Most Requested 2009 Articles

The following articles were most requested by you during October 2009.

1. 2009 Readers' Choice Awards Winners
   High Fliers: The 2009 Readers' Choice Awards Winners Soar High in a Sometimes Unsettled Automation Supplier Sky
2. Software Replaces Machine Hardware, but Mechanical Solutions Still Have Their Places
   Where Has All the Hardware Gone?: As More and More Mechanical Systems Are Replaced, Is Software the Final Frontier?
3. Panel Meters Show Off
   Users Who Used to Buy Temperature Controllers or PID Controllers and a PLC Now Only Need to Buy One Piece of Equipment
4. What Controls Safety?
   What Are the Critical Hardware, Firmware and/or Software Differences between a Safety PLC and a "Regular" PLC?
5. Advances in Technology Spur New Look at Drives and Motors
   Built-In Efficiency and Intelligence: Drives and Motors' New Generation Boasts Features That Make Them More Attractive Than Their Ancestors

September 2009

1. 2009 Readers' Choice Awards Winners
2. Winemaking Machine Benefits From Motor-Drive Combination
3. Microscan's QX Hawk Code Reader Simplifies Track-and-Trace Implementation
4. Control Logic's ValuRip Plus and TGW-Ermanco's Turbo Sorter Earn 2009 Innovator Awards
5. Organization Prevents Panel Missteps

August 2009

1. Industrial Networks Adopt Wireless
2. Nothing Like Good Connections
3. How to Speed Up T-Shirt Printing
4. Despite Job Worries, Engineers' Salaries Show Slight Increase
5. What Controls Safety?

July 2009

1. Relays Yield More Programmable Machine Control Options
2. Control Logic's ValuRip Plus and TGW-Ermanco's Turbo Sorter Earn 2009 Innovator Awards
3. Touchscreen Advantages—Part II
4. PCs and PLCs Have Grown Up
5. Network Behemoth

June 2009

1. Relays Yield More Programmable Machine Control Options
2. Machine Safety Incorporates Relays, PLCs, Risk Assessment and Standards
3. Virtual Simulation Tools Allow Engineers to Work Together in an Electronic Environment
4. PC-Based Controls Choice Still Evolving
5. Use Software to Customize the HMI

May 2009

1. PC-Based Controls Choice Still Evolving
2. Touchscreens Show Off Advantages
3. Machine Safety Incorporates Relays, PLCs, Risk Assessment and Standards
4. Fiberoptic Networking Powers Up Plant
5. Schneider Electric’s PLC Can Reduce Time to Market

April 2009

1. FPGAs Turbocharge Control Design
2. Green –Your Way
3. Cabling Requirements for Harsh, Industrial Applications
4. Battle Royal for Machining Center Control
5. Proximity Switches Get With the Program

March 2009

1. Closed-Loop PID Algorithms in Motion/Motor Control
2. Safety Adds Complexity and Function
3. Efficiency Cuts Cost of Electric Motor Operation
4. Battle Royal for Machining Center Control
5. In–Mold Labeling Robot Adds Axes

February 2009

1. Beyond Blame
2. Convert to Digital Safety
3. No-Worry Wireless
4. Don't Play Shorthanded
5. A Vision of Robot Reliability

January 2009

1. Ins and Outs of Modular I/O
2. Safety, Security and Tracking Rely on Proper Access to Operator Panels
3. Closed-Loop PID Algorithms in Motion/Motor Control
4. Get a Grip on Machine Performance
5. Encoders and Resolvers Say More

Top Ten most read articles of 2008

1. Observers or Sensors for Drive Controls?
   This article shows why open-loop, algorithmic motor control is an accurate, less-costly alternative to sensor-based drive solutions. In combination, the two offer unique redundancy value. Read why.
2. Closed-Loop PID Algorithms in Motion/Motor Control
   Motion expert and Control Design contributor Ernst Dummermuth explains PID and says to use differential feed forward for numerical controls, or integral feed backward for trajectory control of motion.
3. High Noon for Encoder and Resolver
   Which should you use to measure speed in dry food packaging machines?
4. Automation Causes Job Destruction
   We automation professionals first laid waste to employment in the agricultural sector worldwide through automation and we now have manufacturing in our cross hairs.
5. Advances in AC Drive Technology
   It seems that AC drives and motors are becoming serious alternatives to DC and even hydraulic-powered control solutions. Contributing Editor Wayne Labs investigates the implications for today's machine builder.
6. Motors and Drives: Dare to Differentiate
   Our roundup of new motors and drives for industrial machine applications shows a technology marketplace that's more easily integrating machine control hardware and software, while providing better capabilities.
7. Ups and Downs of Taking the Bus—Part II
   In this two-part series, Wyeth's Gary Forrest discusses the challenges and benefits of implementing fieldbus technologies at a new bioprocess development facility. The first part can be read in the Q2 issue of Industrial Networking or by visiting IndustrialNetworking.net/wyeth1 right now.
8. Are PCs Ready for Control and HMI?
   Suggestions on how to save some money and gain functionality by combining control and HMI into one PC-based platform.
9. More Than a Backbone
   Fiberoptic media offer network benefits over copper in industrial environments.
10. Books for Success in the Automation, Instrumentation and Controls Industry
    Covering the world of automation, instrumentation and control, these industry books available from ISA are authoritative, thorough, and written and reviewed by experts. See the extensive array of books selected by our Editors and available through ControlDesign.com that are designed to help students, professionals and practitioners succeed with today's automation challenges.