexities is vital for having the edge over the competition.

LTTS as a leading global engineering services company has expertise that spans across Smart Products and Manufacturing Services to Mechanical Engineering and Embedded System and Applications. We integrate NextGen technology to deliver innovative solutions helping organizations re-imagine their operating models and revitalize the business strategy.”

The company’s delivery centers in Peoria, Illinois, USA and Bangalore, India

to create new products and solutions, reduce cost of development and meet increasing regulatory requirements.

With a strong focus on innovation driven technology, the company has created several unique engineering solutions and has extensive presence in multiple sectors having filed 287 patents including co-owned with clients.

The ER&D portfolio of the company caters to all major industries like Transportation, Industrial Products, Telecom and Hi-Tech, Medical Devices and Process Industry offering solutions Tel: +91 80 6767 5173

The company is placing its bet on four pillars of new-age engineering — namely Digital Engineering, Smart Manufacturing, Pervasive Engineering and Perceptual Engineering. Pertaining to Smart Manufacturing particularly, it is known that the manufacturing sector has lagged behind the services growth, making it imminent for businesses to consider the ‘smart’ proposition. This is mainly with aim of boosting efficiencies and reducing costs. With Smart Manufacturing at the helm, factories are now serving as Intelligent Integrated Plants enabling

Dr. Keshab Panda Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

real-time responses with sensors and visualization technologies including ability to handle change using predictive and preventive data analytics. LTTS is at the global forefront of enabling smart manufacturing having already carved out success stories for its clients such as integrating a new automobile model into existing manufacturing lines using virtual simulation of robotic welding, PLC programming and HMI design.

On Digital Engineering, LTTS’ indigenously built i-BEMS platform is deployed to develop the world’s smartest office campus in Israel in collaboration with Microsoft. The smart campus will be the centerpiece for a new era of modern Smart City technologies that use energy efficiency systems, lighting controls, thermostats and sensors.

The company has a customer base spread across the globe including 52 Fortune 500 companies. Its global workforce numbering over 11,000, are spread across 15 global delivery centers, 28 global sales offices and 38 innovation labs.

L&T Technology Services has been conferred with multiple awards and accolades by a number of recognized international institutions and has a partnership with multiple technology leaders like Microsoft, PTC and WindRiver. www.lnttechservices.com

ANSWERS

INSIDE MACHINES Winn Hardin, AIA

Machine vision systems push automotive autonomy Car manufacturers turn to machine vision companies for deep learning algorithms to help autonomous cars navigate and process large amounts of data.

T

he race is on to make self-driving vehicles ready for the road. More than 2.7 million passenger cars and commercial vehicles equipped with partial automation already are in operation, enabled by a global automotive sensors market estimated to reach $25.56 billion by 2021.

Carmakers are building on automated driver-assistance systems, which include functions such as selfparking and blind spot monitoring, as the foundation for developing self-driving cars. The core sensors that facilitate automated driving—camera, radar, lidar, and ultrasound—are well developed but keep undergoing improvements in size, cost, and operating distance.

Other technological challenges include mastery of deep learning algorithms to help cars navigate public roadways and handle heavy data processing. To help find a path toward total autonomy in driving, automakers are turning to machine vision software companies to help.

Algorithms get smarter

The machine vision industry is no stranger to the outdoor environment, with years of experience developing hardware and software for intelligent transportation systems, automatic license plate readers, and border security applications. While such applications require sophisticated software that accounts for uncontrollable factors like fog and sun glare, self-driving vehicles KEYWORDS: Machine vision, autonomous vehicles encounter and process many more variAutomotive companies rely ables that differ in complexity. on machine vision companies “Autonomous driving applications have to help develop smarter little tolerance for error, so the algorithms autonomous vehicles. must be robust,” said Jeff Bier, founder of Automated vehicles need to Embedded Vision Alliance, an industry make decisions with massive partnership to help companies integrate amounts of sensor data. vision into systems. “To write an algorithm GO ONLINE that tells the difference between a person Read this story online at and tree, despite the range of variation in www.controleng.com for more shapes, sizes, and lighting, with extremely AIA machine vision stories. high accuracy can be very difficult.”

CONSIDER THIS Algorithms have reached a point where, Should autonomous vehicle on average, “They’re at least as good as knowledge be applied elsewhere humans at detecting important things,” in the supply chain?

M More ANSWERS

M1

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

said Bier. “This key advance has enabled the deployment of vision into vehicles.”

AImotive is a software company bringing deep learning algorithms to fully autonomous vehicles. Its hardware-agnostic platform uses neural networks to make decisions in any type of weather or driving condition. Four parts follow. 1) Recognition engine uses camera images as the primary input. 2) Location engine supplements conventional map data with 3-D landmark information; 3) Motion engine takes the positioning and navigation output from the location engine to predict movement patterns of surroundings; 4) Control engine guides the vehicle through low-level actuator commands, such as steering and braking.

For an automated vehicle to make critical decisions based on massive volumes of real-time data coming from multiple sensors, processors would have had to become more powerful computationally while consuming less operational power. Software suppliers in this space are developing specialized processor architectures “that easily yield factors of 10 to 100 times better efficiency to enable these complex algorithms to fit within the cost and power envelope of the application,” said Bier. “Just a few years ago, this degree of computational performance would have been considered supercomputer level.”

To make safe, accurate decisions, sensors need to process approximately 1 GB of data per second, Intel said. Waymo, Google’s self-driving car project, uses the chipmaker’s technology in its driverless, cameraequipped Chrysler Pacifica minivans, which are shuttling passengers in Phoenix as part of a pilot project.

The industry needs to determine where the decisions should occur. “In our discussions with manufacturers, there are two trains of thought,” said Ed Goffin, marketing manager for Pleora Technologies. 1) Analyze data and decide at the smart camera or sensor level, and 2) feed data back over a high-speed, lowlatency network to a centralized processing system. ce Winn Hardin is contributing editor for AIA. This article originally appeared in Vision Online. AIA is a part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

NO NODES...

LIKE OUR NODES.

The WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM The System that Started the Modular I/O Revolution r r r r r

Fieldbus independent – supports 16+ protocols 500+ digital, analog and special function I/O modules Compact – up to 16 DI or DO in just one 12 mm wide module XTR Series for eXTReme temperature, shock and vibration Add-on instruction library for RSLogix 5000® software

www.wago.us/IOsystem input #16 at www.controleng.com/information 56/RJL[ LV D UHJLVWHUHG WUDGHPDUN RI 5RFNZHOO $XWRPDWLRQ s QR HQGRUVHPHQW RU DƱOLDWLRQ LPSOLHG

ANSWERS

MACHINE VISION

Jon Breen, Breen Machine Automation Services LLC

Robust vision inspection in 5 steps When performing a machine vision inspection, users should assess the application, optics, lighting, setup, and runtime.

M

achine vision inspection is a powerful, versatile tool in automation. Despite constant technology advances, machine vision implementation tends to follow the same process with most of the same best practices and pitfalls. Follow these five steps in the process to align with best practices and avoid potential pitfalls.

More

1. Assess the application

M ANSWERS

KEYWORDS: Machine vision, inspection A robust machine vision inspection should factor the application, optics, lighting, setup, and runtime.

There are many tools designed to make machine vision inspection a simple process.

GO ONLINE Read this article online at www.controleng.com for more.

Some things aren’t a good fit for machine vision. Experience is usually a good indicator, but if there are any questions about feasibility, test it first. Unforeseen challenges can cause costly hardware changes and schedule delays.

2. Select the camera and optics

Select a camera based on these features: • Color vs. monochrome • Resolution • Firmware features • Inspection speed • Lens focal length.

Table: Recommended machine vision pixels for an application Recommended number of pixels Linear measurement

Measurement tolerance = 10 pixels

Area measurement

5 x 5 mm

Text recognition (OCR)

25 – 35 mm (character height)

Camera manufacturers usually have an online calculator to assist with this.

