31/3/05

Valve line is extended to include Class 600 rating with 1", 2", 3" & 4" body sizes - Emerson Process Management announces product line extensions for the Fisher NotchFlo DST control valve. The control valve adds 1", 2", 3" & 4" Class 600 globe style bodies. These bodies are available in carbon steel, chrome moly, and stainless steel. NACE materials are available for corrosive applications. The NotchFlo DST control valve minimises the cavitation and clearance-flow problems typical to high-pressure liquid applications within the power generation industry, in oilfield production use, and in refinery recirculation and letdown services. The trim features a longitudinal flow path that incorporates a series of pressure staging notches. The notches achieve the required pressure drop while avoiding conditions that would cause cavitation and result in trim damage.

Pressure transmitters provides range up to 15,000 psi (0 - 1,000 bar) and secondary-containment option up to 22,500 psi - Vishay Intertechnology has announced the availability of the Nobel P9420-800 series pressure transmitters. A further development in the range of hammer-lug union fittings for the offshore oil industry, the P9420-800 series pressure transmitters are an extension of the P9420 series with fused ceramic sensors that provide high shock and vibration immunity.

Multi-port models offer software-selectable RS-232/422/485 interfaces on all ports for maximum performance and flexibility - Quatech, a world-class manufacturer of device networking solutions, announced today the addition of two Device Server models to a product line offering the highest data transfer rates and lowest latency in the industry. The new products, the QSE-400D and ESE-400D, are ideal for industrial and commercial use. Equipped with four (QSE) or eight (ESE) serial ports that can be software configured for RS-232, 422 or 485 operation on each available port, they surpass other marketplace offerings in versatility, flexibility and ease of use for Multi Electronic Interface products.

Cyber security standards initiative gathers strength - ISA's SP99 committee, Manufacturing and Control Systems Security, is strengthening its efforts on several fronts with the help of experts from leading companies across industry. Following the publication in 2004 of two well-received technical reports providing guidelines on cyber security in manufacturing operations, ISA-SP99 is hard at work in developing the first of a series of industry standards on this vital topic.
Key roles and support are being provided by committee members from organizations including ABB, Aspen Technology, Bayer, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Cargill, Cisco Systems, CIDX, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Eastman Chemical, Emerson Process Management, Equistar Chemical, Fluor, Honeywell, Interface Technologies, Invensys, Kraft Foods, KEMA, Microsoft Corp., Procter & Gamble, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Yokogawa, and many others in the US and abroad. Also playing important roles are the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, the US Department of Homeland Security, Idaho National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory.

New catalogue allows chance of winning Mini iPOD! Pico Technology, worldwide leaders in PC Oscilloscopes, have announced the immediate availability of their latest catalogue, along with the chance to win a mini iPod. The A5, 52 page colour catalogue is free and features a selection of innovative new products including the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger and the PicoScope 3000 Series PC Oscilloscopes, along with their extensive test and measurement portfolio. A copy of the catalogue can be obtained direct from Pico Technology by logging onto www.picotech.com/brochure. All requests for the catalogue will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a mini iPod.

New transmitter, measures dry bulk solids over extended distances - ASI Instruments, leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art level instrumentation for detection and measurement of dry bulk solids, today announced the LaserTrak 80 laser transmitter for non-contact level measurement and positioning.

pH sensor boosts efficiency for British Sugar - A novel pH electrode supplied by Yokogawa UK has played a key role in pH monitoring under difficult environmental conditions in British Sugar's plant at Newark (GB). The use of a robust, temperature-resistant Pfaudler electrode not only allows pH measurements to be carried out accurately in water at temperatures approaching boiling point: it also minimises calibration and maintenance requirements and improves process efficiency, resulting in considerable cost savings.

Industry standard for activity models of manufacturing operations management - The ISA's SP95 Standards Committee on Enterprise-Control System Integration is continuing its work to develop a standard on Activity Models of Manufacturing Operations Management, which will be the third in the ISA-95 series. Microsoft Corp.'s announcement on March 8, 2005 of its support of the ISA-95 series of standards as a key element of its plant-to-enterprise interoperability initiative, following a similar announcement of support by SAP in June 2004, underscores the widespread and growing recognition and use of the ISA-95 standards across the manufacturing industries.

