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input #1 at www.controleng.com/information
 Role-Based Insights.
Rapid Time-to-Value.
Data-Driven Decision Making.

The ThingWorx Industrial Innovation • Maximize uptime with preventative maintenance

based on reliable, real-time data and remote
Platform was purpose-built for connectivity, monitoring capabilities.

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data visibility, flexibility and rapid ROI. through an integrated IoT platform—powered by
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input #2 at www.controleng.com/information
© 2018, PTC Inc. (PTC). All rights reserved.
input #3 at www.controleng.com/information
 Vol. 65
Number 5

MAY 2018

ANSWERS
16 | Control Engineering Salary, Career Survey
18 | Survey respondents offer advice
22 | Reworking the gender balance
23 | Future of the workplace
24 | Career return on investment
26 | Understanding convergence of IT and OT
16-25
CAREER UPDATE COVER STORIES: See career-related coverage in this issue on
30 | Secure circuit protection
pages 16-25, with an introduction on page 14. 32 | Global robotics standards update
COVER IMAGE: Training is critical to improving how engineering is done, and is
offered by universities, system integrators, consultants, associations, and automation 34 | Create safe, efficient barriers
vendors, like this session, taught by Doug Bell, at AutomationDirect, near Atlanta.
Bell also teaches CFE Media’s CFE Edu “Introduction to PLCs” course. for human-machine interaction
Image courtesy: AutomationDirect

INSIDE PROCESS
INSIGHTS P1 | Open Process Automation status
5 | Achieving profitable efficiency P7 | Ten reasons to build a process model
through process control for a manufacturing plant

6 | Power systems engineers

help facility managers INNOVATIONS
NEWS NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

8 | Hannover Messe 2018: highlights, IIoT 44 | Oscilloscope probe, wireless sensors,

safety-based communications, precision
10 | Ten system integrator best practices limit switches, multi-volt timer
11 | Vibration, control companies merge
12 | Fog computing conference, IoT, 5G BACK TO BASICS
48 | Six tips for designing and building a
14 | Think Again: Learn from mistakes small controls project

CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 65, No. 5, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group
Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2018 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under
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person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING May 2018 • 3

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INSIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL
Peter Martin, Schneider Electric
Achieving profitable efficiency
Providing real-time feedback to process control operators allows them to determine
the financial impact of their actions and results in real-time profit control.
P
rofitability control cascades to process con-
trol to maximize operational profitability
in real time. While this is a new execution
method, its concept is already ingrained in
the DNA of process control.
The primary objective of process and logic control
is to improve the efficiency of an operation. This has
traditionally been measured by determining wheth-
er or not throughput has increased while energy and
material consumption have decreased.
To improve efficiency, a feedback control loop
measures the variables that need to be controlled,
determines the variation from the desired set point,
and adjusts the variables to move toward the set point.
Since the 1960s process control has advanced
beyond single-loop feedback control. Multi-loop cas-
cade control, feed forward control, and coordinated
multiple variable control use dynamic process models
to enable sophisticated control strategies.
Real-time control involves making and acting
on decisions in a period of time defined by the pro-
cess being controlled. Human schedule decisions are
referred to as management decisions; decisions on
process schedules are referred to as control decisions.
Types of control
Traditional control strategies include four basic
types: manual and automatic control strategies, and
feedback and predictive strategies, which can use auto-
matic or human control. When humans are provided
the information they need to make effective real-time
control decisions, as well as the tools they require to
act on this information and to realize a positive result,
they are empowered. An empowered workforce relies
on operators being given the tools necessary to effec-
tively serve as controllers.
It was once understood that improvements in
efficiency could be translated into improvements in
operational profitability. This is no longer the case.
Since the early 2000s, the speed of industrial busi-
ness has increased steadily, triggered by the dereg-
ulation of electrical power. As electrical power was
deregulated, the supply-to-demand ratio on the grids
started to fluctuate. Energy suppliers and grid manag-
ers tried to deal with these fluctuations by increasing
the price of energy when the demand was high and
supply was low and reducing the price of energy when
the demand was low and supply was high.
The result was while plants might increase energy
www.controleng.com
$
consumption, their energy bill could increase.
The frequent fluctuations in electricity prices
caused a domino effect across other energy sourc-
es and raw materials. To deal with unstable costs,
industrial companies started changing the price of
their products more frequently. This effect is seen
in energy markets, but it also affects consumer pro-
duction. In an increasingly speedy industrial market,
plant managers must decide how much to produce,
and operators must determine the best time to pro-
duce, which can sometimes diminish the importance
of operational efficiency. That is, it might be more
profitable to run the plant less efficiently, according
to the traditional efficiency measures, to more cost-
effectively meet market demand and opportunity.
New approaches for process control
Process control for improved operational efficien-
cy no longer had a direct impact on improved opera-
tional profitability; new approaches were required for
the ever-increasing real-time dynamics of industrial
business variables.
The first response was to turn to information tech-
nology (IT) departments and enterprise resource
planning (ERP) suppliers for solutions. Few, if any,
realized the desired results, primarily because the IT
teams and ERP software were experienced in solving
M More
INSIGHTS
KEYWORDS: efficiency,
traditional management problems, not real-time con- process control
trol problems. The solution involved understanding Profitable efficiency is a
that, as operational profitability fluctuated more rap- relatively new concept, but
idly, management decisions had become control deci- it is already quite common
in process control
sions. Real-time control was required. applications.
The field of real-time control is expanding from Implementing profitable
traditional process and logic control for operational efficiency throughout an
efficiency improvements to other real-time domains, industrial operation tends
such as operational profitability. As new control strat- to drive new and improved
egies are applied to new domains, the performance of levels of operational
profitability.
industrial operations will improve significantly, to lev-
Profitable efficiency
els never before expected. Profitable efficiency, by ced- allows the user to keep
ing profitability control to process control, represents both the process and
one new approach and allows the user to keep the pro- profits in control.
cess and profits in control. ce ONLINE
Read this article online at
Peter Martin is vice president, Innovation and Mar- www.controleng.com for
keting Process Automation at Schneider Electric. This more on real-time control.
article originally appeared April 2 on the Control CONSIDER THIS
Engineering Europe website. Edited by Chris Vavra, What other benefits
production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, could profitable efficiency
cvavra@cfemedia.com. provide manufacturers?
CONTROL ENGINEERING May 2018 • 5
INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Eddie Jones, PE, Schneider Electric
Power systems engineers
help facility managers
Power systems engineers (PSEs) can identify faults and optimize electrical systems in facilities.
F
rom installation to maintenance, all the
way to modernization, electrical equip-
ment needs care and attention to ensure its
longevity. Throughout a facility’s lifecycle,
electrical distribution infrastructure should
be consistently maintained to ensure equipment per-
forms reliably and reaches its full life expectancy (thus
lowering overall total cost of ownership). While facil-
ity managers have the know-how to identify and fix
issues within electrical systems, power systems engi-
neers (PSEs) are the go-to specialists with the exper-
tise to modernize, ensure proper operation, and
increase efficiency of electrical systems.
PSEs are often only brought in when there is a
problem in the facility. PSEs can offer more to facility
managers than just fixing problems and their knowl-
edge can prove useful throughout any state of an elec-
trical system’s life. PSEs can offer counsel n the early
planning stages to influence efficent electrical system
design. After installation, PSEs can be engaged with
to handle a variety of tasks including commissioning,
conducting engineering analysis, modernization, and
addressing safety compliance issues.
Performing an engineering analysis
PSEs are very proficient in performing engineer-
ing analyses. Part of an engineering analysis is defin-
ing the current state of an electrical system and
tasking the PSE with finding a way to improve
M More
INSIGHTS
it. PSEs are highly skilled in being able to look
at the electrical system to identify any faults,
or simply find areas of improvement. Through
KEYWORDS: power
systems; power system their analyses, they can pinpoint specific areas
engineers (PSEs) of the system that may not be performing as
PSEs can add value to facility well as they should, and offer realistic solu-
managers. tions that a facility manager who works with
How a PSE can offer the system daily may not recognize. PSEs have
strategies for risk mitigation. specialized knowledge bases surrounding dif-
CONSIDER THIS: ferent parts of electrical systems, giving them a
How can your facility
managers work with PSEs
breadth of knowledge on very specific details.
to optimize your facility’s PSEs may specialize in one area but also can
operations? realize how their specialty can affect the per-
ONLINE formance of the system. Thus, PSEs can effec-
See related articles on
tively guide facility managers on when to
power systems on address electrical system concerns and offer
www.controleng.com. counsel on the most efficient way to do so.
6 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
Risk mitigation
When facility managers implement a new project,
a variety of risks and complications may arise, includ-
ing financial, safety and operational issues. PSEs can
help mitigate these risks by offering their knowledge
throughout planning and implementation. PSEs can
impose strategies to reduce risks such as:
• Financial risk: Facility managers are interested
in having an operational electrical system that
can be an asset to their business. However, due
to budget constraints for facility management,
they often run into budget issues for projects.
PSEs can help to ensure the electrical project can
be implemented as cost effectively as possible.
• Operational risk: Having a cost-efficient electri-
cal system is only part of the battle; facility man-
agers need the entire power system to be fully
operational and functioning. They can rely on
the expertise of PSEs to ensure maximum opera-
tion and reliability.
• Safety risk: In addition to their knowledge
of operational efficiency, PSEs also are high-
ly knowledgeable with the most current safety
compliance procedures, allowing them to ensure
the project’s output operates safely.
PSEs are valuable partners to facility managers at
any stage of a project. Bringing them in early allows
them to offer their counsel from the planning and
development stage and provide the knowledge around
how to maintain and modernize the electrical system.
Their skills in identifying ways to improve electrical
systems makes them reliable resources for addressing
safety concerns as well as reducing the financial bur-
den a project may place on a facility. By using PSEs’
expertise in engineering analysis, facility managers can
have a better understanding on how to increase opera-
tional efficiencies for their electrical systems. ce
Eddie Jones is an engineering manager at Schnei-
der Electric. Edited by Emily Guenther, associate con-
tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
eguenther@cfemedia.com.
www.controleng.com
 Automation &
Control Freak?
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We carry more automation & control brand names

than any other distributor in North America.
It’s true – we checked.
input #5 at www.controleng.com/information