3. Consider lighting

The purpose of lighting is to make key features highly visible, while reducing the visibility of features that might confuse the inspection tools. Finding the right solution can require experimentation, creativity, and experience. This is the part of the inspection most likely to change during installation, so do the due diligence for the implementation and test this beforehand to ensure things go smoothly.

4. Set things up

Once all the parts are assembled, it’s time to make things work. Get aperture and exposure in the ballpark so focusing is possible. Set focus. Revisit aperture and exposure. Setup location and inspection tools.

There’s no one right answer, but the rule of thumb is to use the simplest inspection tools that do the job well.

5. Consider runtime

Initial programming is usually done on a small sample of parts, but they don’t represent the entire population. Train the system on a small sample, then validate and tweak using a larger sample.

Do the work up front and validate thoroughly, which will result in a system to be proud of. ce

Setup is crucial for a machine vision application and a major factor is providing a good field of view for the inspection. Courtesy: Breen Machine Automation Services

M3

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

Jon Breen is owner/controls engineer, Breen Machine Automation Services LLC. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

Seamless Integration Free Custom Yamaha Add-On Instructions For Allen-Bradley PLCs

• Seamless integration using custom Yamaha AOIs • Simple drag and drop ladder programming with Allen Bradley RS Logix 5000 • Teach and replay points in a Yamaha robot using your own HMI • Plus get FREE one-on-one technical support with YRG!

For free technical support and seamless integration visit: www.yrginc.com/aoi

YRG

™

Compact Logix or Control Logix

ROBOTICS

9101 Clubridge Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Phone: 260.747.3482

input #17 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

INSIDE MACHINES Tanya M. Anandan, RIA

Robotic machining used for aerospace applications Robotic waterjet systems use a mix of water and garnet that exits the waterjet to make precise cuts for an industry that demands perfection.

R

obotic machining has come a long way and has proven to be robust and accurate enough to achieve the demanding tolerances required by the aerospace industry. In one example, a robotic waterjet system cut an integrated bladed rotor (IBR) for a commercial jet engine.

Using tap water mixed with an abrasive media that shoots out of a small orifice at ultra-high velocity, a robotic waterjet system can cut through solid metal up to a foot thick. A six-axis robot can maneuver a waterjet nozzle across a part, shaping the graceful contours of jet engine airfoils with ease.

“This is 3-D cutting with waterjet,” said Dylan Howes, vice president of business development for Shape Technologies Group. “The Aquarese system is the only 3-D robotic abrasive waterjet machine able to achieve 94,000 psi (6,500 bar).”

The waterjet machine integrates technology with advanced robotics to provide turnkey solutions for Shape Technologies Group’s aerospace, energy, and automotive customers. The robot brings flexibility

Robotic waterjet system produces a stream of water traveling at supersonic speed to cut a variety of materials, including superalloy components used in the aerospace industry. Courtesy: Shape Technologies Group/RIA

M5

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

and smooth motion to the waterjet process. With six degrees of freedom, its articulated arm can approach a workpiece from virtually any angle and follow a smooth, accurate, and highly repeatable toolpath to create precision cuts and contours. In metal cutting applications, the waterjet rough-cuts the components, which subsequently undergo final milling operations.

Howes said a waterjet “can cut metal, composites, glass, stone, paper, food, just about anything. With waterjet, you could be cutting metal one day and cutting foam the next day on the same machine.”

Aquarese systems are used to cut titanium alloys, Inconel, Ni-based alloys, other superalloys, stainless steel, and composites. Abrasive waterjet is required for cutting metals. Garnet is the abrasive media in 99% of such applications. Water and garnet exit the waterjet cutting head at nearly four times the speed of sound to increase cutting power by 1,000 times. It is a cold-cutting process without thermal fatigue.

Robotic accuracy, repeatability, rigidity

Robotic waterjet has been used more commonly for softer materials until the aerospace industry realized its value for cutting metals and composites.

“It has become a more common application because we can achieve better performance,” said Sebastien Schmitt, North American robotics division manager for Stäubli Corp. “We’ve made so much progress with the rigidity of the arm and precision. It makes it possible to work in that domain. Accuracy, repeatability, rigidity, all this comes from our patented gear box that we manufacture and design in-house.”

A high-payload 100 kg robot is for rigidity and to withstand the ultrahigh-pressure waterjet. Schmitt said performance competes with traditional milling methods. “The cost of a 5-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine is three or four times the cost of a system like you see here.”

Aquarese uses a humid environment robot developed specifically for wet environments. The enclosed arm structure is IP65-rated and reinforced by arm suppression for added waterproofing. The IP67-rated wrist is corrosion-resistant and protected against lowwww.controleng.com

Your Single Source for Automation Solutions

Robotic waterjet stripping system for removing coatings from turbine components.

Courtesy: Shape Technologies Group/RIA

pressure immersion. The tool flange and critical parts are made of stainless steel to hold up in corrosive environments. Longevity is important, especially when the robot is working in harsh environments.

The proprietary robot programming language is optimized for compatibility with computer-aided design (CAD)-to-path software. Howes said it’s a simple process to import a CAD model and generate an optimized toolpath. The waterjet systems are programmed using a software suite bundled with the system. For 3-D robotic waterjet cutting, a module with functions for specific applications is supplied. Applications include roughing blisks and fan blade trimming. “We can also integrate the core removal systems with cutting solutions for de-gating, as well as systems for removing the flashing from forged materials” using robotics, said Howes.

Automation 3200

Ensemble®

Research enables more robotic machining

Research is underway at the Boeing Manufacturing Development Center (BMDC) on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The BMDC is focused on implementing industrial automation in non-traditional ways, such as shimless machining. The center is located in the 19,000-sq-ft Delta Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF).

Technologies developed at Georgia Tech have been transitioned into production at Boeing, including new design methods for advanced commercial aircraft, flow control for commercial and military aircraft, vision systems for hole countersinking, and autonomous robotics for assembly.

Other research includes teaching robots tasks through human demonstration and exploring the use of robots as flexible fixturing devices. Robotic-assisted manufacturing will continue to be a focus for researchers as advanced manufacturing grows. ce

Tanya M. Anandan is contributing editor for the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and Robotics Online. RIA is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to improving the regional, national, and global competitiveness of the North American manufacturing and service sectors through robotics and related automation. This article originally appeared on the RIA website. The RIA is a part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

M More ANSWERS

Soloist®

CADFusion

Motors

Amplifiers

Aerotech Automation Delivers...

• High performance • Advanced controls for superior contouring, in-position stability, move and settle, and velocity control • Reduced setup time • Integrated calculators and extensive diagnostics • Ease of use • One software environment: .NET, C, G code, LabVIEW®, MATLAB®, or AeroBasic™

Industries

KEYWORDS

Robotics, aerospace Robotic waterjet machining is a cold-cutting process with no mechanical stress and part integrity is not compromised.

Researchers are looking at enabling technologies designed to allow robots to produce more complex features and surfaces.

GO ONLINE

• Laser processing

• Target tracking

• Stencil cutting

• Beam steering

• Wire bonding

• Dispensing

• Stent manufacturing

• Packaging

• Grinding

• Sensor testing

• Web applications

• Case erectors

Read this story online at www.controleng.com for more information.

CONSIDER THIS What other applications would benefit from robotic waterjets?

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

M6

www.aerotech.com • 412-963-7470 input #18 at www.controleng.com/information

AH1217A-CSG

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Spotlight on innovation Best automation, control, and instrumentation products in 26 categories.

T

he 31st annual Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Awards shines a light on 26 categories of control, instrumentation, and automation products, revealing the best of those introduced in 2017 as chosen by the Control Engineering print and digital audience. Review the winners and honorable mentions here to see if their innovative solutions can help resolve one of your most pressing problems.

