Automation of a packaging operation with robotics has increased productivity by 40% at BOLÇI.

The IEC 61131-3 standard includes powerful structuring tools and can help provide users an excellent way to break a control system down into manageable units for greater overall effectiveness.

Paul Taylor explains how IEC-62443 can hold the answer to enhancing cyber resilience in smart factories. 

The ability to use existing industrial Ethernet and wireless networks in process manufacturing plants and automation facilities has made data exchange within a facility and even throughout global corporate networks easier than ever.

An automation solutions provider, Control Freaks, applied innovative PLC technology to solve production challenges and increase competitiveness at a pizza production facility. 

Neli Ivanova, sales manager, Industrial Equipment at Siemens Financial Services in the UK discusses 5G and the future of smart factory investment.

Through a combination of standard industrial motors and creative collaboration, advanced technology customisations are made to allow high-precision, long-life motors to make it to Mars and beyond.

To allow products to be tailored more closely to customer demand requires a reduction in batch sizes which has led to the rise of 'high-mix, low-volume' (HMLV) production. Find out how cobots can be a key enabler for high-mix automation needs.

With 2D, 3D, and even deep learning inspections all being realistic product inspection options today, are operators spoilt for choice? Neil Sandhu offers some insight into available solutions.

Paul Sereiko highlights how the HART technology has been developed, alongside other technologies, to allow it to continue to meet the needs of the industry marketplace.

Historically HMLV production lines have relied heavily on manual labour, with automation representing something of a programming challenge. However, Oliver Giertz believes that the latest developments in programming are set to change this.

Suzanne Gill reports on the Drax Power Station decarbonisation journey, focussing in particular on the need for a new supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) solution that would help ensure a more integrated control solution and ensure the operation is future-proofed.

Eric van Riet explains how calibration has needed to evolve in line with the digital migration of HART devices.

Much of the excitement about the Industrial Internet of Things revolves around the data that can be generated. The ‘things’ that gather this data are often overshadowed. Suzanne Gill spoke to device vendors to get their thoughts on the value of ‘things.

Heikki Laurila offers advice on calibrating HART pressure transmitters.

As companies look to diversify to help improve sustainability, Nigel Smith explains the importance of robot programming that is simple enough to be refigured to any kind of manufacturing environment.

David Humphrey offers some thoughts on the changing role for a machine control stalwart – the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) – as the industrial technology space continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

Control engineering Europe finds out more about the benefits of radar technology for level sensing applications in the water sector.

Ruud van den Brink argues that Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is essential to helping the IIoT drive industrial automation forward and that now is the time to embrace this technology.

In the process industry 4-20 mA technology is still the standard. New technologies will need to measure up, above all to its simplicity and reliability. Ethernet-APL, an enhanced physical layer for single-pair Ethernet (SPE) based on 10BASET1L, looks set to achieve this. Ronny Becker and Andreas Hennecke report.