Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered

Andrew Harris with system integrator ACS explains how cybersecurity fits in with equipment safety as part of a risk assessment, and the use of digital twin tech and safety PLCs as part of the safety risk assessment process.

Kevin McClusky, chief technology architect at Inductive Automation, explains why and how IT technologies such as containers, DevOps, application management and MQTT are impacting industrial operations technologies.

Tim Gaus, smart manufacturing business leader at Deloitte Consulting, explains agentic AI and how it differs from AI data analytics and AI chatbots, how manufacturers can use AI agents and where they will likely have the most impact in industry.

We connect with Ken Crawford, senior director of automation at Weidmuller, to explore the differences between open control systems and proprietary control systems, the security and reliability of open control technologies, and the process of adopting open systems for manufacturers who are using either proprietary control system technologies or those that are part of a vendor/partner ecosystem.

We connect with Brett Finley, CEO of PLZ Corp., to get first-hand insights into PLZ's digital transformation efforts that range from the plant floor to the enterprise and into the company's supply chain operations.

Evan Novakowski with system integrator Actemium Avanceon explains the primary factors that influence how data polling over Ethernet impacts PLC cycle time, if specific Ethernet protocols are more efficient for PLC data polling, strategies to optimize PLC cycle time and more.

Lisa Masciantonio, chief workforce officer at the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, shares her insights into how robotics and AI have changed the U.S. manufacturing landscape in the past decade, as well as the key workforce challenges manufacturers face as they implement robotics and/or AI.

As the manufacturing industries advance, and control technologies are increasingly built to withstand harsh industrial environments for direct placement on or nearby production operations, are enclosures still as vital to automation today as they've been in the past? Check out these insights from Jody Kinney at AutomationDirect.

This episode features input from several industrial technology experts about the automation technologies they expect to be of primary interest to manufacturers this year. From AI, robots and sustainability to preventative maintenance, inventory and workforce training, find out what industry experts from Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, Cognizant, Fluke Reliability, Glassdome, Honeywell and Snowflake think will be the biggest automation tech factors in 2025.

In this episode, we connect with Robert Schoenberger, editor-in-chief at Industry Week, to get his insights on manufacturing business issues most likely to affect automation purchasing and implementation decisions this year.

Do you know the machine safety basics to keep workers safe and machinery operating at its peak? In this episode, we feature insights from Joe Carson, president and founder of system integrator Pacific Blue Engineering, to get you up to speed with the best practices for implementing machine safety protocols.

Referencing decisions made around IT and OT convergence at Entegris in 2008, we look at how those decisions helped the company scale its operations technology across multiple plants and support the company's growth from $550 million in 2008 to $3.5 billion in 2023, starting with HMI software on three machines and growing to 200 machines and 90,000 tags.

Clearing up some of the confusion about different artificial intelligence technologies—specifically generative AI and AI for data analytics—and how they're being applied in the manufacturing industries as well as to the development of industrial automation technologies.

We connect with Karthee Madasamay of MFV partners, a deep tech VC firm that was an early investor in Agility Robotics (one of the largest manufacturers of humanoid robots), to learn more about the current capabilities of humanoids, their cost and maintenance requirements, and how far off we are from seeing humanoids become more commonplace in manufacturing environments.

In this episode we'll be looking at a recent report from A3 that indicates a significant drop in robot orders in the first half of 2024 and what that may mean for manufacturers considering near-term robot purchases and implementations.

In this episode we connect with G Brooks-Zak of Outlier Automation to get insights on software-defined automation and how it can impact manufacturing, including what it means for IT/OT convergence, specific application benefits such as with predictive maintenance and AI, its current use in industry and cybersecurity.

Now that Power over Ethernet (PoE) systems can deliver up to 90W of power per port, which is enough to operate the most power-hungry IoT sensors, devices and controllers, it makes sense to get up to speed on PoE technology and how it can be used on your network.

Get insights on the issues associated with integrating edge computing into a legacy manufacturing environment, as well as how edge computing aids predictive maintenance, manufacturing operations resiliency and cybersecurity. Our guest for this podcast is Steve Mustard, former executive board member and president of the International Society of Automation and current president and CEO of National Automation.

