Siemens SIMATIC Field PG M4: The Ultimate in Mobile Engineering

Siemens Industry, Inc., has introduced the SIMATIC Field PG M4. The newest generation of this ready-to-use, robust programming device comes ready for Intel® Core i7. Housed in a compact notebook format, the Field PG MR is available in three powerful grades: standard, premium, and premium plus. The grades are differentiated by memory configuration and processor performance. Because of its rugged industrial design, the Field PG M4 is ideal for harsh industrial applications. Powerful... Read More

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Get ‘em Hooked on Automation While They’re Young!

How critical, K-12 programs are training tomorrow’s talent and exploding myths about U.S. manufacturing and automation.  In the midst of the perpetual angst about the economy, domestic and global, a small ray of sunshine from a recent (6/10/12) post in the Financial Times: “Manufacturing is set this year to reach its highest level for more than a decade as a percentage of total world output, indicating that in a difficult global economy the industrial sector is returning... Read More

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Understanding Usability Implications When Selecting Engineering Software

Picking the right software helps improve efficiency and profitability When it comes down to a final analysis of automation systems, “usability” is perhaps the ultimate goal. It covers all aspects of user requirements, from speed and functionality to ease of use and size. When integration and design teams are analyzing the software they’ll use for automation systems, usability comes down to a handful of core issues. First, the programs must do the jobs they have, and it must... Read More

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Turning Water into Oil

HydroWatch system monitors water used in oil shale drilling America’s need for energy continues to cause concerns for politicians and consumers as well as those who pull oil and gas from the earth. Demand for these natural resources continues to rise while prices fluctuate wildly and the uninterrupted availability of foreign oil remains uncertain. Fluctuations in supply and rising prices have driven oil and gas suppliers in the U.S. to focus more on domestic supplies. That’s... Read More

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TIA Portal V11 Service Pack 1

The TIA Portal is the integrated engineering framework from Siemens. It integrates the PLC and HMI engineering tools of STEP 7 and WinCC into one easy-to-use environment. As of August 11, 2011, there is a new service pack 1 available for both STEP 7 V11 and WinCC V11. This service pack 1 brings important functional and usability features to both of these products. For STEP 7 V11 SP1, the most important highlights are as follows: Optimized project conversion from V10.5 to V11 This... Read More

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New Diagnostic Tools Cut Downtime

New functionality in Siemens TIA Portal enables technicians to better pinpoint root causes on the production floor to get systems up and running more quickly. For manufacturing engineers worldwide, the pressure is on. Fueled by the manic intensity of global competition, manufacturing facilities face immense and increasing pressure to keep throughput levels consistently high. Any unplanned machine downtime can cause agitation for the engineering staff supporting the production... Read More

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Leaping into Global Markets

Exporting offers a huge upside potential, but many small companies still find that many challenges arise when they first stretch beyond national borders. When PCT Engineered Systems redesigned a product and targeted Europe, technical issues, certification and cultural understanding were among the challenges that arose. During its first 20 years, PCT rarely sold outside the U.S. But an acquisition in 2003 set the stage for an expansion that began last year. That’s when PCT completed... Read More

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How Asset Management Saves in a Down Economy

Plant Asset Management systems let you squeeze more out of your industrial equipment by reducing unplanned stoppages and unnecessary maintenance tasks. Estimated savings in the U.S. could exceed $60 billion. Wouldn’t it be nice to know something was going to break before it actually brought your production line to a grinding halt, killing productivity, throwing off schedules and possibly compromising delivery deadlines? Now think about how nice it would be to be able to put... Read More

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