eGuide Archive

Sponsored by ABB

Process control and safety systems have always followed one key concept: Separation. They were always separate and independent of each other. The safety system would be ready to kick in and take action no matter what the condition of the process control system.

Over the last few years, safety standards and certification requirements have changed. So have approaches to the design and implementation of safety systems – a fact that affects not only the replacement of aging systems, but also the selection of safety and control systems in new facilities.

Learn more about methods used to ensure that the integration be¬tween the safety system and the basic process control systems (BPCS) do not compromise functional independence and define the best practices to secure an industrial system by registering to download this eGuide, The Rocky Relationship between Safety and Security sponsored by ABB.

Sponsored by Moxa

Today, automation control systems are expected to provide greater operational visibility of manufacturing processes throughout the organization, from field sites to the control room, so as to reduce the cost of operations, maximize return, and ensure operator safety.

However, manufacturers who try to deploy an integrated industrial network face one unique challenge: their network is more vulnerable in the control room than at field sites.

Learn how to extend industrial reliability to control rooms by Downloading this eGuide, Adding industrial toughness and reliability to Ethernet

Sponsored by B&B

Technological advances like multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) transmitting and receiving are mak­ing Wi-Fi increasingly useful in industrial applica­tions. Bandwidth and reliability have increased dramatically, and implementation costs have dropped. It’s worth rethinking some of the ways in which industrial data communications have been made in the past and considering where Wi-Fi can fit into the mix. This Control Engineering eGuide explores Industrial Ethernet tips and tricks, protocols, signal clarity, and ten things to remember about Industrial Ethernet.

Register for this informative Control Engineering eGuide and learn Industrial Wireless implementation tips to save time, trouble and money.

Sponsored by SEW

Everyone wants to save energy. Not only does it save money, but it’s also the “green” thing to do. So, you might think that buying a premium-efficient motor is the answer to your energy usage problems. If so, you are overlooking an important fact: an energy-efficient motor is only one part of the energy savings equation. While premium-efficient motors certainly do help to reduce energy usage, they are by no means the cure-all. 

Download Control Engineering’s eGuide “System Designs to Optimize Energy Efficiency” sponsored by SEW Eurodrive.

Sponsored by Fluke

Oscilloscopes are probably the most useful, and most used general-purpose electronic test instruments. In the hands of a knowledgeable test engineer, an oscilloscope can substitute for anything from a digital multimeter to a spectrum analyzer and perform measurements that are impossible for any other instrument. This eGuide discusses Oscilloscopes related to Cloud Instrumentation, the multiple uses of Oscilloscopes, how to troubleshoot with RS-485 Networks and detail on how digital storage oscilloscopes offer critical advantages over bench top models.

Download Control Engineering’s Oscilloscopes:  Multi-functionality for Optimal Performance eGuide.

Sponsored by Invensys

Download this informative Control Engineering Guide on how the current HMIs provide a critical component to support your plant-wide information strategy. Find out about the current advances in HMI capabilities, in particular scalability, from which a single HMI node could be turned into a comprehensive system to support your evolving information and application requirements, wherever and whenever your business needs them. Learn about how the current HMIs extend the capabilities of your control system, providing extension into MES and Workflow based systems.

Register now to download.

Sponsored by ABB

Financial benefits, reduced operating costs, and safer operations can all be realized through safety system compliance. However, operational aspects of safety systems are under increased scrutiny throughout process manufacturing facilities due to evolving standards. Learn how changes in safety standards are affecting legacy systems by registering for this Control Engineering’s eGuide “Is Your Safety System Compliant with Today’s Safety Standards” sponsored by ABB.

Click here to learn more.

Sponsored by Teledyne DALSA

If you haven’t integrated machine vision on an automation line ,or machines recently, you could be missing some powerful and cost-effective solutions. Ease-of-use, performance, and flexibility are required to meet the diverse requirements of industrial applications. Over the last few years, Control Engineering has published dozens of articles, case studies, technology trend articles, and other coverage on machine vision.

Follow the discussion and industry how-to in this important eGuide by registering for Control Engineering’s eGuide: Machine Vision for Factory Automation.

Click here to learn more.