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INSIGHTS
NEWS
Hannover Messe 2018: highlights, IIoT
The Hannover Messe 2018 technology
trade fair in Hannover, Germany, included
many developments influencing industrial
automation, such as trade, award-winning
process-sensing technology, and Industri-
al Internet of Things (IIoT) advancements.
In welcoming Mexican president
Enrique Peña Nieto to Hannover to lead
the delegation for Mexico’s role as Partner
Country at Hannover Messe 2018, Ger-
man chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated
the trade deal and laid out her expectations
for future agreements—with the European
Union (EU), and for trade deals as a whole.
The deal with Mexico and the EU, which is
similar to ones signed with Japan and Can-
ada, is reported to virtually eliminate tar-
iffs on products exported between the two
trading partners.
Mexico cuts a deal with EU
“The technical work should take place
quickly now but it’s really good news for
Europe, for Germany and for Mexico,” said
Merkel. “We believe multilateral coopera-
tion can add value for everyone and that’s
why we’re advocating global trade that is as
free as possible and which is based on com-
mon rules.”
Two years ago, when Merkel welcomed
Barack Obama as head of the United States
Partner Country delegation at Hannover,
relations on trade and business were warm
between the two nations and negotiations
were underway on the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Merkel
Two years ago, robots were offering
handshakes at Hannover Messe. In
2018, the greeting has been updated
to a fist bump. Image Courtesy:
Hannover Messe
8 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
traveled to Washington, D.C., April 27 to
meet with President Donald J. Trump, who
has criticized the EU in general and Germa-
ny in particular over trade issues, and also
has been critical of past regional trade deals.
One of those pacts is the North
American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), which is being renegotiated.
Peña Nieto sounded an optimistic note
over the future of NAFTA in his opening
ceremony remarks.
“We have optimism as well that we’re
going to be concluding the renegotiation,
modernization of the North American Free
Trade Agreement with North America, as
I have said, ensuring benefits for all part-
ners,” Peña Nieto said.
Besides all the trade talk, Mexico took
center stage to present its cultural enter-
tainment for more than 3,000 dignitaries
and members of the global trade press that
attended the opening ceremonies. The pre-
sentation was a bow to both Mexico’s Aztec
heritage and its campaign to position itself
as a major player on the manufacturing
and technology stage.
The annual Hermes Award for
innovation bypassed two augment-
ed reality (AR) platforms and was pre-
sented to Endress+Hauser for its
hygienic compact thermometer featuring a
self-calibrating sensor for process tempera-
ture measurements.
IIoT potential has big names
seeking new solutions
In the manufacturing renaissance that
is the IIoT, it’s clear that no one suppli-
er can be all things to all plants. It’s also
clear more companies are trying to pro-
vide more options than before.
SAP is an enterprise software compa-
ny that has introduced a digital manufac-
turing cloud.
“When you think about digital com-
ing to the shop floor, you look at verti-
cal integration,” said Georg Kube, the
SAP global vice president for industrial
machinery and components. “That infor-
mation has to be processed in the logis-
tics system. We’re the people who have
done all the logistics, so it was a natural
point for us to expand into actually pro-
ducing the product.
“Manufacturing changed; it’s become
more focused on the individual order, the
individual workpiece,” said Kube. “Now
that become we’ve become faster, more
individual needs need to be catered to.
We want and need more products in small
batches. That was not humanly doable
before, and that is why digital came onto
the shop floor.”
‘
Generate value by
centralizing data and
creating dashboards.
’
Start collecting data.
Cybersecurity scope expands
Inherent in the digital age is cyber-
security. Microsoft has expanded into
cloud computing and is working with the
OPC Foundation to securely connect its
Azure cloud service through OPC UA
servers. The goal is to allow automatic
security in cloud computing.
“The big thing we’ve added is the
automatic discovery of assets in the fac-
tory. We make them available to the
cloud by registering them automatically,”
said Erich Barnstedt, principal software
engineering lead for Microsoft. “The key
word is ‘automatic’. You just want to be
able to tell the user that their machines
are secure.”
Barnstedt said many manufacturers
aren’t far enough along on the IIoT jour-
ney to be concerned about security. Right
now, they’re still struggling with whether
or not their plant is big enough to extract
value from IIoT technologies. “It’s a big
problem. What we tell them is that, you
can generate value at just the first step
by centralizing data and creating dash-
boards,” he said. “That already is revolu-
tionary to a lot of folks. The trick is to
start collecting data.”
Bob Vavra is content manager,
Plant Engineering, CFE Media,
bvavra@cfemedia.com.
www.controleng.com
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INSIGHTS
NEWS
Ten best practices for system integration
companies and projects
Automation and control system inte-
grators and those doing system inte-
gration project should consider 10
attributes, according to the Best Prac-
tices and Benchmarks Manual, version
input #7 at www.controleng.com/information
5.0, from the Control System Integra-
tors Association (CSIA). Critical con-
siderations in each of the 10 areas
follow below, including what should be
included in project management, system
development lifecycle, quality manage-
ment, and cybersecurity:
• General management: strategic
management, organizational structure,
facilities and equipment, computer sys-
tems management, and corporate risk
management
• Human resources manag-
ment: administration, recruitment
and selection, performance manage-
ment, training and development, com-
pensation and benefits, and employee
communication
• Marketing, business develop-
ment, and sales management: mar-
keting plan and sales strategy best
practices
• Financial management: measures
of performance, financial planning,
billing procedures, and tax policy
• Project management: aspects of
project management include contracts,
procurement, planning, risk, resourc-
es, communications, scope, scheduling,
budgets, change, quality, and closure
• System development lifecycle:
internal kickoff, requirements, design,
development, unit/module and inte-
gration testing, factory acceptance test-
ing (FAT) and site acceptance testing
(SAT), system shipping, installation,
and commissioning
• Supporting activities: process
development and maintenance, stan-
dards and templates, project methodol-
ogies, procurement management, risk
management, configuration manage-
ment, and reuse management
• Quality management: continuous
measurable improvement, client sat-
isfaction measurement, client service,
and project quality assurance
• Service and support: strategic
management, organizational structure,
methodology, and service management
• Information systems manage-
ment and cybersecurity: facilities and
equipment protection from an infor-
mation systems management and
cybersecurity standpoint.
- Edited from a CSIA press release by
CFE Media.
10 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
 Digital edition? Click on headlines for more details.
See news daily at www.controleng.com/news

Vibration, industrial process control companies merge

H
ottinger Baldwin Messtech- Both BKSV and HBM are global mar- weighing. The merger is intended to
nik GmbH (HBM) and Brüel & ket leaders in their respective disci- strengthen their ability to drive digital
Kjær Sound and Vibration A/S plines. BKSV´s strength is in sound, transformation for their respective cus-
(BKSV), both owned by U.K.-based noise, and vibration; HBM focuses on tomers around the world.
Spectris plc, will merge their business- propulsion efficiency, electrical prop- - Edited from an HBM press release
es. The merger will become effective erties, industrial process control, and by CFE Media.
on Jan. 1, 2019. Preparation activities
will take place through the remainder
of 2018. The merger will build on each
company’s respective capabilities and
also will be reflected in the name of
the new company: Hottinger, Brüel &
Kjær (HBK).

Headlines
online
Top 5 Control Engineering articles
April 16-22
Most viewed articles included ladder logic,
Triton cybersecurity advice, AI and robotics,
digital plant-floor technologies, and wellsite
valve manifolds.

University opens engineering facility

Louisiana State Univerity College of Engi-
neering celebrated the opening of the Patrick
F. Taylor Hall, which at more than 400,000 sq
ft is the largest academic building in Louisi-
ana and one of the largest freestanding U.S.
engineering academic buildings.

Embedded vision systems’ potential

for imaging, vision technology
Embedded vision systems have the potential
to transform imaging and vision technology —
and will push the boundaries of what’s possi-
ble with machine vision technology.

Robotics’ impact on construction

ACS580
Robots are being used more for certain
applications to improve overall worker safe-
ty and handle some repetitive tasks in an
Simplicity.Reliability.
industry known for a lack of automation.

