Industrial Automation
The Lead
Good Mechanics Know How the Parts Work
April 26, 2013 5:19 pm | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | Comments
In late January, FCI Electronics named Alessandro Perrotta as the company’s new CEO, effective February, 13 2013. FCI Electronics is a $555-million dollar manufacturer of interconnects and cable assemblies for datacom, consumer, and industrial applications.
Is It Possible to Bring Manufacturing Back to the U.S.?
May 17, 2013 9:33 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | Comments
Several factors come into play when manufacturers make the decision to move or reshore (see...
Open Innovation Spurs Ultimate American Success
May 1, 2013 10:06 am | by Louise Rainone, Vice President of Marketing, PCDworks | Blogs | Comments
Under Armour is always a great example of innovation as a whole. The company began with an idea...
Good Mechanics Know How the Parts Work
April 26, 2013 5:19 pm | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | Comments
In late January, FCI Electronics named Alessandro Perrotta as the company’s new CEO, effective...
Tungsten Industry Develops Conflict Minerals Legislation Compliance Framework
May 23, 2013 5:17 pm | by Tungsten Industry - Conflict Minerals Council | News | CommentsSupported by two leading tungsten industry trade associations a working group of tungsten refiners has established an Initiative that provides a mechanism for industry members to demonstrate their compliance with Security and Exchange Commission regulations under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Tufts University Wins High-Performance Computer Cluster Research Grant
May 23, 2013 3:47 pm | by Kristin Nugent, Silicon Mechanics | News | CommentsSilicon Mechanics has announced that Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts,is the winner of a complete high-performance computer cluster donated by Silicon Mechanics and its vendor partners as part of its second annual Research Cluster Grant competition.
Stricken Japan Nuke Plant Struggles to Keep Staff
May 23, 2013 5:49 am | by Yuri Kageyama - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsKeeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely...
Rig Manager Testifies in Shell Barge Grounding
May 22, 2013 10:27 pm | by DAN JOLING - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter drifting toward shore on a floating drill rig tilted by 30-foot swells and 45-knot winds, then riding a basket up to a hovering Coast Guard helicopter, Todd Case said he would revise the towing plan for the vessel on a winter trip across the Gulf of Alaska. In hindsight, he told a Coast...
Sciaky Enters Partnership with EVOBEAM
May 22, 2013 4:53 pm | by Sciaky | News | CommentsSciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI) and leading provider of additive manufacturing solutions, announced today that it has entered into a business partnership with EVOBEAM GmbH of Mainz, Germany to further expand its electron beam (EB) welding product portfolio.
With High-Tech Guns, Users Could Disable Remotely
May 21, 2013 1:04 pm | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | News | CommentsA high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely. The technology, but not an actual gun, was slated to be demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance.
Connectors Conform to M8 Form Factor Standards
May 17, 2013 1:06 pm | by PD&D Staff | Molex Incorporated | Product Releases | CommentsMolex Incorporated (Lisle, IL) supports industrial automation, aerospace, and defense network connectivity with its compact Brad Nano-Change (M8) connectors.
ERA President: EDS 2013 ‘Very Productive’
May 17, 2013 11:07 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | CommentsAfter the dust had settled, and most of the industry had returned to their native lands, ERA President Paul C. Nielsen of Brainard-Nelsen Marketing was able to put EDS 2013 in perspective. “I thought EDS was great,” Nielsen said. “It had a very high energy level with a lot of productive professional and personal meetings.”
After EDS: Q&A with John Knight
May 17, 2013 10:53 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | Orion Fans | News | CommentsAccording to John Knight, Vice President of Knight Electronics/Orion Fans, EDS 2013 proved to provide an excellent venue for networking within the electronics industry, and it continues the highlight the trends in the ever-evolving electronics distribution industry. After the event, Knight had a chance to reflect on the event.
Honeywell Tackles Wireless Applications
May 17, 2013 10:27 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor, ECN | News | CommentsHoneywell, a global company constantly supplying solutions for macroproblems of the world, says its customers are clamoring for wireless solutions and the company is ready to deliver. Designers are looking for systems that are reliable, low-maintenance, financially viable, easy-to-use, rugged, and, perhaps most importantly, secure.
EDS President: You Can’t Miss EDS If You’re In the Electronics Industry
May 17, 2013 9:59 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | CommentsJim Bruorton wore two hats at EDS 2013 this year, the first as a manufacturer and his role as vice president of global distribution sales and business development with KEMET Corporation; and the second as a board member and president of EDS 2013.
Microchip Technology Delivers 12 Billionth PIC Microcontroller
May 16, 2013 3:08 pm | by Microchip | News | CommentsMicrochip Technology has announced the shipment of its 12 billionth PIC microcontroller (MCU) to the Nidec Corporation—a preeminent global supplier of precision motors, based in Japan. Microchip delivered this 12 billionth MCU approximately 10 months after delivering its 11 billionth.
