How control-system integration advances competitiveness

Control system integrators discuss how “Control system integration advances competitiveness” in a Control Engineering March 8 webcast that will be archived for a year.

It is the second in a series of “How to automate” webcasts in 2023. Using two application examples and expertise from the latest Global System Integrator Report (supplement to Control Engineering and Plant Engineering), control system integrators will explain how control system integration projects continue to advance customer competitiveness in a variety of industries. Automation and control system challenges will be illustrated including what’s installed now, what needs to be implemented, and how applications can get there in a safe, efficient, cost-effective way.

Integrated automation applications illustrate productivity lessons

Learning objectives are to:

• Understand what automation is in use and what future application needs are.

• Learn how to plan for control system design, implementation, simulation (if needed) and use.

• Assess lessons learned in the automation implementations and how these lessons can help.

Poll questions for those listening live will seek audience input about automation and controls use. The first asks: “What is the average product lifecycle status of the automation and control systems in place in your company?” A second, related, poll question is: “What is the average cadence for updates for automation and control systems in place in your company?”

There is no cost to attend the 1-hour webcast. One RCEP professional development hour is available for those participating live during the March 8, 1 p.m. U.S. central time, broadcast, with successful completion of a quiz after the webcast. Those listening live also can ask automation implementation questions of the presenters.

Presenters are Craig Salvalaggio, chief operating officer, Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), and Keith Mandachit, PE, engineering manager, Huffman Engineering.

In a Control Engineering webcast, March 8, archived for a year, “How to automate series: Control system integration advances competitiveness,” control system integrators Craig Salvalaggio, Automated Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), and Keith Mandachit, Huffman Engineering, explain how integrated controls and automation technologies are adding productivity. Courtesy: Automated Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) and Huffman Engineering, Control Engineering

Advice, simulation is underused; robotic sorting

Mandachit said understanding customer needs is vital and being able to visually represent what those needs are back to the customer in a simulation is even better. Simulation is an underused strategy, and “I think we’re going to see more of it as we move into this digitalization age. It enables testing to happen before installation, it enables innovation because that testing of ideas and strategies can happen without the expenditure of capital to build a system. It even allows for operator training prior to having the system ready to operate. Those evaluative components just mean that design is smarter, faster, most exact when the actual design comes together.

Salvalaggio, talking about robotic sorting, said pre-sorting boxes into lanes can be done with diverters, but using robotics offers infinite patterns and lane configurations. Multiple robots can be used to handle higher case throughput with fewer touch points. Machine vision can be used to remove the need to justify boxes upstream. A robot can find the desired box in any position and rotation before grabbing. Tricks include justifying boxes to a side rail, which then becomes the default lane. The robot only then needs to move boxes that go in other lanes.

More advice from each system integrator is available in the webcast.

Click here to register for the webcast.

Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, and moderator for this webcast, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

KEYWORDS: Control Engineering webcasts, how to automate, integration challenges, advice

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