Some machine designers are adopting virtual commissioning, a process that uses a digital model and simulation of your machine to perform controls testing before you even build a machine. This can help you identify design issues earlier in the build cycle and ultimately help you better meet customer deadlines. Full story

A machine is subject to additional stress and risks to premature wear when it is powered up and pressurized with compressed air after a scheduled shut-down or a safety event because the surge in air pressure will create rapid movements in the actuators and that can cause premature wear or may even escalate into a hazardous situation. Full story

Struggling with ways to extend the life of your mission critical control system applications? Worried about parts availability for that server you have running? Trying to get more utilization out of your investment in future server hardware purchases? Virtualization technology can provide a platform that allows you to meet these challenges and assist in reducing time to value for installing server OS based applications. Virtualization can also help reduce CapEx and OpEx costs through Information Infrastructure & Security. Review the top 5 business benefits of server virtualization and contact SMC Professional Services to talk with one of our engineers about how this technology might help your team. Full story

You have a strong industrial security program in place. You’ve cleaned up with good cyber hygiene and have implemented intrusion detection systems to avoid future incidents. But in the complex world of cybersecurity, you can’t stop there. Despite all your efforts, latent advanced persistent threats are still a concern. They are slowly at work trying to find chinks in your armor and exfiltrate data, bogging down your operations. And intrusion detection isn’t going to catch this activity. Threat hunting is one of the next logical steps in your cybersecurity program. In its simplest form, you are searching the network for external threats or intrusions that went undetected by automated security systems. Full story

While the world is rapidly changing every day to mitigate risk associated with the COVID-19 virus, we know many of your operations need to continue, and we are committed to being with you every step of the way. During this time, it is critical you have the support you need, in a way that maximizes productivity and saves you money. Full story

The ability to quantify energy use is critical for your facility and your team. Monitoring power consumption of your plant provides you with the data needed to make important energy management decisions. Full story

OSHA requires the employer to give fall protection awareness training, to anyone that works at elevated heights above 4’ every year. New employees, before they work at elevated heights, are required to have fall protection awareness training. Full story

If your company has a lockout/tagout program, it’s a safe bet you understand that there are federal and local regulations that you need to comply with. But compliance is a lot more complex than it may seem – in fact, there are five components of a compliant LOTO program, including corporate policy, machine-specific LOTO procedures, training, locks and devices, and annual audits. How can you be sure your LOTO program is compliant with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations? Full story

A machine operator defeats a guard and reaches his hand into a machine to reset a part in a nest, but misjudges the speed of the press. Does the pneumatic actuator driving the tooling cause a serious injury or were other steps taken to stop the actuator in time? As you can imagine, stopping and holding a pneumatic actuator in mid-stroke can be an important design feature. If you are unfamiliar with the methods, functional considerations, performance, or safety aspects of stopping and holding a linear pneumatic actuator in mid-stroke, this article can serve as a starting point for making the right decisions based upon realistic performance expectations. Full story

Employee safety is a term widely used across many companies, especially manufacturing facilities. When we take a deeper dive into what safety means to each employer, do they have appropriate policies, procedures, and most importantly a safety culture? The answer is more than likely "maybe"! Every employer strives to keep their employees safe, but the best policies and procedures can easily be forgotten or overlooked to get a job or project done to keep production running and material out the door. See how SMC can help increase your productivity by streamlining your LOTO procedure. Full story

Read how one bottling plant is projecting to save $65,000 a year in energy costs from upgrading to Keystone LED lights. Full story

How fast can we get it? It’s the number one question that comes after presenting a new packaging solution you’ve developed for a customer. And it’s one of the top challenges facing machine builders today. So, how do you get from concept to machine faster in an environment that demands customization, flexibility and speed? That’s what packaging machine builders face every day. And one answer is to simplify. Full story

In addition to cold stress, there are other winter weather related hazards that workers may be exposed to when performing tasks such as driving in the snow, removing snow from rooftops, and working near downed or damaged power lines. Full story

Food and beverage companies are finding productivity gains in hidden data. With the help of predictive analytics, they’re using this data to make informed decisions. Full story

You’re allowed to add more information to a machine LOTO procedure than OSHA requires, but make sure it’s clear so it doesn’t inadvertently endanger workers. Full story

More and more, Digital Transformation, or DX, is becoming a necessity for business operations. Its impact is particularly felt when automation systems and plant assets become a part of the initiatives. For these systems, it is Edge Computing that bridges the gap between sensor-enabled assets and cloud-based analytics. Due to this, it’s important to understand the essential elements for DX at the edge and plant, key architectural principles, and how to plan for a successful edge computing implementation. Full story

The question of whether or not to supply airline lubrication often comes up during the installation of pneumatic components, in the design of new machinery, or when rebuilding or retrofitting existing equipment. Understanding the pros and cons of using airborne lubrication can save you time, money, and trouble. Full story

Security assessments can be effective tools to evaluate your current security posture, but must be properly selected, scoped, and paired with an actionable road map that lays out clear, actionable steps to achieve your target security profile. Full story

Two technologies that have gained ground in the security world recently are radar and laser. Due to critical coverage needs the industry is answering back with new and innovative ways to secure your perimeters and insure that no areas are left unprotected. Full story

Failure: whether it’s hardware or software or an application of the two, the thought of something bringing down production keeps every plant manager or production engineer up at night. How are your OT assets performing? Do you know how to fix an issue in real time? Do you know how to change out an asset? Can you get things back to running and keep them running? Preventing and reducing downtime in the short and long term also involves addressing the operational challenges that can contribute. Full story