Changing social attitudes give rise to new awareness and expectations, which in turn put new demands on the technologies that benefit our everyday lives. A perfect example is the worldwide phenomenon that champions energy efficiency. The advantages of following green policies are indisputable. For businesses, the enticing prospect is cost reduction. To turn this […]
We’ve all heard about the internet of things (IoT ) and its promises: bringing useful data directly to people who make business decisions, and enabling machines to communicate with each other and make decisions for human benefit. But how does the IoT actually work? What’s the pathway, from the ground up, that all these […]
The factories of the future will demand advanced circuit protection technology to keep everything connected. The original Industrial Revolution marked the transition from making things using human and animal power to making them with machines by harnessing water and steam power. The ability to use electricity in the mass production of goods made the […]
Application of technology is one of the major contributors to mining operations’ profitability – by introducing major savings in operation, training and support costs. This concept was recenty illustrated in one of the largest mining projects in Southern Africa, with a capital cost of some R10-billion. Exxaro’s Grootegeluk is the largest coal operation in […]
When it comes to plant availability, operators primarily rely on first-hand information directly from the source. Monitoring and analysing each individual component of the plant provides the insight needed for proactive maintenance and comprehensive asset management. Comprehensive plant asset management (PAM) is the key to improving the overall reliability, efficiency and productivity of a […]
Many users now create their automation networks on the basis of Ethernet-based communication, which involves the use of both copper and fibre-optic connections. Switches that are used to connect network segments and devices with each other normally offer a fixed number of copper and fibre-optic connections. System planners must therefore consider very carefully which […]
Wireless communications are well-suited for the oil and gas industry, especially given the often remote locations of production facilities, both on- and offshore. In the past, satellites provided producers with high-latency, low-bandwidth communications sufficient for transmitting telemetry data. But they fell short for system automation controls that required much less latency or for fixed […]
EtherCAT P technology has become an established global standard. It combines ultra-fast communication with 24 V power for the system and peripherals – and optionally with additional power supply capabilities. One cable automation (OCA) can now be implemented on the field level, enabling the plug-and-play connection of machines and other equipment ranging from 24 […]
A new field logic controller offers a different take on the edge computing concept by bringing simple logic control to Ethernet I/O blocks. The field logic controllers (FLCs) are programmed via the ARGEE environment, which uses a flow chart system to program the Ethernet I/O blocks via an HTML5-compatible web browser. Edge computing is one […]
The driving force behind progress in industrial automation in the last 20 years has without doubt been the networking of automation products via bus systems. The importance of industrial communication within machines and installations is increasing exponentially, especially in the context of recent Industry 4.0 and internet of things (IoT) discussions. Networking is decentralised […]
