PLM, Control Design
Best practices matter when designing control systems
When lives depend on control system design (and even when they don’t), best practices matter. Here’s what I’d like control system designers to know.
Integrated design software lowers costs, adds flexibility
Product lifecycle management software (PLM) and service lifecycle management software enabled by integration with cloud services and applications, helps a variety of industries with digital twins, digitalization, automation design and plant design. See five attributes of a digital twin.
Process control safety and compliance advice
Process safety regulations, standards, and loss prevention practices are derived from a tangled web of documents and it's vital for a company to know the different agencies, standards, and other groups involved to reduce potential confusion.
Choosing between a sectional or monoblock valve
Sectional valves are the most versatile and configurable valve type for hydraulic systems, but a monoblock brings many added benefits when properly applied.
Focusing on controller choice, Lean
Many plant-specific factors affect controller criteria, but choices unique to controller type exist as well.
Alternatives to axles: Hydraulic direct wheel drive motors
Designing a frame to accept a hydraulic direct wheel drive system will greatly increase the available space for other system components.
How to choose an industrial automation controller
Choosing the most effective controller requires careful evaluation of multiple requirements.
OSHA and energy control
Be especially careful with the minor servicing exception in the Lockout/Tagout standard from OSHA. Certain kinds of “minor” activities that occur during normal production operations may not be covered by LOTO (but are covered under other OSHA standard provisions) and other “minor” activities are covered by LOTO; do you know which?
Integrating IIoT equipment into manufacturing systems
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) equipment should be integrated even into older manufacturing systems to optimize facility and system operations. Think you’re using IIoT technologies? Are you adding sensors in 12 steps or 6 steps?
Motion control standards drive IIoT
Among the most important standards for industrial motion control are open networking standards for interoperable communications, but don’t overlook the importance of standard naming conventions to ease system integration and promote Industrial Internet of Things and similar initiatives.
