Radwell International’s Blog

Since the advent of the programmable logic controller (PLC), automation controllers of all kinds have made their way into industrial applications, including programmable automation controllers (PACs) and today’s edge programmable industrial controllers (EPICs). Users have many options in terms of cost, footprint, input/output (I/O) density, fieldbus compatibility, communication, programming options, and processing speed with competition among vendors looking to establish supremacy.

While it’s generally true diversity is healthy for the market, it also can be a source of frustration for engineers and end users. Selecting a control platform is often a long-term investment and carries related overhead like training and support contracts. Decision-makers want the reassurance they are putting their money to work in the right way.

Edge controllers can provide advantages in many applications where traditional industrial controllers have been used. For commercial and industrial computing products, software and hardware development progress proceeds in tandem, with the lead alternating. Sometimes the software complexity and features increase in a way that bumps into processing limitations; then there are times when hardware advances unleash newfound capacity for more sophisticated software.
It is easy to look at today’s traditional operations technology (OT) industrial controller options, represented most often by traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and process automation controllers (PACs), and see them as mature technologies with capable software and fast hardware. The challenge is identifying what comes next.

A few industry trends are pointing the way. Modern consumer and commercial computing experiences are ripe for merging into industrial products. Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming commonplace and many are looking at incorporating Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices into automation systems. Digital transformation requires connecting with many data sources, collecting and storing the data, visualizing and analyzing it, enabling optimized operations.

In July 1984, an automated die-cast system operator died of cardiorespiratory arrest in a robotic accident. The operator got stuck between a steel safety pole and an industrial robot. The worker was an experienced employee trained on robotics for a week prior to this fatal encounter. It was later found he had entered the operating zone of the robot in an unsafe manner despite training, instructions, and warnings. A presence sensing device in such an application could have potentially averted the incident. 

This incident established the need to identify and enforce safeguards and practices to mitigate workplace incidents, especially in robotic process automation (RPA) enabled environments.

I never could have predicted the path that I took to get where I am now, as I look back on the first quarter of my engineering career. That said, I am where I planned to be at this point in my life. I had a vision for where I wanted to be and where I want to be 10 years from today, and after another decade.

An engineering career vision is not a pathway engraved in stone, but instead should be approached as a series of goals to achieve, with a set of principles to stay on track. Five tips to help an engineering career follow.

Stress is a productivity killer in virtually any industry, and this is no less true for factory workers engaged in physically taxing and oftentimes repetitive and monotonous work within manufacturing plants and warehouses.

Factory work tends to be physically demanding, repetitive, technically complex and potentially dangerous. It includes a range of tasks such as packaging, stacking, sorting, storing, filling, mixing, inspecting and assembling, which often require the use of complex equipment. Physical stressors coupled with productivity demands can prove difficult for factory workers and result in declines in productivity and employee morale. Add to that extended shifts due to staff shortages, increased product demand, or, in extreme cases, a pandemic, and stress levels can skyrocket.

So how can factory workers de-stress after long shifts?

The manufacturing industry values variable frequency drives (VFDs) to maximize efficiency and productivity, but that appreciation may slip away when a breakdown occurs. A seamlessly functioning VFD delivers tremendous benefits, but it can falter when not adequately maintained. And when a production line or machinery grinds to a halt as a result, it’s essential to troubleshoot the issues and quickly resume operations.

Did you know that manufacturing is the 2^nd most targeted industry by hackers? With that in mind, addressing cybersecurity is more important than ever in the manufacturing industry. Although IIoT and Industry 4.0 in manufacturing create many positive benefits for operations, they also create vulnerabilities within systems. These vulnerabilities make it possible for hackers to gain access to an organization’s systems, equipment and critical data. Because smart manufacturing often connects entire systems, this often allows hackers full system access unless there are proper protections in place.  Companies have traditionally focused on information security in which vulnerabilities were introduced through desktops or server computing.    IIOT and Industry 4.0 have introduced an additional layer of vulnerabilities and threats.

From food processing to automotive production, industrial robots are becoming ubiquitous. Highly-automated and programmable, these machines execute repetitive tasks with high precision, reliability and throughput.

Due to these features, industrial robots have become critical in many manufacturing processes. How do industrial robots work in manufacturing?

It is coming, slowly but surely. The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is happening, thanks to legislative mandates and early adopters worldwide. While the days when sales of EVs will outnumber those of internal combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles are a decade or two in the future, the consequences for the automotive supply chain need to be understood and acknowledged now.

Most EVs will retain the form factors of their ICE predecessors. They will have four wheels, conventional doors, a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, and all of the comfort, safety, and convenience equipment that consumers have come to expect. But under their body panels, there are differences that will affect the vehicle production process.

The manufacturing sector has typically been among the first to benefit from technological innovation, particularly in the field of robotics and automation. Traditional industrial robotic systems usually require the use of peripheral safety equipment and physical barriers for the safety of human co-workers. However, the features designed to protect human workers tend to increase cost and space requirements.

Also, the current market demands a reduction in lead times, as well as mass customization, which, in turn, require flexibility and the use of multi-purpose assembly systems. These needs are common among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It falls on manufacturers to find a solution that not only addresses problems with cost and space availability but also the need to provide customized solutions to customer needs in the shortest time possible.