December 2012
What happens when automation systems fail?
Inside Machines: Do the math to ensure the statistically predicted system error rates are acceptable for the processes involved when looking at automation systems, such as machine vision. (Online... » more
Drives software programming – using PLC or drive custom programming?
Automation Integrator Guide: Drive programming applications vary in difficulty, and some projects require custom software. Should one use the drive’s internal programming blocks or write one’s own... » more
Industrial identification success factors
Product identification requires professional planning and industrially suitable infrastructure. » more
Vendor integrator partnerships: System integrators partner with automation suppliers
System integrators are often courted by automation suppliers, but what’s in it for those involved? » more
November 2012
EC: EnergyPAQ Energy Monitoring and Control Solution
Power - Energy, power protection: With Mitsubishi Electric Automation's EnergyPAQ, factories and plants can now measure, track, visualize, and optimize energy consumption from every piece of... » more
EC: SureCross Q45 Wireless Photoelectric Sensor
Machine and Embedded Control - Discrete sensors: The Banner Engineering SureCross Q45 is the world's first completely self-contained wireless photoelectric sensor solution, designed to provide... » more
EC: MC6 Advanced Field Calibrator and Communicator
Hardware - Handheld test, measurement, calibration: The MC6 is an advanced, high-accuracy field calibrator and communicator that offers calibration capabilities for pressure, temperature and various... » more
EC: NI Single-Board RIO General Purpose Inverter Controller
Power - Energy, power protection: The NI Single-Board RIO General Purpose Inverter Controller is a cost-effective, deployment-ready embedded system with a specific set of analog and digital I/O for... » more
EC: Sinumerik OP 019 Touch Panel
Hardware - HMI, operator interface, thin-client: This new 19-in. operator touch-panel with advanced technology, enables seamless design integration to the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC for use on high-end... » more
October 2012
Cellular communications for industrial automation
Technology update: Cellular communications can help industrial automation, infrastructure, and systems management applications. As buildings and infrastructure applications add automation, they may... » more
Reliable electrical connections help safety, productivity
Case study: Faulty electrical connectors cause 1000 amp safety issues. Pierced cables create short in automotive manufacturing plant. » more
Permanent magnet motors outperform induction motors in many applications
Permanent magnet synchronous motors offer significant advantages on high-energy-consuming and high-dynamic applications, compared to induction motors. See table, photo gallery. » more
Permanent magnet servomotors versus induction motor systems
Motor selection: When deciding on the use of permanent magnet (PM) servomotors or induction motor systems, consider dynamic performance, torque density, inertia matching, and control schemes. » more
Energy management: What’s next for manufacturing?
Small changes in how energy is managed in manufacturing can add up to millions of dollars in energy-consumption savings. See below for four tips for saving energy in motion-control applications. » more
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
Making the Most of Hybrid Power
New crane combines hybrid engine with automation technology to lower emissions, reduce fuel use while making workers more productive. » more
Displaying the Benefits of Green Technology
Robust monitoring/control system tracks the performance of energy-saving features in green home built by college students » more
A Sure Way to Drive Energy Savings
Variable frequency drives offer simple method of boosting energy efficiency of heavy equipment » more
Cloud Deployments Grow with Utilities
Municipal water and wastewater systems like cloud communication to stay connected to widely spread assets. » more
Multi domain modeling aids in the movement of automated guide vehicles
Design and control of AGVs, robots, is easier with enhanced modeling software. » more
May 2012
April 2012
Rotary encoder for robotics, automation
Heidehain EBI 1135 absolute inductive rotary encoder can provide feedback for position and speed control of servo drives. » more
Nissan Plant Reduced Energy Expenditure 30% with Daily Power-Down Regimen
Industrial Energy Management: Accumulation chain conveyors, overhead lighting, and compressed air are among areas addressed. » more
Working toward an intelligent energy management solution
Control Engineering International: Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe, spoke to Dr. Richard Bateman from the Advanced Manufacturing & Enterprise Engineering (AMEE) group at Brunel University to... » more
Expanded controller applications with AS-i communications
Siemens expands applications for Simatic S7-1200 with new AS-I master communication module. » more
Rugged cellular modems resist power surges
The M100CDMA cellular modem by Richardson RFPD is designed with a high voltage range and is resistant to power surges, making it suitable for demanding industrial applications. » more
March 2012
I/O module for RTDs
Opto 22 adds new 1,000 ohm RTD temperature sensing I/O module for its SNAP PAC family. » more
Compact Ethernet switches for rugged applications
Rugged PoE Octopus switches by Belden require less space than switches with an external power supply and are easier to install and maintain. » more