Also, join us in congratulating these technological innovators. Let them know you learned about their solutions in Control Engineering, and tell them what problems you need solutions for next. Their continuous improvement ensures that manufacturers, machine builders, and automation system integrators can achieve the levels of agility, efficiency, and effectiveness necessary to compete—and win—in today’s global economy.

A total of 88 finalists from 44 companies were listed on ballots for evaluation. Automation professionals from Control

Engineering’s subscriber lists—all of whom are responsible for or influence technology purchases, or have hands-on day-to-day interaction with the technologies in each category—then voted to identify the products they felt were the most exceptional based on technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact. The result is a short list of Engineers’ Choice Awards winners and honorable mentions in 26 categories. A total of 1 grand winner, 26 winners, and 28 honorable mentions were named for 2018.

Control Engineering staff thanks those who nominated products and voted. Find more product innovations in the New Products for Engineers Database at www.controleng.com/NP4E. The 2018 Engineers’ Choice Awards will be presented to the winners on April 16, 2018, in Chicago.

Amanda Pelliccione is project manager of events and awards programs, Control Engineering, CFE Media, apelliccione@cfemedia.com.

Engineers’ Choice Awards Index: 1 Grand, 26 Winners, 28 Honorable Mentions 29 UniStream Multi-Touch PLC, Unitronics

34 Simocode pro current/voltage measuring module, Siemens

29 ELM EtherCAT I/O, Beckhoff Automation 29 729 Automatic Pressure Calibrator, Fluke Corp.

36 Sitrans FS230 digital clamp-on ultrasonic flow system, Siemens

30 Allen-Bradley VersaView 5200 thin client, Rockwell Automation

36 Simatic PCS 7 V9 process control system, Siemens 36 VeriSafe absence of voltage tester, Panduit

30 UNO-2484G modular, customizable, fanless PC, Advantech

36 Secure Media Exchange (SMX) for USB ports, Honeywell Process Solutions

30 EZTouch I/O, EZAutomation 30 EZRackPLCO, EZAutomation 32 Allen-Bradley Kinetix VPC servo motor, Rockwell Automation 32 Simatic S7-1500 T-CPU motion controller, Siemens 32 ASCII to EtherNet/IP gateway, Phoenix Contact 32 Allen-Bradley Stratix 2500 lightly managed switch, Rockwell Automation

38 FactoryTalk Batch V13, Rockwell Automation 38 Dream Report automated reporting and data analysis software, Ocean Data Systems 38 Studio 5000 integrated development environment, Rockwell Automation 38 FactoryTalk Analytics for Devices, Rockwell Automation 39 Plantweb Insight, Emerson Automation Solutions

34 u-remote IO-Link Master, Weidmuller

39 InduSoft Web Studio V8.1, Schneider Electric Software

34 WI-I/O-2-E-N-GBL industrial wireless modem and I/O, Weidmuller

39 IoT Gateway, Bosch Rexroth 39 MobileHMI V10.95, Iconics

34 Sinamics V20 Smart Access web server module, Siemens

40-44 Honorable Mentions

READ MORE ONLINE, including how to enter, at www.controleng.com/EngineersChoice.

28

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

®

2018 Engineers’ Choice

GRAND AWARD

Hardware – Data Acquisition

Hardware – Handheld Test, Measurement, Calibration

ELM EtherCAT I/O

729 Automatic Pressure Calibrator

Beckhoff Automation

T UniStream Multi-Touch PLC

T

Unitronics

he Grand Award—first introduced with the 2017 program—is bestowed upon the product that received the most overall votes in the 2018 program. This year’s Grand Award recipient is the UniStream MultiTouch PLC from Unitronics.

The UniStream Multi-Touch programmable logic controller (PLC) with a 10.4-in. multi-touch human-machine interface (HMI) panel enables the use of gestures using two or more points of contact via mobile device. Multi-touch and two-hand gestures—including Pinch and Zoom, Press and Hold, Double-Tap, and Swipe–offer increased operating safety and an improved user experience. Features of this all-in-one PLC include media viewers, Real Time Streaming Protocol, a built-in webserver, a variety of I/O options, auto-tune proportional-integral-derivative (PID), and recipe programs and data logging via data tables and sampling. UniStream provides completely modular and scalable hardware for customizable control, backed by efficient programming software. www.unitronics.com

he ELM EtherCAT I/O module features metal housing that optimizes shielding and cooling in measurement technology applications. At the same time, the durable housing provides enhanced flexibility at the interface level, such as for LEMO or BNC plug connectors or for the wellestablished cage clamps as a quickly customizable and standard solution. Measurement accuracy of 100 ppm at 23°C, precise sub-1 μs synchronization, 24-bit resolution, and a high sampling rate of up to 50,000 samples per second deliver high-quality data acquisition. With the ELM module, high-end measuring devices and comprehensive automation technology are combined into one universal system. www.beckhoffautomation.com Input 201 at www.controleng.com/information

Fluke Corp.

T

he 729 automatic pressure calibrator simplifies the calibration process by automatically generating precise test pressures, improving calibration integrity by compensating for leaks, and automatically documenting the pressure calibration process to help meet compliance and regulatory requirements.

With the rugged, portable 729, technicians input a target pressure and the calibrator automatically pumps to the desired set-point while the internal fine adjustment control stabilizes the pressure at the requested value, delivering more accurate results and speeding the calibration process. The 729 features automatic pressure generation and control for multiple tests, easy calibration documentation, HART communication, and measurement of milliamp signals on transmitter outputs and sourcing and simulation of milliamp signals.

Input 200 at www.controleng.com/information

www.fluke.com Input 202 at www.controleng.com/information

www.controleng.com

CONTROL ENGINEEERING

February 2018

•

29

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

®

Hardware – HMI, Operator Interface, Thin-client

Hardware – Industrial PCs

Hardware – Integrated HMI Controllers

Allen-Bradley VersaView 5200

UNO-2484G

EZTouch I/O

Advantech

Machine & Embedded Control – PLCs

EZRackPLC

EZAutomation

EZAutomation

Rockwell Automation

T

he Allen-Bradley VersaView 5200 ThinManager thin client is ideal for ThinManager distributed applications. The thin client is used for displaying content delivered from a remote ThinManager server. Users can have multiple thin clients set up across a plant or facility and various roles with the convenience of having them all maintained by the ThinManager server. All content remains on the server so downtime is reduced in the event of a failure. Integrated widescreen display size options range from 12to 22-in., provides one external display output ports that support up to 2560 x 1600 displays, and can operate in 0 to 50°C conditions. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 203 at www.controleng.com/information

30

•

February 2018

T

he UNO-2484G modular, customizable, fanless PC with up to four iDoor or five HDMI ports is equipped with an Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processor, 8 GB of DDR4 memory, and rich I/O— including 4 GbE, four USB 3.0, four RS-232/422/485, one HDMI, and one display port (4K). With an optional second stack expansion kit that adds the four iDoor or five HDMI ports for added flexibly functionality, the UNO-2484G is designed to deliver high-performance computing and maximum flexibility. With the iDoor modules, users can extend or customize the platform features to provide purposebuilt, future-proof solutions for diverse machine automation, industrial IoT SCADA server, and performance control applications.

T

he EZTouch I/O flexible, compact touch screen controller is a modular allin-one HMI and PLC unit that can act as a standalone machine controller or smart HMI with local I/O for existing PLCs. The EZTouch I/O saves space, time, and money for various control applications. Flexible I/O modules include ac and dc inputs/outputs, relay outputs, voltage and current analog I/O, thermocouple and resistance temperature detector (RTD) inputs, highspeed counter inputs, and pulse width modulation for motion control. Display sizes range from 6 to 10 in. With built-in communication protocols that require no additional modules, the EZTouch I/O can be integrated with nearly all existing PLC installations.

