Acromag expands their offering of OpenVPX solutions with the new Model VPX4520 and VPX4521 6U carrier cards providing mezzanine slots for one XMC and four mini-PCIe or AcroPack I/O modules. The XMC module site can host a network communication, FPGA, GPU, SBC, or other I/O signal processor card. The four AcroPack slots provide a rugged…
ControlLogix CIP Safety I/O modules simplify large control applications
Machine designers can use the new Allen-Bradley ControlLogix CIP Safety I/O modules to reduce panel space and setup time in larger applications that require a high-density I/O solution. The modules provide local, in-chassis safety I/O for GuardLogix 5580 controllers, eliminating the need for adapters that require panel space and additional configuration time. If desired, the…
EtherCAT Multi-Fieldbus Interface (MFI) permits seamless integration with other platforms
KEB America announced the availability of a new EtherCAT Multi-Fieldbus Interface (MFI) for its controllers. Using the MFI, customers will be able to easily connect KEB’s high performance multi-axis controller with an existing whole-machine PLC solution without abandoning existing fieldbus integrations. For example, users can choose to develop a machine accessory using KEB’s EtherCAT-based controllers…
EPIC w/o I/O? Sure!
The groov EPIC system now includes a chassis option for applications that don’t need (or want) I/O. As Opto 22 continues to improve and extend the groov EPIC system, it’s pleased to announce the latest release of a new system chassis: GRV-EPIC-CHS0. This new chassis option is ideal for applications where I/O is not…
Empowering long-distance signal strength in demanding processes and environments
Red Lion Controls announced the release of the Signal Conditioner product lineup today. Red Lion’s full range of signal conditioners boost signal strength while allowing longer cable runs through industrial environments. When used as a converter, these devices can translate and incorporate signals into existing PLC architectures, eliminating the need for high-priced PLC input cards…
BRX Analog and Temperature I/O Expansion modules
AutomationDirect has added more I/O expansion modules to its BRX Micro PLC product line. BRX I/O expansion modules add discrete and analog I/O to the BRX PLC system as needed to expand machine and process control applications. BRX expansion modules easily snap onto the side of any BRX Micro PLC Unit (MPU) or BRX Remote…
Sensors Detect Food Freshness to Replace Use-By Dates
Most of us are familiar with the practice of checking the use-by dates on food packaging labels. It turns out that many customers throw away the food by those dates, even though in many cases the food is still safe to eat. Researchers at Imperial College in London hope to change that practice. They have…
Army Turns to Smart Technology to Defend Against Threats to Installations
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Alex Beehler doesn’t need proof of threats to military and government installations. He is reminded every day. His office sits next to the point of impact where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon nearly 18 years ago during the…
NIST Study Identifies Chemical Blends as Possible Alternative Refrigerants
More than a dozen chemical blends could serve as alternative refrigerants that won’t heat the atmosphere as much as today’s refrigerants do, or catch fire, according to a new computational study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST study identified the 22 “best” nonflammable or marginally flammable blends with lower global warming…
Copenhagen Researchers Break Quantum Limit in Precision of Force and Position Measurements
Researchers of the Schliesser Lab at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have pushed the precision of force and position measurements into a new regime. Their experiment is the first to surpass the so-called “Standard Quantum Limit”, or SQL, which arises in the most common (and successful) optical techniques for ultra-precise position measurements. For…
Omega releases its new line of High Precision Digital Pressure Gauges
The DPG210 features a large LCD screen, with 5 digit 17mm primary display. It can display both the current pressure and local temperature, and also maximum or minimum pressures from the reference data. Powerful functions include 10 common pressure units, adjustable acquisition rate, and flexible power supplies by battery or USB connection. “This pressure gauge provides both our…
IO-Link Smart configurator
CARLO GAVAZZI is excited to announce the launch of a game-changing new product, the IO-Link Smart Configurator. It provides a means to configure any IO-Link sensor with a wireless device that, in essence, replaces the need to program via a USB IO-Link Master connected to a PC or via a network connected master device. All…
Virtual Human Body Models Supplement Crash-Test Dummies
Countless people die every year in road accidents. To improve the safety of vehicle occupants, it has been customary for decades to carry out crash-tests using dummies. These crash-test dummies are increasingly getting virtual support in the form of computer models that simulate the defensive behavior of humans before a collision. Researchers at the Fraunhofer…