Compact Ethernet serial servers
The Vlinx VESP211 series of Ethernet serial servers from B+B Electronics Manufacturing Co. Inc. allow serial devices to become nodes on the network and are easy to network-enable because of a compact... » more
U.S. manufacturing: Engineering social media
Social media engineering topics include manufacturing trends: Is industry returning to the United States? What are they talking about when they say “Made in the USA”? » more
New FDA regulations impact food and beverage companies
Electronic records and execution functionality could play a role in meeting new FDA regulations, finding appropriate insurance coverage. Manufacturing execution systems can help. » more
February 2012
Automation 2012: View from China
Control Engineering International: Energy efficiency and renewable energy are among 2012 automation development opportunities in China. Remote measurement and control systems, industrial automation,... » more
Inside Machines: Upgrading Boeing 777 Wing Fastening Machine
Wing fastening machine upgrade lifts productivity for Boeing 777 factory. » more
Design a custom pressure transducer online
Omega offers new wide-range line of customizable transducers. Choose range, accuracy, etc. » more
2011: Year of the Robot
Engineering at 30 Frames: Over the course of 2011, robots have stepped out of assembly lines to fill roles not commonly attributed to androids: flying, bowling, and now… dancing? » more
Top Control Engineering Articles of 2011
Think Again: Most-read articles for 2011 on the Control Engineering website, www.controleng.com, include Engineers’ Choice Awards highlighting best products, plant performance reporting, advanced... » more
January 2012
OEM Sustainability: Energy Efficiency for Machines
Purchase price of a machine accounts for just 2%-3% of its overall cost. Making intelligent choices when choosing motors can save up to 30% of energy consumption over the life of a machine. » more
New electro-pneumatic valve positioner
EDP300 from ABB offers high accuracy and speed for linear and part-turn actuators. » more
Modeling and testing platform enables users to incorporate electrical power systems models
SimPowerSystems from MathWorks supports model sharing via Simscape, adds access to SimPowerSystems models and analyses. » more
CAN data logger with scripting functionality
Kvaser Eagle CAN to USB logger can run user-developed scripts and customized features. » more
Major upgrade of PC-based control platform
Beckhoff Automation releases TwinCAT 3, largest-scale upgrade since 1996. » more
PI North America meeting: Profinet growth, Ford Powertrain integration
Ford Powertrain expanded standardization of automation systems over the past five years; greater Profinet communications were part of the mix, said Mike Bastian, global controls manager of Ford... » more
Ford Powertrain expanded standardization of automation systems over the past five years; greater Profinet communications were part of the mix, said Mike Bastian, global controls manager of Ford... » more
What happens when automation systems fail?Inside Machines: Do the math to ensure the statistically predicted system error rates are acceptable for the processes involved when looking at automation systems, such as machine vision. (Online... » more
Drives software programming – using PLC or drive custom programming?Automation Integrator Guide: Drive programming applications vary in difficulty, and some projects require custom software. Should one use the drive’s internal programming blocks or write one’s own... » more
Industrial identification success factorsProduct identification requires professional planning and industrially suitable infrastructure. » more
Vendor integrator partnerships: System integrators partner with automation suppliersSystem integrators are often courted by automation suppliers, but what’s in it for those involved? » more
21 of 28
EC: EnergyPAQ Energy Monitoring and Control SolutionPower - Energy, power protection: With Mitsubishi Electric Automation's EnergyPAQ, factories and plants can now measure, track, visualize, and optimize energy consumption from every piece of... » more
EC: SureCross Q45 Wireless Photoelectric SensorMachine and Embedded Control - Discrete sensors: The Banner Engineering SureCross Q45 is the world's first completely self-contained wireless photoelectric sensor solution, designed to provide... » more
EC: MC6 Advanced Field Calibrator and CommunicatorHardware - Handheld test, measurement, calibration: The MC6 is an advanced, high-accuracy field calibrator and communicator that offers calibration capabilities for pressure, temperature and various... » more
EC: NI Single-Board RIO General Purpose Inverter ControllerPower - Energy, power protection: The NI Single-Board RIO General Purpose Inverter Controller is a cost-effective, deployment-ready embedded system with a specific set of analog and digital I/O for... » more
EC: Sinumerik OP 019 Touch PanelHardware - HMI, operator interface, thin-client: This new 19-in. operator touch-panel with advanced technology, enables seamless design integration to the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC for use on high-end... » more
21 of 141
Cellular communications for industrial automationTechnology update: Cellular communications can help industrial automation, infrastructure, and systems management applications. As buildings and infrastructure applications add automation, they may... » more
Reliable electrical connections help safety, productivityCase study: Faulty electrical connectors cause 1000 amp safety issues. Pierced cables create short in automotive manufacturing plant. » more
