59 articles
A practical guide to retrofitting modern control systems on legacy manufacturing equipment, covering PLC upgrades, HMI replacements, I/O mapping, and commissioning strategies that minimize downtime and extend machine life.
Compare distributed and centralized control architectures for industrial automation, covering PLC topology, network design, fault tolerance, scalability, and practical selection criteria for manufacturing systems.
How Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) enables deterministic, low-latency communication across industrial Ethernet, replacing proprietary fieldbus protocols with a unified standard.
Practical guide to automation cell layout and space planning for manufacturing, covering workflow analysis, equipment placement, safety zones, and common layout mistakes.
Practical mechanical design principles for automation systems covering structural analysis, material selection, actuation, tolerance management, and thermal compensation for reliable machine performance.
A practical guide to electrical design standards for industrial automation, covering NFPA 79, UL 508A, panel layout, wire management, and documentation practices that reduce commissioning time and long-term maintenance costs.
Practical guide to sizing and designing pneumatic systems for industrial automation, covering air preparation, cylinder selection, valve configuration, and circuit optimization for reliable operation.
A practical guide to designing machine guarding and safety systems for automated manufacturing cells, covering risk assessment, safety device selection, and integration best practices.
Practical guide to vibration and shock isolation for precision manufacturing equipment, covering isolation methods, material selection, and system design for tight-tolerance operations.
Engineering guide to thermal management in automation enclosures covering heat load calculations, cooling methods, airflow design, and best practices for protecting sensitive electronics in industrial environments.
Practical engineering strategies for reducing noise in automated manufacturing environments, covering source isolation, enclosure design, damping techniques, and OSHA compliance approaches.
Practical guide to ergonomic design in industrial automation, covering operator workstation layout, HMI design, fatigue reduction, and safety considerations for human-machine interaction.