Fieldbus protection approved - After extensive testing, Emerson Process Management (EPM) has agreed that MTL's dedicated Fieldbus protectors are unique in that they can be applied to Foundation Fieldbus systems without the performance limiting effects normally associated with surge protectors. MTL Surge Technologies' Fieldbus protector range consists of the TP32 and the FP32. Emerson has approved both devices for use on their Fieldbus solutions. The FP32 prevents surges occurring on the Trunk or spurs entering the control area or damaging terminators, and the TP32 provides protection for field instruments.

Web-based purchasing offers "The Future of Pressure and Temperature Measurement!" - Addressing a growing demand from companies requiring a speedy yet cost effective delivery of accurate, high reliability media-compatible pressure sensors in small volumes, Senstronics is proud to introduce its new trading service Senstronics Online. Accessed through its web page, Senstronics Online offers a simple-to-use logical procedure allowing customers to configure and buy on-line media-compatible pressure sensors for SAME-DAY and NEXT-DAY shipment. Combining advanced manufacturing practices with cutting edge package design, Senstronics' product has a diverse range of outputs, fittings and electrical connectors with variations totalling over 16,000 possibilities available for immediate assembly and delivery.

Alarm Notification - Control See Software Solutions, leading provider of Alarm Notification software tools, has announced the immediate availability of U.C.ME 5.0 .Using the latest cellular phone and internet technology, U.C.ME 5.0 displays snapshot data in both phone and web for up to 20 variables. Triggered at the time of the alarm, this data helps companied to proactively respond to alarms, saving valuable time and resource in determining the root cause of alarms.

New Managing Director of EMEA operations appointed - LynuxWorks today announced that Hamid Mirab has been appointed as Managing Director for Europe. Mirab joins them from a consultancy specialising in business development for technology start-ups. His extensive experience in the embedded computing sector spans sixteen years, and includes serving as Vice President, EMEA, for Lineo and Vice President of European Operations for Integrated Systems (Wind River) as well as senior positions for Insignia and B-Tree (TestQuest).

"Software for Automation" explains OPC from a user perspective - "Instruments have been replaced by software!" goes a familiar cry. Well here is a cure for the persion who is lost in the sea of new technology, jargon and other changes in modern process control and manufacturing. ISA's latest publication is "Software for Automation", by industry expert Jonas Berge. Written for automation people, rather than IT professionals or programmers, this implementation-oriented book provides a clear and concise presentation of how to fully apply software in automation, primarily leveraging OPC. It provides "how-to" information for all phases of the system lifecycle from configuration, system integration, and engineering, to administration and troubleshooting. This book explains the application of key software technologies making this possible - in automation terms: DDE, ActiveX, VBA, SQL, ODBC, OLE DB, OLE, COM/DCOM, XML, .NET, and all forms of OPC. The text also addresses concerns and solutions for safety, availability, 21CFR11, and cyber security.
More information.

New temperature handbook released - Calex Electronics has announced the publication of its new 14th edition Temperature Handbook continuing its 30-year history of providing high quality temperature solutions. This essential guide provides in depth information on the physics of infrared thermometry and articles on non-contact thermometry applications. It also contains extensive information on thermocouples, resistance thermometers and thermowells to help with selecting contact temperature sensors. It contains technical information on the complete Convir range of fixed mount and handheld infrared temperature sensors.

Arbitrary waveform program can handle one million points - Waveform Manager Plus, the arbitrary waveform creation and editing program from TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments), has been upgraded to handle larger waveforms and a wider range of digital interfaces. The program can now operate with waveforms of over one million points and can download waveforms to an arbitrary generator using a USB interface in addition to RS232 and GPIB. These improvements will be particularly relevant to users of the company's new TGA12100 Series of 100 MS/s arbitrary waveform generators.