T

he EZRackPLC is an advanced programmable logic controller (PLC) that is Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Wi-Fi Ready and has USB data logging up to 64 GB and programming software and simulator package. This rugged, modular rack din-rail or panel-mount PLC features an integrated message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol, direct connectivity to external devices, and easy-to-setup secure communication with other networks. The EZRackPLC is designed to be a “bridge” between existing operational technology within a plant, such as factory machines and plant database networks, so valuable data can be shared reliably and securely to improve plant productivity and efficiency.

www.advantech.com

www.ezautomation.net

www.ezautomation.net

Input 204 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 205 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 206 at www.controleng.com/information

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

input #19 at www.controleng.com/information

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

®

Motion Control

Motion Control – Drives

Network Integration – Ethernet Hardware

Network Integration – Ethernet Switches

Allen-Bradley Kinetix VPC

Simatic S7-1500 T-CPU

ASCII to EtherNet/IP gateway

Allen-Bradley Stratix 2500

Rockwell Automation

Siemens

Rockwell Automation

Phoenix Contact

T

he Allen-Bradley Kinetix VPC servo motor provides smooth, integrated motion control over EtherNet/IP networks. The Kinetix VPC continuous duty servo motor is optimized to run on Kinetix 5700 servo drives. A cooling fan and cooling fins on the motor provide increased torque and power output. In addition, encoder options with improved resolution and accuracy provide more precise and responsive control. The Kinetix VPC also helps reduce machine downtime and uses larger, more robust bearings to improve L10 bearings life by up to 60%. An optional single cable for power and feedback helps reduce installation, setup, and maintenance time compared to dual-cable motors.

T

he Simatic S7-1500 technology CPU (T-CPU) combines an expanded range of motion control functions into one controller, significantly increasing performance with a fast backplane bus, Profinet interface, and short reaction times. Different CPU types are available for multiple performance classes. A wide range of signal modules for input and output as well as technology modules for special technological functions, such as counting, and centralized and decentralized communication modules are available to serve as interfaces to the machine or plant. The Simatic S7-1500 is approved for protection class IP20 and designed for installation in a control cabinet. www.usa.siemens.com Input 208 at www.controleng.com/information

T

he ASCII to EtherNet/ IP gateway easily networks legacy ASCII devices to the EtherNet/IP network.

It also integrates those legacy devices into an industrial control system. The gateway comes in a compact DIN rail form factor that is easy to install and does not occupy much space in the control cabinet. It features 256-bit AES encryption and authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access. The advanced diagnostic functions of the serial port enable the user to perform quick and easy troubleshooting. The seamless integration of virtual COM ports through native Microsoft Windows drivers guarantees consistently high performance, especially for multiport applications. www.phoenixcontact.com/us Input 209 at www.controleng.com/information

www.rockwellautomation.com Input 207 at www.controleng.com/information

T

he Allen-Bradley Stratix 2500 lightly managed switch provides the security, resiliency, segmentation, and bandwidthoptimization benefits of a managed switch without the need for extensive configuration. The Stratix 2500 can prioritize critical industrial network traffic. It also can be configured for application-specific needs. The lightly managed switch exceeds the capabilities of an unmanaged switch by monitoring and optimizing traffic flow and providing diagnostic information to help minimize downtime. It also can support up to 64 VLANs for logical segmentation, which helps reduce total cost of ownership. Port security allows users to disable ports or control end-device connectivity based on the media access control address. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 210 at www.controleng.com/information

32

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

2018 input #20 at www.controleng.com/information

WINNER

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

®

Network Integration – I/O Systems

Network Integration – Wireless I/O

Network Integration – Wireless Products

Power – Energy, Power Protection, UPS

u-remote IO-Link Master

WI-I/O-2-E-N-GBL

Sinamics V20 Smart Access

Simocode pro

Weidmuller

T

he u-remote IOLink Master increases machine availability by using IO-Link right down to the sensor/actuator level. This level of transparency permits easy wiring, automatic parameter setting, efficient communication, and extensive diagnostic options. The 4-channel IO-Link Master meets current requirements by means of simplified installation and commissioning, extended power supply, automatic parameter setting, and expanded diagnostic functions. The extra features offered ensure easier commissioning, more transparent processes, and a greater level of efficiency.

These enhancements generate a higher return on investment. The product permits a web-based configuration of the IO-Link Master and IO-Link devices. Additional standalone software tools are not required.

Weidmuller

T

he WI-I/O-2-E-NGBL industrial wireless modem and I/O is designed with IIoT and Industrie 4.0 in mind. Easily configure the wireless device as a hot spot modem or as an I/O radio for use around the world through a webpage.

The user-friendly web-based programming interface allows for users to be able to setup and deploy large or small networks within a few clicks and automatically fixes errors. The WI-I/O-2-E-NGBL provides robust/secure two-way wireless communications in extremely challenging indoor and outdoor industrial environments. It is ideally suited for water and wastewater in-plant applications, oil and gas remote sensor monitoring, discrete factory automation, inventory management, and warehousing applications. www.weidmuller.com

Siemens

S

inamics V20 Smart Access web server module is a small rugged device that connects any type of smartphone or tablet without having to install special software or download data.

This allows machine builders and end users to transfer settings, enabling fast commissioning with wizards and easy testing of the motor settings. The Sinamics V20 can be applied to operate pumps, fans, compressors, and conveyor systems, as well as for simple drive tasks in the processing and handling industry. Smart Access works with both Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems, along with commonly used HTML5 capable web browsers. www.usa.siemens.com Input 213 at www.controleng.com/information

Siemens

T

he Simocode pro current/voltage measuring module enables users to achieve a high degree of measuring accuracy and a wide measuring range simultaneously, allowing Simocode pro also to be a sensor for motor data. With this measuring module, users get improved measuring accuracy for all measured values, allowing measurement of motor current, voltages up to 690 V, and monitoring of power-related measured quantities. Also, groundfault detection is available with adjustable warning and tripping thresholds and decoupling modules are no longer required.

The Simocode pro features standard mounting rail repetition on the front of the device for compact system configuration.

www.usa.siemens.com

Input 214 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 212 at www.controleng.com/information

www.weidmuller.com Input 211 at www.controleng.com/information

34

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

input #21 at www.controleng.com/information

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

®

Process Control – Process Sensors

Process Control Systems

Safety – Machine Safety

Safety – Process Safety, Intrinsic Safety

Sitrans FS230

Simatic PCS 7 V9

VeriSafe

Secure Media Exchange (SMX)

Siemens

T

he Sitrans FS230 digital clamp-on ultrasonic flow system is suitable for a broad array of industries requiring high-quality liquid flow measurement, including water and wastewater, oil and gas, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical. The flow system consists of a Sitrans FST030 transmitter paired with Sitrans FSS200 clamp-on ultrasonic sensors.

The transmitter includes a digital sensor link that digitizes the signal at the earliest stage of measurement, resulting in an optimal signal-to-noise ratio. With its integrated PerformancePlus algorithm, the transmitter detects even the smallest changes in flow for consistently high accuracy of 0.5% to 1% of flow rate and a very stable zero point.

Siemens

T

he Simatic PCS 7 V9 process control system is focused on supporting future-oriented digitalization down to the field level.

It includes powerful, compact hardware that supports Profinet to allow greater freedom in plant design and operation. Profinet provides the prerequisites for powerful, plant-wide communication in real time, which is indispensable in the era of Big Data. The Simatic PCS 7 saves time when integrating field devices: the Simatic compact field unit (CFU) initializes connected field devices automatically and integrates them into the process control system. What used to take 30 minutes now takes less than one. www.usa.siemens.com Input 216 at www.controleng.com/information

www.usa.siemens.com Input 215 at www.controleng.com/information

Panduit

V

eriSafe simplifies a worker’s process to comply with safety regulations that require conducting a voltage verification test to validate the absence of voltage when servicing electrical equipment. The VeriSafe absence of voltage tester automates the voltage verification process, which traditionally includes a number of complex and time-consuming stages when using hand-held portable test instruments.

