Automation World

If you’ve heard of #softwaredefinedautomation (SDA) before, it was probably in the context of an #IT tool for automating activities in front office systems. But it’s much more than that. In fact, it has huge potential in #industrialautomation for applications ranging from #predictivemaintenance to #cybersecurity. G Brooks-Zak, P.E. of system integrator Outlier Automation says, “In the IT and network infrastructure fields, this conceptual shift [toward SDA] started a while back. And in the industrial automation field, we have something of a benefit by being late to this party. As we move toward software-defined automation, we can take advantage of the systems and concepts that have already been developed and are at maturity in other fields. This will get us closer to the real advantages faster, such as ease of incorporating and expanding powerful new technologies like #AI, cybersecurity solutions and #virtualization.” A good example is the workflow required to implement #IIoT, says Brooks-Zak, as this application pulls data from industrial equipment and pushes the #data into #businessanalytics.?“The immediate benefit comes from gaining better operations insights to optimize your #manufacturing processes and resources,” Brooks-Zak says. “A secondary benefit is to build your convergence muscle. It forces you to think through the IT/OT overlap; for example, how to extend networking and cybersecurity best practices to the factory floor while keeping your equipment up and running.” Learn more about software-defined automation in this podcast interview with G Brooks-Zak of system integrator Outlier Automation: https://lnkd.in/ey7aQyep

Universal Robots' #cobots will gain an additional 5kg of #payload via a #software update. David Greenfield Automation World #UniversalRobots #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/ghe3qka8

From #durability and #security to #optimized traffic flows and #plugandplay simplicity, managed #industrial #Ethernetswitches are the choice for #manufacturers serious about an #Industry4.0 upgrade. Barry Turner Red Lion Controls Automation World #RedLionControls #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gP25TxM7

In one #bintuning example, a #manufacturer lost 75 tons of #product to #waste and experienced nearly eight hours of #downtime, costing the company $25,000 plus lost revenues. Joseph Washburn Interstates Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Automation World #Interstates #CSIA #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/ggF-JgSV

ABB’s #GoFa #cobot family has been integrated into Vention’s #Manufacturing #Automation Platform. Automation World #ABBRobotics #Vention #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gr-Qn_cS

From #predictivemaintenance to #operations resiliency and #cybersecurity, #edgecomputing provides #manufacturers an array of advantages. David Greenfield Automation World Steve Mustard National Automation, Inc. #NationalAutomation #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gUchnWFH

8 Steps to Powerful Energy Use Insights. Tracking energy #data may not seem as exciting as rolling up data from multiple pieces of legacy equipment to get never-before-seen insights on business performance or applying #artificialintelligence to improve #quality, but it has a huge impact on every manufacturer’s bottom line. And that impact just gets bigger as #energy prices continue to rise. At Inductive Automation's Ignition Community Conference 2024, Benson Hougland of Opto 22 explained how easy it's become for manufacturers to quickly get a handle on one of their most costly expenses. Benson outlined the 8-step process as: 1. Identify the energy load to measure. 2. Instrument the load with current transformers. 3. Connect the current transformers and voltage to an energy monitoring unit (in this case an Opto 22 grove RIO EMU). 4. Configure the EMU. 5. Create an OPC UA client in Ignition (Inductive Automation's software platform). 6. Import UDTs and Ignition Perspective templates. 7. Instantiate the UDT and model the load to be tracked as an asset. 8. Drag and drop the UDT into Ignition Perspective views. Access the article to learn more about this 8-step process that can be completed in minutes, according to Benson: https://lnkd.in/eDDhHzPh #manufacturing #power #energymonitoring

With more #ratecuts expected, continued steady #hiring and an upcoming #election, #scenarioplanning and #contingencyplans are recommended for #manufacturing executives. Clint Bundy Alex Chausovsky Bundy Group Automation World #BundyGroup #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gz5jK_BB

MachineMetrics releases a new #automated schedule #intelligencesoftware that uses real-time #machinedata for better scheduling #accuracy, work-in-process #optimization and on-time delivery. Automation World #MachineMetrics #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gGWtRS4f

A rich supply of #data is constantly coursing through the #electronic veins of your #legacyautomation. Here’s how make use of it by integrating existing systems into your #digitaltransformation strategy. James Koelsch Yokogawa Skkynet Beckhoff Automation Automation World #Yokogawa #Skkynet #Beckhoff #AutomationWorld https://lnkd.in/gsY_hV8W