Large-bore double-block-and-bleed manifold to offer flexible isolation function for process applications - Parker Instrumentation has launched a 25mm version of its successful Pro-Bloc one-piece double-block-and-bleed manifold. The current smaller bore versions of this product family are used extensively within the process industry, primarily for connecting remote monitoring instrumentation to process lines and pipework. The new 25mm full-bore design significantly extends the application diversity, by providing a high flow rate capability unit that can form part of the processing system itself. Typical application areas include offshore oil and gas platforms, refineries, and chemical and petrochemical plants.

Shielded M12 connectors for industrial Ethernet - Harting has introduced a range of shielded M12 connectors for industrial Ethernet applications. The new M12-L connectors use Harting's HARAX(r) rapid termination technique for ease and speed of installation, and feature robust metal construction for use in harsh industrial environment, with protection to IP65 or IP67. The screened connectors are 4-pin D-coded types, as specified in IEC standards for industrial Ethernet. They offer a working voltage of up to 32 V and current of up to 4 A, and are suitable for wire gauges from 0.25 to 0.34 mm2 (AWG 24 to AWG 22 stranded).

An invitation to Automation University, "the European Manufacturing Event of the Year." - Rockwell Automation is inviting OEMs, system integrators and end users around Europe to learn about the latest developments in automation and information technology at the manufacturing events of the year. In 2004 over 1000 customers attended these events and for 2005, Automation University will also incorporate RSTechED to form a series of two-day "unmissable" events, covering the complete range of automation and information solutions. Automation University incorporating RSTechED (Rockwell Software solutions) uses seminars, presentations and hands-on workshops to show systems integrators, OEMs and end users how their Integrated Architecture approach can help to address some of the key issues facing European manufacturing industries and how advanced software tools can help to close the gap between plant floor and ERP systems. Also included are one-to-one consultancy sessions with experts, an exhibition of solutions, products and services offered by RA and its partners, as well as the opportunity to network with other delegates

Performance Improvement for Batch Processes - ExperTune's new release of PlantTriage assesses the performance of batch processes. It pinpoints areas where improvements can increase yields, throughput, and decrease turnaround times. Once the areas are identified, specific analysis recommendations are made to improve the control of the batch process.

New family of USB data-acquisition solutions - Keithley Instruments is introducing the Series KUSB-3100 USB-based data acquisition (DAQ) measurement solutions. An alternative to ISA, PCI, and PCMCIA data-acquisition cards, these compact DAQ measurement tools offer easy installation with true plug-and-play capability and easier portability than plug-in cards affording greater measurement flexibility. Using USB as an interface for data acquisition lessens the dependence on PC motherboard technology where slots for plug-in boards are required. The Series KUSB-3100 consists of five different multi-function modules that cover a broad range of applications.

Modbus-IDA and CAN in Automation Announce CiA DSP 309: Interfacing CANopen with TCP/IP Part 2: Modbus/TCP Mapping Modbus-IDA and CAN in Automation (CiA) have announced a licensing agreement, resulting in Specification CiA DSP 309-2: Interfacing CANopen with TCP/IP Part 2: Modbus/TCP Mapping.
See our Fieldbus News page

PXI-based flexible resolution digitiser delivers industry's highest dynamic range - Design and test engineers can now use a single modular instrument to make a wide range of dynamic measurements with the new National Instruments flexible resolution digitiser. Just as the digital multimeter brought universal measurement capability to DC measurements, the NI PXI-5922 flexible resolution digitiser revolutionises dynamic measurements with a universal measurement device. Engineers can combine the module with their LabVIEW 7.1 to create numerous types of instruments, such as AC voltmeters, audio analysers, frequency counters, spectrum analysers or I/Q modulation analysers, that often exceed the measurement performance of high-end traditional instruments with similar functionality.

Development tools for Poland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Byelorussia - Ashling Microsystems, a leader in Embedded Software Development Tools, and Gamma Group, a leading distributor of development tools and modules to the Electronics industry, have announced a distribution agreement under which Gamma Group will supply Ashling's development tools to its customers in Poland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Byelorussia.

Technology adopted for process improvement - Curvaceous Software announces that Thomas Swan & Co have become the latest company to adopt their Geometric Process Control (GPC) technology for process improvement. The technology will be used to help further their Continuous Process Improvement program at their plant in Consett in the North of England.

