Materials, design, fabrication and maintenance affect actuator performance and compliance with food safety guidelines. [ + ]

The word sustainability has become a passionate collective term for all the research, dreams, ideals, actions and even legislation to protect, nourish and plan for our environment and our resources. But do we have the same awareness of how people skills fit in this quest for sustainability? [ + ]

There can be little doubting the profound effect the IEC 61131 suite of standards has had on industrial controller product offerings over the last 25 years. Virtually all PLC vendors have adopted if not sections of the standard, then at least some concepts or its general philosophy. [ + ]

There can be no doubt that the heart of any operation is the process control system. More recently, industry is embracing a paradigm shift away from localised operations via distributed control, to embracing the need for remote operations centres controlling and monitoring multiple facilities. [ + ]

Standards for product and ingredient quality are continually being raised due to stringent agency regulations, increasing the importance of barcode reading, verification and grading in many inspection processes. [ + ]

A French pharmaceutical laboratory chooses Simatic control technology to improve cleanliness, increase production efficiency and win over hesitant operators. [ + ]

At first glance, the concept of intrinsically safe (IS) fieldbus is a study in opposing concepts. After all, fieldbus is about powering multiple devices, while the idea of IS is to limit energy flowing into hazardous areas. [ + ]

In selecting valves for instrumentation, the choices are many and varied. The choice depends mostly on the application the valve is to be used for. [ + ]

By eliminating lubrication systems where possible, OEMs can reduce production costs, while at the same time making their equipment more marketable and less expensive to operate for the end users. [ + ]

Humans are wonderful, complex beings. That our very name, homo sapiens, can be translated to wise man, is an indication of our intelligence. We have the ability and capacity to do so much and, along with our advanced language capability, we can reason, problem-solve, introspect and quickly adapt to current conditions around us. But we are not infallible. [ + ]

ABB’s drives and motors have surpassed the energy-efficiency requirements of a new WA desalination plant while pumping seawater to produce 50 billion litres of drinking water annually. [ + ]

A Midwest US power plant has eliminated spillover of fly ash from its hoppers, by enlisting Endress+Hauser to assist in the upgrade of its level switch technology. [ + ]

Cleaning in place (CIP) refers to the use of a mix of chemicals, heat and water to clean machinery, vessels or pipework without dismantling the plant. [ + ]

Climate change, increasing water demands due to global urbanisation and regulatory obligations are all making the water sector an attractive arena for technologies that can help reduce costs and contribute to reducing the effects of climate change. [ + ]

DNP3, or Distributed Network Protocol, has been around for close to two decades now. It was developed by Westronic in 1993, primarily for the power industry. [ + ]