Top 10 Articles for 2010

Below is a list of the 10 most popular Totally Integrated Automation features of 2010. The stories were ranked by most read and shared online by the TIA audience of automation and engineering professionals. 1. Understanding Arc Safety Can Save Lives 2. Analyzing Competing PLC Platforms 3. Increasing Solar Power Yield by 20 to 40% 4. Smart Grid: Is Your Business Poised to Reap the Benefits? 5. Pepsi Bottling Reaps Immediate Benefits from Optimized Packaging Plant 6. Why Profinet?... Read More

Siemens Revolutionizes Automation Engineering with TIA Portal

This is the first in a series of three articles outlining Siemens’ revolutionary new TIA Portal software framework. This article will introduce TIA Portal, and highlight specific features and benefits, while articles in the January and February issues will add more technical detail and highlight deeper value for automation engineers. If you want more information on the TIA Portal now, please go to http://www.engineering-redefined.com One of the greatest challenges industrial... Read More

Siemens Introduces TIA Portal

A new software engineering framework, as the building block for modern automation and drive technology. The Siemens Industry Automation Division has introduced the industry’s first automation software with One Engineering Environment and One Software Project for all automation tasks called the Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal). The new software engineering framework enables users to develop and commission automation systems quickly and intuitively, which eliminates... Read More

Siemens Extends Power Supply Offering

Siemens Industry has expanded its power supply offering with new additions to the SITOP product family. The SITOP PSU100C controlled power supplies for the low-end performance range offer a number of new benefits including increased efficiency and an extremely slim-line design that makes them ideal for distributed applications because they can be installed in small control boxes or control cabinets on the shop floor. “No matter what industry we are talking about, whether it... Read More

Siemens Delivers More Computing Power to the Shop Floor

Automation engineers have a lot more computing power available to them now that Siemens Industry has significantly upgraded its family of industrial computers. The new Simatic IPC827C Box PC is a high-end industrial PC featuring powerful 2010 Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. The new device, which is particularly suited for harsh environments, has almost double the processing power of its predecessor which, along with five integral PCI/PCIe slots for expansion cards, delivers... Read More

Capacitor-Based DC Back-up Power Provides Unique Solution for Harsh Environments

Finding the right industrial-grade solution to provide back-up power for your plant in the event of an interruption to the main power supply is critical, especially if you are dealing with a particularly hostile environment. Until recently, the generally accepted industry standard solution has been to deploy a DC UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system that uses lead gel batteries to provide an emergency back-up power source that makes sure the plant has enough power to park... Read More

Optimizing Wind and Solar Plants with Performance Monitoring

Everyone is talking about renewable energy these days. Being “green” has never been more important, either politically, socially or – considering the rapidly rising costs of fossil fuels – financially, and that has led to a rush to adopt renewable energy sources. Wind turbines, photo voltaic (Solar) panels, thermal generators, biofuels, co-gen and other technologies are all seeing a tremendous increase in research and adoption. However, there is more to running a renewable... Read More