Load cell applications include winders, unwinders, rewinders, coaters, laminators, printing presses - Vishay Intertechnology has announced the availability of Vishay Nobel GLT web tension load cells. The high-reliability load cells measure low resultant tension forces with small wrap angles. Designed for use in applications such as winders, unwinders, rewinders, coaters, laminators, and printing presses, they eliminate drift and frequent recalibration problems often encountered with conventional half-bridge semiconductor-type load cells

New version offers improved systems integration capability - Yokogawa Electric Corporation has introduced Release 3.06 of its CENTUM CS 3000 R3 integrated production control system, featuring improved integration with safety systems and other production control systems. The new system provides a platform that integrates the CS 3000 with Yokogawa's newly released ProSafe-RS safety system. This platform enables the integrated display of CS 3000 and ProSafe-RS process data and event messages on the CS 3000's operations and monitoring station, thereby improving operating and monitoring efficiency. In addition, system configuration costs have been reduced and maintenance efficiency improved by unifying the control network.

Small is beautiful - Bio-Chem Valve has introduced a 9.65mm diameter, inert, solenoid-operated, isolation valve, providing flow control for high purity or aggressivefluids in a small, lightweight package. The valve, available in the UK and Europe from Omnifit, comes in three body designs: side-ported; bottom-ported; and manifold mountable. Applications include portable liquid handling equipment, repetitive sampling equipment and instruments requiring multiple flow path control within a small area.

"Industry's fastest, smallest, and most cost-effective source-measure units for multi-channel applications - Keithley Instruments, leader in solutions for emerging measurement needs, announced the Series 2600 System SourceMeter Instruments, a new platform that significantly lowers the cost of test for a wide range of electronic component producers, including silicon and compound semiconductor manufacturers. Built on Keithley's third-generation source-measure technology (patent pending), the Series 2600 System Sour-ceMeter instruments combine the highest throughput source-measure unit (SMU) in the industry with a scalable instrument form factor to allow seamless integra-tion into systems from 1 to 16 SMU channels. The Series 2600 System Sour-ceMeter instruments, which consist of the single-channel Model 2601 and the dual-channel Model 2602, are the ideal modular, scalable instruments for building ATE systems to perform precision DC, pulse, and low-frequency AC source-measure tests.

Relative humidity transmitter receives ATEX approval for dusty atmospheres - The Lee-Dickens ATEX approved intrinsically safe relative humidity transmitters have now received full BASEEFA certification for use in potentially explosive dusty environments. The HPI4OIS and HP15OIS, are duct and wall mounting relative humidity transmitters aimed at potentially hazardous or explosive applications in industries such as gas, petrochemical, or bulk solids. Both products are approved to Ex Il 1GD EEx ia lic T4 for use in Zone 20 conditions.

New hardware and software provides dramatic advances from baseband to RF - Engineers and scientists can now generate RF and baseband signals more than 300 times faster with the new National Instruments PXI-5671 RF vector signal generator and the new NI PXI-5441 arbitrary waveform generator with onboard signal processing. With the release of these modules and the new NI Modulation Toolkit 3.0 for LabVIEW, National Instruments offers a complete modular solution for generating high-speed communications signals.

New Hall-effect sensors - At Sensor & Test 2005 (Nuernberg, May 2005) Allegro MicroSystems will be showing a number of major new developments in Hall-effect sensor technology for automotive and industrial applications. A significant new product is the ACS704 Series of surface-mount current sensors: the first range of Hall-effect current sensors in the small-outline SOIC8 surface-mount package to have the current path integrated into the package for greater sensitivity and accuracy. The new devices, which are available in both 15 A and 5 A versions, measure bi-directional AC or DC currents by using a Hall-effect magnetic field sensor to measure the field generated by the current flow. Because there is no electrical connection between the current path and sensing circuit, a high degree of isolation (800 V minimum) is achieved without the use of additional components.

