“Where the heck  do I start?” you might ask.  Installing an industrial network can be a big fat headache, but there is help out there.  I just read this really great article in Automation World (a useful website, by the way) that breaks this process down into five steps.  Here’s a helpful link for you:  http://www.totallyintegratedautomation.com/2010/10/the-five-easy-pieces-of-network-installation/.

If you need your industrial network PLC repaired or PAC repaired, our expert tech team is ready to help.  Call our helpful customer service reps at 800-605-6419 or check out our website at www.acsindustrial.com.  Meanwhile, enjoy the article “The Five Easy Pieces of Network Installation”.

Science fiction once again comes to life.  No, not flesh eating zombies but a tiny, incredibly dexterous robotic spy plane developed by  the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and built by AeroVironment .  You don’t think that’s totally cool?  Well, you will when you see it.  What’s really cool about it is that it looks and moves just like a real hummingbird!  Talk about covert surveillance!

The hummingbird drone is able to fly forward, backward, and sideways, as well as rotate clockwise and counterclockwise using only it’s two wings for propulsion and control.  It is also about the same size as an actual hummingbird with a 6.5 inch wingspan and weight of 19 grams. 

In case you missed it, Swiss-based ABB will acquire Baldor Electric Company  beginning December 2010 in an all-cash deal.  The $4.2 billion deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

Why?  For ABB, this transaction fills in a gap in ABB’s automation offerings by folding in Baldor’s successful NEMA motor line and will better position the company as a major player in the industrial motor market, including high-efficiency motors.  It will also bump up ABB’s mechanical power transmission business and will significantly broaden ABB’s access to North American industrial customers.

 Does it seem like your maintenance staff is constantly putting out “fires?” Or that your production equipment is always running to failure requiring industrial electronics repair and causing unplanned work stoppages? 

Lean manufacturing may be the answer.  Lean manufacturing concepts aren’t new but they are gaining momentum…and for good reason. 

By implementing some lean manufacturing strategies, you can track equipment breakdowns, schedule preventive maintenance, and anticipate needs for maintenance parts.   Benefits include:

• Waste elimination
• Defect reduction
• Productivity maximization
• Engaging  your work force as a team

Considering wireless?   There are lots of reasons to consider wireless remote I/O systems and we’re hearing more about it every day – you probably are too.  You might be considering adding a remote I/O to an older PLC, PLC repair or upgrade, or installing an entirely new system.  Our customers say they want control solutions that are easy to implement, reliable, and cost effective. 

As of the moment, there are five wireless solutions to consider:

Bluetooth – good for short distances up to 100 meters and small numbers of devices (up to 8).

WiFi - standard for fixed short distances up to 160 meters.

Not surprisingly, reliability ranked the most important criteria in purchasing industrial electronics according to a recent survey by Plant Engineering & Maintenance. 

Reliability was followed, in descending order, by quality, safety, maintenance, service, price, throughput, technology, noise, speed, and “green”.

Maintenance ranked 4th out of 11 so we know it’s pretty high on your list.  Nobody wants equipment that is difficult or excessively expensive to maintain.  Downtime is lost time and lost time is lost money.  

Save money in the long run by purchasing quality industrial electronic equipment with a good warranty.  And when that warranty runs out, or the OEM does not provide responsive service, send your repairs to a reliable expert. 

In a word, it’s all about … automation.  Now that the economy is beginning to recover, most manufacturing companies report that they are planning to invest in more automation. 

For more than 30 years we have been using our trusty PLC’s because they are simple and reliable, if a bit quirky.  PLC’s have practically merged with PC’s in recent times. 

Then, more recently, the PLC sprouted wings and emerged as a PAC.  If you’re not already familiar with a PAC – that’s a Programmable Automation Controller.  These units combine the sturdy reliability of the PLC with the programming language of a PC.

Plant safety, work site safety, worker safety -  it seems we are hearing this daily now from plant engineers around the country. 

It would appear that a cultural shift is in the wind and that safety attitudes and practices are changing – for the better.  There is a realization that a safe working environment is beneficial not only to employees but to the bottom line.

The concern is there on the part of  many CEO’s and managers but the question they often have is, “Where do we start?”  

One of our regular customers recently sent us an Allen Bradley PLC SLC 150  for repair.  It had no low voltage output, no LED error indicator lights working and the DC power light would come on but no other indicators were lighting. 

The customer was afraid it would not be repairable.  We utilized our Allen Bradley rack to analyze the unit and were able to identify the problems quickly. 

We quoted the customer a competitive price in just 48 hours after receiving their item.  The customer was happy with the price and immediately issued a purchase order. 

If you need Allen Bradley items repaired, ACS Industrial Services is where you can send them to be repaired by fast, expert techs. Allen Bradley power supplies, Monitors, PLC’s, Circuit Boards, Drives, Controls and just about everything in the Allen Bradley line that is used inside of industrial machinery is expertly evaluated, repaired, tested, and returned FAST.