Industrial Ethernet market projected

Success.
to show strong growth
The industrial Ethernet market is set to grow
from its current market value to over $72 bil-
lion by 2024: Global Market Insights.

Survey: Senior executives not confident

in cyber protection
Few organizations are highly confident in the
ability to manage the risk of a cyber attack
even though it is a major priority, according
to a survey by Marsh and Microsoft.
General purpose drives with all the essential
features built-in to simplify drive selection,
installation and use.

new.abb.com/drives/us/acs580-campaign
CONTROL ENGINEERING May 2018 • 11
input #8 at www.controleng.com/information
INSIGHTS Digital edition? Click on headlines for more details.
NEWS See news daily at www.controleng.com/news

Fog computing conference to cover IoT, 5G, future

The second edition of the Fog World
Congress, scheduled Oct. 1-3 at the San
Francisco Airport Hyatt, will bring togeth-
er industry leaders, technologists, and
researchers from around the world to dis-
cuss, explore, and share fog computing
insights, research, applications, and projec-
tions. A full day of tutorials and research
tracks are scheduled for Oct. 1, followed
by keynotes, panel sessions, and exhibi-
tions on Oct. 2 and 3.
The Fog World Congress, “Through
tutorials, case studies and futuristic
research, it provides a comprehensive
lens into how fog is changing the game in
Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, and artificial
intelligence (AI),” said Helder Antunes,
chairman of the OpenFog Consortium
and senior director, Cisco. “Whether you
are new to fog or are immersed in it, this
conference is the place to come to network
with others and to learn about who and

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Last year’s inaugural event attract-
ed hundreds of attendees, 80 speak-
ers, 30 exhibitors, and representatives
from companies across the globe. Event
organizers predict the attendance num-
bers to increase as fog computing con-
tinues to advance and the technologies
become more mainstream.
“Last year conversations were focused
!
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on ‘what is fog and why do we need it.’
Fast forward one year, and much of that
conversation has shifted to ‘fog is now
moving innovation from the lab to the
real world,’” said Lynne Canavan, co-
Series EGRR chair of the Fog World Congress and
Electric High
Capacity Grippers
vice president of marketing, OpenFog
Consortium. “From package-delivering
drones to factory-floor robots, and from
privacy in connected cities to robotic
surgery, we’re hearing the mantra ‘this is
fog’ growing louder.”
Series ESFX
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Manufacturing remains red hot,
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The Institute for Supply Management’s
(ISM’s) purchasing manufacturers’ index
(PMI) dipped slightly in March to 59.3%, but
skilled worker shortage remains a concern.
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12 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING

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2018 Career & Salary Research

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Turning Research into Insights Makes for Better Business Decisions

Control Engineering career and salary research shows that engineers are
getting paid more and a greater percentage expect to get increases in
2018 while technical challenge and feeling of accomplishment continue
to rank higher than financial compensation for job satisfaction.

With the average respondent being in their 50’s, the average

base salary earned by 50- to 59-year-olds was $104,482, and
the average bonus received in 2017 was $11,102 – for a total
take-away of $115,585. The top three factors that impact end
users’ satisfaction towards their jobs are the level of technical
challenge, feelings of accomplishment, and financial
compensation.

Access the full Control Engineering 2018 Career & Salary

Research with additional findings and insights.
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INSIGHTS
THINK AGAIN ®

3010 Highland Parkway, Suite 325, Downers Grove,

IL 60515. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

Learning from mistakes Content Specialists/Editorial

Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2227, MHoske@CFEMedia.com
Minimize risk and maximize rewards of control system integration Jack Smith, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2230, JSmith@CFEMedia.com
projects with this advice.

U
Kevin Parker, Senior Contributing Editor, IIoT, OGE
630-571-4070, x2228, KParker@CFEMedia.com
Emily Guenther, Associate Content Manager
nderstanding pain others have Clearly document IP 630-571-4070, x2229, eguenther@CFEMedia.com
felt in control system integra- Intellectual property (IP) rights, as Amanda Pelliccione, Director of Research
tion projects can help avoid part of many system integration projects, 978-302-3463, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com
Chris Vavra, Production Editor
similar experiences. System should be carefully spelled out in the con- CVavra@CFEMedia.com
integrators learn from each other using tract, and any changes documented as
the “Best Practices and Benchmarks the project progresses, said Miller, echo- Contributing Content Specialists
Manual,” version 5.0, from the Control ing advice offered by Mark A. Voigtmann, Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe
suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk
System Integrators Association (CSIA; see partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, in a Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia
related news story), in peer groups, and session the day prior. ekaterina.kosareva@fsmedia.ru
Seweryn Scibior, Control Engineering Poland
in the “Lessons from Touching Project management tips seweryn.scibior@trademedia.us
a Hot Stove,” a conference ses- from Miller included the fol- Lukáš Smelík, Control Engineering Czech Republic
sion at the 2018 CSIA Execu- lowing. Trust and rely on your lukas.smelik@trademedia.us
Aileen Jin, Control Engineering China
tive Conference in April. team. Don’t agree to a bad deal: aileenjin@cechina.cn
Nigel James, chief strate- “No,” is the most powerful word
gic officer at Burrow Global; you have. Avoid one client being Editorial Advisory Board
www.controleng.com/EAB
Kenneth Miller, president at a majority of your business. Doug Bell, president, InterConnecting Automation,
Erdo Miller; and Titus Crabb, If litigation is involved, don’t www.interconnectingautomation.com
president at Vertech, explained Mark T. Hoske, panic. Consult with experts, David Bishop, president and a founder
Matrix Technologies, www.matrixti.com
what they learned, citing CSIA Content Manager
notify insurance and legal teams Daniel E. Capano, president, Diversified Technical Services Inc.
best practices. immediately, talk to clients and of Stamford, CT, www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-capano-7b886bb0
Frank Lamb, founder and owner
employees honestly and trans- Automation Consulting LLC, www.automationllc.com
Size, scope, optimism bias parently, explore every avenue of defense, Joe Martin, president and founder
James warned against optimism bias, and try to work it out and settle at the Martin Control Systems, www.martincsi.com
Rick Pierro, president and co-founder
explaining the lure of a large contract may right time. Continue to work toward a set- Superior Controls, www.superiorcontrols.com
cause system integrators to overlook key tlement. End ongoing relations with the Mark Voigtmann, partner, automation practice lead
Faegre Baker Daniels, www.FaegreBD.com
warning signs. Scope creep, where a proj- plaintiff. Finish projects and put boxes on
ect gets larger in what seems like insig- the client’s doorstep. Bring a lawsuit to an
nificant increments, can cause challenges end as quickly as practical (it takes time)
later if not addressed early. Communicate without ignoring family and yourself. CFE Media Contributor
appropriately upfront when a problem Guidelines Overview
arises, discussing the right information, Trust and verify Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media
stands for, and what CFE Media is all about –
right impact, at the right time, with the Crabb warned against taking on a proj- engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome
correct tone, without delay. ect that would represent a majority of rev- content submissions for all interested parties in
engineering. We will use those materials online, on
“Don’t be afraid to tell the client what enue for a year. Other advice included to our website, in print and in newsletters to keep
engineers informed about the products, solutions
can go wrong” when changes are pro- ensure the needed experts are available and industry trends.
posed, James said, and be sure to ask the prior to bidding for a project, check pro- www.controleng.com/contribute explains how
right questions of project managers. grammers’ code often, and ensure random to submit press releases, products, images and
graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white
Poor: “How’s it going?” which will drug tests are in place for everyone. For papers, and other media.
likely return, “Fine.” financials, use tools to manage cash flow. * Content should focus on helping engineers solve
problems. Articles that are commercial or are critical
Better: “What is different?” which may For project execution, set internal mile- of other products or organizations will be rejected.
return critical details, such as: “The cus- stones and reviews. Develop project meth- (Technology discussions and comparative tables may
be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor
tomer gave us 15 new process and instru- odologies and note they may differ by corroborates information with sources cited.)
mentation diagram (P&ID) changes today, industry and project type. * If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines,
expect to see it first on our Websites. Content for our
which could set us back 2 weeks.” When jumping at a system integra- e-newsletters comes from content already available on
James advocated continuous learning. tion project and thinking, “We got this,” our Websites. All content for print also will be online.
All content that appears in our print magazines will
think again. All lessons learned here have appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print

M More
if more content from that article is available online.
best practices written all over them, Crabb
* Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print
said. Learning from others, including
INSIGHTS reviewing questions in the CSIA’s “Best
magazines are at least two months in advance of the
publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature
articles with the appropriate content manager prior to
More advice follows on the following pages Practices and Benchmarks Manual,” can submission.
and at www.controleng.com/CE-research. help avoid taking lumps yourself. ce Learn more at: www.controleng.com/contribute

14 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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2018
CAREERUPDATE

Control Engineering
Career and Salary Survey
Engineers are getting paid more, and more expect to get increases in 2018; technical
challenge and a feeling of accomplishment remain the highest factors for job satisfaction.

