Winners of the 2017 System Integrator of the Year award were asked to provide valuable advance on system designs and technologies including HMIs, wireless, cloud, Industrial IoT, etc. so that others may get better insight and get acquainted with best practices.
Advice from Integrators on HMIs, Wireless, Cloud and Thin Clients
Vibrations, what may seem like so irrelevant and benign are actually quite serious, and possess the tendency to damage a machine’s sensitive components. When dealing with industrial machines, shaking is something for which all damping efforts are made beyond a known threshold. The major task is to determine whether the magnitude of oscillation being faced can be tolerated or if needs to be stopped.
Industrial IoT Expands the Maintenance Maturity Model
The ultimate goal of Internet of Things based technologies & equipment is to phase-out manual processes and replace them with efficient, automated ones. With the introduction of IoT to industrial environments, new automated systems are emerging that are able to take care of all processes involved with asset management, right from collecting data to carrying out inspections through in-depth analysis.
8 Best Practices for Specifying PLCs, PACs or PC Controllers
Whether it’s a PLC, a PAC or a PC, a controller is a fundamental piece of hardware required for an automated system to function. Controllers have been around for decades, and have faced great technological automation. Specifying controllers for a particular application has gained increased amount of complexity due to the many options available. Quality, cost, ease of use, functionality, etc. are just some of the factors that have to be taken into account before specifying a PLC.
Be True to the Requirements
Every project has its own specific requirements. When working with a controller, it’s important to know its functionalities and limitations. There’s nothing worse than selecting a particular device and then uncovering its pitfalls halfway in the project. Before you commit to a controller, its best to bench test the process.
While robots do bring numerous benefits in terms of efficiency, safety and reliability for an industry, at the same time they tend to overwhelm workers with the notion that their jobs are going to be replaced. The reaction is quite common, especially in small to medium sized firms for whom automation is more of a necessity to stay competitive.
A technological evolution is underway in the Heavy Fabrication industry, particularly those that involve large-part & large-plat foundry applications. Conventionally, the industry has relied heavily on human labor, hoists and cranes to get the job done, but the downward trend in the cost of robots has allowed these industries to look towards robotic automation.
What to Consider When Specifying for New Components
At one point or another, system engineers have to go through the challenging task of replacing a component with a new one. It may be due to a vast amount of reasons such as:
- The manufacturer discontinued support
- Lack of reliability in terms of procurement
- Overly-inflated cost
- Frequent failures
- Technical conflicts
However, replacing a part isn’t that easy, especially when choosing it in the first place required going through a lengthy process. The major problem is the absence of a direct cross-reference pointing to the new item. The entire product specifications have to be dissected and then searched through various manufacturers’ products.
The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has been one of the most evolving components of the automation industry, quick to take on changes that would enhance its capabilities and functionalities. PLCs have become completely assimilated into all major industries that require some sort of automation to complete their processes.
The Benefits of Busbar Power Distribution Systems
A typical busbar system is made up of copper busbars and splice connectors, and provide a standard way of making connections to panel mounted and bus mounted components. A high degree of safety is maintained throughout all such actions. Busbar power distributions systems are gradually taking over conventional wiring methods as they have a number of benefits attributed to them.
Premier Automation Receives Ranking for Fastest Growing Companies
Premier Automation has recently been confirmed a winner of the 2017 Fastest Growing Companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times!
The results are in, and Premier Automation has received recognition for their 17.2% growth in sales from 2014-2016. There are 101 companies ranked by overall growth and within industry categories. With an overall ranking of 91, Premier Automation also received the ranking as number 8 in the Environmental/Engineering/Energy category.
Now with 106 employees (8 of whom were part of the original founding team) Premier Automation’s vision remains the same as they strive to help local, national, and international companies become more technologically advanced through innovative answers and passionate engineering. Premier Automation looks forward to many more successful years!