Control Engineering hot topics, March 2022

Hot topics in Control Engineering, for February 2022, for stories posted in the last three months, included Engineers’ Choice winners, variable frequency drives (VFDs), advanced process control metrics, information control, edge technologies and more. Links to each article below.

1. Spotlight on Innovation: 2022 Engineers’ Choice Awards

Control Engineering announces the best automation, control and instrumentation products in the 19 categories of the annual Engineers’ Choice Awards program.

2. Intro to setting up, tuning a PM motor with a VFD

A permanent magnet (PM) motor requires a variable frequency drive (VFD) to operate effectively. See motor comparison table, induction motor vs. PM torque curve, and VFD programming and tuning advice.

3. Understanding the critical role of metrics for advanced process controls

Advanced process controls (APC) requires appropriate metrics, or key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure safe, efficient operations. Alarms, relief valves, safety systems and APC need monitoring. Learn five good APC metrics, the missing metric and four recommended practices for APC metrics.

4. How automation can bolster information control in a factory

Information flow and control on the factory floor can improve automation and help manufacturers make better decisions.

5. Edge technologies enable Industry 4.0

Organizations using Industry 4.0 with edge technologies gain benefits such as lower costs, faster speeds, easier troubleshooting and others.

6. Five improvements made by incorporating situational awareness in an HMI

With the recent development of the ISA-101 standard aimed at addressing operator effectiveness, there has been a new focus on bringing practical HMI design concepts to plants. Five improvements are highlighted.

7. Product advice: Enhanced level measurements enable food and beverage production efficiencies

Accurately measuring levels in tanks and vessels can be challenging. Non-contacting radar transmitters designed for food and beverage applications are helping manufacturers improve production processes, according to a company with a Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award product.

8. Robots look to be more creative, flexible

Some of the main trends for robotics in 2022 include a greater emphasis on flexibility as well as developments in artificial intelligence (AI).

9. Understanding the effect of PWM when controlling a brushless dc motor

Motion system designers can be challenged when selecting or developing electronics using pulse-width modulation (PWM) to drive brushless dc motors. Heed some basic physical phenomena to avoid unexpected performance issues, along with general guidelines for using a PWM driver with a brushless DC motor. See diagrams, equations.

10. Five robot trends for 2022

Robots’ role in manufacturing and everyday life is growing and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) highlights five trends involving robots.

On Mondays, see the top 5 articles of the prior week.

Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

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