E
ngineers are getting paid more
in 2018 ($100,339 compared
to $96,045 for 2017 survey
respondents), and 75% expect
to get a salary increase in 2018,
according to respondents to the Con-
trol Engineering Career and Salary Sur-
vey for 2018. That’s up from 69% who
expected an increase in 2017. Addition-
ally, technical challenge and feeling of
accomplishment both rank higher than
compensation for job satisfaction criteria.
As Figure 1 shows, almost 20% expect
4% or more for a salary increase in 2018
(up from 13% in 2017); 7% expect an
increase more than 6% (up from 4% in
2017); 23% expect the same (29% did
in 2017); and just 2% expect a salary
decrease (equal to 2017).
Upward salary pressures correspond
with strong U.S. manufacturing results,
more than 19 months of growth as of
March, according to the Institute for Sup-
ply Management (ISM) monthly purchas-
ing manufacturers’ index (PMI).
Survey methods
Survey respondents for the Control
Engineering Career and Salary Report for
2018 were invited to anonymously provide
their annual compensation information
and opinions on the current state of their
facilities and industries. The 2018 Con-
trol Engineering Career and Salary Report
reflects data gathered from 331 automation
professionals; margin of error is +/- 5.4% at
a 95% confidence level.
For non-salary compensation (Figure
2), 21% expect an increase (down from
27% in 2017); 15% expect an increase
of 4% or more (10% in 2017); 9% expect
more than a 6% increase (6% in 2017); 58%
expect about the same (62% in 2017); and
11% expect less (same as 2017).
For base salary compensation, the min-
imum was $25,000 (same as 2017) and
the maximum was $342,000 ($216,513 in
2017), for 299 survey respondents pro-
viding this information. For non-salary
compensation, the 2018 average received
among 299 respondents was $10,091 (up
from $9,594 in 2017); among the 68%
receiving a bonus (203 respondents) was
about the same as 2017, and the average
was $14,863 (up from $14,216 in 2017).
The highest bonus reported, as Figure 3
shows, was $344,000.
Bonus criteria
Two leading criteria for bonus compen-
sation were company profits, 73%, and per-
sonal performance, 62% (Figure 4), which
is a significant shift from 59% and 43%,
respectively, in 2017.
Other significant criteria from 35% to
25% include product profitability, safety
metrics, new business, sales increase, qual-
ity metrics, and plant or line productivity.
Graphic shows five other double-digit cri-
teria, including energy efficiency at 11%.
Technical challenge
Rank order of job satisfaction fac-
tors (Figure 5) year over year remained
the same for the top four: technical
challenge, feeling of accomplishment,

Expected change to 2018 Expected change to 2018 Compensation

base annual salary non-salary compensation summary 2018
Decrease 2% Increase more than 6% Salary
Increase more Decrease
2% than 6% Increase 4% Average among 299 $100,339
Stay the same to 6%
Minimum $25,000
7% 11% 9% Maximum $342,000
23% 12% 6%
16% Non-salary compensation
Average among 299 $10,091
56% 58%
Percentage receiving bonus 68%
Average among 203 $14,863
Minimum 0
Stay the same Increase 1%
Increase 1% to 3% Increase 4% to 6% to 3% Maximum $344,000

Figure 1: 75% expect a salary Figure 2: 31% expect an increase in Figure 3: In 2018, average salary of
increase in 2018. All graphics courte- 2018 non-salary compensation and respondents topped $100,000, with
sy: Control Engineering 2018 Career about half of those expect more than average non-salary compensation
and Salary Survey a 6% increase. adding more than $10,000.

16 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 M More
ANSWERS
Download the full 2018 Career and Salary
Report at www.controleng.com/CE-research
for respondent regions, titles, functions,
company size, staffing, energy, cybersecurity,
outsourcing, and salary and non-salary
compensation benchmarks by age, education,
financial compensation, and relation- Mark T. Hoske is content manager, number of years with employer and industry,
ship with colleagues. Location moved Control Engineering, CFE Media, by job title, by job function, and by employees
managed.
into the fifth spot, up from eighth in mhoske@cfemedia.com. Amanda
2017. Other criteria above 15% are ben- Pelliccione, CFE Media research CONSIDER THIS
efits, flexible work hours, job securi- director, provided data, On the next pages, see: Advice from survey
ty, and feeling of recognition. Flexible apelliccione@cfemedia.com. respondents; Women in engineering; The future
of work; and Engineering career ROI.
work hours was added to the survey list
of possible answers in 2018 and made
a strong debut in the ranking among Criteria for non-salary compensation
respondents.
Company profitability
What should get emphasis Personal performance
The survey asked respondents what Product profitability
areas do and should get emphasis within Safety metrics
their organizations. There continues to be New business, sales increase
a significant disparity between what does Quality metrics
and what should receive emphasis. Plant or line productivity
Top two areas that do get empha- Company stock performance
sis are budget, profits, financials (a 2018 Reducing plant costs
addition based on write-in entries in Uptime/downtime
2017), and automation and controls. The Customer feedback
top two areas that should get emphasis Energy efficiencies
are automation and controls as well as Other
customers and sales (another new entry 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
in 2018). See Figure 6.
The 2018 respondents noted that train- Figure 5: Top job satisfaction factors are technical challenge and feeling of
ing and education should get more than accomplishment, followed by financial compensation and relationship with
three times the emphasis it currently does. colleagues.

Job satisfaction factors Areas of operations

Technical challenge Budget, profits, financials
Feeling of accomplishment
Automation and controls
Financial compensation
Relationship with colleagues Operations
Location
Customers, sales
Benefits
Flexible work hours Safety
Job security Product development
Feeling of recognition
Energy
Relationship with boss
Ability to work from home Maintenance
Advancement opportunities
Manufacturing IT
Workload
Company's financial health Systems
Leading a team Training, education Highest emphasis
Company size Should have highest
Other
Travel emphasis
Relationship with subordinates Equipment upgrades
Managing people Instrumentation
Work environment
Other Human Resources

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Figure 4: Leading criteria for non-salary compensation by Figure 6: In the areas of operations, budget, profits, finan-
a significant margin are company profitability and per- cials get the highest emphasis, but automation and con-
sonal performance with product profitability and safety trols should receive the highest emphasis.
metrics next in line.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEEERING May 2018 • 17

2018
CAREERUPDATE

Advice: Education,
workplace strategies, tips
Control Engineering career advice was offered by those taking the 2018 survey. Education
and workplace strategies were the biggest topics, followed by engineering tips.

E
ducation and workplace strategies are to be pushing this in schools in grades 4-6. Science,
among engineering career advice offered technology, engineering, and match (STEM) careers,
as a write-in option on the survey for the yes, but what about plumbing, electrical, and craft
2018 Control Engineering Career and Sal- trades? If you hook them early then STEM will work,
ary Report; 146 respondents offered write- but you have to get them to want to work with their
in advice which was then grouped for analysis and hands. We do not pay our teachers enough or supply
presentation into six categories: education, workplace schools with the proper funds to get what it takes to
strategies, attitude, communication, project manage- excite the kids to want more.
ment, and engineering tips. (See graphic on engi- Get specialized in something that is in demand.
neering skills needed to advance.) Get training in data communication for control
While many pieces of advice could be grouped into systems applications.
more than one category, only one category was chosen Get your PE license. Never stop studying codes,
for each in this tally. Classification is subjective, but, standards, reading white papers, and industry
even so, it’s interesting to note increasing emphasis on publications.
workplace strategies and engineering tips. Engineer- Go into mechanical engineering. (I have to main-
ing career advice follows by category; download the tain and get the junk they select running.)
full report for more. I believe it’s critical to keep technical knowledge
Career advice: 2018 vs. 2017 and skills current, and to be constantly learning.
Advice type 2018 2017 Education Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is among the
Education 38% 47% Always try to keep learn- best options to choose after completing engineering
ing new skills and knowl- from electronics/instrumentation/EEE/ECE.
Workplace strategies 34% 26%
edge throughout your career. In manufacturing, study mechanical, industrial,
Engineering tips 13% 3%
Complete education and and electrical engineering with PLC programming
Attitude 7% 10% obtain certifications. mixed in. Industrial or manufacturing engineering is
Communication 4% 7% Constantly study new probably the best all around area, and then take cer-
Project management 4% 7% methods and implement tain classes to fill in the rest.
them as necessary. Keep your skill set relevant. Go to seminars, webi-
Develop deep technical mastery in at least one area. nars, and association meetings as often as possible.
Engineering is the application of science. Engineers Learn as much programming as possible.
take the challenge to convert science to technologies to Question everything. Just because an expert says
uplift the living standards of humanity. something doesn’t make it correct; only makes it an
For engineering students, obtain an internship educated guess based on history and experience.
with a company in your area of interest. Real-world
job experience is a must have to move from student Workplace strategies
to job holder. 1) Use both left- and right-brain development
Get a combination of electrical/electronics and skills. 2) Always think about automation. 3) Think
mechanical degrees. about application of engineering knowledge to save
Get a degree in software. the Earth and help people live happily.
Get an MBA or a Master’s Degree in your engi- Aim for versatility.
neering field. Always ask questions to understand why you do
Get automation and robotic and specialized safety what you do, and do your best.
training for robotics and electrical, especially arc flash; Always keep your eyes open for more opportuni-
companies and not even OSHA take this seriously. If ties even if you believe you are happy where you are at.
we are going to get youth interested in a trade we need Be flexible, to function across multiple disciplines.

