Vance VanDoren, PhD, PE

latest from Vance VanDoren, PhD, PE

To PID or not to PID

Discrete Manufacturing

Motion controllers can adapt themselves

Effects of deadtime and a rate-limited actuator: A PID controller can cause hunting when its actuator is subject to deadtime and/or rate limitations. In this flow control example, an especially aggressive controller is using a rate-limited valve to mainta

Fixing PID, Part 3

Left to right: Stephen J. Malyzsko, President and CEO of Malisko Engineering; Paul Galeski, President and CEO of MAVERICK Technologies; Charlie Jager, President of Polytron, who represent the 2015 System Integrator of the Year winners. Courtesy: CFE Media

System Integrators

2015 System Integrators of the Year

An impervious tank accumulates the net inflow of water, causing the output level to rise until the tank fills up or begins to drain as a result of a negative input. Were it not for the tank’s finite capacity, this integrating process would, in principle,

System Integrators

Fundamentals of integrating vs. self-regulating processes

Figures 4 and 5: Two Brothers’ bottling line fills and caps bottles at a rate of 300 per minute. Controllers measure how much beer is put into each, and then a sensor checks each bottle to ensure that the level is correct, the label is in place, and the c

Mechatronics and Motion Control

Open- vs. closed-loop control

Figure B – A cascade control system uses two measurements, two controllers, and the same valve to maintain the temperature of the water in the tank more efficiently than a single controller can. Diagram courtesy: ControlSoft

Fundamentals of cascade control

Fixing PID, Part 2

Project Management

Excellence in Automation: System Integrator of the Year Awards

Project Management

System Integrator Giants of 2013

Fundamentals of lambda tuning

Project Management

System Integrators of the Year for 2013

Control Systems

Feedback controllers do their best

Project Management

System Integrator Giants of 2012

Project Management

2012 System Integrator of the Year Award Winners