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  • Open PLCs Enhance Building Automation
    Open PLCs Enhance Building Automation Sep 03, 2022
    An HVAC company in search of modern machine-control advantages finds an Arduino-compatible open PLC controller is the solution. Like many modern-day makers and hobbyists, I have always been inspired by the possibilities of high-tech computing and automation. Although my work history has kept me rooted in the practical needs of commercial and industrial control systems, I have been on the lookout for how to merge more capable and open devices into industrial applications. My love of hands-on field service led me to start Bicknell Heating & Cooling in the Cincinnati area. We support all types of clients with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) needs using mostly traditional products. This article describes how we used modern industrialized Arduino microcontrollers to operate air handlers, chillers, hot water systems and more. A multitude of microcontrollers There are many types of dedicated microcontrollers used to operate equipment, and there are also a variety of programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These all work well, but they lack the openness of today’s general-purpose controllers. When it comes to these “open” controllers, there are many options for consumer- and hobbyist-grade microcontrollers, and some are even mildly “industrialized.” I tried several types of microcontrollers on various personal projects, such as modernizing the controls on my boat. The flexibility was good, and I could use modern programming languages and methods such as C++ and “sketches,” and the material costs were minimal. Especially important for today’s applications is the ability to connect mobile devices or a browser to microcontrollers to access data for visualization and analysis. One option is to host web pages right on the controller. Another is to use external software running on a PC or mobile device to access the microcontroller data, and then display and act on it as needed. I experienced good success using the Xojo cross-platform rapid application development environment to do this. However, even considering the many benefits of microcontrollers, I knew their durability was suspect, and it could be problematic to connect them to the typical voltage and current signal levels used with standard industrial instruments. Nothing I had found convinced me these types of controllers would be suitable for industrial applications. Finding a tough open controller After more research, my team and I discovered an industrial automation vendor had developed an Arduino-compatible controller, and packaged it in a form factor compatible with its line of PLC I/O, communication, and other modules (Figure 1). Open-source Arduino Software makes it easy to write code and upload it to a compatible computer board. With this solution from AutomationDirect, users like me can take advantage of modern programming methods and use a specialized graphical programming language included with the controller. We can connect physical sensors and controlled devices using ...
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  • ABB software increases industrial robot speed 70%
    ABB software increases industrial robot speed 70% Sep 03, 2022
    ABB Robotics has launched its High Speed Alignment software that enables users to increase the  speed of 6-axis robots by 70% and accuracy by 50%, reducing time-to-market while increasing  accuracy levels. The software is compatible with ABB’s IRB 1100 and IRB 120 industrial robots. The PC-based software includes Visual Servoing technology using one or more cameras, combined  with a computer vision system, to control the position of the robot relative to the workpiece. As the  robot is moving, the cameras continuously capture image information that the computer vision  system processes to cross check and adjust the robotic movements to deliver 0.01 to 0.02 millimeter  precision. “Sales of smartphones, wearables and other high-tech devices are growing and advances in  electronics are gathering pace,” said Liang Rui, managing director, ABB’s Robotics Electronics  business line. “As devices become smaller and more powerful, new automation solutions are  required to quickly and accurately place components, ensuring that production can keep pace with  demand while maintaining the highest levels of product quality.” ABB’s articulated 6-axis robots are highly flexible for handling complex tasks in tight spaces and can  perform a variety of meticulous placement tasks. The High Speed Alignment software was developed  to find a balance between speed and accuracy. Along with commissioning and tuning, system integrators and manufacturers can benefit from a  reduction in deployment time – down from an entire shift of eight to just one hour. Minimal  programming experience is required, as the software has an intuitive user interface. Additionally, the  software is compatible with a wide range of cameras, and IRC5 and OmniCore robot controllers,  allowing system integrators to adapt existing installations. “Our latest innovation to the RobotWare family, the High Speed Alignment software enables electronic  manufacturers to increase productivity by 70% while maintaining 0.01-0.02 mm accuracy levels,” said  Rui. “This is a breakthrough technology for the electronics assembly market.”
