December 1, 2025 By Krystie Johnston Pneumatic cylinders are the workhorses of industrial automation. They convert compressed air into linear motion, enabling tasks like clamping, gripping, holding, lifting, pushing, and pulling – tasks inherent to production lines and robotics. When these components go down, it can cause significant impacts on production. Avoid these negative consequences…
November 27, 2025 Achieve Comprehensive Monitoring Across Diverse Energy Sources In industrial settings, effective power system monitoring plays a vital role in ensuring operational efficiency. It involves the real-time tracking of power quality, energy consumption, and equipment conditions. However, due to the varied nature of power grids, often composed of multiple energy sources and communication…
November 25, 2025 Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) have become essential across modern industrial and commercial environments—but what makes them so valuable? A VFD, also known as an AC Drive or Inverter, is an electronic device that precisely controls the speed and torque of an AC motor. By adjusting the frequency and voltage supplied to the motor,…
November 24, 2025 Infrared thermography has become an indispensable tool in the petrochemical and refining industries, and Jason Czajkowski, IRT Thermography Manager at PROtect, is leading the charge in applying the latest technologies to improve safety, efficiency, and asset integrity. A Level III #13966 certified Master Thermographer and CWI, Czajkowski and his team at PROtect…
November 14, 2025 In brushless DC motor design, the geometry of the stator and rotor directly determines how torque, efficiency, and smoothness are achieved. Two of the most common configurations are slotted and slotless brushless DC motors. Both are widely used in precision motion control, robotics, and mechatronic systems, but they differ substantially in electromagnetic…
November 7, 2025 By Omron Automation Industry moves fast. Outpace obsolescence with OMRON’s Sysmac Studio. Designed to empower operations from the edge to the cloud, it unifies automation by prioritizing safety and security. Built for today, ready for the future. Today, the factory floor faces pressure from suppliers, consumers, competition, and emerging technologies. Operation teams…
November 4, 2025 By Mathias Blake, Martin Hsu, Ivan Goldwasser, Harry Petty and Jared Huntington The exponential growth of AI workloads is increasing data centre power demands. Traditional 54 V in-rack power distribution, designed for kilowatt (KW)-scale racks, isn’t designed to support the megawatt (MW)-scale racks coming soon to modern AI factories. NVIDIA is leading the transition to 800 VDC data…
November 4, 2025 As data centres grow in higher densities to support AI-enabled workloads and more complicated operations, keeping the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) at optimum is critical at this time. Downtime is never acceptable. Also, without being able to see electrical systems in real-time, such as substations, UPS, switchgear, and HVAC, failures will take…
October 31, 2025 Manufacturing is more than an industry – it’s the foundation of progress. From the tools we rely on each day to the technologies shaping tomorrow, everything begins with manufacturers like you. You’re the innovators who turn raw materials into possibility, the problem-solvers who keep supply chains alive and the builders whose work…
October 29, 2025 By Krystie Johnston Trio Motion Technology has been manufacturing high-quality motion controllers since 1987. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the company also has offices in the United States, India, China, Bulgaria, and Italy. Since being acquired by the Estun Group in 2017, the company has grown significantly in size and value, while…
October 14, 2025 Sensors have evolved from simple detection tools to intelligent data sources that drive smarter decisions. They are no longer just watching; they are communicating, diagnosing, and optimizing. The Eyes and Ears of Automation Sensors are the first line of awareness in any automated system. They detect the presence or absence of objects,…
October 14, 2025 Building on the concepts introduced in ManAuto’s main article, “Futureproof Industrial OT with Moxa’s Secure Edge-to-Core Networking”, this post focuses on strengthening industrial systems through a layered OT security approach. As cyber threats targeting operational technology (OT) environments continue to evolve, implementing a single layer of defense is no longer enough. In this…
October 14, 2025 Addressing the Aging Transformer Infrastructure in the U.S. In the U.S., the electrical grid’s transformer infrastructure is increasingly becoming a critical concern. Many of the transformers in use today are well beyond their expected operational lifespan. The average age of a working transformer is approximately 38 years, with more than 70% of…
October 8, 2025 Understanding IP Ratings for Electrical Enclosures Electric and electronic equipment are often exposed to challenging environments where dust, water, or accidental contact can cause failures. To address this, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) established the Ingress Protection or IP rating system under the IEC 60529 standard. This system provides a clear, standardized method of…
October 8, 2025 How a unified architecture transforms productivity, resilience, and future readiness The Hidden Costs of Fragmentation Industrial automation systems often grow into isolated islands of control platforms and industrial protocols. While functional, these setups create inefficiencies, duplicate engineering, capture inconsistent process data, and introduce security vulnerabilities. Maintenance becomes complex, and scaling or integrating…
September 30, 2025 When it comes to reliable, efficient power distribution in challenging industrial environments, IPD (Installation Power Distribution) connectors represent a revolutionary leap forward in connectivity technology. At Proax, they understand that modern industrial installations demand solutions that combine speed, reliability, and versatility – exactly what IPD connectors deliver. As part of their comprehensive connectors…
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
