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...
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.
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.
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.
New Advance in Biofuel Production
May 9, 2013 1:26 pm | by Lynn Yarris, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | News | CommentsAdvanced biofuels – liquid fuels synthesized from the sugars in cellulosic biomass – offer a clean, green and renewable alternative to gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. Bringing the costs of producing these advanced biofuels down to competitive levels with petrofuels, however, is a major challenge.
Quality Control in Precision Manufacturing
May 9, 2013 12:15 pm | by PD&D Staff | Product Releases | CommentsA non-contact linear measurement sensor with a wide range of available outputs has been introduced by Solartron Metrology, a unit of AMETEK, Inc. (Berwyn, PA). The new Orbit LT Laser Triangulation System is designed to support quality control in high volume precision manufacturing applications requiring verification of every part.
Feds Probe Nuclear Contractor Over Allegations
May 8, 2013 3:04 pm | by Ray Henry - Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal regulators are investigating whether workers at a factory that supplies parts to nuclear plants broke quality control rules and falsified records, according to regulatory filings. A dozen workers at the Shaw Modular Solutions facility in Lake Charles, La., admitted to a manager that they...
One Order of Steel; Hold the Greenhouse Gases
May 8, 2013 1:29 pm | by David L. Chandler, MIT | News | CommentsAnyone who has seen pictures of the giant, red-hot cauldrons in which steel is made — fed by vast amounts of carbon, and belching flame and smoke — would not be surprised to learn that steelmaking is one of the world’s leading industrial sources of greenhouse gases. But remarkably, a new process developed by MIT researchers could change all that.
Cleaner Energy, Warmer Climate?
May 7, 2013 1:19 pm | by Vicki Ekstrom, MIT | News | CommentsThe growing global demand for energy, combined with a need to reduce emissions and lessen the effects of climate change, has increased focus on cleaner energy sources. But what unintended consequences could these cleaner sources have on the changing climate?
Texas Tech Creates Wind Institute
May 7, 2013 1:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTexas Tech University has created an institute that combines research and education in wind science, engineering and energy. A school statement says the creation of the National Wind Institute combines Tech's former Wind Science and Engineering research center and the Texas Wind Energy Institute into one entity.
Converting Natural Gas to Energy Faster
May 7, 2013 1:12 pm | by Matt Shipman, NC State University | News | CommentsChemical engineering researchers have identified a new mechanism to convert natural gas into energy up to 70 times faster, while effectively capturing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). “This could make power generation from natural gas both cleaner and more efficient,” says Fanxing Li, co-author of a paper on the research and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University.
UV-/light-Curing Adhesives Improve Manufacturing Productivity
May 7, 2013 11:42 am | by Torsten Uske, President DELO Industrial Adhesives LLC, and Dr. Martin Kluke, Product Manager DELO Industrial Adhesives | Articles | CommentsThe manufacturing world is constantly looking for processes that can accelerate production while lowering unit costs and improving product reliability. Each innovation must mesh with the overall production process to achieve high output levels. Bonding processes should be capable of smoothly running in automated processes requiring short cycle times.
