The virus Stuxnet, which spreads via Microsoft Windows because of security vulnerabilities, made operating system security a hot topic for munitions and utility plants. If you’ve been ignoring it as a CPG-based manufacturer, printer, or any other type of company that uses automation, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. While Stuxnet targeted… Read more »
Microsoft has announced that it will no longer support XP, and there’s a lot of talk about what to do about motion control systems that are using XP. Is it time to upgrade the whole system? Maybe time to switch to Linux? At the same time, companies using legacy Rexroth and Indramat drives and controls… Read more »
There might come a time when your refrigerator tells your favorite ice cream manufacturer’s Rexroth equipment that you’ve bought a different flavor for the last few weeks and probably won’t be returning to your old favorite. In an article by Thomas Leyrer at Texas Instruments, he talks about smart factories that use Ethernet to send… Read more »
What would life would be like if some particular thing were different? Most of us probably wonder about that sometimes — what if we had taken a different job or chosen to live in a different country? But have you thought about how your life might be different if the small things in life were… Read more »
In the world of manufacturing, industrial manufacturing is the second-largest energy consumer according to the World Energy, Technology and Climate Policy Outlook published by the European Commission. Transportation is the number one energy consumer globally. This has a lot to do with manufacturing as well, especially when we ship supplies and final products across the… Read more »
In a recent drive&control magazine article, published by Rexroth, about intelligent manufacturing systems, QR codes and RFID chips are given as an example of the move toward intelligent processes that communicate where items are in the process of manufacturing. Rexroth predicts these technologies will be used in the future. This technology is already being used… Read more »
Rexroth is a leader in the water infrastructure industry with new projects on some of the world’s largest dams for water management. But a recent EPA report shows there’s still lots of work to be done and many upgrades needed immediately to keep our water infrastructure running. After a rating of “D” by the American… Read more »
Alix Partners recently released a study about the attractiveness of American manufacturing compared to other options for nearshoring production. Nearshoring differs from offshoring by manufacturing in a country that shares a border or is in the same area of the world as the company who is outsourcing their manufacturing, like Americans outsourcing to Mexico, Canada,… Read more »
Automation does a lot of good, and here’s another example for you: fresh produce. Produce has to be sent to stores very fast to avoid stores’ having to throw away wilted fruits and veggies. It also has one of the lowest profit margins in the store. An extra minute here or an extra penny there… Read more »
At the last The Automation Conference this May, Rexroth talked about some new innovations headed our way. One of the biggest changes was the reduction of cables, now that servos can use a single cable to relay information and hook onto a line of motors, and it’s being expanded to the IndraDrive Mi range of… Read more »