18 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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2018
CAREERUPDATE

Look for business rationale in everything you do. Engineering tips

Be sure to find a mentor.
Consider automation as a career to use your engi-
neering skills.
Find something that you enjoy doing. It’s the
time of your life; don’t just be looking forward to
retiring!
Follow the money.
Get a job where they value your talent in an area
where you like to live.
Get as much field experience as pos-
Advanced control systems can give more efficiency
to the processes. The most important thing to be suc-
cessful is to have a good management system and pro-
duce product the market needs.
Be familiar with different programming languages
and software; Be worldwide minded.
Broaden your views and skills. Being too focused
and working in a silo creates gaps between you and
colleagues and impedes successful implementations.
Operations technology and information technology

M More
ANSWERS
sible by actually performing the jobs that
operators and maintenance workers do.
Invest in your 401(k).
people must come together.
Develop an interest in industrial automation.
Get involved, get hands on, and understand real-
KEYWORDS: Engineering Jump on the opportunity to be a part life applications.
career
of a company that is investing in new Information flow efficiency is and will be the criti-
Engineering job advice includes
education, work strategies, and technology and is driven to stay ahead of cal competitive advantage.
engineering tips. the curve. New challenges are what make Try automation.
Never stop learning new things engineering such a rewarding career! Use the general engineering way of thinking.
or challenging yourself. Manufacturing isn’t a dirty word, and
Learning objective style is a job in manufacturing can be technically Attitude
good. challenging and rewarding. Always do the best job you can.
CONSIDER THIS Never stay satisfied and always Be curious; Be inspired; Be strong and courageous.
What advice that has served you improve. Become an obsessed, candid, Do what you love, then what you’re doing really
well you would offer that wasn’t and empowered leader. isn’t work.
provided here? Really evaluate a job offering prior Don’t quit.
ONLINE to accepting the job offering. Find a Hang in there; Keep on trying and eventually you
If reading from the digital edition, place that wants to invest in technology will win; Stay flexible.
click on the headline for more training. Stay positive and focus on each day. Enjoy today.
advice in a longer online version Start with a small company and get a
of this article. Find the full 2018
Control Engineering Career and
lot of experience and/or start a business. Communication
Salary Report at Success will come if you work for pride Develop the ability to communicate.
www.controleng.com/CE-research. and accomplishment and not only money. Listen for management fads and work buzzwords
into presentations even if they don’t have anything to
do with your product. Most of all, anything you engi-
Skills needed to advance neer, picture yourself having to maintain it. That per-
son will reward you with respect and trust.
Engineering skills
Network with peers.
Project management skills Practice soft skills (communication, project man-
Communication/presentation skills agement, mentoring) and core engineering disciplines.
Computer skills
Project management
Team-building skills
Engineering is all details, but don’t miss the proj-
Language skills ect’s big picture among those details.
Marketing/sales skills Learn to adequately justify the need for equipment
Finance/accounting skills improvements and automation to sustain and improve
your business.
Other
Perform adequate upfront engineering to minimize
Don't know costly unknowns during project.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Think more of managing people and processes.
Too many engineers fail to value the people part. ce
Control Engineering asked subscribers what skills they need to
advance. The 307 respondents ranked the following as most impor- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control
tant: engineering skills, project management skills, communication Engineering, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com, and
and presentation skills, computer skills, and team-building skills. data provided by CFE Media research director, Amanda
Courtesy: 2018 Control Engineering Career and Salary Report Pelliccione, apelliccione@cfemedia.com.

20 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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2018
CAREERUPDATE

Reworking the gender balance

Women in STEM: Bringing more women into the artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet
of Things (IoT) industries can help reduce some of the ingrained bias in development.

R
e•Work’s third Women in AI dinner
was held in London in February 2018.
This regular networking event celebrates
women in artificial intelligence (AI) and
showcases their achievements. The speak-
ers are women, but these are not women-only events.
Diversity is about inclusivity, not segregation.
There are not enough women working in tech, let
alone in AI. In the U.K., for example, 83% of people
working in science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM) careers are men, according to figures present-
ed at UK Robotics Week 2017. It has been reported
that less than 10% of coders are women, despite Ada
Lovelace being widely considered to be the first com-
puter programmer.
Re•Work is attempting to improve the gender bal-
ance in the burgeoning AI community by organizing
dinners with female expert speakers who talk about
their work at the cutting edge of emerging technology.
Re•Work founder Nikita Johnson and her team
are careful not to dwell on traditional “women’s chal-
lenges.” Instead, Re•Work is focusing on technology
and research, showcasing women in AI in a way that
overrides traditional preconceptions.
Bias and preconception are ingrained in society,
which means they are ingrained in the AI applications
data. The first presentation by Silvia Chiappa, senior
research scientist at DeepMind, was about innovating
towards algorithmic fairness.
Curing the bias virus
give them a negative weighting, because this can have
a negative impact on system performance. It may not
increase fairness because these factors are correlated
with other attributes. There is a positive correlation
between race and neighborhood. This underlines the
importance of contextualizing problems: identifying
conscious and unconscious bias and looking for solu-
tions. Biases cannot be eliminated, but can use them to
work towards a fairer society, said Chiappa.
The second presentation was from Cecilia Mas-
colo, professor of mobile systems at the University of
Cambridge and The Alan Turing Institute. She cov-
ered potential applications for built-in computational
units on smartphones and wearables, particularly in
countries with little cloud platform access.
Possibilities include using a smartphone’s AI capa-
bilities to support health care applications. Voice rec-
ognition can be used for mood monitoring and early
diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Constant monitoring
and/or the collection of detailed location data, have
privacy implications. Mascolo said more localized
computations could reduce privacy concerns.
Self-diagnosis in wind turbines
The final presentation was from Fujitsu’s lead
deal architect, Marian Nicholson, who discussed the
application of deep learning in advanced image rec-
ognition. Examples include teaching wind turbines to
recognize a defective blade.
Fujitsu’s work starts from the premise that humans
are predominantly visual conceptualizers (babies rec-

M More ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: artificial
intelligence, IoT, gender gap
Too few women join STEM
industries.
Bias and preconception are
deeply ingrained in society, and
in data used in AI applications.
Accepting AI requires
transparency about how the
system has been designed to
help minimize potential bias.
ONLINE
Read this article online at
www.controleng.com for
more information about AI and
additional articles from Internet of
Business.
Machine learning already is used
to make and support decisions or pro-
cesses that affect people’s lives: in hiring,
education, lending, and in policing and
law. Judges and parole officers use algo-
rithms to predict the likelihood a defen-
dant or prisoner will reoffend. It is critical
to ensure the algorithms are not biased
toward or against individuals from partic-
ular social or racial groups.
The big challenge is it is impossible to
take the bias out of historical/precedent
data (which reflects preconceptions that
existed in society at the time), so Deep-
Mind is innovating ways to increase algo-
rithmic fairness.
In AI terms, it is ineffective to disre-
gard sensitive factors like race or gender, or
ognize images and relate them to their surroundings).
Image recognition is important for autonomous and
semi-autonomous vehicles, delivery drones, and more.
Nicholson noted recent headlines about the dan-
gers of AI and said organizations can choose to use
technology for good. Fujitsu’s mission is to build tech-
nology that will benefit society, she said. AI acceptance
requires transparency about data, how the system
works, and—critically—why it was designed, along
with the ability to identify and minimize bias. The
power and potential of AI are balanced by the respon-
sibility to used it safely and fairly, she said. ce
Joanne Goodman, Internet of Business. This article
originally appeared on Internet of Business’ website.
Internet of Business is a CFE Media content partner.
Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engi-
neering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