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  •  Automation Integrates Energy-Saving Drives with Global Motor Control Center
    Automation Integrates Energy-Saving Drives with Global Motor Control Center Aug 20, 2022
    Automation has incorporated two more PowerFlex® variable frequency drives (VFDs) into CENTERLINE® 2500 low-voltage motor control centers (MCCs) to help industrial operators in global IEC markets improve their production, safety and energy performance. The PowerFlex 755TL and 755TR drives with TotalFORCE® technology can be integrated into CENTERLINE MCCs. The VFDs deliver real-time operating system performance data that can help operators boost their factory output, uptime and energy savings. The PowerFlex 755TL drive provides built-in harmonic mitigation and power-factor correction through active front-end technology. By reducing the adverse effects of harmonic distortion, the VFD improves motor efficiency, reduces energy costs and minimizes power-distribution issues on the factory floor. The PowerFlex 755TR drives can help reduce energy consumption by using built-in regeneration to deliver energy back to the incoming power supply. This is more energy efficient than using resistive or mechanical braking. Plus, it eliminates the need for braking resistors and cooling equipment, which can reduce wiring, labor, installation, and maintenance costs. By integrating PowerFlex 755TL or 755TR drives with a CENTERLINE 2500 MCC, operators also receive real-time predictive diagnostics and maintenance alerts that can reduce unplanned downtime. Plus, plant operations get certified safety benefits from ArcShield™ technology that provides arc-fault containment per IEC TR 61641:2014. With CENTERLINE MCC manufacturing facilities on three continents, factory-ready low-voltage motor control and power-management system technology is available in IEC markets around the world.  CENTERLINE, PowerFlex, ArcShield and TotalFORCE are trademarks of Automation Inc. Trademarks not belonging to Automation are the property of their respective companies. © 2022 Automation Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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  • GE Digital Amps Up Asset Performance Management
    GE Digital Amps Up Asset Performance Management Aug 20, 2022
    A partnership with Visionaize adds 3D digital twins to operational use cases, and a new Accelerator product line speeds time to value for its asset performance software in energy industries. The energy industry is well on its way to digital transformation, and GE Digital is positioning itself as a technology supplier that can help accelerate an oil and gas manufacturer’s digital journey as well as their time to value for new applications. To that end, GE Digital made three announcements during the ARC Industry Forum in Orlando in June, including a partnership with a 3D digital twin software provider; the announcement of the new Accelerator product line designed to quickly configure its Asset Performance Management (APM) software; and the news that GE Digital has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Energy Competency status, which recognizes GE Digital’s ability to help the energy industry prepare for a lower carbon future. First, GE Digital has formed a partnership with 3D digital twin provider Visionaize that brings high accuracy visualization capabilities to operational use cases as a way to save time, reduce cost, and improve safety, the company said. Visionaize’s V-Suite Starter can be incorporated into GE Digital’s APM Mechanical Integrity software designed to streamline maintenance activities and improve worker efficiency across asset intensive industries. While industrial companies can choose to review data and information in any number of formats including plant blueprints, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID), and isometrics through CAD/CAM software, V-Suite Starter allows users to view real-time and historical asset data on the 3D model to deliver timely and valuable insights at the point of action. The 3D visualizations of key asset information combine “see it, model it, and understand future behavior.” Visionaize integrates 3D plant models with APM Mechanical Integrity to provide data-driven visualization of key attributes by color coding the model to filter out noise and focus on what matters most. It dynamically visualizes and contextualizes data for operations and maintenance activities to help asset-intensive companies solve challenges associated with downtime, quicker time to resolution, maintenance costs, and workforce productivity, the company said. In a separate announcement, GE Digital announced the launch of its Accelerator tools which will fast track the time it takes to leverage predictive analytics, asset health and reliability processes, asset strategy optimization, and change management workflows without custom development. GE Digital’s first set of Accelerators includes an extensive library of predictive analytics, asset management strategies, and standard health and reliability processes. Using advanced pre-built product configurations, companies can efficiently set up enterprise-level asset reliability and performance programs, embedding prioritized actionable information into daily work. In addition, they ar...
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  • ABB Launches Five Axis Delta Robot Fastest for Lightweight Product Picking, Packing & Re-orientation
    ABB Launches Five Axis Delta Robot Fastest for Lightweight Product Picking, Packing & Re-orientation Aug 13, 2022
        ABB is expanding its FlexPicker Delta robot portfolio with the IRB 365. With five axis and 1.5kg payload, the IRB  365 is both flexible and the fastest in its class for reorientating packaged lightweight products such as  cookies, chocolates, peppers, candies, small bottles and parcels.    Responding to the rise in e-commerce and growing demand for shelf ready packaged goods, the IRB 365 has  been developed for applications including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods,  where production line speed and adaptability are essential.    “The IRB 365 can pick, reorientate and place 1kg products at 90 picks per minute,” said Roy Fraser, global  product manager for ABB Robotics. “Our customers saw that the growth in online shopping was driving the  demand for shelf ready packaged goods, so we developed a new Delta robot that would rise to the challenge.  By handling more products per minute, the IRB 365 robot increases productivity, while saving time and  energy to make production more efficient.”    From product reorienting, top-loading and secondary packaging, to bottle handling, unscrambling,3D picking,  feeding and parcel sorting, the IRB 365 meets a wide variety of applications. Powered by the OmniCoreTM  C30 controller - the smallest Delta robot controller on the market - the system offers best-in-class motion  control, built-in digital connectivity, and 1000+ additional software hardware functions ready to meet future  demands and requirements.    Through ABB’s PickMaster Twin software, the IRB 365 can be integrated into packaging lines in a matter of  hours rather than days, using digital twin technology, which also reduces changeover times from hours  to just minutes.    As the latest member of ABB’s portfolio of robots for picking and packing, the IRB 365 can be paired with other robots including the IRB 390 to pick, handle and pack payloads weighing from a few grammes up to 15kg.