Production monitors provide real-time data visibility, enabling operators and managers to track and improve performance, identify issues and make informed decisions quickly to enhance manufacturing efficiency, reduce downtime and improve productivity.

Repositionable motors are designed for precise and variable motion control applications and differ from fixed-position motors in that they can easily adapt to different tasks or product configurations without the need for extensive mechanical adjustments. Their ability to quickly adapt to new settings helps drive manufacturing efficiency, reduce downtime and support mass customization. We connected with Ben Van Arsdale, an application engineer with Regal Rexnord's Power Efficiency Solutions business segment, to learn more about these motors and why they're so popular in the electronics, automotive and packaging machinery industries.

Learn about the main factors behind the difference in cost between industrial power supplies, what the Power Boost feature is, the value of a power supply's environmental ratings and certifications, the life expectancy of industrial power supplies and the relevance of their IIoT capabilities.

In this podcast, we talk with Tim Long, global head of manufacturing at Snowflake,  to understand what the company's data cloud services offer to the manufacturing industries, especially considering the wide use of cloud services from Amazon, Microsoft and Google, as well as those from automation technology suppliers. We also discuss the use of Snowflake by well-known manufacturers such as 3M, Sub-Zero, Toyota.

Research from Fluke Reliability and insights from Rockwell Automation show how artificial intelligence is changing predictive maintenance spending and how access to device dark data is poised to expand AI use and manufacturing software capabilities.

In this discussion with Ray Kok, CEO of Mendix, he explains how the development of common-use templates make it easier for manufacturing operations managers and engineers to create the apps they need without having to depend entirely on IT.

We connect with Devin Murray of Schmersal USA to learn how IoT technologies can be used with safety applications—from e-stops to safety controllers and sensors—and what manufacturers should look for in connected safety devices.

This episode looks at how automation technologies are improving industrial workers' satisfaction with their jobs and how employers can help their workers understand that automation should not be viewed as a threat.

In this episode, we connect with Aaron Rothmeyer from Sick USA to learn about LiDAR sensors, how they differ from other sensors commonly used in the manufacturing industries, how the 2D and 3D images they produce are used, why they're widely used on autonomous mobile robots and how they can be used in quality control operations.

Automation World connects with Heather Cykoski, senior vice president of industrial and process automation at Schneider Electric, to learn more about what constitutes a smart factory, how the concept is advancing at manufacturing facilities across the globe, its connection to digital transformation initiatives and the biggest challenges manufacturers face when seeking to become a smart factory.

In this episode, we'll be looking at how Nvidia's graphics and artificial intelligence technologies are impacting industrial automation on a large scale via collaborations with Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and Aveva, Siemens, and Teradyne Robotics via its Universal Robots and MiR businesses.  

In this episode, we connect with Steve Biegacki of the FDT Group to get a better understanding of the FDT open standard industrial device communication technology, how it's used across industry, the FDT Group's work with OPC Foundation and what end users should know about the FDT technology in their automation devices.

In this episode we look at the growing use of cloud computing in industry and the surprising, but erroneous post from Microsoft that it was planning to discontinue a key component in its cloud platform. Feedback from industrial automation technology suppliers explains why deprecations of cloud applications by the cloud platform providers will likely not impact the cloud applications you use from them.

In this episode, we connect with Jim Toman of system integrator Grantek to explain the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) formula, how to calculate it for a typical manufacturing line, how to apply the results to improve production operations, and why the long-standing OEE metric continues to be relevant in the age of new and advancing industrial optimization technologies.

Automation World Editor in Chief David Greenfield was recently invited to appear on Southern California Public Radio's LAist AirTalk program to discuss the realities around the impact of increasing automation use—particularly robots—on industry's workforce. Also featured in this discussion is Ben Armstrong, executive director of MIT's Industrial Performance Center.