22 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

2018
CAREERUPDATE
Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office
Task force on future workplace
MIT launched its task force on the Work of the Future, an Institute-wide effort
to understand and shape the evolution of jobs during an age of innovation.
M
IT launched its Task Force on the
Work of the Future, an Institute-
wide effort to understand and shape
the evolution of jobs during an age
of innovation. MIT’s provost Mar-
tin A. Schmidt announced the task force’s mission in
a letter to the MIT community.
“The MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future
takes as a guiding premise that addressing the social
and human implications of technology should not be
an afterthought, but instead should be a first concern
that pervades how we design, innovate, and take our
ideas to market, as well as what we teach our students,
the technologists of tomorrow,” Schmidt wrote.
The task force’s project is a vital part of examining
the strength of our civic fabric, said L. Rafael Reif,
MIT president. “In profound and pervasive ways,
the technologies humans invent in the present will
set the terms of our shared future. The global race to
advance those technologies has thus become a race
to determine the nature of society itself. Through the
work of the task force, we hope to help the nation
reflect on what kind of society we aspire to—and
come together to make it real.”
Make a future workplace
Since at least the Industrial Revolution, new tech-
nologies have created and replaced jobs at large scales,
while altering many other forms of work. New devel-
opments in artificial intelligence, automation, infor-
mation technology, 3-D printing, and other areas of
innovation are reshaping traditional jobs and have the
potential for further change.
Faced with an uncertain landscape and growing
concerns about the issue across the political spectrum,
the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future will
conduct an empirical, interdisciplinary, and global
study of the subject, to understand work and its possi-
ble future trajectories. The task force aims to enlighten
the linked evolution of technology and human work
and will issue findings to guide the development and
implementation of policy, and suggest how society can
continue to offer broad opportunity and prosperity.
The new initiative will build on existing MIT
scholar research and and tap into the Institute’s unique
range of scholarship. The MIT Task Force on the
Work of the Future consists of a faculty and student
research team of more than 20 members, as well as an
www.controleng.com
The task force leadership team consists of (right) David Autor,
Ford Professor of Economics and associate head of MIT’s Depart-
ment of Economics; (left) David Mindell, Frances and David Dibner
Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and
professor of aeronautics and astronautics; and (center) Elisabeth
Reynolds, executive director of MIT’s Industrial Performance
Center (IPC) and lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and
Planning. Courtesy: Melanie Gonick, MIT
external advisory board. Additional researchers will
supplement the efforts of the core task force members.
Fields include engineering and cognitive science, eco-
nomics, management, political science, anthropology,
education innovation, and the history of technology.
The task force leadership team includes David
Mindell, Frances and David Dibner Professor of the
History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and pro-
fessor of aeronautics and astronautics. Mindell, an
engineer, historian, and entrepreneur who has written
multiple books about human-machine interactions,
said he is “honored” to be co-chairing the task force.
“I believe it is the most important thing MIT can
be doing right now, as the world is clamoring for
sober, informed assessments on how we can shape
the future of technology and work.”
MIT also is launching the MIT Intelli-
gence Quest (MIT IQ), an interdisciplin-
ary project to study and develop human
and machine intelligence. The task force’s
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Career training,
ability to draw upon the latest devel- workforce development
opments from MIT IQ will help it stay MIT formed a task force on the
informed about the leading edge of intel- Work of the Future.
ligence research and its possible work- The task force will integrate
place applications. ce technology, expertise in the social
and human sciences, and public
policy.
Peter Dizikes, Massachusetts Institute of
The task force also will use MIT’s
Technology (MIT). Edited by Chris Vavra, Intelligence Quest (MIT IQ), which
production editor, Control Engineering, is studying human and machine
cvavra@cfemedia.com. intelligence.
CONTROL ENGINEEERING May 2018 • 23
2018
CAREERUPDATE
Gary Miller, Miller Resource Group
Career return on investment
Engineer your career for maximum return. Review and implement six (sometimes painful)
best practice tips to achieve a satisfying and productive career return on investment (ROI).
E
ngineers know life is about effort, and
six best practices can engineer a faster
return on career investment (ROI).
Control engineers are familiar with
Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion
that every action has an equal and opposite reac-
tion. Programming a programmable logic con-
troller (PLC) is like that, right? If this condition
is met, then another event will occur. This doesn’t
appear to play out for your career as we’ve learned
in decades of interviewing professionals.
Some of the outcomes are digital like money. You
do the work and you get paid. Some paid fairly, others
not so much. You also could be seeking or enjoying
the work itself, status, responsibility, contribution, job
security, or work-life balance. Aren’t these things the
most difficult to measure even though they are some-
times the most valuable?
Whatever the intent, the outcomes, and the mea-
surables, they are uniquely yours. It’s your time and
your investment of effort. That investment can be
modest—hoping for a small, safe return like a sav-
ings account or certificate of deposit. It can be all-out
aggressive like a venture capital-backed start up with
potential for big gains coupled with a high risk of fail-
ure. Six suggestions and ideas follow for
More engineering a career for maximum ROI.
M ANSWERS 1. Start a career direction
with a vision
KEYWORDS: Engineers,
career tips Andrew Carnegie, the great steel mag-
Engineering career advice nate of early Industrial America, once hired
Develop skills needed to reach a consultant to observe him for a week and
your career vision make recommendations for how he could
Remain in charge of your career improve his performance. At the end of
destiny. the week, the consultant gave Carnegie one
CONSIDER THIS piece of advice. Every night, before leaving
What steps have you taken to the office, write down the six most impor-
engineer your career goals this tant things to accomplish tomorrow.
week, this month, or this year? Carnegie claimed this simple tac-
ONLINE tic helped him grow his enterprise more
If reading from the digital edition, than any other behavior. If that’s true, and
click on the headline for more in fact, if a simple habit of making a “to
resources. do” list for a day is a career (and industry)
www.controleng.com/magazine
game changer, why couldn’t one benefit
See related career advice in this
issue and the full 2018 Career
from making a “to do” list for life?
and Salary Report online. Who has responsibility for painting the
www.controleng.com/CE-research picture of what you want to be when you
24 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
grow up? If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
Finding the answer doesn’t need to be any more com-
plicated than sitting down with a yellow tablet or new
computer document and brainstorming.
In 15 to 30 minutes, perhaps early with coffee or
late with a glass of wine, write down everything you
can possibly imagine you’d ever want to be, do, or
have. Quickly, they start falling into categories like,
career, financial, physical, recreation, family, spiritual,
philanthropic, etc. If one or two categories seem popu-
lar, then make separate lists.
For this exercise, focus on career goals. What
do you want to accomplish? Do you want to lead?
Do you want to invent? Do you want to help build
a company? Do you want to use your leadership to
advance in a big corporation? What’s the grandest
vision you’ve ever had for yourself?
This is the place to stretch, be crazy, and go for it.
The result should talk about career possibilities. The
bigger the stretch, the bigger the possibility. If you
never think of it, it’s unlikely to happen. If you do
think of it, it might happen, especially if you write it
down. It’s yours, and the career paper is likely to affect
every other list you make for financial, recreation,
house, family, and other areas. It’s that important.
2. Invest in yourself
Jim Rohn, the renowned motivational speaker,
said, “Work harder on yourself than you do on your
job.” What steps can you take to obtain higher returns?
The first is to develop a curious mindset about the
known world. If you’re an engineer, how much do you
think about influence, leadership, selling, and eco-
nomics? How many books on these subjects do you
read? What do the leaders of great companies read?
What do you listen to in your car during a commute?
Listening to books on these topic while driving.
Keep asking: Have you attended seminars in your
field? Taken an outside class? Have you considered
continuing your education? Would you join Toast-
masters to improve public speaking skills? Daniel
Pink’s book, “To Sell is Human” suggests that all peo-
ple are in sales, and a good salesperson always looks
for opportunity and to increase value.
If you don’t place a high value on yourself and
work on increasing it, the world will not rush to do
it for you. If you want to be a most valuable engineer
(MVE), you’ll have to do the work. Consider asking
www.controleng.com
 Adrian Williams (right), automation recruiter,
and Gary Miller, president, Miller Resource
Group, discuss strategies to help engineers
meet career goal expectations. Courtesy:
Miller Resource Group
your manager, or even an outside mentor, about how
to make a larger contribution.
3. Develop subject matter expertise
It’s wonderful to be passionate and fascinated by a
subject at the same time. A common interview ques-
tion is: “Tell me something you’re passionate about.” I
don’t care too much about the topic; I’m looking to see
if the passion muscle is there.
The same passion and thirst for knowledge I apply
to my golf obsession also is applied to the dynamic of
interviewing and learning how the best matches are
made. Any subject about communication, behavioral
psychology and economics, leadership, hiring, selec-
tion, and personality profiling are all areas of interest
for me. Those—layered with a strong interest in auto-
mation and technology advancements—have created a
calling card for me with some notoriety.
What’s your area of expertise? If nothing grabs you,
then keep searching, reading, and investigating. Soon,
a topic will reach out and grab you. Relate back to the
initial concept of vision and write it down to improve
the odds it will happen so you can say, “In five years,
I’ll be known for my expertise in (fill in the blank).”
4. Customer, team, you
In business, there are two things: marketing and
politics. Marketing is any topic that involves serv-
ing a customer. Engineering, marketing, and even
accounting all relate back to the customer in one way
or another. Politics is anything not focused on the cus-
tomer and is usually self-centered or turf-related.
Where will I sit? Whose cube is in a better place?
Will I get promoted? Will I ever get a parking space?
Is our team shining in eyes of management? What
will our bonuses be? These questions can be asked
and answered, but don’t spend one minute more than
required. Venting to peers about political problems is
a developmental ball and chain.
Keep asking, “How can my areas of focus or learn-
ing help a customer solve problems?” or, “Am I help-
ing my team get better, so we can help more customers
solve more problems?” Be that person in the market-
ing camp. Zig Ziglar, an inspirational speaker, said,
“You can get everything in life you want, if you just
help enough other people get what they want.”
5. Practice self-promotion
There are books about self-promotion, and while
this topic isn’t the key to success, it is nonetheless
important. If you had a world-changing invention, it
www.controleng.com
Engineer a more satisfying career ROI
FOLLOW THESE six best practices for a better return on
investment (ROI) in an engineering-related career, according to
Gary Miller, president, Miller Resource Group.
1. Start a career direction with a vision: write and review career
goals.
2. Invest in yourself: advance skills needed to achieve the vision.
3. Develop subject matter expertise to add value.
4. Address customer needs first, team second, and yours third.
5. Practice self-promotion.
6. Own it by being CEO of your career, vision, and the journey.
would be a good idea to let someone know. The same
is true for your career.
There’s a chance you may do all you can do to ele-
vate your value but not be in the right organization
to capitalize. If you’re visible, perhaps someone else
will give you that chance. Without egotistical self-
aggrandizement, it’s acceptable, and even expected,
to complete and update a professional LinkedIn pro-
file. Speaking at conferences, writing articles, blogging
about passionate topics help build a personal brand.
Public speaking may not be for everyone and writ-
ing can be a big step, but don’t ignore the LinkedIn
calling card. If you are ecstatic with your work envi-
ronment, you’ll be telling the world, and that helps
your team and company. It’s a no-lose proposition.
6. Own it
Great leaders take responsibility for everything
and never place blame. The same applies to you as the
CEO of your career. You’re responsible for the vision.
You start there and ensure you have the capacity, capa-
bility, resources, and energy to make it happen.
After deciding direction and taking the first step,
lead toward your destiny. Getting on a new path likely
will involve change, discomfort, trial, error, and learn-
ing. Congratulations. You’re on your way!
Gary Miller is president, Miller Resource Group. Edited
by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineer-
ing, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.
CONTROL ENGINEEERING May 2018 • 25
ANSWERS
CONVERGING IT/OT
Ashish Khushu, L&T Technology Services
Understanding the
convergence of IT and OT
Information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) are converging
to improve manufacturing operations, and offer benefits such as improved
productivity and security.
I
nformation technology (IT) and operations
technology (OT) coexist in many facilities,
but they often don’t work together. It’s vital to
understand the importance of converging IT
and OT to optimize operations and to achieve
the benefits of implementation.
Gartner defines OT as: “The hardware and soft-
ware that detects or causes a change through the
direct monitoring and/or control of physical devic-
es, processes, and events in the enterprise.”
OT is considered the backbone of modern-day
smart factories. It controls the infrastructure that
powers the plants and keeps factory lines run-
ning. The importance of OT is augmented as more
machines and their components are connected. The
IT/OT convergence
Caption
While practical examples of IT/OT convergence are not new, it’s
only now that strong technology and business reasons are driving
companies to this convergence. The convergence of IT/OT will offer
out-of-the-box integration solutions for plant automation, asset man-
agement, and manufacturing execution systems with IT apps, while
providing scale and heightened security for networks. Courtesy:
L&T Technology Services
26 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
Internet of Things (IoT) is blurring the gap between
the top floor and shop floor by providing deep vis-
ibility of the factory floor in an instant.
IT is essential to all smart enterprises. From cus-
tomer relationship management, to management
information systems to emails, everything runs on
an IT infrastructure. The worlds of IT and OT have
coexisted, but often in silos, since the start of mod-
ern manufacturing. However, with the advent of the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and integrating
network sensors and associated software with com-
plex physical machinery, the divide between IT and
OT is rapidly dissipating.
A report released by Gartner in 2011 stated the
worlds of IT and OT are converging and the benefits
would include optimized business processes, enhanced
information for better decision-making, reduced costs,
lower risks, and shortened project timelines.
Learning from IT/OT implementation
Many lessons can be learned as there are more
advancements in technology to improve IT and OT
implementation including:
Scale of implementation: Connecting billions
of devices simultaneously was a major technologi-
cal challenge in the past. This issue got resolved a
decade ago with IPv6 that enabled trillions of devices
to be connected and operate at the same time. Man-
ufacturing plants also need thousands or tens of
thousands of assets to be connected which brings
in the aspect of the scale of implementation. This is
the first lesson from IT implementers to those man-
aging OT.
Enterprise IT implementations over the years
have matured and have tested operating infrastruc-
tures where thousands of connected devices with
different functionalities handle communications in
a mesh network operating 24/7 seamlessly. It is pos-
sible to connect devices across different locations
and scale this connectivity to thousands of assets.
Security: It’s possible to implement net-
works and get them to operate with the highest
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The evolution continues. 2018.

