If not properly safeguarded, machine shop equipment is capable of seriously injuring an operator. Lathes, band saws and other simple machines can cut or even sever a finger or a limb. Due to the major potential for harm, it’s essential for manufacturers to comply with all mandated safety standards for the types of machines they employ.
You’ve been through it before. Just days away from a scheduled plant or platform launch and you’re scrambling to connect OEM skids and at risk of missing your launch deadline. Almost every oil and gas company has experienced the chaos that comes with trying to finish a start-up in its final days. The good news – this doesn’t have to be your status quo.
Installation without a control cabinet makes sense anywhere where equipment or drives have to be supplied with energy, or signals have to be transmitted and processed, over long distances. It is particularly suited to large machines and systems and can be used anywhere where cabling from the central control cabinet to the field can sensibly be replaced with power bus solutions and fieldbus communication.
Chad Alexander is a Branch Manager with Contact Automation, which provides automation integration and control services for the Oil & Gas industry throughout Western Canada and Northwestern United States.
Rob Milner is the Canadian National Science, Automation, Optical Gas Imaging & sUAS Manager for FLIR. Rob took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss his career and provide some insight on the industry with Panel Builder & Systems Integrator.
The scenario: A high-speed printing company had partially completed an upgrade to their equipment. The printing machine used two alternating print heads to produce units at a rate of more than 11/s. Due to the nature of the product, speed, accuracy, and repeatability were extremely important. The process needed to be consistent as any defect would impact production further down the line.
The scenario: A large international dairy producer was expanding a local butter production and packaging facility as part of an effort to increase throughput, consolidate the packaging process, reduce costs, and improve worker health and safety.
Increasing consumer demands, razor thin margins, and a rapidly changing landscape mean manufacturers are under more pressure than ever before. As competition increases, companies are searching for ways to become more agile, flexible, and efficient in order to not only survive, but thrive in the coming decade.
Both radio-frequency identification (RFID) and barcode reading are excellent options for traceability, and it can be difficult to choose between the two if you’re not fully aware of their relative advantages. To help you make an educated decision, we decided to put together a quick questionnaire on the topic.
It’s never been a better time to be a consumer, especially when it comes to food and beverage options. Do you want organic, locally sourced, craft made, single serving, gluten free? The choices are endless, making you a happy consumer, and at the same time, a frustrated producer.
As a plant manager, your list of responsibilities is never ending. Meet production demands and productivity targets. Manage raw material and energy costs while making profitability goals. Quickly adjust to accommodate marketing’s latest product innovation.
As the Vice President and General manager of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power division David O’Reilly draws on his many years of executive experience to lead a national team with the goal of delivering unique energy management solutions.
Progressive digitalisation is also increasingly important in the farming industry: data-supported targeted application of fertiliser and crop protection products, soil analysis sensors and autonomous operation are just a few of the buzz words in the current discussion around Farming 4.0 and Smart Farming.
If you were to visualize what’s just around the corner in the robotics industry, chances are mobile robots form a major part of the picture. In fact, this particular segment of the industrial automation solutions world is experiencing significant growth right now thanks to its ability to solve pressing issues in manufacturing.
When a vulnerability exists in an industrial control system, it’s vital that the good guys discover it first.That’s why we’re grateful for the work done by the largely unheralded heroes of cybersecurity – researchers.
Choosing the right automation integrated development environment (IDE) is essential for ensuring that your operations run smoothly. Due to their centrality in the automation process, software environments play a major role in determining the organization efficiency of businesses of all sizes.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
