Recently added articles from InTech:
To innovate, be flexible, think smart
Nov 01, 2008; ... Strong leaders always know the right decision. They not only know when they have to be firm and make the tough decision, but also when they have to allow others to step up and make the call. Sudipta Bhattacharya is very aware of what it takes. "We are all part of a value chain," ...
your letters: Readers Respond
Nov 01, 2008; ... Final Say feedback I appreciate George Buckbee's article in InTech (August 2008 Final Say). I suggest "increases profit margin" instead of "reduces operating costs" as a better term for paragraph three describing improving control system performance. Yet even this doesn't capture the ...
Solar tubes have advantage over panels
Nov 01, 2008; ... This solar solution is tubular, man! A California company's sun-based electricity producing technology uses a novel thin film coating and does not use silicon. The company, Solyndra, is a startup with a pile of money in Fremont that has developed a novel type of solar panel that is ...
Control systems: The kids won't be burning rubber in this ride
Nov 01, 2008; ... Ford has introduced car keys that are parent programmable, and they can set limits on kids or whomever else they give the keys. Parents of teen drivers can set top speed, radio volume, and seat belt restrictions. The Detroit News reported Ford Motor Co. unveiled "MyKey" in October. The ...
Automation, politics, and manufacturing clash in India
Nov 01, 2008; ... Tata Motors Ltd. is shifting production of the world's cheapest car to the western state of Gujarat. The company acquired 1,100 acres of land near Gujarat's business capital, Ahmedabad, in mid October and will relocate equipment from a failed West Bengal project to build the main ...
Food and Pharmaceuticals: Tasting the technology
Nov 01, 2008; ... A portable device that tastes, tests, and analyzes a wines vintage is now available. It can identify the grape too. It consists of six sensors that identify the ingredients that determine a specific variety of wine. The device uses an integrated sensor that has six ion-sensitive field ...
Manufacturing sector sees light
Nov 01, 2008; ... The U.S. and world economies are not disintegrating. We are contracting. There is other good news too. The composite index of leading indicators increased 0.3% in September, to 100.6, the first increase in five months, according to preliminary estimates by The Conference ...
Wireless: ISA rules on symbols for instruments
Nov 01, 2008; ... There is not need for symbol changes or additions to accommodate wireless measurement or sensing, said ISA. The existing designations work. ISA5 has its roots in the 1940s back in the formative year the organization. It is the standard that pertains to symbols that appear on drawings and ...
Automation by the Numbers
Nov 01, 2008; ... 50 Diesel engines are becoming popular in the U.S. now that the technology to make them compliant with the very tight North American emission regulations is available. Why? Because diesels have better fuel-economy numbers than gasoline engines. Diesels are more powerful and have about 50% more ...
And you can eat it
Nov 01, 2008; ... Food packaging inks, adhesives proven safer from alliance study When most people open a new box of cereal, they might not think about all the testing the adhesives and inks go through for their safety. Inks, coatings, and adhesives have appeared on the outside of cereal boxes and other ...
Cleaning up a dirty business
Nov 01, 2008; ... Alternative fuels, emission reduction contribute to economy, environment With oil prices, low supply, and an unknown future, it is good to know some manufacturers are forging a path of new resources. One Canadian company is taking tire recycling to a new level, while another in the U.S ....
Is there one controller that can do it all?
Nov 01, 2008; ... A single controller can now do the job of multiple dedicated controllers of the past What kind of controller is best for your application? Is it a programmable logic controller (PLC)? Perhaps you should use a programmable automation controller (PAC). Maybe a programmable ...
Wired Warriors
Nov 01, 2008; ... Mesh network: Each field device acts as a sensor and a relay device, or router, for the radio transmissions creating an interlocking web of sensors Chevron refines more than 2 million barrels of oil a day. However, in many respects Chevron considers itself a "technology" company that ...
Performance improvement
Nov 01, 2008; ... Advanced process control helps global chemical maker achieve greater productivity There came a point when benzol and crude coking tar maker Deza knew it needed to improve the performance of its phthalic anhydride (PA) plant at Valasske Mezirici in the Czech Republic. A specialist ...
Invensys moves closer to solution provider model
Nov 01, 2008; ... EDITOR'S NOTE: Invensys Process Systems has been undergoing some change, and Steve Blair, president North America for IPS, sat down during the North American Client Conference in Dallas with InTech Editor Gregory Hale to talk about moves the company has made and other industry issues. This is ...
Magnetism gives life to motion, motors
Nov 01, 2008; ... The squirrel-cage induction motor is probably the most widely used motor in industry today. Traditional applications for AC induction motors include fans and pumps. The AC induction motor has been widely accepted in many demanding industrial applications, compared with the DC motor, ...
Communicating with SCADA
Nov 01, 2008; ... Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) enables a user to collect data from one or more distance facilities and to send limited control instruction to those facilities. SCADA includes the operator interface and the manipulation of application-related data. But it is not limited to that ....
China dispatches 5,000 inspectors in milk scandal
Nov 01, 2008; ... Putting melamine into milk powder and baby formula makes it look richer, healthier, and helps it pass tests scrutinizing protein content. Of course, by now we all know that one should not ingest the chemical. What is melamine? It is an organic base with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. It ...
Abu Dhabi government buys into U.S. chipmaker
Nov 01, 2008; ... "Advance Micro Devices has found a way to compete with Intel's balance sheet," declared AMD founder Jerry Sanders, "and that is by using Abu Dhabi's balance sheet." Many companies have shied away from the costly business of chip manufacturing, but the government of Abu Dhabi is betting ...
Continuous control logic specification
Nov 01, 2008; ... For almost any project, there will be three types of control: Discrete Devices (www.isa.org/link/CT_0408), Continuous, and Sequential. The control logic specification should define the configuration requirements for all of the major continuous-control elements. A continuous control ...