Motors and drives insights The low-voltage ac motor market grew by more than 20% in 2022 thanks to rising prices. That growth will be tempered somewhat in 2023, according to a report by Interact Analysis due to falling prices, but demand is expected to match 2022 sales. These increased sales are part of a larger […]
Robotics in oil and gas insights Robots in the oil and gas industry have been a mainstay, but growing digitalization and advances in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and more are helping expand their role. Robots are used in the oil and gas industry for tasks such surveys, material handling, inspection, repair and […]
Learning Objectives Learn how changeovers impact manufacturing operations and the consequences of downtime. Get insights on how cloud-based technology advances can help improve information flow and remove bottlenecks during changeovers. Learn how input/output (I/O)-agnostic systems can provide a cost-effective solution without requiring a full rip-and-replace. Manufacturing changeover insights Manufacturing has become more flexible and […]
Hot topics in Control Engineering, for December 2022, for stories posted in the last three months included HMI/SCADA systems and solutions, MQTT, SI Giants and System Integrator of the Year winners. Links to each article below. 1. HMI/SCADA systems: Upgrade your migration When upgrading human-machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software, don’t […]
Learning Objectives Understand the costs and challenges process manufacturing plants face due to running legacy control systems. Learn about the benefits of modernizing a control system beyond improved operational efficiency. Learn how input/output (I/O)-agnostic systems can provide a cost-effective solution without requiring a full rip-and-replace. Today’s process manufacturing plants are under a lot of […]
Control Engineering’s top 5 content over the past week covered solar cell technology, MQTT, HMI and SCADA systems and more. Links to each article below. 1. Paper-thin solar cell can turn surfaces into power source MIT researchers develop a scalable fabrication technique to produce ultrathin solar cells that can be seamlessly added to any surface. […]
Within the water treatment industry, aeration processes consume the most energy. With the cost of electricity continuing to rise, many operations are reviewing their current processes and looking at technologies that can help reduce running costs. Any project involving capital expenditure (CAPEX) needs to include a calculation for the return on investment (ROI). Now, with […]
Robotics insights Researchers developed a ringbot capable of pulling a small payload across surfaces when exposed to elevated temperatures or infrared light. The researchers also demonstrated how the a ringbot could adapt its body shape to squeeze through a confined space that is more than 30% narrower than the ringbot’s diameter, which could make it […]
Bundy Group, an investment bank and advisory firm, provides an update on mergers & acquisitions and capital placement activity in the automation market. To finish out 2022, I wanted to highlight the latest mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and capital placement transactions for the automation segment (see below). From the beginning of 2022 to today, automation […]
Energy efficiency insights Flexible solar cells glued to a strong, lightweight fabric can provide energy on the go as a wearable power fabric or be transported and rapidly deployed in remote locations for assistance in emergencies. Some possible applications include integrating them onto the sails of a boat to provide power while at sea or […]