Latest Technical Articles

Learn how to prototype an industrialized OpenPLC Arduino PLC control station concept. This hands-on project will…

Learn how to prototype an industrialized OpenPLC Arduino PLC control station concept. This hands-on project will illustrate converting a relay ladder control circuit into a Ladder Diagram (LD) program.

Industrial control panels are at the heart of control systems. Learn about the standards and regulations that dictate…

Industrial control panels are at the heart of control systems. Learn about the standards and regulations that dictate industrial control panel design for safety and efficiency, including NFPA 70, UL 60947-4-1, and NFPA 79. 

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, educational single-board computer platform with the potential for industrial applications. In…

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, educational single-board computer platform with the potential for industrial applications. In this article, we discuss the purpose of Raspberry Pi as well as its hardware and software.

Humidity control is vital in many industrial applications. We'll take a look at nine different humidity measurement…

Humidity control is vital in many industrial applications. We'll take a look at nine different humidity measurement technologies, how they are used, and discuss the difference between relative humidity and dew point.

Ambient light, reflection, and transparent objects can all cause difficulties during machine vision applications. Learn…

Ambient light, reflection, and transparent objects can all cause difficulties during machine vision applications. Learn about these issues and some potential solutions to better ensure safety and quality.

Whether open or closed, industry standard or built for tough environments, or modular or customized, it is important to…

Whether open or closed, industry standard or built for tough environments, or modular or customized, it is important to follow a set of repeatable tasks when designing industrial control panels for efficiency and safety.

Explore the design of a servo pick and place sample case using B&R Automation Studio, from the project creation to the…

Explore the design of a servo pick and place sample case using B&R Automation Studio, from the project creation to the configuration of the controller, drives, and motion axes. 

Learn how to use the boolean bitwise functions AND, OR, XOR, and NOT in your PLC programming, as well as some…

Learn how to use the boolean bitwise functions AND, OR, XOR, and NOT in your PLC programming, as well as some instructions used to change the position of bits and bytes in your INTs and DINTs.

While not a direct replacement for PLCs, there are industrial automation applications built using Arduino, including…

While not a direct replacement for PLCs, there are industrial automation applications built using Arduino, including prototyping, embedded systems, and low-cost PLC simulators.

The control and visualization of power plant processes through SCADA improves the supervision, coordination, and security…

The control and visualization of power plant processes through SCADA improves the supervision, coordination, and security of the power system operations.

Pressurized gas leaks can sometimes be heard with the human ear, but small leaks with ultrasonic sounds are much more…

Pressurized gas leaks can sometimes be heard with the human ear, but small leaks with ultrasonic sounds are much more difficult to detect. Ultrasonic leak detectors can help to find otherwise undetectable leaks.

An EOAT, located at the end of an industrial or collaborative robot arm, is entirely customizable with nearly unlimited…

An EOAT, located at the end of an industrial or collaborative robot arm, is entirely customizable with nearly unlimited possibilities. Learn about the five main methods of how EOATs are powered and the sensors that they use.

Learn how to move data through arrays using LFL, LFU, FFL, and FFU instructions, as well as a technique on cycling data…

Learn how to move data through arrays using LFL, LFU, FFL, and FFU instructions, as well as a technique on cycling data through an array by putting it in the front and letting it drop out the back using CPS instructions.

Arduino’s open-source, microcontroller-based platform has revolutionized academic and hobbyist spaces, providing a low…

Arduino’s open-source, microcontroller-based platform has revolutionized academic and hobbyist spaces, providing a low cost, accessible introduction to engineering and programming.

Controlling motors efficiently requires more than silicon. Accompanying development tools, standard algorithms, and…

Controlling motors efficiently requires more than silicon. Accompanying development tools, standard algorithms, and hardware evaluation kits can speed up the development process, thus reducing costs and time to market.

While B&R PLC controllers are quite different from typical PLCs, Automation Studio offers tools and features that make…

While B&R PLC controllers are quite different from typical PLCs, Automation Studio offers tools and features that make programming them less intensive. In this article, we’ll discuss how to program B&R PLCs with Automation Studio.

By shaping new concepts and business models, the IIoT is bringing more efficiency and capacity to automated systems. Take…

By shaping new concepts and business models, the IIoT is bringing more efficiency and capacity to automated systems. Take a look at some of the ways the IIoT is revolutionizing the manufacturing and automation sectors. 

Sequential Function Chart (SFC) is a graphical programming language among the languages identified by IEC 61131-3…

Sequential Function Chart (SFC) is a graphical programming language among the languages identified by IEC 61131-3 programming languages and standard for PLC programming using ladder logic.

The ability to utilize an array effectively is a fundamental skill in becoming a PLC programmer, but it can also be very…

The ability to utilize an array effectively is a fundamental skill in becoming a PLC programmer, but it can also be very complex and difficult to master. Let’s do a run-down of arrays and some of their complexities!