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  1. M

    is the field of robotics and automation worth going into?

    I've been absent from the forum for a long time, but wanted to come back to share some of my experiences with this. When I started my career, anyone who could program a PLC in my area was worth their weight in gold. The guys that could do it semi-competently all quickly became their small...
  2. M

    Operator Height Adjustment for Heavy Machines

    I'm looking for a way to adjust the operator working height on a machine - but an ordinary small hydraulic lift system will not be sufficient. The machine in question weighs approximately 3500 lbs. I've looked around for commercial solutions to this problem, but to no avail. Most height...
  3. M

    Dealing with Automation Knowledge Loss

    You make a very good point there. It's amazing how almost every manufacturing process requires equipment to produce acceptable quality parts, but how little scrutiny is placed on the maintenance of equipment and associated documentation retention. I would figure it would be a cornerstone of...
  4. M

    Dealing with Automation Knowledge Loss

    Then your customer got extremely lucky and should be thankful you had capacity. In my experience, most automation companies do not have that kind of capacity in their programming department. I have had several instances in my career where I have tried to hire programmers at any cost and none...
  5. M

    Dealing with Automation Knowledge Loss

    How do "good" companies deal with employee turnover in an extremely skilled position, such as controls engineer/process engineer/chief technician/etc. When I left my last job, I spent my last month there teaching people everything I could think of. I showed how to connect to all the PLCs, what...
  6. M

    Learning Electrical & Automation

    Start with reading ALL of Tony Kuphaldt's free (Creative Commons) books. I am linking to Socratic Instrumentation but I think he has a half dozen other books. Socratic Instrumentation They are very dense in information, and really can teach quite a bit about the specific industrial concepts...
  7. M

    Build Ultimate Mobile Machine Programming Setup. What do you guys use/recommend?

    How does that work with AB FactoryTalk activations? Do you have a central activation server, or do you make the original instance the server and the VMs a client? I'm boggled here.
  8. M

    Build Ultimate Mobile Machine Programming Setup. What do you guys use/recommend?

    Sounds like you already have computer covered. In my "bag of tricks" here are the things I like to keep handy : DB9 Slim Breakout Board with Screw Terminals - Winford Engineering - Make any cable you want. They have other types of adaptors, too. Phoenix Contact slim (5mm wide) relays, 24V &...
  9. M

    Automation direct vs Allen Bradley vs Cheap Chinese parts vs etc

    I'm not a big fan of Allen Bradley. I've always heard that the big selling point for them... is that they have the best support network. I disagree. I've had better support out of no-name vendors than AB. What makes me irritated is that even though my employer has a paid support contract, I've...
  10. M

    Life expectancy of a machine in an automated cell

    The mindset goes like this. It starts with "Hey, we bought a new machine, it's great, we should take care of it". A few months go by, load on the machine isn't that high, and the machine starts really showing nice profits for the company.PMs are done on time, it's okay. Then at some point...
  11. M

    Life expectancy of a machine in an automated cell

    And when it fails at 3AM on a Sunday night with only 6000 out of 20000 hours of projected life, the manufacturer will only be able to tell you : "That's never happened before in x number of machines we've sold! We don't have one on the shelf, but can get you one in 8-10 weeks!" Take any...
  12. M

    Motor failure - terminal block burned off motor - why?

    Thanks for the response. What do you do for 3 phase motors like this to monitor against this type of failure? I'm just brainstorming, so a few things come to mind - 1) Infrared inspection, cheap if you got the equipment already. Maybe a mandatory inspection of all new pieces of equipment...
  13. M

    Motor failure - terminal block burned off motor - why?

    The situation : 7.5hp motor, running fine since startup. 480V, 3 phase, has fuses and contactor with overloads upstream. Overloads were set to 2A under motor FLA, with manual reset. Today, operator stationed near said motor said it sounded funny. Checked fuses, one leg blown. Check resistance...
  14. M

    Minster Press Aquired by Nidec - Shimpo

    Interesting sale, there. $775 mil for a company that makes $24 mil/year in revenue? Has the dot com bust come back?
  15. M

    Rockwell Automation ControlLogix5571

    I agree 100%. My facility is currently transitioning from an Allen Bradley standard to Mitsubishi. One of our deciding factors is cost escalation. It seems like the hardware and software are very expensive, and the support is pretty bad unless you are willing to pay. You have to have a...
  16. M

    Baldor VFD kicks off when motor shutters - Video Attached

    I'm actually surprised that this drive is still going at that age. At my workplace, most drives have a 7 year lifespan (they all are name brand , big $ drives) and by that time the big caps inside are shot and the drive is incapable of starting under any load.
  17. M

    New low cost robot - Baxter

    Preowned? New? I haven't received a quote for a "new" robot in almost 4 years now, maybe they are coming down in price. My company has less than half a dozen robots total - it definitely doesn't qualify for any price breaks of any sort.
  18. M

    New low cost robot - Baxter

    Baxter seems fantastic. Looks like they are using a lot of high-tech software with low cost hardware. There are numerous cameras to help position, it is very likely they are using a lot of cameras with some of the picture recognition stuff that comes from cellphone technology. I am guessing it...
  19. M

    Where do I find a solenoid coil?

    Festo should have something that will work, do a search for "Festo Solenoid Coil". You'll probably be able to find something. But, I am confused. You've already spent a large sum of money on a PLC & VFD, why not just replace the whole valve? If it's a valve powering an air over hydraulic...
  20. M

    How to deal with unresponsive vendors/salespeople?

    Everyone, thanks for the replies. I've definitely been given some more angles to approach the problem from. I consider my question sufficiently answered. To answer a few repeated statements, This particular salesman is not only responsible for machine sales, he is responsible for after-sales...

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