input #14 at www.controleng.com/information

 ANSWERS
CONVERGING IT/OT

possible security. After all, security threats posed
to them would probably be the most severe given
the rewards involved for hackers. For example,
when money is withdrawn from any ATM of any
bank from any location across any country, it dis-
penses money in a predictable time. This activity
involves various processes including:
hardware and network infrastructure will help
make this journey a lot smoother.
Learning from IT/OT challenges
IT and OT have different backgrounds, but their
conjoined applicability arises from the IIoT. How-
ever, there are two key challenges for both parties

‘
IT and OT have • Identifying, authenticating, and calculating
how much the withdrawer has and how much
different back- the user can withdraw
• Dispensing money based on the denomina-
grounds, but tions of currencies available in the ATM
• Simultaneous update of the bank account
• Sends the withdrawer an instant text message
their conjoined of the transaction and balance.
applicability The system does all of this in a very predict-
able manner. Billions of transactions occur day
arises from the after day in a secure and cohesive fashion. This is
how the IIoT functions; the internet is connect-
including retentive control of systems and machines
and employee safety.
Sound security solutions should be in place with
features including:
• Identifying and authenticating all devices
and machines: All devices within the system,
be it within the plant or on the field, should be
ensured. Only approved devices and systems
should communicate with each other. This
would lessen the risk of hacking, insertion of
rogue and untrusted devices into the network,
and mitigate unwarranted control of any sys-
tems or machines.

’
IIoT. ing numerous disparate devices with many cyber-
security measures.
Stability of the infrastructure: Enterprise IT
has been around for decades and its wide adop-
tion across industries has been made it pos-
sible because of the assurance of a predictable
response in terms of quality and time, substanti-
ated by individual/organizational experiences on
daily basis. The reason for this is the infrastruc-
ture’s stability. This is where architectures come
into play.
Stability has its own challenges such as adopt-
ing and changing technologies, platforms, prod-
ucts, evolving standards, proprietary products
and standards, software, compliance, and regula-
tory challenges among others. The biggest lessons
can be learned when companies or users
• Encryption: Encrypting all communications
between IT/OT devices would ensure privacy
of the data being relayed.
• Data integrity: Ensuring the integrity of the
data generated from these systems is a high
priority. Though smart analytics are a major
driver in IIoT adoption, these are worthless
if the data is inaccurate. Manufactured goods
also contain embedded software or firmware.
Enabling the remote upgradation of these
softwares and firmwares would ensure their
integrity.
The future of IT/OT
There are plenty of opportunities going forward,

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Information
technology (IT), operations
technology (OT)
The challenges with IT/OT
implementation
The benefits of IT/OT
convergence
Improving productivity
and security with IT/OT
implementation.
CONSIDER THIS:
How can IT/OT convergence
benefit your facility operations?
ONLINE:
Read more articles about
IT/OT convergence at
www.controleng.com.
are required to adopt or evaluate new
technologies or standards. Architecture
of the underlying hardware platform,
connectivity infrastructure, applications
and software that are chosen to buy or
build, are primarily responsible for the
stability of the infrastructure.
The guiding principles, in this case,
must be architectures that should be
scalable, modular, interoperable, and
easily managed. More importantly, the
architecture should allow partners and
vendors who build or supply compo-
nents to easily fit them into the archi-
tecture. The starting point should be
the use cases that define the roadmap
based on priorities and complexities.
The interplay of the solutions architec-
ture and the architecture of the enabling
as more devices start to join the IIoT network. The
converging IT/OT will offer out-of-the-box integra-
tion solutions for plant automation, asset manage-
ment and manufacturing execution systems with
IT applications such as supply chain and enterprise
resource planning (ERP) apps at the enterprise level
and provide analytics. If the present trends contin-
ue, it is very likely that the separation between IT
and OT would fade until they become potentially
one and the same.
To ensure this, it’s vital both sides consider
the other’s expertise and point-of-view and work
together toward the the same goals of providing
optimal security and productivity. ce
Ashish Khushu, CTO, L&T Technology Services, CFE
Media content partner. Edited by Emily Guenther,
associate content manager, Control Engineering, CFE
Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com.

28 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Engineering Awards
2018 in Manufacturing

Thank you to all the individuals

who attended the 2018 Engineering Awards
in Manufacturing dinner honoring the 2017
2 0 17
Engineering Leaders Under 40 winners,
Control Engineering 2018 Engineers’ Choice
2018
Award winners and honorable mentions,
Plant Engineering 2017 Product of the Year
winners, and the 2017 Plant Engineering Top
Plant winner.

