AI and Machine Learning
Next generation online NIR analyzers
Irwindale, Calif .-The MM55plus from NDC Infrared Engineering, was developed for online -monitoring of moisture, fat, and protein - it is easier to setup, use and maintain than instrumentation of this traditionally been , the company claims. It features a unique, pre-calibrated, high-precision, optical system, which means the instrument, can be installed directly onto the process line to be fully operational within a few hours. Maintenance effort and cost of ownership have been reduced with a range of automated referencing, sampling, batch averaging, and communications functions.
Praise for 4-20 mA article
I enjoyed the "4-20 mA Transmitters, Alive and Kicking" article in Control Engineering, October 1998 (p.109). It was informative and well presented.Danny Thomas Lents, research analyst, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Tex.
High-speed backplane connector
Harrisburg, Pa.— Z-Pack High Speed Generation 3 offers 6- and 10-row versions of backplane connectors with contacts on a 2.5-mm pitch, yeilding up to 60 or 100 contacts per 25 mm. To support high-speed rates, the connectors offer a 50-ohm controlled impedance and a dual-microstrip configuration with an integral ground plane built between each row of contacts.
Severe service plug valve
Itasca, Ill.— Fluoroseal "FE" Severe Service Plug Valve is designed for use in critical chemical processing applications with toxic and lethal services. The valve includes live loaded secondary and tertiary stem seals to eliminate fugitive emissions through the stem seal. Tested in the laboratory and field, "FE" valve is said to exceed the requirements of the U.
Dairy-grade probe
Lincoln, Neb.— Pro II X 3A is a 3A-approved capacitance probe for food-grade applications. It can be used in liquids, solids, and slurries. RF interference is eliminated by operating at below RF range. The probes hold calibration of better than one picofarad over a temperature range of –40 to 185 °F.
Tyco ‘saves’ AMP for $11.3 billion
Hamilton, Bermuda, and Harrisburg, Pa.— In a classic white knight-to-the-rescue scenario, Tyco International Ltd. stated Nov. 23 it plans to buy AMP Inc. for at least $11.3 billion—apparently saving AMP from the clutches of a four-month hostile takeover bid by Allied Signal. Assuming it's trading between $60 and $67 per share, Tyco will trade .
Magnetic proximity switch
Exton, Pa. —New magnetic inductive proximity switch mounts outside a pneumatic cylinder detecting a ring magnet on the piston. This solid state sensor is typically more reliable than commonly used reed switches. The switch can be used with any pneumatic cylinder with a nonferrous body. This IP 67 three-wire dc device has a 300 mA current rating with short circuit, overload, and reverse p...
UL approves personal multigas monitor
Emerson, N.J. —The Personal Surveyor features gloved-hand one-button operation, and a high contrast digital display, temperature, alarm settings, short-term exposure limits, time-weighted averages, maximum- minimum- and current-gas readings are easily viewed. Personal Surveyor is suitable for confined entry monitoring in Class 1, Division 1, Groups A,B,C,D areas.
One of four CAN chips are used in automation
The CAN in Automation (CiA) international users' and manufacturers' group says of the 24 million Controller Area Network (CAN) chips sold in 1997, about 75% were applied in automotive applications. About 6 million CAN nodes were installed in general automation applications, mainly in industrial control devices, and 80% of the chips sold were used in Europe.
Reformulated gasoline analyzer
Houston, Tex. —UV Fluorescence allows the 9000S analyzer to measure high and low (1 to 10 ppm) sulfur contents, and nitrogen in a single device with a single sample injection. The UV method reportedly offers more stability than coulometry, better sensitivity than X-ray, and greater range than tape without its consumables or waste disposal issues.