GCG Corporate
Search
Login
Enter your search term:
x

Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Siemens TIA Selection Tool: A Quick Overview of a Powerful Timesaver

The Siemens TIA Selection Tool has become a primary tool in selecting components and software for Siemens automation systems.  Among other things, it helps check for part consistency, suggests accessories, lists what modules are available for a CPU or I/O device, generates a final parts list in Excel, and gives shortcuts to the Siemens Support Site for detailed information on components.  Here, I’ll try to touch on some of the more useful features.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

Easy Encoder Guide – Part 2: More Rotary Encoders

Part 1 of this guide covered what an encoder is and differentiated the types of encoders as well as the different output configurations.  In addition, optical rotary encoders were explained and difference between the operation of incremental and absolute encoders.  Part 2 of the Encoder Guide will continue to focus on the different types of rotary encoders and how they operate.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

Motor Testing Methods

In the majority of plant environments, industrial motors are the heartbeat of the workspace. Motors drive production. Without a fully-functional motor, basic industrial tasks would be compromised and unable to proceed. Therefore, motor failure can prove extremely costly and disruptive to your business, resulting in unplanned work stoppages and burgeoning maintenance costs. However, by utilizing various motor testing techniques – both during periods of regular, routine maintenance and at signs of impending trouble – motor issues can be easily predicted, prevented, and therefore resolved with little-to-no service disruption. Below we’ll walk you through a handful of the many motor testing methods available that you can use to mitigate your business’ downtime.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

Energy Savings through LED Lighting [Free Template]

Recently there has been a lot of buzz regarding retrofitting existing light fixtures, energy efficient products, and cost savings through your energy bill. What do all of these things have in common? They can all be found within the LED fixtures that are being installed in every application – warehouses, manufacturing plants, refrigerated facilities, office buildings, and so many more.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

What is Safety Integrity Level (SIL)?

What is Safety Integrity Level?
Industrial safety used to be a mechanical concept before the widespread adoption of silicon based digital technology. Safe work practices, hazardous material control and protective armoring were just some of the few ways to ensure safety in industries. The 21st century, however, brought rapid changes within existing digital technology and interconnected concepts of reliability, productivity and profitability under one umbrella of safety.
Process control industries top the list of industries that require multi-dimensional safety controls. High temperature, flammability, presence of toxic materials, etc. make it imperative for checks to be in place to make sure human and machines can work without any harm. The issue of reliability in modern industries was becoming more serious, yet lacking standardization. Therefore, after years of work, the ISA SP84 committee and IEC 61508 joined their resources to come up with an achievable safety threshold.
Safety Integrity Level (SIL) was one of the key values that allowed customers to form logical and objective comparisons of equipment reliability from various industries. In summary, SIL can be seen as a quantitative measurement of performance.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

Get the Most Out of Your Servo Motor

There’s a common belief that two servos with the same power range from different manufacturers are roughly equivalent, and that the only other significant comparison point is price. This just isn’t true, and the information provided below will debunk that belief. There are several important features you cannot afford to ignore when comparing servo motors, including:

READ MORE
Uncategorized

SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180

The SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 is the most efficient Medium Voltage drive on the market today. The cell-based design features an integrated transformer and has the ability to scale a drive for a wide range of output power and voltage. With increased availability due to its modular design, the drive is able to bypass any one cell during operation. The quality of the output voltage is comparable to none. The practically perfect sine-wave shape allows any other type of motor to be operated with ease. 

READ MORE
Uncategorized

5G Effect on IIoT

It is estimated that by the year 2020, the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) will exceed 20 billion! These are whopping numbers, and undoubtedly display strength on the part of developing technologies. But at the same time, it is becoming clearer that wireless mobile internet networks would have to be improved to ensure seamless performance of connected devices.

READ MORE
Uncategorized

Gain a Competitive Edge with Remote Monitoring

With a large fraction of the working populous constantly traveling, it is hard to routinely check-up and monitor various factory systems. However, the advent of remote monitoring technology – a tool that allows engineers and manufacturers to overlook and supervise the health and productivity of various machines – has proven to give companies a competitive edge.

READ MORE