Once installed, a simple push of a button on the VeriSafe enables qualified electrical workers to verify the absence of voltage and see an active indication when the absence of voltage is confirmed. This provides a way to safely, reliably, and efficiently verify the absence of voltage before accessing potentially dangerous electrical equipment. www.panduit.com

Honeywell Process Solutions

T

he Secure Media Exchange (SMX) provides multiple layers of protection against USB-borne threats at industrial sites.

It features threat intelligence and threat-detection cloud to keep systems up to date against these threats.

Even though USBs represent one of the top threats in the industrial space, they’re still the principal vehicles for updating and maintaining PCN configurations.

SMX addresses this by monitoring, protecting, and logging the use of USBs and removable media throughout industrial facilities. SMX secures open USB ports from non-checked devices like smartphones and other removable media. SMX bridges the divide between IT and OT requirements for safer process manufacturing. www.honeywellprocess.com Input 218 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 217 at www.controleng.com/information

36

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

A New Dimension in HMI/SCADA ICONICS is honored to be named a Control Engineering 2018 Engineers’

Choice Award winner. Our MobileHMI™ automation software features the

latest technology, including an innovative holographic machine interface (HMI) that integrates with devices like Microsoft HoloLens and RealWear HMT-1.

Experience this and more groundbreaking technology firsthand at one of our upcoming World Tour events.

2018

Register for our Connected Intelligence World Tour!

Coming to a city near you: www.iconics.com/CIWorldTour

WINNER

© 2018 ICONICS, Inc. All rights reserved.

input #22 at www.controleng.com/information

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Software – Applications

Software – Asset Management, Reporting

FactoryTalk Batch V13

Dream Report

Rockwell Automation

F

actoryTalk Batch V13 software enhances scalability and responsive control of distributed, skid-level phases with the integrity of plant-level coordination, while delivering an improved, reliable user experience with built-in mobility. Integration with the SequenceManager solution enables batch sequencing to occur at either the controller or server level. This allows machine builders to develop and deliver fully tested skids that end users can integrate into batch process with minimal validation and commissioning effort. It also minimizes the rework required when manufacturers with small, controllerbased batch systems expand to larger, server-based batch systems. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 219 at www.controleng.com/information

Ocean Data Systems

D

ream Report V4.8 is user-friendly, automated reporting, and data analysis software designed for industrial automation applications. These environments require one or more Dream Report servers with the ability to support remote and concurrent development.

By default, a Dream Report server will support a local or remote developer. Additional development CALs are available to facilitate multiple concurrent developers complete with check-out and check-in functionality, version management, and audit trails. Additional enhancements include support for Wonderware Online InSight (from Schneider Electric) and enhanced GE SmartSignal and GE Historian Drivers; enhanced Alarm Filters improve ISA 18.2 reporting, and numerous other enhancements improve flexibility and usability. http://dreamreport.net

Software – Control Design

Software – Data Analytics

Studio 5000

FactoryTalk Analytics for Devices

Rockwell Automation

T

he Studio 5000 integrated development environment includes expanded integration with engineering tools, predeveloped application content to replace custom code, and additional features to help enhance security. The Studio 5000 Architect application collaboratively can exchange data with popular engineering tools, such as EPLAN (Rittal) and AutoCAD (AutoDesk). This bidirectional data transfer helps improve startup time by reducing the need for engineers to manually re-enter control data from engineering tools into the Studio 5000 software. Predeveloped application content was added to the Studio 5000 Application Code Manager application. Engineers can use the content instead of creating custom code to save time and more easily standardize systems. www.rockwellautomation.com

Rockwell Automation

F

actoryTalk Analytics for Devices provides health and diagnostic analytics from industrial devices. It crawls industrial networks, discovers assets, and provides analytics by transforming the data generated into preconfigured health and diagnostic dashboards. The system also delivers “action cards” to the user’s smartphone or tablet if a device requires attention. As the application uncovers information about how the devices are related to each other, such as their network topology or fault causality, it starts to understand the system on which it is deployed to make prescriptive recommendations. For example, with the appliance in place, it can send users an action card a drive needs to be reconfigured to maintain optimal performance. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 222 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 221 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 220 at www.controleng.com/information

38

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.controleng.com

®

Software – Diagnostics

Software – HMI Software

Software – Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity

Software – Mobile Apps for Controls, Automation, Instrumentation

Plantweb Insight

InduSoft Web Studio V8.1

IoT Gateway

MobileHMI V10.95

Emerson Automation Solutions

T

he Plantweb Insight application monitors the health of steam traps, pumps, heat exchangers, and other plant assets. Leveraging Pervasive Sensing strategies, Plantweb Insight strategically interprets plant data to provide personnel with actionable information.

The intuitive, browser-based user interface enables quicker and more informed decisions to ensure reliability, improve safety, and reduce energy use. The pre-built analytics and domain expertise embedded in the applications minimize required configuration, allowing the flexible software to be easily integrated with existing infrastructure. Abnormal situations and predictive diagnostics are presented to personnel in real-time, eliminating the need for manual calculations or periodic data collection. www2.emersonprocess.com Input 223 at www.controleng.com/information

Schneider Electric Software

I

nduSoft Web StudioV8.1 is a platform agnostic SCADA/ HMI development and runtime software that incorporates all the tools users need to create SCADA and HMI applications, business intelligence dashboards, and OEE solutions. With runtimes available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Wind Rivers Systems VxWorks, InduSoft Web Studio can create powerful IIoT applications that can be deployed on small-footprint embedded devices and accessed remotely from mobile devices, such as tablets, smartphones, and wearable gadgets. Over 250 communication drivers, in addition to support to standards such as OPC UA/DA/XML/.NET/ HDA, MQTT, and patented solution for database connectivity, make it easy to integrate sensors, controllers, ERP systems, and cloud analytics that can be accessed anywhere.

Bosch Rexroth

T

he IoT Gateway makes it easy to connect to Industrie 4.0 environments without intervening with automation logic. The precisely coordinated combination of control hardware and software designed for implementing IT applications collects sensor and process data, transmits it to the manufacturing execution system (MES), cloud applications, or local machine state monitoring systems and enables process data analysis. The IoT Gateway is a path to bringing legacy machinery into the digital age. By overlaying IoT enabled hardware, the IoT Gateway collects valuable data from nondata-enabled machines and processes. www.boschrexroth-us.com Input 225 at www.controleng.com/information

Iconics

M

obileHMI V10.95 brings the power of HMI/SCADA technology to any smartphone, tablet, browser, or web-enabled device. Users can interact with their SCADA information using a Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality device.

The Holographic machine interface delivers 2D and 3D holograms to users, allowing them to digitally interact with their equipment in a mixed reality environment.

Easy-to-use configuration wizards and responsive technology enable users to import pre-existing 3-D models and smart symbols to quickly get up and running in no time. This wave of mixed reality technology addresses a variety of use cases across manufacturing, energy management, industrial, and building automation applications.

www.iconics.com

Input 226 at www.controleng.com/information

www.indusoft.com Input 224 at www.controleng.com/information

www.controleng.com

CONTROL ENGINEEERING

February 2018

•

39

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Honorable Mentions Hardware – Data Acquisition

Hardware – Integrated HMI Controllers

MAQ20 Dataforth Corp.

TPC-5000 Advantech

The MAQ20 high density voltage discrete output module has 20 isolated discrete output channels that can switch up to 60 V dc signals and sink up to 3 A of current. www.dataforth.com Input 227 at www.controleng.com/information

The TPC-5000 twopiece modular touch panel computer features an Intel Core 6th generation i-3 processor with 8 GB of DDR4 SODIMM and an industrial-grade LED LCD with a 50,000-hour lifespan. www.advantech.com Input 231 at www.controleng.com/information

H Hardware – Handheld Test, Measurement, Calibration

Machine & Embedded Control – PLCs

AMS Trex Device Communicator Emerson Electric Co.