Sponsored by Lenze

Almost half of the electric energy produced in the world is used by the industry sector. And, electric drives are responsible for approximately two thirds of this power consumption.  In the face of economic uncertainties and increasing environmental concerns, many businesses are trying to make their operations more lean, efficient, and environmentally friendly.  In response, Control Engineering introduced an eGuide “Optimizing Drive Solutions for Energy Efficiency.”

Register for and download the eGuide.

Sponsored by United Electric Controls

Cyber security is war. You have to defend your systems from all sorts of outside attackers, and if one that’s skilled and determined gets you in his sights, defending yourself may be tougher than you think. Once an attacker breaks through a hardened perimeter, moving around inside is usually pretty easy. That’s why defense in depth with incident detection, response, and attribution is so important. 

In response, Control Engineering introduced an eGuide Practical Defense:  Protecting your Production from Cyber Crime to assist manufacturers in learning how to protect production, devices and implement best practices against the cyber threat.  Download Control Engineering’s eGuide by registering below.

Register for this informative Control Engineering eGuide

Sponsored by Moxa

If your device has to be able to communicate using more than one industrial Ethernet protocol, the number of options is growing and there are many things to consider. Why use EtherNet/IP Ethernet protocol? Is it a new or upgrade installation? Will you be doing the work without IT? What are key considerations to optimize your next industrial Ethernet implementation?

Learn all about you industrial Ethernet options and implementation best practices in this important Control Engineering eGuide. Register below to learn about the following Industrial Ethernet Best Practices:

• Adding Ethernet Protocol Options
• Ethernet Protocol Selection and Other Implementation Answers
• IO Module Replacement Advice: Consider Legacy Connections, Ethernet, Peer-to-Peer
• White Paper: (IEI) ProE Plus: Latest Developments in ProE Technology

Register for this informative Control Engineering eGuide on to communicate using more than one industrial Ethernet protocol.

Retiring that old control system platform can be a major step in modernizing your HMI, improving connectivity, and adding important functionality. One of the well-known facts related to process industries is that many plants, if not the majority of plants, are being controlled by platforms that are far older than anyone would expect to find in any IT environment.

It would be considered nonsensical for a company to handle its accounting or communication using equip­ment from the 1990s, but that is exactly what happens in many process appli­cations. In a recent survey by Control Engineering, companies that finally decided to migrate to a more modern platform were retiring a system that was, on average, 16.7 years old. That masks the fact that 29% of respondents say their system was more than 20 years old at the time of migration.

Please click here to register for this informative Control Engineering eGuide on how and why to migrate your legacy control system.

Please click here to register for the Invensys “My DCS Upgrade” Webinar series which will compare approaches, answer questions, and offer insights derived from real world migration experiences in hundreds of plants.

Sponsored by ABB

Process industries are inherently hazardous, and maintaining safety in processes and operations has become increasingly complex and costly. But too often, companies have difficulty demonstrating a clear return on investment in their safety activities. With both safety and financial concerns being a high priority, those in the process industry sometimes struggle to reconcile them. 

This Control Engineering eGuide covers a recent white paper on how process industries can improve safety and profitability, without disrupting operations, and includes the additional informative articles regarding Integrated Safety:

• Process safety what are the odds?
• Analysis: Engineering values from the top down
• Integrating emergency shutdown valves with a process control system
• Developing People: Making operators more effective

Register and read the Control Engineering eGuide on Integrated Safety.

Building with Lean processes isn’t enough; there’s big savings in the way the control is designed. Lean Manufacturing has been adopted by more manufacturers as a source of increased competitiveness than any other improvement meth­odology, according to The MPI Group, which maintains an extensive database of manufacturing operating data.

Its 2010/2011 Manufacturing Study indi­cates that 69% of U.S. manufac­turers are using Lean principles at some level to improve operating performance.

Register and read this informative Control Engineering eGuide on how reduce wiring costs and improve your panel efficiencies.

Sponsored by AutomationDirect

Controller-based applications face a divergence when selecting a controller: Simplicity and ruggedness, or openness and functionality? In math, that’s called indeterminacy, but in automation, the engineer should know what controller feature set is best for the application, no matter what you call the logic device.

Register to download this step-by-step Control Engineering eGuide sponsored by AutomationDirect.

Integrated tools and a centralized SCADA system help facilities meet new DOT regulations but compliance is only one of many benefits.

