As technology continues to grow and expand, so does the Industrial Revolution. There are four established stages as of now, with a fifth beginning to take shape. It started with the first stage of mechanized production. During this stage, water wheels and steam engines were created, and manufacturing moved from manpower to machine power. The second stage was mass production. A major technological advancement was achieved in the form of electricity. This technological advancement allowed for the creation of assembly lines. The third stage was the Digital Revolution. Analogue electronics and mechanical devices were expanded into digital technology such as personal computers, the Internet, and information and communications technology.

A type of robot growing in popularity in the industrial manufacturing industry is called a cobot, otherwise known as a collaborative robot. The reason for the growing popularity of cobots is their ability to work side by side with human operators to accomplish a task. With ever expanding technology, many fear it will make human workers obsolete. Robots are one of the top concerns. However, when it comes to cobots, they have one great difference from traditional industrial robots. Their design purpose is to work productively alongside humans. This will obviously have the benefit of human labor still required and an advanced form of technology assisting in the job process. Nobody wants to see human labor become obsolete. This is why more and more manufacturing operations are making use of cobots, as they integrate automation systems.

How we can preserve and sustain the earth is at the forefront of many discussions in todays society. It is also the reason many manufacturing companies are taking the proper steps to help do their part and are making use of sustainable manufacturing practices. The US Department of Commerce defines sustainable manufacturing as “the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.”

Controlling the flow and pressure of liquids and gases is an important part of many industries. Industrial, engineering, and manufacturing facilities rely on this capability. The main component that allows them the ability to do so are valves. Valves can vary in size, design, function and operation. But all have the purpose to control flow and pressure of liquids and gases. One of the most common and frequently used valves are solenoid valves.

In the industrial, engineering, manufacturing and scientific industries, valves serve multiple purposes. Their main purpose, however, is to control a specific medium flow through a system. Typically, valves may be used to start, stop, or throttle the flow to ensure safe and efficient operation of the process. Valves come in many different types and arguably the most dependable, cost-effective, and consistent control at relatively low flow rates are proportional control valves.

What is an Actuator?

An actuator is the main component of a mechanical device that allows the device to move. This movement can be in two forms, one being linear the other being rotary. Linear movement means it can move back and forth on a set path in a straight motion. Rotary movement means movement in a rotational fashion. These two types of movement allow for actuators to be broken down into a linear actuator and a rotary actuator.

What is a temperature controller?

A temperature controller is a device that is used to maintain a preset temperature for a heater or other devices. In everyday life, common temperature controllers are air-conditioners, space-heaters, refrigerators, and water-heaters. However, when it comes to the industrial industry, temperature controllers can be attached to equipment and aid that equipment in maintaining a desired temperature.

What is a Piston Pump?

A piston pump is a type of reciprocating pump that moves and pressurizes fluid by using one or more reciprocating pistons. Three main components can always be found in every piston pump; a piston, a crank, and inlet and outlet valves. The piston is the main source for allowing the liquid to flow in and out through the valves. Attached to the motor, the crank will move in a rotational fashion allowing the repetitive back and forth movement of the piston. Finally, each piston pump will have an inlet and outlet valve. These two valves allow for the liquid or gas to enter and exit the cylinder.

What is a Signal Converter?

A signal converter is a device that converts signals from sensors to industrial current signals, converts analog input signals to analog output signals, normalize signals, or isolates signals. There are multiple types of signal converters; Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), frequency converters or translators, voltage converters, frequency-to-voltage converters, voltage-to-frequency converters, current-to-voltage converters, current loop converters, charge converters.

In today’s society there aren’t many places to go to escape technology. It is a never-ending evolution. The sooner technology is embraced, the sooner it will benefit the world. This is evident in how technological advancements have changed businesses operations.

Digitalization

With technology comes digitalization and with digitalization comes the ability to convert information into digital form. This ability has allowed businesses to increase efficiency, reduce operational cost, and eliminate human error. One example of a benefit is businesses can now keep important information on digital files instead of paper files. A computer with named files neatly organized to a specific format allows easier access compared to opening a file cabinet and shuffling through hundreds of manila folders.