Industrial Automation is the automation of general-purpose machinery used in standard or task-specific applications. It can be applied to almost all industries, and primarily deals with the manufacturing, quality control, and material handling processes for those industries. In this article, Electromate explores the A to Z benefits that industrial automation brings to businesses across the world.
As the world’s leading steel producer, steel giant ArcelorMittal focuses on the very latest production technologies. The aim is to make its own production processes permanently safer and more efficient. That includes burner monitoring of the furnaces in its cold rolling mill: the plant in Ghent is used to refine steel coils (strip steel rolls) in accordance with customers’ requirements. However, to enable the steel strip to be cold-formed, it must first be heat treated. So 50 main burners, fed by 30 start-up burners, heat the annealing furnaces to a constant 1200°C. Significant downtimes and exhausting troubleshooting were the rule when the burners failed. After the retrofit, the automation system PSS 4000 now guarantees smooth and productive operation, due also to accelerated fault diagnostics, among other things
The factory of the future would not be possible without communication protocols that facilitate fast and secure data transfer. A protocol is essentially a way of communicating information between devices on a network that follows a set of agreed-upon rules for formatting and processing. As the trend toward data-driven decision-making prompts manufacturers to gather increasingly large amounts of data from the plant floor, these protocols are gaining prominence. Omron looks at two of them, OPC UA and MQTT, that are currently shaping the automation industry
ABB has won a large contract from Australian-listed ioneer Ltd., an emerging lithium-boron supplier committed to becoming an important producer of materials necessary for a sustainable future, for project management, engineering and the supply of power and automation systems. The contract is part of a development program at the customer’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada, US, the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America and one of two such deposits in the world. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed. The order was booked in the first quarter of 2022.
Conveyor systems play an important role in industries like packaging, food and commodity, and semiconductor manufacturing, and they vary depending on the type, weight, and dimensions of products being transported, and the environment in which they are installed. One thing that all such systems have in common, however, is a certain set of functional safety requirements. A comprehensive approach to keeping your team safe and your machines running will always start with a risk assessment to identify what risks the workers will be exposed to when performing activities like maintenance and troubleshooting. Omron looks at four converyor-related safety considerations you should be aware of.
The vision of seamless communication between the cloud right down to every sensor is manifesting – and IIoT is becoming more and more of a reality. Joachim Finke, Head of PM Network Interface Connectors at HARTING explains how Ethernet empowers the IIoT. Mr. Finke explains how industrial Ethernet shapes the industrial transformation by exploring the success of industrial Ethernet over the last few years and discusses the needs of the digital transformation. He also questions whether existing technologies are enough to cope with those requirements. Finally, he discusses new technologies that are certain to shape the future of the industrial transformation. His presentation, At a Glance – How Industrial Ethernet Shapes the Industrial Transformation, was presented at HARTING Industrial Week, 2022.
ABB recently released the findings of a new global study of international business and technology leaders on industrial transformation, looking at the intersection of digitalization and sustainability. The study, “Billions of better decisions: industrial transformation’s new imperative,” examines the current take-up of the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and its potential for improving energy efficiency, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and driving change. The goal of the new ABB research is to spur discussion within industry regarding opportunities to leverage the Industrial IoT and empower companies and workers to make better decisions that can benefit both sustainability and the bottom line.
ABB has been awarded a contract worth around $30 million by the Canadian data and analytics company EarthDaily Analytics Corp. (EDA) to develop and manufacture next-generation multispectral imaging systems to be placed on 10 satellites (including an in-orbit spare) that will circle the Earth. The order was booked in the first quarter of 2022. In its largest order in the private space sector, ABB will supply multispectral imaging systems to Canadian data and analytics company EarthDaily Analytics. Satellites equipped with ABB’s technology will be launched starting in 2023, enabling unprecedented daily global coverage of Earth’s ecosystems. High-quality imagery enabled by ABB’s technology will provide near real-time information about natural and human-caused change across the planet.
Omron knows that innovation works best when people bounce ideas off each other and develop a familiarity with building-block technologies and concepts. That is why Omron has decided to invest in state-of-the-art proof-of-concept centres (PoCCs) that house a multitude of Omron products, demos, testing equipment, and more. There are 29 Omron PoCCs around the globe, with several strategically located throughout the Americas. Omron strives to make each PoCC as accessible as possible, as they understand that automation solutions are a major investment and potential customers want proof that they will work as promised.
Orders for the first quarter surged 52% year-over-year, reaching €24.2 billion on double-digit increases in all industrial businesses, while revenue climbed 17% year-over-year, to €16.5 billion, for an extraordinary book-to-bill ratio of 1.47. Orders rose 42% and revenue grew 9% on a comparable basis, excluding currency translation and portfolio effects, primarily the acquisition of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (Varian) between the periods under review. Profit Industrial Business increased 12% year-over-year, to €2.5 billion, and the profit margin came in at 15.7%. Net income rose 20% to €1.8 billion resulting in basic earnings per share (EPS) of €2.05; EPS before purchase price allocation accounting (EPS pre PPA) was €2.24. Free cash flow from continuing and discontinued operations stronger year-over-year at €1.1 billion
The Ontario government is supporting an $18.5 million investment by auto parts manufacturer Ventra Group to help strengthen local manufacturing and Ontario’s automotive and domestic manufacturing sectors, while creating jobs, attracting investment to the local economy and supporting the province’s economic recovery. The province is investing $1.5 million through the Regional Development Program, which will help create 18 jobs.
Province supports $18 million surge in Eastern Ontario economy with $2.8 million investment through Regional Development Program. The Ontario government is supporting Premier Tech Home & Garden’s investment of more than $18 million with nearly $2.8 million through the Regional Development Program to help strengthen local manufacturing, create jobs, attract investment and boost regional economic recovery in Eastern Ontario. This investment in Premier Tech’s facilities in St. Isidore and Brighton will create 52 new jobs.
The Ontario government is supporting an investment of nearly $5.5 million by three companies in Eastern Ontario to help strengthen local manufacturing, create jobs, attract investment and boost regional economic recovery. The province is investing nearly $633,000 through the Regional Development Program, which will help create 20 jobs.“The Regional Development Program continues to support local manufacturers through targeted investments that allow businesses to create good local jobs,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “We thank Kawartha Metals, Colonial Concepts Log & Timberframe and Bélair Mechatronics for making a significant impact in their communities and for contributing to our province’s dynamic and growing manufacturing sector.”
The Ontario government has launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency, to improve trades training and simplify services. The new agency will promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople. These changes will result in more workers for in-demand jobs and prepare Ontario for a strong economic comeback.
The DC Relays White Paper provides a comprehensive overview of important technical product criteria to help choose the proper products for your application.
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More safety and less stress for drivers, more rapid deployment of automated driving functions across all vehicle classes: Bosch and the Volkswagen Group subsidiary CARIAD are now collaborating to achieve this objective and have agreed to form an extensive partnership. The companies want to make partially and highly automated driving suitable for volume production, and thus available to the broad mass of consumers. For the vehicles sold under the Volkswagen Group brands, the alliance aims to make functions available that will allow drivers to temporarily take their hands off the steering wheel. More specifically, these functions are Level 2 hands-free systems for urban, extra-urban, and freeway driving, as well as a system that takes over all driving functions on the freeway (SAE Level 3). The first of these functions are to be installed in 2023.