Change is coming to pipeline control room management. Recent amendments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations significantly alter how the industry must handle pipeline operations and respond to emergency situations.

How familiar are you with the new laws? Are you prepared to meet the requirements? The deadline for a written implementation plan and management strategy is on the horizon and the laws dictate the tools, operations, and procedures for compliance. If your facility is not ready—or if you are unsure it is—now is the time to take a closer look at your pipeline opera­tions overall and SCADA system in particular to determine if changes might be warranted.

Register now to read the complete eGuide on New 49 CFR Requirements Mean New Strategies for Pipeline Control Room Management

You’ve installed state-of the-art security equipment on your control system to keep out the bad guys. But do your people leave the front door open?  What are lessons to be learned from highly regulated industries such as the power industry?  Over the last few years, Control Engineering has led the industry discussion in relating security to industrial and wireless networks. 

The articles in this Industrial Networking eGuide include:

• NERC Interview: Michael Assante
• Cyber Security:  the Human Factor
• Control Network Security Lessons from Stuxnet
• Cyber Security Standard Aims at Critical Infrastructure Process Industries
• White Paper: Smart Grid

Register now for more on this discussion and industry how-to in this Industrial Networking eGuide.

Sponsored by ABB

Of all resources on which modern manufacturing is de­pendent, energy is arguably the most fundamental. It is also a resource that has long been taken for granted. How­ever, rising energy prices and compliance concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions in some industries increas­ingly are leading operators to critically assess energy use.

Over the last few years, Control Engineering has advanced the industry’s discussion and understanding of energy efficiency. Follow the discussion and gain how-to knowledge in this important eGuide.

Articles in the eGuide include:

• Supersizing Our Way to Energy Inefficiency
• Energy Management: First Steps Toward Greater Efficiency
• Sustainability tips: How manufacturing can become more energy efficient
• A worthwhile investment: The drive to reduce emissions and energy consumption

Register now for Control Engineering’s Low Voltage Energy Efficient Drives eGuide.

Many key tasks in the manufacture of products, including inspection, orientation, identification, and assembly, require the use of visual techniques. Human vision and response, however, can be slow and tend to be error-prone either due to boredom or fatigue. Replacing human inspection with machine vision can go far in automating factory operations, but implementers need to carefully match machine vision options with application requirements.

Over the last few years, Control Engineering has published dozens of articles, case studies, technology trend articles, and other coverage on machine vision. Follow the discussion and industry how-to in this important eGuide. The articles in this eGuide include:

• Single Point Machine Vision
• Pinpoint Inspection Precision via Machine Vision
• How to Inspect Closures With Machine Vision
• Measure Up With Machine Vision
• Machine Vision: Now Is the Time
• Machine Vision for Factory Automation White Paper sponsored by Teledyne DALSA

Register now for Control Engineering’s Machine Vision eGuide

Sponsored by United Electronic Controls

There are sensors scattered throughout a plant’s production units that are there to trigger a shutdown if they move into an unsafe condition. Such devices can operate for months and years without needing to perform their function. If push comes to shove, how do you know they will do their job?

Monitoring temperature and pressure are vital to many safety applications, including those found in chemical plants, refineries, and power plants; anywhere from critical vessels to eyewash stations.

Over the last few years, Control Engineering has led the industry discussion in plant safety instrumentation applications.  Follow the discussion and industry how-to in this important eGuide. The articles in the eGuide include:

• Intelligence at the Device
• Practice Safe Sensing
• Process Safety Resources at your Fingertips
• Intrinsically Safe or Explosion Proof
• United Electric Controls: Simplifying Plant Safety Instrumentation white paper

Register now for Control Engineering’s Safety Instrumentation eGuide

Sponsored by GarrettCom

Cyber Security is growing in importance as a result of security incidents and expanding government regulation. Over the last few years, Control Engineering has led the industry discussion in relating security to industrial and wireless networks.  Follow the discussion and industry how-to in this important eGuide. The articles in the eGuide include:

• Control system security perceptions and practices
• Control system cyber security worries
• Securing legacy control systems
• Build a cyber security incident response plan 
• GarrettCom: Cyber security for industrial applications white paper

Register now for Control Engineering’s Cyber Security eGuide