25% cost saving accessory pack is ideal for power quality analysis - Fluke has introduced a cost-saving pack of 4 flexible current clamps ideal for simultaneous use with Fluke's latest 430 Series 3-phase Power Quality Analysers. Each clamp measures up to 2000A, and the clamp pack offers a 25% saving over buying the clamps individually. The new i2000FLEXPQ4 Current Clamp pack contains four i2000flex Current Clamps. The flexible clamps are designed to fit around bus bars and large or hard-to-reach conductors to measure currents up to 2000A in the frequency range 1Hz to 20kHz. This money saving pack of 4 is suitable for use with the 3 phases plus neutral measurement capabilities of the recently introduced handheld Fluke 433 and 434 Power Quality Analysers.

New data collector forwards data to a central server - IntelliCom announces the release of the new NetBiter Data Collector (NDC) for M2M and Remote Device Management applications. It is part of IntelliCom's M2M solution for automation and other control applications and connects to devices in the field and forwards data via infrastructure such as GSM, GPRS, Ethernet etc to a central server.

Paddlewheel meters may now be ordered with 316 stainless steel tee fittings F-2000 Series units from Blue-White Industries, display flow rate and accumulated flow, and include an NPN open collector output for communication with SCADA systems. Optional 4-20 mA / 0-10 VDC circuitry, or batch processing circuitry, including high/low flow rate alarm, are offered. Electronics can be battery operated or, AC powered. The bright LCD display indicates operating mode, battery status, and the memory is nonvolatile. The F-2000 meter is field programmable, or can be factory programmed.
Blue-White Industries are advertisers on the Instrumentation Signpost

Mobile digital rights management solutions brought by acquisition - Irdeto Access, a world leader in content security and subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers has announced that it has acquired LockStream Corporation, a leading provider of mobile digital rights management (DRM) software, based in Seattle. In combination with its existing products, Irdeto Access will provide the industry's most complete portfolio of mobile content protection solutions, securing all forms of rich media content delivered to mobile devices.

Alliance continues to accelerate customer adoption of software technology and improve manufacturing business performance - Invensys announced at the US's Manufacturing Week in Chicago, that customer adoption of ArchestrA technology is continuing at an accelerated pace throughout the manufacturing marketplace as customers use Wonderware software to help drive manufacturing business performance improvements. (Wonderware products are sold and supported in the Britain and Ireland by Pantek). Wonderware and its expansive network of systems integrators, have delivered software solutions inside of more than 425 automation and information projects for over 200 companies that are now using Wonderware software that is built on the ArchestrA architecture. This represents an accelerated increase of more than 125 new projects and 20 new customer companies in the last five months.

Fully automated high temperature metals testing - Lloyd Instruments has interfaced up to two furnaces to its 100 kN LR100K materials testing machine which allows the tensile strength of materials to be tested not only at high temperature but also at the end of a temperature conditioning cycle. This new system will be of particular interest to steel and other metals manufacturers whose materials are required to experience demanding environmental conditions. At the heart of the new system is Lloyd Instruments' NEXYGEN MT data analysis software and Ondio application builder software which allows temperature values from the furnace controller(s) to be read and independently controlled. The system may be programmed to run any number of heating and cooling cycles as well as holding the sample at a particular temperature for specified time periods.

Enhanced solutions boost dependability, flexibility, efficiency - GE Fanuc has launched new, integrated automation solutions for packaging machinery that can increase cycle rates and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Their new "Six Degrees of Differentiation" automation solutions for Packaging Machinery Manufacturers combine PACSystems controllers, scaleable operator interfaces, Proficy plant information software and motion control. They enhance operational dependability, flexibility, validation, efficiency, compatibility, and support. Forming part of the "Six Degrees" family, these new integrated packaging solutions are ideal for wrapping machines; case/tray handling machines; pallet forming, dismantling, and securing equipment; closing machines; labelling, decorating, and marking machines; cleaning, sterilising, cooling, and drying machines; container and component handling machines; form, fill, and seal machines; cartoning machines; container/material manufacture; inspection/testing; and converting equipment.

