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Teardown: What’s Inside a Timer Relay?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Timer Relay?

PLCs and microprocessors have largely replaced timing functions in control circuits. But these timer relays still hold many necessary tasks. What’s inside these devices might be more complex than you imagined!


How To: Use the Arduino PLC IDE to Build Basic Ladder Diagrams

How To: Use the Arduino PLC IDE to Build Basic Ladder Diagrams

Following the release of the official Arduino PLC IDE, this tutorial will introduce programming and understanding of the function blocks common to all IEC 61131 languages, starting with bit commands, timers, and counters.


Meet SWIFTI, the “First” Industrial Cobot

Meet SWIFTI, the “First” Industrial Cobot

ABB looks to bridge the gap between industrial and collaborative robotics, resulting in the new SWIFTI CRB 1300 'industrial cobot,' capable of higher speeds and payloads than traditional cobots in its class.


News Dec 20, 2022 by Damond Goodwin
Introducing the “Smallest PLC Ever” to the Market

Introducing the “Smallest PLC Ever” to the Market

Crouzet introduces the "slimmest PLC" to the industrial automation market. At only 17.5mm wide, the Millennium Slim is changing the way we think about control automation topology.


News Dec 19, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich
Teardown: What’s Inside a DC Servo Motor?

Teardown: What’s Inside a DC Servo Motor?

We know that servo motors are found inside machines that rely on precise motion with feedback to verify proper operation, but how do they work, and what makes them different from any other kind of motor?


Teardown: What’s Inside a 3-Phase Induction Motor?

Teardown: What’s Inside a 3-Phase Induction Motor?

Coil, field winding, rotor, stator, eddy current… When it comes to motors, there are numerous terms that describe the theory of operation, but what is inside a 3-phase motor? Take a look, and learn how they work.


Servo Motor vs Stepper Motor: Understanding the Differences

Servo Motor vs Stepper Motor: Understanding the Differences

When accurate positioning and speed control is needed, most engineers turn to servo motors or stepper motors, but what is the difference between the two, and which is the right choice?


Arduino Releases Official PLC IDE for Machine Control Platforms

Arduino Releases Official PLC IDE for Machine Control Platforms

At Control.com, we’re PLC and machine enthusiasts, but we are also makers at heart. This recent announcement by Arduino is ready to make waves and break boundaries in control cabinets around the world!


News Dec 12, 2022 by David Peterson
Teardown: What’s Inside a Human-machine Interface (HMI)?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Human-machine Interface (HMI)?

Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, provide visual process data and allow access to process parameters and diagnostics information. What’s inside these touchscreen displays, and how do they actually work?


PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 4, Statistics and Sizing

PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 4, Statistics and Sizing

Learn how to make complex calculations for validating data easily with the STD instruction, and learn how to display array sizes programmatically with the SIZE instruction.


Rockwell Improves Allen-Bradley Micro Controllers for Machine Builders

Rockwell Improves Allen-Bradley Micro Controllers for Machine Builders

Rockwell aims to help machine builders, integrators, and manufacturers with improved efficiency to their Micro800 controllers and design software.


News Dec 08, 2022 by Damond Goodwin
Teardown: What’s Inside a Pneumatic Solenoid Valve Bank?

Teardown: What’s Inside a Pneumatic Solenoid Valve Bank?

Air power drives a lot of modern equipment. Robot grippers, ejectors, actuators, and rotary tables are just a few of the devices controlled by air. What’s inside those banks of solenoid valves, and how do they work?


ABB Opens the Doors to its Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai

ABB Opens the Doors to its Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai

With the growing global robotics market, ABB seeks to capitalize on the growing demands by opening a "state-of-the-art" mega factory in Shanghai for manufacturing next-generation robots.


News Dec 07, 2022 by Seth Price
New Materials to Solve Challenges: Re-visualizing LIDAR Sensors

New Materials to Solve Challenges: Re-visualizing LIDAR Sensors

LIDAR technology, critical for mobile robotic and logistic applications, has been the subject of new breakthrough research led by Phlux Technology, using innovative materials to solve barriers to progress.


News Dec 07, 2022 by David Peterson
Industrial Networks: “Protocol over a Standard?”

Industrial Networks: “Protocol over a Standard?”

Industrial communication channels often contain terms such as ‘Modbus over RS485’ or ‘CIP Safety over Ethernet’. What does it mean to send one network over another, and how does it work to your advantage?


Bringing Artificial Intelligence and Collaborative Robotics Together

Bringing Artificial Intelligence and Collaborative Robotics Together

Techman Robot aims to save manufacturers time and money through the use of artificial intelligence with its AI Cobot series that includes smart vision, improved pick and place, and a built in AI interface.


News Dec 06, 2022 by Damond Goodwin
Expanded Catalog of Servo Motors and Tracks, Fit for High Precision Tasks

Expanded Catalog of Servo Motors and Tracks, Fit for High Precision Tasks

SMC has developed a size 16 AC servo motor for applications which require high accuracy and low power consumption, fit for use in machining, packaging, and assembling operations.


News Dec 05, 2022 by Seth Price
PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 3, Searching and Sorting

PLC Program Commands: Arrays Part 3, Searching and Sorting

Learn how to streamline your ladder logic by searching and sorting arrays with the FSC and SRT instructions in the Rockwell (Allen-Bradley) Studio 5000 programming software.


Planning for the Future: Productivity, Security, and Automation

Planning for the Future: Productivity, Security, and Automation

Thought leadership from Rockwell Automation execs point to future trends and how to leverage technology and skills to increase productivity and the security of operational technology (OT).


News Dec 01, 2022 by David Peterson
Connecting Engineering to Manufacturing with Software for Panel Design and Fabrication

Connecting Engineering to Manufacturing with Software for Panel Design and Fabrication

The latest electrical engineering software from Zuken and nVent offers to increase productivity and reduce time to market in panel design and fabrication with software that updates with live data and has an easy-to-use central parts library.


News Nov 30, 2022 by Shawn Dietrich