Top 5 Control Engineering articles February 6-12: Engineers’ Choice, multivariable control, SCADA/HMI cybersecurity, more

Articles about the Engineers' Choice winners, multivarable control concepts, SCADA and HMI cybersecurity, five VFD questions to ask, and what to expect from Industrie 4.0 were Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from February 6-12. Miss something? You can catch up here.

By Chris Vavra February 13, 2017

The top 5 most read articles online, from Feb. 6-12 for Control Engineering, covered the Engineers’ Choice winners, multivarable control concepts, SCADA and HMI cybersecurity, five VFD questions to ask, and what to expect from Industrie 4.0. Links to each article below. 

1. 2017 Engineers’ Choice Awards: Spotlight on innovation

The 30th annual Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Awards shines a light on 28 categories of control, instrumentation, and automation products, revealing the best of those introduced in 2016 as chosen by you, Control Engineering’s print and digital audience.

2. Exploring the basic concepts of multivariable control

Multivariable controllers can balance competing objectives. Process controllers that can juggle multiple process variables simultaneously are becoming more common and more powerful, but they can still be difficult to design and implement.

3. Ensuring SCADA/HMI cybersecurity

Critical industries, such as chemical, energy, transportation, and water/wastewater depend on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for daily operations. Strengthening weaknesses in these systems must be a priority and is a shared responsibility.

4. Five questions to ask when selecting a VFD

Users looking to select a variable frequency drive (VFD) need to consider their application, power source characteristics, and other safety and maintenance aspects to ensure that a production plant’s operations remain smooth with minimal downtime.

5. Six ways to prepare for Industrie 4.0 and what companies should expect

The fourth industrial revolution, Industrie 4.0, is changing how manufacturing produces items and the social, technological, and environmental changes in our world are also having a major impact on mass production and customization. Companies looking to take advantage of Industrie 4.0 should start with six basic actions that are highlighted.

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on controleng.com, February 6-12, for articles published within the last two months.

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


Author Bio: Chris Vavra is web content manager for CFE Media and Technology.