AutomationDirect White Papers

• Safety Components on Guard (10 pages)
  Many safety components are available for protecting operators of machine and robot installations. Understanding the fundamentals is critical ...
  
  
• Basic Pneumatic Circuits (9 pages)
  These common pneumatic circuits can be used alone or as building blocks in larger pneumatics systems.
  
  
• How-to-choose-an-Industrial-Automation-Controller (6 pages)
  Choosing the most effective controller requires careful evaluation of multiple requirements.
  
  
• Micro PLCs versus Programmable Relays (8 pages)
  Micro PLCs have greatly improved their price/performance ratio over the last few years, making them the right choice for more applications as compared to programmable relays.
  
  
• Enclosure Thermal Management Systems (10 pages)
  - How to Select and Size Enclosure Thermal Management Systems
  Follow the steps detailed in this white paper for optimal design for heating and cooling enclosure components and systems.
  
  
• Industrial Managed Ethernet Switches (6 pages)
  - Why You Might (or Might Not) Need an Industrial Managed Ethernet Switch
  Explore the reasons and applications where a managed switch should be used and when an unmanaged switch is sufficient.
  
  
• Important Considerations for Replacing and Sizing AC Motors (5 pages)
  How to determine whether to rewind or replace a motor, and how to find the right motor size for your application.
  
  
• Improving Pneumatic Energy Efficiency (7 pages)
  Following these tips and techniques can reduce pneumatic system energy costs by as much as 35 percent.
  
  
• DC Motors Explained (5 pages)
  There are several types of DC motors, including shunt, series, compound wound or stabilized shunt, permanent magnet, and brushless DC.
  
  
• Electrical Arcs (10 pages)
  Those of us who have worked with, or around, electrical equipment have witnessed electrical arcs. At the very least, we've seen the sparks produced when a relay or contactor switches off.
  
  
• When To Use Multi-Function Safety Relays (7 pages)
  Multi-function safety relays are often the best choice for applications where single-function relays aren't capable enough and a safety-rated PLC is overkill.
  
  
• Processor Power and Energy Efficiency (7 pages)
  Consumer electronic microprocessor improvements provide catalyst for industrial automation advancements.
  
  
• Group Motor Protection (8 pages)
  Group motor protection provides numerous benefits. It's economical because one protection device handles multiple motors. Learn how to satisfy the NEC requirements for group motor installations.
  
  
• Top 10 Tips: Specifying VFDs (8 pages)
  Variable frequency drives — or VFDs — can reduce energy consumption, improve realtime control, and lengthen motor life. Selecting the right one for your application requires asking the correct questions. Here are some expert tips to consider.
  
  
• PLCs and PACs Simplify Data Acquisition (9 pages)
  Powerful PLCs and PACs have built-in data acquisition, data logging and data analysis functionality.
  
  
• Understanding Encoders (9 pages)
  Fundamentals of industrial encoder sensing technologies, motion detection theory and methods, and signal output styles.
  
  
• Control System Design Considerations (29 pages)
  A condensed guide to automation control system specification, design and installation.