Regardless of whether the application or purpose is the same, every product design engineer has the same goal in his mind: to improve automation and create better products for customers.
How to design automation products that are popular with users? What is the latest trend in automation product design? Representatives of winning enterprise engineers from the 2018 American CONTROL ENGINEERING Engineers’ Choice Awards shared their suggestions on designing effective automation products.
The following representatives of engineers shared their experience in the design of controllers, actuators, wireless and other automation products.
Mobile technology is an important driving factor affecting the design of industrial control systems. Jeff Payne, an engineer from AutomationDirect, believes that manufacturers continue to make smart phones, tablets, and other devices thinner, smaller, and more powerful. Using COTS products (Ethernet connectors, cables, switches and peripherals) saves money and simplifies installation and wiring. Every time a new generation of Ethernet is introduced into the business field, it will soon be applied to the industrial world, helping industrial users to greatly improve the cost-effectiveness.
Factory meters have become the nerves and brains of modern manufacturing factories. John Lehman, an engineer from Dataforth, believes that factory instruments have become an important tool for regulating and monitoring the operation of equipment in the factory. It also provides more methods for the economic viability of the factory. Acquiring, maintaining, and improving the quality of analog measurements are the goals of correct signal conditioning and are the basic issues that are often overlooked in the design of automated products. In order to achieve the best system performance and save resources, the design team needs to rely on industry experts and mature products of the front-end system. These products interface with analog signals and generate output signals to control pumps, motors, and other mechanical equipment.
The emphasis on standardized equipment platforms can improve safety, reliability, and reduce costs for planning, procurement, and operations. Dean Mallon, an engineer at Endress+Hauser, believes that a standardized equipment concept that runs through all measurement parameters brings many benefits in reducing complexity. When using different platforms and following industry standards to create product design standards, please consider equipment operation and documentation, status and fault diagnosis, components and spare parts.
Vikram Kumar, an engineer at EZ Automation, believes that the most important aspect of automation product design is to ensure that the R&D team can directly contact and communicate with customers. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a combination of machine learning and big data technology, using sensor data and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication to achieve accurate and continuous data acquisition and transmission. After visiting many factories that want to obtain data in real time, we developed a PLC with advanced communication functions. It is important to set the scope of the development of a project at the beginning and make every effort to adhere to this standard during the design process.
By paying close attention to the future of information technology (IT), maintaining active participation in industry cooperation and adhering to the concept of solving customer needs, automation software has also been continuously improved. Iconics engineer Melissa Topp believes that in addition to finding inspiration through continuous technological innovation, working relationships with partners, associations and institutions will also help, such as close cooperation with Microsoft and the OPC Foundation. The procedure provides opportunities and insights for all parties involved. The cooperation with the OPC Foundation provides opportunities to share source code, host interoperability research and exchange information with other members to achieve the best combination of real-time alarm management and historical record system interoperability.
Obtaining re-feedback from the field service and marketing teams is also critical to understanding how the industry and application cases have changed to adapt to the product. Justin Shade, an engineer at Phoenix Contact, believes that if you want to learn more about the available technologies, the best way to start is to have a thorough discussion with the manufacturer’s salesperson, wireless system integrator, or middleman. Communicate with these people, learn about the various products available and how they work, and provide help in determining the best options for a particular application. The discussion can also include the system design and pre-installation services provided by the company, and how to ensure the installation goes smoothly.