Programmable automation controllers triple processing performance - Engineers and scientists building processing-intensive control applications can now triple their processing performance with a new family of Compact FieldPoint controllers from National Instruments. The new cFP-2100 controllers include a 200 MHz Pentium-class Vega processor that, when combined with new SDRAM memory, is more than three times faster than previous controllers. The new Compact FieldPoint devices are programmable automation controllers (PACs), delivering the flexibility of PCs with the ruggedness of PLCs.

Ethernet module allows monitoring through LAN or Web - A new compact module from Carlo Gavazzi extends energy, gas and water metering systems by allowing them to be monitored over local area networks and the Internet. The AR1060 has an Ethernet interface and built-in Web server, enabling instantaneous data from high-performance instruments to be displayed remotely, and allowing logged data to be downloaded for recording purposes or further analysis.

Interface module for Fast Ethernet transmission via polymer and HCS - Polymer and HCS fibre networks are now available for Fast Ethernet from Phoenix Contact. The new interface modules FL IF TX/POF 10/100-D and FL IF TX/HCS 100-D have a twisted pair port with RJ45 plugs and a fibre optic port with easy-to-assemble FSMA plugs. The economical and field-tested polymer and HCS fibre technology is much simpler to assemble and install than standard fibre optic solutions.

THEY SAID IT March 2005 "The safety function is just another plug-in function." Roger Prew, Principal Consultant, Safety, ABB "The inclusion of EDD in the OPC framework is a smart move . . ." Larry O'Brien, Research Director, ARC Advisory Group "CIP Safety . . .can increase productivity and improve plant safety at the same time." Katherine Voss. Executive Director, ODVA Invensys Process Systems is now "acknowledged by multinational customers as being best in class." Ulf Henricksson, Chief Operating Officer, Invensys "Specifiers are rapidly turning their backs on expensive and inflexible proprietary PLCs." Mark Bates, Hayes Control Systems Extended Don't miss this incisive commentary on automation every month!

Seamless migration to latest version HMI/SCADA software enhances database and connectivity functionality - Tencel Limited, part of the Lenzing Group (based in Austria), uses environmentally friendly processes to convert wood from managed forests into the cellulose-based garment fibre, Lyocell. The company has successfully migrated without outages from FIX Desktop to the latest version of GE Fanuc's software Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX with FIX Classic Desktop. Tencel is now able to take full advantage of the many advanced database and connectivity features of this product.

DC electronic load offers voltage drop-out protection The LD300 DC electronic load from TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments) has been enhanced by the addition of a low-voltage dropout facility. This new feature is designed to protect sources such as batteries from damaging levels of discharge by reducing the load current towards zero when the source voltage falls below a user-defined dropout threshold.

Combined module integrates different hard metric connectors - The latest addition to Harting's HM range of hard metric connectors in accordance with the IEC 61076-4-101 standard is the har-bus HM combined module. This new product integrates different HM female connectors in a single unit, and allows any combination of HM types A, B, AB and C to be assembled up to a maximum length of 6U.

New marketing agent in Malaysia - Jekyll Electronic Technology, leader in the design and manufacture of industrial telemetry products, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new distributor in Malaysia - EMS Technologies Sdn Bhd. Based in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, EMS Technologies will supply and support the complete range of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) products from Jekyll.

Latest-generation brake motors combine premiun efficiency with fast stop and positive hold capabilities - Baldor has launched two new families of three-phase brake motors based on its renowned Super-E premium efficiency motor technology. Intended primarily for applications involving lengthy duty cycles or continuous operation, where the need for energy conservation is most acute, the new Super-E brake motors feature an electro-mechanical spring-set brake which provides fast stop and positive hold capabilities. Available in standard and washdown versions, the motors are particularly cost-effective in applications involving 24/7 operation, such as conveyors and baggage handling systems.

A power-house of analogue and digital I/O - The UE9 from Audon, boast 14 analogue inputs, 2 analogue outputs and 23 digital I/O. The UE9 can connect to a host PC via a USB 1.1 or 2.0 interface or it can connect to a LAN via its Ethernet 10baseT Interface. Each analogue input can be configured individually as unipolar 0-5 volts or bipolar +/-5 volts. An internal PGA provides gains of 1, 2, 4, or 8 (unipolar ranges only at this time). Analogue input resolution is user adjustable; 12-bits at max speed of 50kHz increasing up to 16-bits at slower speeds. It is possible to connect thermocouples directly to the UE9, if you don't require great accuracy: a resolution of +/-1 degC is achievable. The UE9 has an internal temperature sensor, which can be used for cold junction compensation. There aretwo 12-bit analogue outputs offering a 0-4.096V range.

