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Understanding the Automation Lingo: PLC, PAC, RTU, DCS, and SCADA

What are these terms, PLC, PAC, RTU, DCS, SCADA? Why are they so important to industrial robotics and automation? Explore how each different piece functions to build a comprehensive automated system.

July 31, 2023 by Damond Goodwin

Closing the Loop: Feedback, Feedforward, and Adaptive Control

Process automation relies on precise control systems to operate production equipment for everything from lumber to pastries. Using control algorithms produces stable, accurate, and often delicious results.

June 05, 2023 by Shawn Dietrich

Connectors Used in Industrial and Robotic Cable Termination

Industrial and robotics cabling requires specialized termination strategies. This article introduces connectors involved in automation applications for cable-to-cable or cable-to-device termination.

May 30, 2023 by Simon Mugo

Developing Standardized Practices for PLC Programming

Any kind of computer programming can be challenging to determine what aspects are truly unique versus what aspects should be standardized across projects and platforms to streamline future development.

May 25, 2023 by Shawn Dietrich

Back to the Basics: Understanding Industrial Buttons and Switches

This article features an in-depth discussion of the various options for buttons and switches, including function, styles, shapes, and illumination options for all kinds of control panel inputs.

May 18, 2023 by Shawn Dietrich

Fundamentals of Grounding in Industrial Automation and Control Systems

The subject of grounding in electronics is broad and complex, spanning across a variety of functions and objectives. In this article, we will investigate the applications and regulation of grounding in control systems on a fundamental level.

March 26, 2023 by David Peterson

Understanding Controller Memory Types and Conservation

Insufficient controller memory can result in reduced HMI and SCADA response speed and longer scan times. Know the differences between RAM, ROM, and removable memory, and how to keep program sizes in check.

March 06, 2023 by Shawn Dietrich

What is Proportional Gain?

This article discusses the meaning and effects of proportional gain in a controlled system such as motion, temperature, and fluid flow.

February 13, 2023 by David Peterson

Control System Process Data Archiving: Strategy and Methodology

Data stored in a historian server is useful for analysis and troubleshooting. Learn about data archiving techniques for control systems, as well as what type of data is stored and the tools to make it happen.

January 05, 2023 by Munir Ahmad

Teardown: What’s Inside a Human-machine Interface (HMI)?

Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, provide visual process data and allow access to process parameters and diagnostics information. What’s inside these touchscreen displays, and how do they actually work?

December 11, 2022 by David Peterson

Network Manager SCADA System in Hydroelectric Power Plants

Network Manager SCADA is a real-time, modular system that is highly scalable and easy to deploy and maintain. The system can grow with future needs and support a virtualized environment to decrease hardware cost.

November 29, 2022 by Munir Ahmad

Modern Distributed Control System (DCS) Using the ABB Advant Controller

Many worldwide plants are still running the old Advant Controller 450 from ABB in their facility, with many plants using the latest System 800xA DCS interfaced with the existing AC450 controller.

November 10, 2022 by Munir Ahmad

Understanding Floating Point Numbers in PLC Programming

There are three main types of numeric values that must be handled by a PLC: boolean, integers, and floating point. These last floating-point values can create the most confusion for programmers and technicians.

October 22, 2022 by David Peterson

Life on the Farm: Cleaning Stalls, Milking Cows, and… Robots?

Learn how one small farm in a rural community is upgrading production with advanced technology in several ways to overcome staff shortages, product demand, and regulatory compliance.

October 11, 2022 by David Peterson

B&R Automation Studio Programming Example - Driving Motion Axes

Explore the design of a servo pick and place sample case using B&R Automation Studio, from the project creation to the configuration of the controller, drives, and motion axes. 

September 19, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich

B&R Industrial Automation Hardware and Software

B&R is a control system manufacturer less heard of than some of its bigger competitors, Rockwell and Siemens, however their PLCs, lineup of motors, and product offerings with Automation Studio make B&R a leader in industrial innovation.

August 16, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich

Cloud Computing and the Industrial Internet of Things

Over the last decade, cloud service providers have improved technology, particularly data security and integrity. These remain the top concern of many manufacturing businesses, but as improvements are rolled out, more and more companies are adopting cloud solutions. 

August 08, 2022 by Antonio Armenta

Understanding Centralization vs Decentralization of PLCs

Centralized control systems are often seen as outdated compared to decentralized systems; however, both have their advantages and disadvantages when it comes to choosing which one to use in manufacturing. 

July 13, 2022 by Seth Price

Using AWS Greengrass and SageMaker Tools to Detect Manufacturing Defects

This article discusses Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon SageMaker and AWS IoT Greengrass, and how their capabilities at the edge can impact machine learning use cases such as defect defection.

May 24, 2022 by Ali Osman Ors, NXP Semiconductors

Web-Based Industrial HMIs: What’s The Difference?

With the increasing appearance of “web-based” HMIs, we investigate these devices, learn how they differ from the graphical HMIs, and see implications for our modern control system architecture.

April 13, 2022 by Anish Devasia