IDEC Corporation has added EtherNet/IP communications to its MicroSmart FC6A Plus PLC. This update provides more options for end users, designers, and OEMs to integrate the FC6A Plus with many types of I/O systems and intelligent automation devices. The FC6A Plus is already expandable to support up to 2,060 I/O, making it suitable for controlling […]
PLCs + PACs
EtherCAT sets record with 3,000 vendor IDs
The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) issued its 3,000th EtherCAT vendor ID in July 2020. Beckhoff introduced the EtherCAT real-time Ethernet system to the market in 2003 and disclosed its details within the ETG the same year. This recent milestone underscores how the ultra-fast communication system has taken the automation world by storm since its release, […]
The difference between contactors and motor starters (and reduced-voltage starters)
Electric motors are absolutely essential to automating innumerable applications around the world. In most cases, the driving of motors — the supplying of electric power to them — requires some engineered system that must also be compatible with the motor’s winding arrangement. Because these motor-powering systems are often found employing or accompanying the other electrical […]
Choosing between (or combining) relays and PLCs
Top design objectives for control installations include capability, reliability, and cost effectiveness. Many new and retrofitted control panels employ components such as PLCs and even industrial PCs (IPCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) for advanced connectivity and control. It’s often appropriate to use these more complicated (and capable) options and remove or forgo electromechanical relays […]
DIN rail: Basic construction and versions
The ubiquitous nature of components for DIN-rail mounting makes this standard particularly helpful … especially when panel redesigns are in order. Here, a technician need only to unclamp components, slide them to their new locations, and reclamp them to the DIN rail. In addition, DIN rail prevents upside-down and other incorrect installation. A typical DIN […]
Part 6: IDE and other software for connectivity and IoT design work
As mentioned in Part 5 and at the top of this series, software that unifies various aspects of automation development is key to IIoT connectivity. Such software typically provides what’s called a universal engineering environment or more commonly an integrated development environment (IDE) to let engineers connect machinery with IT and other facility architectures. In […]
Part 4: Edge computing and gateways proliferate for industrial machinery
Reconsider the actuators, sensors, and other edge devices covered in Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 of this series. Such components are fundamental to edge computing. Supported by gateways and controllers with dedicated connectivity functions, these components use their logic resources to process data before sending it onward to controls, the cloud, or […]
Part 1: Connectivity and IoT in motion and general automation
In this six-part series, we explore how machine designs are evolving with wireless connectivity, Ethernet-based networking protocols, cloud-based operations, open programming, and various forms of edge computing. Links at the conclusion of each part follow in order, and here is a listing of all topics covered: Part 1 ⚙️ Connectivity and IoT in motion and […]
Motion-control systems help automate COVID-19 testing
Automated biochemical analyzers vastly accelerate the testing of patient samples in laboratories, which has become critical now that the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe. Advanced automation with motor-based motion systems will help in the fight to hasten diagnosis. Just consider the cobas 6800 and 8800 machines from Roche that automate testing of nasopharyngeal […]
AC drives for motor and motion control
Today’s VFDs perform far more than just traditional motor controls. Some include computing, I/O handling, and even motion-control capabilities. Such intelligent drives excel in smaller and localized systems. Case in point from material handling: Some VFDs with onboard PLCs work for motion control on infeed conveyors. In one specific case, a photoeye and tower light […]
