In the pharmaceutical industry, traditional batch manufacturing processes are proving to be too inefficient for today's world of economic pressures and increased global competition. There is no question that continuous manufacturing is the path forward towards leaner processes. [ + ]

Control system performance can have a significant impact on a plant’s bottom line, and recent years have seen the emergence of new technologies that can greatly assist in further improving plant efficiency, performance, safety and business integration. But taking advantage of these new technologies will, in many cases, mean upgrading the existing DCS infrastructure. [ + ]

Manufacturers of personal gas monitors typically recommend that gas monitors be bump tested prior to each day's use and calibrated at least monthly. But how necessary is daily testing and how does it affect safety? [ + ]

Recent feedback from industry leaders paints a picture of a really tough automation, control and instrumentation (ACI) market. Projects in the process industries, certainly mining, have been deferred or mothballed, and the contraction in manufacturing continues. Both the process and manufacturing marketplaces are demonstrating no growth. [ + ]

With cheap overseas labour, a high dollar and an ever-increasing global market putting pressure on Australia's manufacturing sector, many automotive companies are currently facing tough times - but new technology is available to improve efficiencies within the business and gain a strong advantage over competitors. [ + ]

Modern plastic bag-making machines often have two servomotor based axes - web feed and cut/seal - plus a mechanically linked third axis for 'picking off' the finished bags. UK machine builders Hartech Engineering and GPL Machinery have developed a machine that also implements servo control on the third axis to provide programmable control of the pick-off action. [ + ]

Operators of large production plants rely on the smooth operation of manual and automated process control systems to deliver results and maintain plant uptime. Modern technology and the constant need to further automate and centralise processes has resulted in legacy systems becoming outdated and, in some cases, obsolete. [ + ]

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has recently released its annual study of world industrial robot trends and predicts that the high demand for industrial robots will continue through to at least 2016. [ + ]

A successful company in the manufacturing and engineering sector is adamant Australia's belief that China is the 'be all and end all' in fabrication is something that it is mistakenly embedded in the Australian manufacturing psyche. [ + ]

Energy-efficient manufacturing is critical as changing economic and environmental demands force manufacturers and plant developers to consider alternative forms of production. Cogeneration is an increasingly important energy option to consider. [ + ]

It has often been said that we live in an age of solutions. Today, many vendors offer competing platforms for automation which accomplish much the same task, namely the automation of plant floor equipment and machinery. However, it is rare for manufacturing automation system users to properly investigate the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the range of automation platforms on offer. [ + ]

To comply with safety requirements, Macquarie Generation’s Bayswater Power Station underwent a routine inspection of its aging cranes. As a result, the company called on the domain expertise of Rockwell Automation to deliver a solution for the cranes to meet current safety standards. [ + ]

Conveyor systems play a major role in in the mining, minerals and metals industry, and unexpected downtime can be costly - but now there is technology that enables continuous monitoring of conveyor assets that can reduce maintenance costs and improve uptime. [ + ]

RS485 and ethernet are two commonly adopted communication interfaces used in data acquisition and control systems. Ethernet I/O devices are generally considered more sophisticated, RS485 I/O devices may be sufficient for budget-conscious system integrators. Nonetheless, there are still ways device manufacturers can improve on the lasting legacy of RS485 data acquisition devices. [ + ]

Managing cybersecurity risk is something the process industries are still coming to grips with. The information technology discipline has on average a greater level of maturity in understanding, but can your IT department help you? [ + ]