Aircraft Powered by Variable-Buoyancy Propulsion Takes Flight
With a team effort, the first ever large-scale aircraft powered by variable buoyancy propulsion was developed and flown. Dubbed the Phoenix, it is designed to repeatedly transition from being lighter than air to being heavier than air so thrust is generated to propel the craft. The team includes a partnership of universities and companies, and…
Researchers Use Shake-Table Testing to Improve Disaster Recovery
Earthquakes are a defining force of nature in areas like San Francisco, where it is often a question of when, not if, another will strike. Residents not only have to deal with billions in property damage loss, but also the emotional toll of losing a home with the uncertainty of when, if ever, they can…
SUV of the Sky Completes First Flight Out of Ground Effect
Now in the skies over Eggemoen Technology Park in Norway is Equator Aircraft’s P2 Xcursion prototype aircraft. The hybrid, electric, and automated craft is said to contribute to the sustainable future of the air. Previously, the airplane flew in June 2018 at low-altitudes, but on March 30, the craft went on its first full flight…
Theranos — and the satisfaction of how engineering doesn’t lie
How does it work? That was the question few people asked about the mythical supertechnology supposedly at the core of Theranos — a Silicon-Valley unicorn overvalued by some $9 billion during a 2013-2014 hype height. Not that it would’ve mattered anyway, as the fictional heart of secretive Theranos changed continuously over its 12 short years.…
Drop Test Proves Technologies for Reusable Microlauncher
Spain’s PLD Space, supported by ESA, has demonstrated the technologies for a reusable first stage of their orbital microlauncher, Miura 5. Miura 5 (formerly Arion 2) is aimed to provide dedicated launches for small satellites of up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit, in 2021. It weighs 14 t at liftoff, and is powered by…
ASi-5 products are latest generation of AS-Interface
The AS-Interface is a networking protocol for sensors and actuators at the automation base. The latest generation opens AS-Interface to the next dimension of digitalization. ASi-5 is backwards compatible with the previous ASi versions and devices. With ASi-5 larger data quantities can be transmitted significantly faster and even intelligent sensors such as IO-Link can be…
Air-Breathing Rocket Engine Passes First Phase of Testing with Flying Colors
SABRE, an air-breathing rocket engine, as successfully passed the first phase of its high-temperature testing, making it one step closer to being in the air. Precooler technology will enable a variety of high-speed flight and advanced propulsion systems. Created by Reaction Engines, the precooler heat exchanger passed with flying colors as the first phase consisted…
High-speed I/O and Communications Expansion Modules for the BRX Micro PLC system
AutomationDirect has added high-speed I/O modules and a serial communications expansion module to its BRX Micro PLC product line. BRX expansion modules add discrete I/O, analog I/O and now high-speed I/O and communications functions as needed to expand machine and process control applications. BRX expansion modules easily snap onto the side of any BRX Micro…
Fundamentals of Building a Test System
Modeling the Total Cost of Ownership of an Automated Test System Most organizations do not consider production test a top priority, but it is a necessity to prevent major quality issues in the products that represent the company brand in the hands of customers. The costs, however, can be significant and are often greatly misunderstood.…
Bodybags, Rats, Waste: Disaster Response Turns to VR for Grim Training
As around 40 police officers watch her progress on a large screen, officer Chanika Sookreang’s digital double goes from body to body in the ruined city, photographing tattoos, faces—anything that can later be used to establish who the victim was. “VR is good as it allows us to be trained before we go to the actual scene,”…
S&T Robot Test Standards Adopted in Japan’s Fukushima Decades-Long Cleanup Efforts
In 2011, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake all but decimated the Pacific Coast of Tohoku, Japan, including the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. A catastrophic meltdown ensued. Many tons of nuclear fuel, boiled down to a radioactive lava, corroded the steel surrounding the facility’s three reactors. Today, the cleanup effort is still projected…
Safety module saves space in the control cabinet
The new X20SO6530 digital output module provides six safety relays on a unit with the X20’s standard 25 mm width, allowing B&R to offer a cost-effective and space-saving solution for applications where numerous floating signals are needed. To meet safety requirements, positively driven feedback contacts must be evaluated in a manner that is appropriate for…