Workshops in south of England - At Instrumentation South, held in Reading on 5th & 6th October, the ISA England Section will be running free workshops on Wireless networking of sensors and instrumentation: applications and techniques. These workshops will review sensor types and designs, and discuss their optimal use for wireless transmission of sensor and/or control information. Based on the popular web seminar these workshops are not to be missed!
The Instrumentation series of Exhibitions (including mtec) are organised by Trident Exhibitions

Office opening in China - Concurrent Technologies, leading manufacturer of high-end embedded computer products for critical applications in the defence, transportation, communications and industrial markets, announces the opening of a business development office in Beijing, to support the company's accelerating presence in that region.
8/3/05
Safety with total access and control - Industrial safety specialist Fortress Interlocks is introducing a completely new approach to controlling access to hazardous machinery and equipment. Having identified the need for an intelligent, modular access and control system for machinery guarding applications, Fortress has developed eGard. This is a compact and lightweight system that brings the functionality of interlocking to an area dominated by lower capability products. It enables a selection of modules including both mechanical trapped key interlocks and electrical safety gate switch interlocks to be integrated in one unit. In addition eGard enables simple machine controls to be included.

New partnership agreement expands european market - Citadon, the leader in integrated Web-based collaboration, document management and business process management solutions, and NTI CADcenter A/S of Denmark, a leading supplier of computer-aided design solutions, have signed a new sales agreement that will allow NTI CADcenter to market Citadon's Web collaboration technology throughout Scandinavia. NTI will be working with Citadon's integration partner, Novo Nordisk Engineering (NNE A/S), one of Scandinavia's leading engineering consulting firms, which will provide services and support for solutions based on Citadon's Web collaboration technology.

Awards announced - EDN Magazine announced the winners of its 15th Annual EDN Innovation Awards at a gala celebration in San Francisco. The EDN Innovation Awards recognize both the global semiconductor industry's most significant advances in 13 major product categories and the innovative engineers who led the development of new technologies.

Teleseminar on "Managed Switches: How Can They Help Me?" March 16, 2005 - Managed Ethernet switches offer tremendous options and flexibility over traditional switches, but there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding this topic. Because users have so many options, Contemporary Controls presenting a free one-hour teleseminar called "Managed Switches: How Can They Help Me?" on March 16, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. (CST).

7/3/05
Modular fibre-optic transmission system for all bus systems - Phoenix Contact's new PSI-MOS fibre-optic transmission system enables simple and modular networking for all common serial interfaces using fibre-optic cables. These interfaces include RS232, RS422, Interbus, Profibus, Modbus, DeviceNet and CANopen and many other company specific RS485 systems. The PSI-MOS products can be used for stand-alone operation or modular designs using multi-channel optical star couplers. Cross wiring for data and power can be implemented using a din-rail mounted installation system.

Continuous-time linear Hall-effect sensors world first - The new A1301 and A1302 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe are the world's first family of continuous-time linear Hall-effect sensor ICs in the SOT23 surface-mount package rated for operation at up to +150degC. The new devices are true ratiometric linear sensors, providing an analogue output signal that is proportional to the magnetic flux density and the supply voltage. The A1301 is the most sensitive device with a target sensitivity of 2.5 mV/Gs, while the A1302 has a target sensitivity of 1.3 mV/Gs.

4/3/05
New leader for system life planning process for UK and Ireland customers - Emerson Process Management, has just announced the appointment of Jim Houston as System Life Planning Manager for the UK and Ireland. "Jim's appointment is important for us and for our customers," said Travis Hesketh, the UK and Ireland Systems Sales Director for Emerson. "All of our System Life Planning studies to date have provided significant benefit. Expanding on this success, Jim will manage system life programmes in the UK and Ireland, working with our project managers and systems engineers to implement the studies and deliver comprehensive system life plans."