BRX PLC AutomationDirect

The AMS Trex device communicator allows users to move data to and from the communicator using the connectivity option that is most convenient to them. www.emerson.com Input 228 at www.controleng.com/information

Features of the compact BRX PLC include built-in data logging, motion control, serial and Ethernet communication, an interchangeable (hot-swappable) communications port, and integrated high-speed I/O. www.automationdirect.com Input 232 at www.controleng.com/information

Hardware – HMI, Operator Interface, Thin-client Motion Control

GT2107 Mitsubishi Electric Automation

PurePower Bosch Rexroth

The GT2107 wide HMI is a compact and cost-effective 7-in. wide-screen graphical operator terminal with WVGA resolution and is available with either a black or silver bezel.

The PurePower filter media reliably retains harmful contaminants found in hydraulic fluid, including those not visible to the naked eye, reducing the risk of electrical discharges. www.boschrexroth-us.com

https://us.mitsubishielectric.com

Input 233 at www.controleng.com/information

Input 229 at www.controleng.com/information

Hardware – Industrial PCs

Motion Control – Drives

C6015 Beckhoff Automation

Sytronix DRn 5020 Bosch Rexroth

The C6015 industrial PC opens up application areas for PC-based control technology, is fully suited to industrial applications, and measures 82 x 82 x 40 mm.

The Sytronix DRn 5020 hydraulic motor pump optimizes partial load and idle (dead-head) operation in a hydraulic constant pressure system for performance levels from 4.0 kW (5 hp) and up. www.beckhoffautomation.com Input 230 at www.controleng.com/information

40

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

www.boschrexroth-us.com Input 234 at www.controleng.com/information

www.controleng.com

®

Your Global Automation Partner

We’ve got a cable for that.

Network Integration – Ethernet Hardware

IMP-C1000-SFP Antaira Technologies The IMP-C1000-SFP is a compact, IP30 rated gigabit Ethernet-to-Fiber media converter featuring a 10/100/1000TX Ethernet port that supports IEEE 802.3 at high power PoE supplying up to 30 Watts. www.antaira.com Input 235 at www.controleng.com/information

Network Integration – Ethernet Switches

SDS-3008 Smart Switch Moxa Americas The slim, 8-port, industrial-grade SDS-3008 Smart Switch features an easy-to-navigate dashboard that allows activation of pre-configured automation protocols in one click and remotely manage the unit on HMI/SCADA systems. www.moxa.com Input 236 at www.controleng.com/information

Network Integration – I/O Systems

ELX EtherCAT I/O Beckhoff Automation

Our Reelfast™ bulk cable

The ELX EtherCAT I/O with intrinsically safe inputs/outputs and compact design, enables direct connection of field devices located in hazardous areas—classified Zones 0, 1, and 2.

program inventories more than 5.5 million meters of www.beckhoffautomation.com Input 237 at www.controleng.com/information

Network Integration – Wireless I/O

NPort IAW5000A-6I/O Moxa Americas The NPort IAW5000A-6I/O 3-in-1 wireless serial server conveniently integrates a RS-232/422/485 serial device server, a Wi-Fi client/bridge, and multiple digital I/Os into one compact device.

cable for countless industrial and process automation applications. You’ll get precisely the cable you want in exactly the length you need.

Custom design available.

www.moxa.com Input 238 at www.controleng.com/information

Network Integration – Wireless Products

FL WLAN 1101 Phoenix Contact The FL WLAN 1101 wireless module combines access point and antenna technologies in one housing; it is mounted like an antenna directly to the machine, mobile vehicle, or control cabinet. www.phoenixcontact.com/us Input 239 at www.controleng.com/information

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

41

Call 1-800-544-7769 or visit turck.us/bulkcable

input #23 at www.controleng.com/information

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Honorable Mentions Power – Energy, Power Protection, UPS

Process Control – Process Sensors

5P, Eaton

Sitrans TO500 Siemens

The 5P rackmount uninterruptible power supply (UPS) delivers reliable backup power for a variety of applications, enhancing business continuity and lowering environmental footprint, allowing for deployment in tight spaces. www.eaton.com

The Sitrans TO500 multipoint measuring system is used for evaluating a large number of temperature measuring sensors arranged on a very narrow fiberoptic temperature measuring lance. www.usa.siemens.com

Input 240 at www.controleng.com/information

Process Control – Process Sensors

Input 242 at www.controleng.com/information

Process Control Systems

Micropilot FMR6x Endress+Hauser

Open Secure Automation (OSA) Bedrock Automation

The 80 GHz Micropilot FMR6x free space radar level instrument is suitable for use in tanks or silos with complex geometries, obstacles, baffles and/or nozzles.

The Open Secure Automation (OSA) system with Cybershield 2.0 enables authentication and encryption of I/O networks and field devices, and it protects compliant networks and user applications such as controller configuration.

http://us.endress.com Input 241 at www.controleng.com/information

https://bedrockautomation.com Input 243 at www.controleng.com/information

Safety – Machine Safety

Highest efficiency power supplies in low profile casing are fully compliant to ErP directive.

Suitable for household appliance and industrial applications.

Allen-Bradley GuardShield 450L Rockwell Automation The Allen-Bradley GuardShield 450L safety light curtain system is a flexible, cost-effective solution that enhances safety while improving productivity through innovative transceiver technology. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 244 at www.controleng.com/information

Safety – Process Safety, Intrinsic Safety

TBLC Series 6–90 Watt • Lowest no load power consumption • Built in EMI-Filter meets EN 55032 class B • Output power limit to NEC class 2 • Best output-overload characteristics (constant current) • Highest power density • –25 °C to 55 °C full load operation

SFY Moore Industries The SFY functional safety SIL-3-capable frequency-to-dc transmitter monitors frequency, period, high or low pulse width, and contact closure signals and converts the input signal to a proportional, input-tooutput isolated 4- to 20-mA output. www.miinet.com

Reliable. Available. Now.

Input 245 at www.controleng.com/information

www.tracopower.com

input #24 at www.controleng.com/information

42

•

February 2018

®

Your Global Automation Partner

Software – Applications

Virtual Central Lock (VCL) Tosibox Oy Virtual Central Lock (VCL) is a premium software-based solution that provides flexible and secure remote connections for organizations who use cloud services or have an existing server infrastructure.

WARNING

www.tosibox.com Input 246 at www.controleng.com/information

Not suitable for repairing flimsy connectors

Software – Asset Management, Reporting

AMS Device View Emerson Electric Co.

(or your reputation).

AMS Device View features intuitive dashboards and focused alerts for quick access of the data needed to respond to issues effectively; it delivers health and calibration status information through a browser-based interface.

Rugged, reliable industrial automation products from Turck are built to perform in the toughest conditions, and our engineered solutions are customized to

www.emerson.com Input 247 at www.controleng.com/information

meet your application challenges. Cheap

Software – Asset Management, Reporting

knock-offs can’t compare. Turck works!

ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System Thomas & Betts Corp.

The ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System is a cloud-based energy management, remote supervision, and diagnostics system that connects a facility’s electrical equipment with the Internet of Things. www.tnb.com Input 248 at www.controleng.com/information

Software – Control Design

Open Virtual Engineering Platform (Open VEP) Honeywell Process Solutions

Custom Connectivity Whether it’s a harness with custom wiring

The Open Virtual Engineering Platform (Open VEP) is a cloud-based service that allows instant access to a fully functional, off-process distributed control system (DCS).

topology or a custom cable color for a standard connector, Turck’s expertise creates your best solution.

www.honeywellprocess.com Input 249 at www.controleng.com/information

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

43

Call 1-800-544-7769 or visit info.turck.us/connectivity

input #25 at www.controleng.com/information

2018

ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

®

Honorable Mentions Software – Data Analytics

Software – Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity

EcoStruxure Profit Advisor Schneider Electric

KEPServerEX V6 Kepware

EcoStruxure Profit Advisor uses Big Data analytics to measure the financial performance of an industrial operation in real time, enabling industrial users to control the profitability of an operation.

