Top Control Engineering articles, November 2011

Tutorials, cases studies, new products: What do you peers consider important reading on the Control Engineering website? What haven’t you read yet that you should? The most-visited articles at www.controleng.com during November 2011 included articles on best products, robotic bowling, iPhone as and HMI, control panel safety, induction motor energy efficiency, and a fuzzy logic tutorial.

By Mark T. Hoske December 30, 2011

What do you peers consider important reading on the Control Engineering website? What haven’t you read yet that you should? The most-visited articles at www.controleng.com during November 2011 included finalists for the 2012 Engineers’ Choice Awards, a robotic bowling machine, automation project advice, iPhones used for human-machine interface, Leaders under 40, how control engineers may not be following NFPA rules when working in a control panel, energy efficient motors, and a fuzzy logic tutorial, among other articles.

Top articles of November 2011 on the Control Engineering site included:

2012 Engineers’ Choice finalists – Engineers’ Choice Award finalists for the 2012 awards follow by category. Subscribers voted on the best products in automation, control, and instrumentation, based on technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact. Winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the February 2012 issue.

Creating a robot for bowling – While the action of throwing a bowling ball may appear very straightforward, developing a high level of control is very nuanced and can require years of practice. Look at this system integration, motion control project.

7 Steps of Automation Project Success – Seven steps toward automation project success include realistic scheduling, supplier selection, specification, progress and factory acceptance tests, and three more.

An iPhone as Your Next HMI? Consumer-grade smartphones and tablet computers are fast becoming commonplace extensions of industrial networks, permitting process monitoring and, even (gasp!) process control.

Leaders Under 40, Control Engineering class of 2011 – This generation of manufacturing automation and controls leaders includes 19 young professionals excelling in control system design and teaching others about the fun in engineering, while resolving local and global challenges through smarter applications of automation and control technologies.

Codes and regulations: Electrical Controls’ Dirty Little Secret: We Don’t Follow NFPA Rules – Of course safety is important, but most don’t follow NFPA 70e safety rules for working on an energized electrical panel. Risky? Yes. Unsafe? No, according to this system integrator. Perhaps industrial control panels need their own arc flash standard. (Link to related articles.)

Monitoring induction motors for energy savings – Your motors can help you find substantial energy savings, if you can hear what they’re trying to tell you. The right monitoring equipment will help you get the message.

Artificial Intelligence: Fuzzy Logic Explained – Fuzzy logic for most of us: It’s not as fuzzy as you might think and has been working quietly behind the scenes for years. Fuzzy logic is a rule-based system that can rely on the practical experience of an operator, particularly useful to capture experienced operator knowledge. Here’s what you need to know.

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– Compiled by Mark T. Hoske, CFE Media, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com.


Author Bio: Mark Hoske has been Control Engineering editor/content manager since 1994 and in a leadership role since 1999, covering all major areas: control systems, networking and information systems, control equipment and energy, and system integration, everything that comprises or facilitates the control loop. He has been writing about technology since 1987, writing professionally since 1982, and has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree from UW-Madison.