In this episode we connect with Ken Crawford of Weidmüller USA about the us elf open system tech in automation and more specifically about Weidmüller's use of open systems in its new u-OS technologies and how it can benefit OEM and end-user operations.

In this episode, we look at some of the most common machine safety devices, such as light curtains, laser scanners, safety controllers and interlock switches and share insights from industry experts on how to determine the right safety device or system for your application.

With system integrator and technology supplier insights, we take a look at the rise of industrial data ops—how it differs from historical data storage and trending activities and how it can be used to predict future trends to optimize supply chains and derive strategic business insights. 

In this episode, we connect with Steven Ward from Emerson to learn about IoT platforms, how they're applied across different industries, what operations technology professionals need to be aware of during IoT platform assessments and lessons to be learned from industries that have a high level of IoT platform adoption.

In this episode, we connect with Ira Moskowitz, CEO of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, to learn about its work supporting the use of robotics and AI in the manufacturing industries and how it helps manufacturers deploy and expand robotic applications.

An update on two high-profile integrations of Microsoft's artificial intelligence with operations technology software from Aveva and Siemens.

In this podcast featuring Anthony Leo of Norgren, we discuss how multi-axis electric motion control differs from general electric and pneumatic motion control, its suitability for hazardous environments, as well as its speed, accuracy and distance characteristics.

Collaborative robots are known for their ability to operate safely near humans, but their operation should be assessed just like any other piece of automated industrial equipment. Listen to this discussion with Devin Murray of Schmersal USA's technical engineering services division—tec.nicum—to learn about the specific safety standards related to cobots, safety hazards that are common or overlooked with cobots and how to ensure safe cobot operations in your facility.

Hear about some of the biggest automation news to come out of Pack Expo 2023 in Las Vegas, including new industrial cameras, lighting from Beckhoff, the integration of multiple automation technologies in Emerson's Floor to Cloud system and Weidmüller's new u-OS open operating system for device maintenance and application integration.

Find out how analytics technologies, such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), are impacting production operations, not just in the continuous processing industries, but discrete manufacturing as well. In this discussion with Bruce Slusser with system integrator Avanceon, we discuss how MPC can be integrated into digital transformation initiatives, the impact of artificial intelligence on MPC and the key elements manufacturers need to have in place to use effectively use MPC.

Find out the difference between traditional and high-performance HMI screen styles, as well as which type manufacturers tend to use most and how difficult it is to switch from one version to another in this episode featuring Travis Cox of Inductive Automation.

Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days, but it's been a part of machine vision technology for years now. Given those years of use and the growth of new capabilities in AI, what's the outlook for AI machine vision use in manufacturing. In this podcast discussion with Kevin McCabe of IDS Imaging Development Systems, we look at how AI enables vision system use in quality control, the connection between machine vision AI and large language models such as ChatGPT, and how to begin exploring use of AI-powered machine vision in your operations.

In this episode we connect with Kristen Ballistrea of B&R Industrial Automation to learn about B&R's Acopos 6D levitating transport system. This transportation system uses levitating shuttles to move materials and parts between various production systems for applications ranging from assembly to packaging. 

In this discussion with Nazario Biala of Harting, we address how industry's digital transformation is impacting the design of automation devices and connector functionalities required to support Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

In this episode, we connect with Brian Burke of Bishop-Wisecarver  to learn why guide wheels are often used as a component of  linear motion systems in automated machinery and why they're considered critical to the dependability of such systems, especially in harsh environments.

In this episode, we connect with Stephen Lacey of Belden to learn about the high costs of reactive maintenance and how moving to more proactive—and even predictive—maintenance can be achieved without major investments and executed in small, easily incorporated steps.

In this episode we connect with Sam Russem of system integrator Grantek to learn how MES software tracks key production metrics and  how manufacturers should go about assessing their operations to figure out which metrics to track with MES software.

Two of the biggest trends in automation over the past few years have been the trend away from closed, proprietary systems and toward open systems, and increased reliance on automation to achieve sustainability goals. In this episode, we connect with Michael Martinez of Schneider Electric to better understand the connections between the use of open industrial automation software and sustainability.