Multifieldbus supports all major Ethernet protocols October 2023, Siemens South Africa In the course of digitalisation, the communication capability of field devices is becoming increasingly important. A unique research facility for the construction and operation of modern road and rail tunnels was recently built under the terraces of an open-cast mine in Erzberg, Styria. This utilises the Simatic ET 200SP multifieldbus interface module from Siemens, which can communicate via Profinet, EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP.
Power pack order for Kamoa-Kakula September 2023, SEW-EURODRIVE, Motion Control & Drives With well over 100 units already delivered, SEW-EURODRIVE is set to continue supplying Ivanhoe Mines’ prestigious Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rocket science by ARCA September 2023, Valve & Automation, Valves, Actuators & Pump Control Control valves from ARCA, a specialist in industrial process control, are playing a key role in the European Space Agency’s generation 6 ARIANE rocket launchers at its launch pad located near Kourou in French Guiana. They also feature in the SpaceX launch site, Starbase in South Texas.
Case history 189: Poor furnace temperature control. September 2023, Michael Brown Control Engineering, PLCs, DCSs & Controllers Many process engineers do not appreciate the importance of flow loops in their unit controls. A senior process engineer once told me that flow loops need not be tuned well, as they generally have little effect on the more important and much slower loops like temperatures and pressures.
PC-based automation of a 24/7 automated convenience store September 2023, Beckhoff Automation, Motion Control & Drives Zinu Shop is a fully automated store that offers a similar range of products to traditional convenience stores. This was made possible by PC-based control from Beckhoff.
Data synchronisation in wind farms Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, Beckhoff Automation Pulse Structural Monitoring, an Acteon company, was tasked with monitoring selected turbine foundations in new wind farms. The solution is delivered by using Beckhoff technology and EtherCAT measurement terminals throughout the design.
Gear business driven by sustainability Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, SEW-EURODRIVE, Motion Control & Drives SEW-EURODRIVE has for many years pursued a sustainability agenda that is applied across every aspect of its business.
The greenhouse of the future Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, ifm - South Africa, Sensors & Transducers Feeding the world’s population despite limited resources is a task that requires ever more arable land and fresh water. Highly automated vertical farms could be the future of agriculture.
Digital transformation for sustainable manufacturing Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, IT in Manufacturing What is sustainability? Is it environmental impact? Triple bottom line? Making a profit? There are several answers to this question, but it can probably be summarised as “Will your business/company/operation still be around in ten years?”
The battery of the future Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, Electrical Power & Protection In the transition to sustainability, the world is experiencing soaring demand for renewable energy, and batteries will play a critical role. Energy storage is critical to decarbonising the world’s power systems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydrogen: the key to energy turnaround Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023, Pepperl+Fuchs If you want to curb climate change, you can’t get around hydrogen. The first element of the periodic table is a key factor in decarbonising transport and industry - provided the gas is produced without CO2 emissions.
Biggest magnet in the world Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023 The worldw’s largest and most powerful magnet is the Central Solenoid magnet in the ITER fusion reactor in France. Built by General Atomics, it is the result of over five years of research and development, and the statistics are mind-blowing.
World’s largest concentrated solar farm Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2023 Noor power station in Morocco is the largest concentrated solar power plant on the planet, and uses molten salt storage to produce electricity at night.
VEGA expands radar portfolio for factory automation August 2023, VEGA Controls SA, Level Measurement & Control VEGA is known worldwide for ensuring safe and stable processes with its level and pressure sensors, even under the most difficult conditions. The world market leader is now putting the finishing touches to its radar level portfolio, especially to meet the demands of fast processes in factory automation.
Loop signatures 19: Noise – nuisance or enemy? August 2023, Michael Brown Control Engineering, Fieldbus & Industrial Networking This Loop Signature series of articles would not be complete without sections on the problems of noise and filtering, which are two of the most misunderstood areas in process control.
Automation for smart factories August 2023, ifm - South Africa, Sensors & Transducers Sensors and automation solutions from ifm enable real-time monitoring and control of various processes in a factory. This allows for optimised production flows, reduced downtime, and improved overall efficiency.
Mission-critical cybersecurity August 2023, H3iSquared In our modern world, Ethernet and TCP/IP have become the de facto standards in most mission-critical control and monitoring applications, largely due to the design of these protocol suites around the Open System Interconnect (OSI) model. However, the freedom and flexibility of being built around such an open system philosophy, while playing a large part in the success of Ethernet, also allows for many vulnerabilities which can be exploited by attackers.
The critical role of process automation in solar farms August 2023, Schneider Electric South Africa The establishment of solar farms continues to grow in South Africa, with Eskom’s renewable statistics page indicating that 2787 MW of solar generating power is connected to the grid.
The control giant from Duisburg July 2023, Valve & Automation, News Valve & Automation’s control valve, more than four metres tall, produced for Siemens Energy in Duisburg, has broken ARCA’s internal design height record.
Pushing past the brink July 2023, Motion Control & Drives Brink Towing Systems is the global leader in developing and manufacturing towbars. The company’s modern towbar manufacturing facility is situated in Pietermaritzburg, and is equipped with a significant number of Yaskawa robotic welding cells.