Permanent magnet motors outperform induction motors in many applicationsPermanent magnet synchronous motors offer significant advantages on high-energy-consuming and high-dynamic applications, compared to induction motors. See table, photo gallery. » more
Permanent magnet servomotors versus induction motor systemsMotor selection: When deciding on the use of permanent magnet (PM) servomotors or induction motor systems, consider dynamic performance, torque density, inertia matching, and control schemes. » more
Energy management: What’s next for manufacturing?Small changes in how energy is managed in manufacturing can add up to millions of dollars in energy-consumption savings. See below for four tips for saving energy in motion-control applications. » more
21 of 29
Making the Most of Hybrid PowerNew crane combines hybrid engine with automation technology to lower emissions, reduce fuel use while making workers more productive. » more
Displaying the Benefits of Green TechnologyRobust monitoring/control system tracks the performance of energy-saving features in green home built by college students » more
A Sure Way to Drive Energy SavingsVariable frequency drives offer simple method of boosting energy efficiency of heavy equipment » more
Cloud Deployments Grow with UtilitiesMunicipal water and wastewater systems like cloud communication to stay connected to widely spread assets. » more
Multi domain modeling aids in the movement of automated guide vehiclesDesign and control of AGVs, robots, is easier with enhanced modeling software. » more
21 of 43
Rotary encoder for robotics, automationHeidehain EBI 1135 absolute inductive rotary encoder can provide feedback for position and speed control of servo drives. » more
Nissan Plant Reduced Energy Expenditure 30% with Daily Power-Down RegimenIndustrial Energy Management: Accumulation chain conveyors, overhead lighting, and compressed air are among areas addressed. » more
Working toward an intelligent energy management solutionControl Engineering International: Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe, spoke to Dr. Richard Bateman from the Advanced Manufacturing & Enterprise Engineering (AMEE) group at Brunel University to... » more
Expanded controller applications with AS-i communicationsSiemens expands applications for Simatic S7-1200 with new AS-I master communication module. » more
Rugged cellular modems resist power surgesThe M100CDMA cellular modem by Richardson RFPD is designed with a high voltage range and is resistant to power surges, making it suitable for demanding industrial applications. » more
21 of 37
I/O module for RTDsOpto 22 adds new 1,000 ohm RTD temperature sensing I/O module for its SNAP PAC family. » more
Compact Ethernet switches for rugged applicationsRugged PoE Octopus switches by Belden require less space than switches with an external power supply and are easier to install and maintain. » more
Compact Ethernet serial serversThe Vlinx VESP211 series of Ethernet serial servers from B+B Electronics Manufacturing Co. Inc. allow serial devices to become nodes on the network and are easy to network-enable because of a compact... » more
U.S. manufacturing: Engineering social mediaSocial media engineering topics include manufacturing trends: Is industry returning to the United States? What are they talking about when they say “Made in the USA”? » more
New FDA regulations impact food and beverage companies Electronic records and execution functionality could play a role in meeting new FDA regulations, finding appropriate insurance coverage. Manufacturing execution systems can help. » more
21 of 38
Automation 2012: View from ChinaControl Engineering International: Energy efficiency and renewable energy are among 2012 automation development opportunities in China. Remote measurement and control systems, industrial automation,... » more
Inside Machines: Upgrading Boeing 777 Wing Fastening MachineWing fastening machine upgrade lifts productivity for Boeing 777 factory. » more
Design a custom pressure transducer onlineOmega offers new wide-range line of customizable transducers. Choose range, accuracy, etc. » more
2011: Year of the RobotEngineering at 30 Frames: Over the course of 2011, robots have stepped out of assembly lines to fill roles not commonly attributed to androids: flying, bowling, and now… dancing? » more
Top Control Engineering Articles of 2011Think Again: Most-read articles for 2011 on the Control Engineering website, www.controleng.com, include Engineers’ Choice Awards highlighting best products, plant performance reporting, advanced... » more
21 of 32
OEM Sustainability: Energy Efficiency for MachinesPurchase price of a machine accounts for just 2%-3% of its overall cost. Making intelligent choices when choosing motors can save up to 30% of energy consumption over the life of a machine. » more
New electro-pneumatic valve positionerEDP300 from ABB offers high accuracy and speed for linear and part-turn actuators. » more
Modeling and testing platform enables users to incorporate electrical power systems modelsSimPowerSystems from MathWorks supports model sharing via Simscape, adds access to SimPowerSystems models and analyses. » more
CAN data logger with scripting functionalityKvaser Eagle CAN to USB logger can run user-developed scripts and customized features. » more
Major upgrade of PC-based control platformBeckhoff Automation releases TwinCAT 3, largest-scale upgrade since 1996. » more
21 of 43
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- 2013 Control Engineering magazine archive
- 2011 Control Engineering magazine archive
- 2010 Control Engineering magazine archive