The KEPServerEX V6 industrial connectivity platform leverages OPC and IT-centric communication protocols to provide a single source of industrial data to applications through one user interface. www.kepware.com Input 253 at www.controleng.com/information

www.schneider-electric.com Input 250 at www.controleng.com/information

Software – Diagnostics

FactoryTalk TeamONE Rockwell Automation

Guardian Support Emerson Electric Co.

FactoryTalk TeamONE help industrial teams improve productivity and is designed for hybrid connected industrial environments and can be downloaded, installed, and used on Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones.

Guardian Support is a prognostic service designed to optimize the reliability and performance of automation systems, enabling real-time visualization and management of these systems.

www.rockwellautomation.com Input 254 at www.controleng.com/information

www.emerson.com Input 251 at www.controleng.com/information

G

VTScada V11.3 Trihedral Engineering Ltd. VTScada V11.3 is available for download from an FTP site; features include Twilio, a web-based communications platform for voice telephony alarm notification functionality as an alternative to voice modems. www.trihedral.com Input 252 at www.controleng.com/information

•

February 2018

Left out?

How to enter

Software – HMI Software

44

Software – Mobile Apps for Controls, Automation, Instrumentation

CONTROL ENGINEERING

et a head start on the 2019 Engineers’ Choice Awards program by listing products in the New Products for Engineers database (www.controleng.com/NP4E) and completing the entry form on the Awards Programs tab of your company’s vendor/manufacturer profile. All product nominations, including supporting materials and payment, are submitted through the database. Submit new or significantly modified hardware, software, or combination introduced and available in North America from November 2017 through October 2018 for the 2019 awards. The product details provided should be factually convincing and clearly differentiate benefits in the voting criteria: technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact. (Hint: We observe that engineers appreciate quantified benefits more than adjectives.) www.controleng.com

MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS Your place for new products, literature, Apps, Videos, Case Studies and White Papers.

MULTI-CONTACT

connectors

With Silver-Nickel Butt-Style Contacts for Maximum Performance & Durability

The Unlimited Platform for SCADA and So Much More • Unlimited licensing • SCADA, IIoT & MES together • Instant web deployment • Totally cross-platform • Built on open IT standards • Installs in minutes

FEATURES AVAILABLE

Discover more at: inductiveautomation.com/ignition Input #100 at controlengineering.hotims.com

stay

informed Stay current with technology and trends in electrical, mechanical, instrumentation and automation.

To subscribe, visit

7 to 37 contacts 4mA to 150A per contact Easy-to-wire contact terminals meltric.com 800.433.7642 Input #101 at controlengineering.hotims.com

Input #102 at controlengineering.hotims.com

Want to receive your O&GEng-CE 2017-06_TRGuide_MediaShowcase2x4_MII.indd5/17/2017 1 Control Engineering magazine as a

digital publication?

Update your subscription, and get our digital edition, on a more interactive and user-friendly platform, in your email in-box.

Update now at:

www.controleng.com/subscribe

www.controleng.com

Input #103 at controlengineering.hotims.com

Input #104 at controlengineering.hotims.com

ce_stayInformed_6th.indd 1

www.controlengineering.com

ce2014_digitlEditn_6th.indd 1 2/24/2014 10:15:42 AM

Input #105 at controlengineering.hotims.com

2/24/2014 11:44:33 AM

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

45

2:23:54 PM

INNOVATIONS

See more New Products for Engineers. www.controleng.com/NP4E

NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

PE

Push-in conductor connection clamps

Rittal Corp.’s maintenance-free conductor connection clamps feature push-in technology for quick connection to many different types of conductors. The push-in conductor connection clamps reduce potential defects, like incorrect compression/torques or clamp loosening. Now panel builders and switchgear manufacturers can connect cables, wires, and protective and neutral conductors directly to busbars. In addition, short-circuit resistant voltage taps can be added onto the main busbar system, or installers can string distributors or blocks with a large number of connector clamps to pair with outgoing cables. The push-in conductor connection clamps are available in two clamping ranges, 0.5 to 4 mm2 and 1.5 to 16 mm2, and for copper busbars, 5 and 10 mm thick in each clamping range.

Rittal Corp., www.rittalenclosures.com

Input #255 at www.controleng.com/information

Isolated dc-dc converter series

TDK Corp.’s 100 W-rated TDK-Lambda i3A series of non-isolated dc-dc converters are capable of operating from an input voltage of 9 to 53 V. The step-down converter delivers an output voltage that is adjustable from 3.3 to 16.5 V or 5 to 30 V with output currents of up to 8A. The series is designed for medical, communications, industrial, and test and measurement equipment applications. The converters also can be used in conjunction with a single output 12 V, 24 V, 36 V, or 48 V ac-dc power supply to generate multiple added regulated outputs, with or without battery backup.

TDK Corp. www.tdk.com

Input #256 at www.controleng.com/information

Graphic terminal series for smaller applications

Rockwell Automation’s AllenBradley PanelView 5310 family of graphic terminals are available in 7-, 9-, and 12-in. display sizes and are designed to scale an integrated system down to smaller application to make design, maintenance, and operation tasks more efficient. Users also can use enhanced integration to create high-speed jog buttons instead of hardwired buttons. These auto-diagnosing buttons can interact with the controller at input/output (I/O) speeds to help reduce downtime and improve productivity.

Rockwell Automation www.rockwellautomation.com Input #257 at www.controleng.com/information

PRODUCT & LITERATURE SHOWCASE 5B / 7B / 8B Signal Conditioning Solutions

More Models, More Protection, Less Noise, Lower Cost

Signal Conditioners & Ethernet I/O www.Acromag.com/CE

877-295-7057

580+ different 5B, 7B, and 8B signal conditioners provide accurate, isolated Instrument Class® performance to ensure the integrity of your industrial automation, data acquisition, process control, and quality assurance systems. Custom modules available.

• ± 0.03 to ± 0.05% Accuracy

• ANSI/IEEE C37.90.1 Transient Protection

• 1500Vrms Isolation

• 3- to 6-Pole Low-Pass Filtering

• Up to 240Vrms Input Protection

• -40°C to +85°C Operating Temperature • CSA C/US Certified & ATEX Compliant (5B, 7B) • C-UL-US Listed (8B)

We have the experience to help you solve your monitoring and control challenges.

Get your new product guide today 4-20mA Isolators & Splitters Ethernet, Modbus, Profibus I/O Input #110 at controlengineering.hotims.com

Call 800-444-7644 or visit www.dataforth.com Input #109 at controlengineering.hotims.com

eNewsletters

Subscribe today by visiting: www.controleng.com/newsletters 46

•

February 2018

CONTROL ENGINEERING

Go online to view the weekly Top 5 Reader Favorites! www.controleng.com

Advertising Sales Offices ContentStream

Patrick Lynch, Director of Content Marketing Solutions 630-571-4070 x2210 PLynch@CFEMedia.com AL, FL, GA, MI, TN

Aaron Maassen, Classified, Product Mart, Media Showcase 630-571-4070 x2216 AMaassen@CFEMedia.com AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, NE, ND, OK, OH, SD, TX, WI, Central Canada

Bailey Rice (630) 571-4070 x2206 BRice@CFEMedia.com AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY, Western Canada

Iris Seibert (858) 270-3753 ISeibert@CFEMedia.com CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NC, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV, DC, Eastern Canada

Julie Timbol (978) 929-9495 JTimbol@CFEMedia.com Internation (outside U.S., Candada)

Stuart Smith +44 208 464 5577 stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk

Publication Services

Jim Langhenry, Co-Founder/Publisher, CFE Media JLanghenry@CFEMedia.com

®

ad index Company

Page#

RSN

Web

Allied Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . .www.alliedelec.com AutomationDirect . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C2 . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . .www.automationdirect.com Dataforth Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . .www.dataforth.com Fluke Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . .www.fluke.com HAMMOND MANUFACTURING . .12 . . . . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . .www.hammondmfg.com Honeywell Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . .www.honeywellprocess.com/elevate Inductive Automation. . . . . . . . . . .Bellyband . . . . . . . . . . .www.inductiveautomation.com/iiot Kepware Technologies . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . .www.kepware.com/CE Moxa Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.moxa.com PHD, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 . . . . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . .https://www.phdplus.phdinc.com/plusad SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .9, C4 . . . . . 5, 27 . . . . . .www.seweurodrive.com Siemens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C1, 21 . . . . . 15 . . . . . . .www.usa.siemens.com/basic-controllers-ce Steute Industrial Controls, Inc. . . .16 . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . .www.switches-sensors.zf.com/us TRACO POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . .www.tracopower.com Turck Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41, 43 . . . . 23, 25. . . . . .www.turck.com Yaskawa America, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .C3 . . . . . . . . 26 . . . . . . .www.yaskawa.com

Steve Rourke, Co-Founder, CFE Media SRourke@CFEMedia.com

Engineers’ Choice Awards

Trudy Kelly, Executive Assistant, 630-571-4070, x2205, TKelly@CFEMedia.com

Beckhoff Automation LLC. . . . . . . .31 . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . .www.beckhoff.com

Elena Moeller-Younger, Marketing Manager 773-815-3795, EMYounger@CFEMedia.com

EZAutomation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . .www.EZAutomation.net

Kristen Nimmo, Marketing Manager KNimmo@CFEMedia.com

Honeywell Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . .www.hwll.co/SMX

Brian Gross, Marketing Consultant, Global SI Database 630-571-4070, x2217, BGross@CFEMedia.com

iCONICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . .www.iconics.com/CIWorldTour

Michael Smith, Creative Director 630-779-8910, MSmith@CFEMedia.com

Moore Industries - Intl. Inc . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . .www.miinet.com

Paul Brouch, Director of Operations PBrouch@CFEMedia.com

Ocean Data Systems . . . . . . . . . . .35 . . . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . .www.DreamReport.com

Michael Rotz, Print Production Manager 717-766-0211 x4207, Fax: 717-506-7238 mike.rotz@frycomm.com Maria Bartell, Account Director, Infogroup Targeting Solutions 847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com Rick Ellis, Audience Management Director 303-246-1250, REllis@CFEMedia.com Letters to the editor: Please e-mail us your opinions to MHoske@CFEMedia.com or fax 630-214-4504. Letters should include name, company, and address, and may be edited.

Information: For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar, email Trudy Kelly at TKelly@CFEMedia.com.

Unitronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . .www.unitronics.com

Inside Machines Aerotech Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M6 . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . .www.aerotech.com WAGO Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M2 . . . . . . . 16 . . . . . . .www.wago.us YRG ROBOTICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M4 . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . .www.yrginc.com/aoi

Marketing consultants: See ad index.

Custom reprints, electronic: Brett Petillo Wright’s Media, 281-419-5725, bpetillo@wrightsmedia.com

www.controleng.com

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about products and advertisers in this issue by using the http://controleng.com/information link and reader service number located near each.

If you’re reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company directly, please let them know you read about them in Control Engineering.

CONTROL ENGINEERING

February 2018

•

47

INNOVATIONS

BACK TO BASICS ON PRODUCT DESIGN Chris Vavra, Control Engineering

Automation product design advice from 2018 Engineers’ Choice winners Several 2018 Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice winners offer advice on what makes a successful automation product design in controllers, actuators, wireless, and other automation.

E

ffective product design advice follows from several 2018 Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Winners. Regardless of the application or purpose, each has the same goal in mind: To improve automation and create better products for customers. Representatives from several Engineers’ Choice winners shared advice on what they are striving for and what they believe makes a successful product. (If you’re reading the digital edition, click on the authors’ names to read the online version, to expand on the highlights here.)

Jeff Payne, AutomationDirect Mobile technology is a driving factor greatly impacting industrial control system designs. Manufacturers continue to make smartphones, tablets, and other devices ever thinner, smaller, and more powerful. Using COTS products (Ethernet connectors, cable, switches, and peripheral devices) saves money and simplifies setup and wiring. Every time a new generation of Ethernet is introduced in the commercial arena, it soon migrates into the industrial world, improving the price/ performance ratio.

John Lehman and Georg Haubner, Dataforth Plant instrumentation has become the nerves and brain of the modern manufacturing plant. It regulates and supervises the operation of the equipment within the plant. It also provides the means to make plants economically viable. Obtaining, maintaining, and improving analog measurement quality is the goal of proper signal conditioning and is a fundamental concern in automation product design that is often overlooked. To achieve optimal system performance and save resources, design teams need to rely on proven products from industry experts and front-end

48

•

February 2018

systems that interface to analog signals and to generate output signals, which control pumps, motors, and other machinery.

Dean Mallon, Endress+Hauser Emphasis on standardized device platforms increases safety, reliability, and reduces costs for planning, procurement, and operation. Standardized device concepts across all measuring parameters create invaluable benefits in terms of reducing complexity. When creating product design standards across platforms and complying with industry standards, consider device operation and documentation, status and error diagnosis, components, and spare parts.

Vikram Kumar, EZAutomation The most important advice about automation product design is to ensure the research and development (R&D) team is directly exposed to and in communication with customers. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) boils down to incorporating machine learning and big data technology, harnessing the sensor data, and machine to machine (M2M) communications where the data is accurately and consistently captured and communicated. After visiting numerous facilities wanting to capture the data in real time, a PLC with advanced communications capabilities was developed. It is important to develop a project scope in the beginning and stick to it as much as possible throughout the design.

Melissa Topp, Iconics Automation software improves by keeping an eye on the future of information technology (IT), maintaining involvement in industry partnerships, and adhering to the customers’ needs.

Beyond finding inspiration through continuous technological innovations, working relationships with companies and

CONTROL ENGINEERING

organizations can help, such as the close working relationship with Microsoft and the OPC Foundation. Programs offer opportunities and insights for participants.

Working with the OPC Foundation provides an opportunity to share source code, host interoperability studies, and exchange information with other members for the interoperability of best-of-breed real-time, alarm management, and historian systems.

Justin Shade, Phoenix Contact Getting re-occurring feedback from the field and marketing teams to understand how the industry and use cases are changing to adapt products is critical. To learn more about the available technologies, the best place to start would be to discuss applications with a manufacturer’s salesperson, wireless system integrator, or wireless valueadded reseller. These contacts can walk through available products, how they function, and help identify the best option for an application. Discussions also might include system design and pre-installation services the company provides to ensure an installation goes smoothly. Training can help.

Chris Vavra is production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

M More INNOVATIONS

KEYWORDS:

Automation, product design

GO ONLINE More product design advice If reading from the digital edition, click on each headline below for more details from each of the sources cited here. www.controleng.com/magazine

CONSIDER THIS What do you think makes a successful automation product? www.controleng.com

Always the Right Move YASKAWA AMERICA

One Choice for All Controlling a robot arm, a servo axis, a VFD drive or a custom robotic mechanism is all the same task for an MP3300iec machine controller. It uses familiar IEC61131-3 and PLCopen programming to operate them all, and will even allow you to substitute one motion device for another without reprogramming.

Looking for motion control that can change and grow as readily as your machines do? Move to the MP3300iec by contacting your Yaskawa representative.

Yaskawa America, Inc.

Drives & Motion Division

1-800-YASKAWA

yaskawa.com

For more info: http://go.yaskawa-america.com/yai1136

input #26 at www.controleng.com/information

Control Freak?

If you like being in control, then SEW-EURODRIVE is your perfect partner! We put you in charge of every move with our gearmotors and electronics. No headaches, no whining, and virtually no maintenance.

You build it and we move it…simple!

Don’t you wish all partners were this easy…?

seweurodrive.com | 864-439-7537 input #27 at www.controleng.com/information