New software program - CEA Systems has developed a new software program: Material Navigator. The Material Navigator is designed for helping engineers finding and selecting the correct material and material characteristics applicable for designs in different standards. It can prevent mistakes and optimize designs by selecting the correct materials for its application.

GSM, GPRS and Ethernet, Internet - IntelliCom announces a new concept for M2M and Remote Device Management Solutions based on GSM, GPRS, Ethernet, Telephone Modems etc. With our NetBiter Remote Device Management solution you can network-enable your devices anywhere in the world and integrate them into the enterprise. At anytime you can access critical information about operational status, diagnostics, service requirements, alarms etc. Or just simply monitor and control your devices and automation processes easy, secure and fast from your office, hotel room or at any location of your choice.

Fast Ethernet switch provides key network transition - The new ESC 67-30 TPO5U from Harting is a fast Ethernet switch designed to eliminate potential collision domains between network components and user equipment in industrial applications.

New features and functions added to industry-standard limit alarm trip - Moore Industries' SPA2 Programmable Current/Voltage and RTD/Thermocouple Limit Alarm Trips provide on/off control, warn of trouble and provide for emergency shutdown by sending up to four relay outputs when a monitored process signal falls outside of a user-selectable high and/or low limit. Available SPA2 models accept input signals from transmitters, temperature sensors, resistance and potentiometer devices, and direct millivolt sources. They provide two or four independent and individually-configurable alarm relay outputs. Using on-board controls or the company's free PC Configuration Software, each individual alarm trip relay may be programmed as a high or low limit process alarm, rate-of-change alarm, input fault alarm or self-diagnostic alarm.

European oriented web-site features improved navigation and Euro-specific content - Baldor has radically overhauled its European web site to better support its expanding customer base in this part of the world. The enhanced web site now features the same easy-to-use navigation as the company's main web site, but is focussed primarily on products and services intended for OEMs, machine builders and system integrators serving markets Europe.

Engineers alerted to abnormal conditions before they affect plant performance - ExperTune's new version of PlantTriage automatically sends technicians and engineers an email if a controller or process area behaves abnormally. PlantTriage detects problems well before they show up as an operator alarm. Now the PlantTriage alert email will announce the potential problem in good time for it to be fixed. Shut-downs are avoided. Product quality is increased and production becomes more efficient.

3/3/05
Rugged, accurate sensors monitor CIP systems and measure dissolved oxygen in carbonated beverages - Emerson Process Management has introduced two new Rosemount Analytical sensors with specific applications in the food and beverage market. The Rosemount Analytical Bx438 monitors trace levels of dissolved oxygen in beer and other carbonated beverages, and the Rosemount Analytical Model 245 conductivity sensor is an obstructionless flow-through pipeline sensor for monitoring fluid conductivity, typically used to monitor CIP system performance.

"Industry's most accurate PXI multimeter - Engineers can now accurately measure from picoamps to kilovolts with the new National Instruments PXI-4071 FlexDMM - a multifunction device that features a 71Ž2-digit (26 bits) digital multimeter and an 1.8 MS/s isolated digitiser. The NI PXI-4071 FlexDMM offers fast, accurate voltage measurements from +/-10 nV to +/-1000 V and resistance measurements from 10 ľohm to 5 Gohm. It also uses a solid-state current shunt configuration that offers 8 DC current ranges from 1 ľA to 3 A and 6 AC rms current ranges from 100 ľA to 3 A. This capability gives engineers the flexibility, resolution, functionality and isolation required for challenging applications such as fuel cell testing, leakage measurements, IV curve tracing and data converter linearity testing.

Engineers' Council Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award - Moore Industries has earned the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Award for exceptional commitment to safety and successful completion of IEC 61508 Certification.
The Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Award recognizes organizations that have completed engineering projects which, because of their scope or unique character, are outstanding and deserving of merit. Joseph Hage, vice president of engineering and Moore Industries' IEC 61508 Safety Team leader accepted this award on behalf of the team at the Engineers' Council 50th Anniversary National Engineers Week Honors & Awards Banquet last month