Photo of the Day: Webb Undergoes Eye Surgery
May 16, 2013 12:38 pm | by NASA | News | CommentsMuch like the inside of an operating room, in the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., engineers worked meticulously to implant part of the eyes of the James Webb Space Telescope. They scrubbed up and suited up to perform one of the most delicate performances of their lives.
Engineering Newswire 38: Lockheed Laser Shoots Down Drones
May 16, 2013 10:21 am | by Eric Sorensen, Multimedia Coordinator | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Interpower, the premier supplier of power system components for worldwide markets, we’re kicking turtles to make new shapes, enhancing our senses, printing on the Afinia 3D printer, and shooting down drones, with lasers.
World's Lightest Material a Possible Fix for Heavy Problems
May 16, 2013 9:28 am | by Reuters | Videos | CommentsA scientist in China has produced the lightest substance ever recorded, which he says could provide solutions to heavy problems, such as pollution control. Gao Chou says his carbon aerogel can absorb up to 900 times its own body weight, in addition to displaying other qualities that make it ideal for further development.
Top IN Wind Farm Drafts Bat-Protection Plans
May 15, 2013 3:55 pm | by Rick Callahan - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe operators of Indiana's largest wind farm are proposing changing the nighttime operations of the farm's 300-plus wind turbines to protect endangered Indiana bats from being killed by the turbines' spinning blades. Two of the mouse-sized federally protected species have been found dead since...
Solar Panels as Inexpensive as Paint?
May 14, 2013 1:04 pm | by Cory Nealon, University at Buffalo | News | CommentsMost Americans want the U.S. to place more emphasis on developing solar power, recent polls suggest. A major impediment, however, is the cost to manufacture, install and maintain solar panels. Simply put, most people and businesses cannot afford to place them on their rooftops.
Wind Farms Get Pass on Eagle Deaths
May 14, 2013 3:22 am | by Dina Cappiello - Associated Press | News | CommentsIt happens about once a month here, on the barren foothills of one of America's green-energy boomtowns: A soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm's spinning turbine and falls, mangled and lifeless, to the ground. Killing these iconic birds is not just an...
Nuclear Authority Not to Allow Restart of Monju Reactor
May 13, 2013 12:56 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's Nuclear Regulation Authority is considering not allowing the operator of the prototype fast-breeder nuclear reactor Monju to resume operations before its sloppy safety management is improved, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Cars Made in Brazil Are Deadly
May 11, 2013 2:02 pm | by Bradley Brooks - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe cars roll endlessly off the local assembly lines of the industry's biggest automakers, more than 10,000 a day, into the eager hands of Brazil's new middle class. The shiny new Fords, Fiats, and Chevrolets tell the tale of an economy in full bloom that now boasts the fourth largest auto market...
CEO Hogan to Leave ABB for Private Reasons
May 10, 2013 12:40 pm | by ABB | News | CommentsABB Chief Executive Officer Joe Hogan has decided to leave ABB for private reasons. A date for his departure has not yet been decided. Hogan will continue to lead ABB until a successor is announced. He is committed to a smooth transition.
Manufacturing Newswire - Training The Next Generation
May 10, 2013 12:36 pm | by Manufacturing Business Technology | Videos | CommentsIn this episode of MBT’s Manufacturing Newswire we'll look at a lab to train the next generation of manufacturing engineers and designers, the answer to those flickering florescent tube lights, unveil the airplane of the future and much more.
Plastics Research Promises Lighter, Cost-Effective Production
May 9, 2013 1:39 pm | by The Centre for Industrial Application of Microcellular Plastics (CIAMP), University of Toronto | News | CommentsThe Centre for Industrial Application of Microcellular Plastics (CIAMP) officially opened May 2, bringing with it the promise of lighter, stronger and more cost effective plastic materials for the automotive and construction industries.
Researchers Find New Magic in Magnetic Material
May 9, 2013 1:35 pm | by Tracey Bryant, University of Deleware | News | CommentsFrom powerful computers to super-sensitive medical and environmental detectors that are faster, smaller, and use less energy — yes, we want them, but how do we get them? In research that is helping to lay the groundwork for the electronics of the future, University of Delaware scientists have confirmed the presence of a magnetic field generated by electrons which scientists had theorized existed, but that had never been proven until now.
A Device for Portable, Ultra-Precise Clocks and Quantum Sensors
May 9, 2013 1:30 pm | by University of Strathclyde | News | CommentsIn a joint project between the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow, Imperial College London and the National Physical Laboratory, researchers have developed a portable way to produce ultracold atoms for quantum technology and quantum information processing.