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  • ABB Opens Global Innovation and Training Campus for Machine Automation at B&R in Austria
    ABB Opens Global Innovation and Training Campus for Machine Automation at B&R in Austria Aug 13, 2022
    To expand its low voltage NEMA motor portfolio, ABB signed an agreement to purchase Siemens’ low voltage NEMA motor business to establish itself as a leader in that segment. New campus serves as ABB global R&D center for machine and factory automation, AI and software solutions. Global innovation hub expanded significantly to host machine builders,  manufacturers,     start-ups,  research and educational institutions. ABB opened its new global innovation and training campus at the headquarters of B&R in Eggelsberg, Austria, its global center for machine and factory  automation. The  new  campus  will  create  up  to 1,000   additional high-tech jobs and includes world-class research and development laboratories, as well as global training facilities for up to 4,000 people per year in collaboration with universities. ABB invested EUR 100 million in the expansion of the B&R headquarters. Campus innovations around artificial intelligence and machine and factory automation will play an essential  role in unlocking the potential of future industrial production – in sectors such as electronics, e-mobility, food and beverage, recycling, logistics, or agriculture. They will increase productivity and flexibility, helping customers become more sustainable and produce closer to their end markets. ABB CEO Björn Rosengren said: "Innovation has been in ABB’s DNA for more than 130 years and our division, B&R, is a true innovation hot-spot for the transformation towards more automated manufacturing. The official opening of this campus is a proud moment for our ABB as we create highly-skilled jobs while shaping the machines and factories of the future together with our customers.”
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  • New Mounting System from  Automation Reduces Wiring, Saves Costs
    New Mounting System from Automation Reduces Wiring, Saves Costs Aug 06, 2022
    Keep your panels clean, organized and compact with the CrossBoard® System. The CrossBoard platform provides flexibility in motor control and protection devices. The out-of-the-box system is provided as one complete base unit, a bus structure with IP20 touch-safe plastic housing, which can be directly assembled and fitted with components after unpacking. Components simply snap onto the CrossBoard without tools, meaning the connection is automatic. Components can be easily removed and snapped back on to another section of the CrossBoard. For safety reasons, the lock mechanism must be released with a screwdriver. This prevents accidental removal of any components. The fast, easy and safe exchange of modules allows the timesaving and economical adaptation of the system to extensions and updates. Available in two widths of 225 mm and 405 mm, the base units can be combined by adding a supply module to bridge the base units. Components can be fitted to the CrossBoard, and to conventional busbar systems using adapters. As a universal system, CrossBoard can be used with components from other manufacturers. The CrossBoard with its all-around finger-safe protection offers a high degree of safety. Completely covered and protected against contact at all times, the busbars are never exposed during the removal of a unit, ensuring full operator safety. Empty space on the busbar is already covered and protected, so no extra precautions are needed when spacing components or not filling the entire rack with products.
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  •  Automation Nearly Doubles Input Voltage Capacity for Compact PowerFlex Drive
    Automation Nearly Doubles Input Voltage Capacity for Compact PowerFlex Drive Aug 06, 2022
    The newest medium voltage variable drive frequency from Automation delivers industry-leading performance in about half the space. The latest enhancement to the PowerFlex® 6000T drive now accepts up to 13.8 kV primary voltage, nearly twice the input voltage, in a footprint that is only 2310...3010 mm (7.58...9.87 feet) wide. The drive can be applied to 3…4.16 kV applications with high voltage input built in. Plus, high-voltage feeds can be directly connected to the drive from the main distribution line without additional step-down transformer or substation equipment, reducing costs. The compact A-Frame design is ideal for new and retrofit industrial applications in IEC markets where industrial space is a premium – specifically for high-voltage primary installations. The PowerFlex 6000T drive features TotalFORCE® technology. With real-time operational intelligence, this smart industrial control system: · Monitors system performance · Delivers faster commissioning with adaptive control · Saves energy with economizer mode · Reduces downtime and repair costs with predictive maintenance alerts · Makes it easy to start up and troubleshoot all drives on the common control platform PowerFlex 6000T drives are engineered for managing motor control for demanding applications in heavy industries – oil and gas refining; mining, mineral and metal processing; power generation plants; and water and wastewater treatment facilities.
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