Event Sponsor

Companies in Attendance
Advanced Technology Services Fluke Digital Systems PTC
ANSTO General Motors - Warren RedViking
AutomationDirect Technical Center Regal Beloit America, Inc
Avanceon Hubbell Lighting Rockwell Automation
Baldor Electric Co. Infor Global Solutions Schneider Electric
Beckhoff Automation Ingersoll Rand Compression Sensata Technologies
Bedrock Automation Technologies & Services Siemens
BioMarin IRISS Sullair, LLC
Bosch Rexroth Kepware Taylor Guitars
Chevron LUDECA Inc. Tosibox
CMMS Data Group MartinCSI Trihedral Engineering Limited
Dataforth Corporation Metalux-Industrial, Eaton United Electric Controls
DL Manufacturing MH&W International Corp. Unitronics
Emerson New Pig Corporation Yale Materials Handling
energybank Panacea Technologies Corporation
Eruditio Panduit Yaskawa America Inc.
EXAIR Corporation Phoenix Contact
FasTest Inc. PRUFTECHNIK
ANSWERS
POWER RELIABILITY
Alan Sappe’, Cory Myer, Moritz Krink, Phoenix Contact

Secure circuit protection

Push-in fuse terminal blocks provide short-circuit protection;
seven design considerations can help your next implementation.

E
very systems manufac-
turer—from machine
builders to process
engineers—must con-
sider circuit protection.
Operators can reduce wiring time
by selecting fuse terminal blocks
with push-in connection tech-
nology. In machine building and
systems manufacturing, 5x20 mm and 6.3x32 mm
cartridge-type fuses are common. Fuse link cartridge
design is part of DIN 41571, the international stan-
dard for miniature cartridge fuses.
Fuse terminal blocks, connections
Driven by key trends in cost efficiency and minia-
turization, a variety of fuse terminal blocks have been
developed, including 4-mm² multi-level fuse blocks
for 5x20 mm cartridge fuses and 6-mm² fuse blocks
for 6.3x32 mm cartridge fuses. Disconnect termi-
nal blocks include housings to match the
Electrical overloads or short cir-
cuits in machines can cause sys-
tem downtime. Circuit protection
increases safety and reliability.
Courtesy: Phoenix Contact
4. Simple intuitive fuse termi-
nal block assemblies. Field oper-
ation and replacement of a blown
fuse element should be fast to minimize system down-
time. Automotive flat-type C fuses are used in auto-
motive and machine building manufacturing. A fuse
terminal block for compact-type C fuses according
to ISO 8820-3 and DIN 72581-3 is available. Flat type
C fuses are color-coded to denote current strength.
Automatic devices can be switched on/off, and cur-
rent paths can be enabled using an operating element.
Fuses must be replaced after tripping.
5. Less terminal width. Terminal width is sig-
nificantly less conventional miniature circuit break-
ers. This saves space in the control cabinet. Flat type C

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS:
Power protection, industrial
fuses
Short-circuit protection is
available in push-in fuse terminal
blocks.
Push-in connection technology
is gaining acceptance.
Advantages compared
to traditional connection
technologies.
CONSIDER THIS
What advantages can new
push-in fuse terminal blocks
bring to your applications?
ONLINE
If reading from the digital
edition, click on the headline for
more resources.
www.controleng.com/magazine
See related system
integrator capabilities in
Global System Integrator
Report. www.controleng.com/
Global-SI-Database
fuse block, for field application design flex-
ibility. Fast and easy push-in connection
technology is gaining acceptance in many
markets and industries. Seven advantages
compared to traditional connection tech-
nologies include:
1. Pressure-spring principle opera-
tion. With a leg spring, the conductor is
plugged into the terminal without the need
to first open the terminal point. The leg
spring pushes the conductor against the
current bar, enabling the conductor to be
inserted with 50% less insertion force com-
pared to other spring technology products.
This reduces wiring time and delivers reli-
able connections and time savings for the
builder and end user.
2. Compact housing design. Taking
advantage of a high-density housing width
of 6.2 mm and reducing the number of ter-
minal blocks required from five to two can
save 18.6 mm of space per assembly (66%
when compared to the standard 31 mm).
3. Terminal block accessories. Profes-
sional marking clearly identifies terminal
points and conductor locations.
fuse terminal blocks are available with a cross-section
of 6 mm², supporting nominal current of up to 30 A,
common for many electrical devices.
6. Standard testing. IEC 60947-7-3 terminal
block tests are described in the fuse terminal blocks
standard. Specific tests are performed on fuse termi-
nal blocks, including testing for environmental, shock
and vibration performance.
7. Testing power dissipation. To determine
temperature limits, fuse terminal blocks have ther-
mocouples to monitor temperature. The plastic
part value must be below the relative temperature
index (RTI) value (130°C for Polyamide 6.6). The
temperature for metal parts must not exceed 85°C.
ISO 8820-2 recommends a maximum load current
of 70% and DIN 72587-3 a maximum load current
of 80%. ce
Alan Sappe’ is product marketing manager, industrial
cabinet connectivity business unit, Cory Myer is prod-
uct specialist for fast connections, industrial cabinet con-
nectivity, Phoenix Contact USA; and Moritz Krink is
product manager terminal blocks, industrial cabinet
connectivity, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG; Edited
by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineer-
ing, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

30 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 2nd Annual

June 5–7, 2018

The Midwest Hyatt Magnificent Mile,
Chicago, IL
Industrial Internet
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input #15 at www.controleng.com/information
 ANSWERS
ROBOT SAFETY STANDARDS
Carole Franklin, Robotics Industries Association
Global robotics
standards update
Keeping standards up to date with technology: Industrial robot safety
standards remain in development to help lower risk for those integrating,
implementing, using, and maintaining robotics.
S
ometimes it seems safety around industri-
al equipment, including robotics, can be
very complicated. Technical experts in the
robotics industry have developed national
and international industry standards that
can help remove a lot of the mystery around robots
and safety. As technology continues to improve, so
must the standards documents.
As of March 2018, a number of new or updated
standards documents are in development
by technical experts globally. A few robot
safety standards efforts for robot manu-
facturers, integrators, and end users are
explained below.
‘
What happens when when an
employee must interact with the robot
’
system, whether loading or unloading?
International standards
The Robotic Industries Association (RIA)
works within the ISO framework to support the
development of international standards on robot-
ics. The ISO group responsible for global robotics
standards is ISO Technical Committee (TC) 299,
Robotics, and it has published an international
standard (IS) on safety requirements for industrial
robots and robot systems, as well as supplemental
documents that provide guidance on topics such
as collaborative robot safety and safety design for
manual load/unload stations.
Safety Standard: ISO 10218-1,2:2011. This doc-
ument, published in 2 parts, describes safety require-
ments that the robot manufacturers and systems
integrators must meet. Requirements for the robot,
which robot manufacturers must meet, are the topic
32 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
of Part 1 of 10218. Part 2 addresses requirements to
systems integrators for developing an overall robot
system that will help keep a safe environment for
human workers in the area.
This document is crucial for robot manufactur-
ers and integrators to obtain, understand, and use.
Suppliers to the robotics industry, and end-users of
robot systems, are encouraged to understand these
documents, as well, to help them be at their most
effective in doing business with robot manufactur-
ers and integrators.
Currently, the 10218 standard is undergo-
ing a periodic updating and the update is
planned for publication in 2021.
New ISO Technical Reports: ISO/
TR 20218-2, Safety Design for Man-
ual Load/Unload Stations. This doc-
ument is designed for use with
the 10218 standard.
ISO/TR 20218-
2:2017 aims to resolve
the difficulties that
might arise when safety
requirements for indus-
trial robots clash with safety
requirements for ergonomics. One
safety requirement for traditional (safeguarded)
industrial robot systems is to surround the robot
cell with perimeter fencing to a height of 1,400 mm.
But what happens when an employee must inter-
act with the robot system, whether loading or unload-
ing? An expectation of lifting the input or output to
a height of 1,400 mm is unreasonable from an ergo-
nomic standpoint. How can those involved resolve
and minimize these separate but related two sources
of risk (robot system vs. ergonomic risk)? This ISO TR
was developed to help answer that question.
This document is most useful for integrators and
users of robot systems.
The ISO/TR 20218-2 technical report was pub-
lished in December 2017.
ISO/DTR 20218-1, Safety Design for End-Effectors.
www.controleng.com
This document is designed for use with the 10218
standard.
The ISO/DTR 20218-1 is still in the publication
process—that’s what the “D” means in its designation
code: Draft. The goal of this document is to describe
safety best practices regarding end-effectors (end-of-
arm-tooling, or EOAT).
The industrial robot itself cannot do any work;
it must be integrated into an overall robot system,
including end-effectors, which manipulate the work-
piece and perform the work.
Some end-effectors are suitable for collaborative
work (near humans), and some are not—the risks
they present are too high. This document examines
a wide range of end-effector types, lists examples of
potential hazards from end-effectors, and gives guid-
ance to reduce risks associated with end-effectors.
This document is useful to integrators of robot
systems as well as suppliers of end-effectors and
tool changers. Industrial robot end users may also
find it valuable information to help keep their
workers safe around end-effectors.
The ISO/DTR 20218-1 is expected to be pub-
lished later in 2018. ce
Carole Franklin is director of standards development at
the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). The RIA is a
part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3),
a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske,
content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Global safety standards, robots
Safety Standard: ISO 10218-1,2:2011 is being
updated.
ISO/TR 20218-2, Safety Design for Manual Load/
Unload Stations was published in December 2017.
ISO/DTR 20218-1, Safety Design for End-Effectors is
expected later in 2018.
CONSIDER THIS
U.S. robotic safety standards are harmonized with
global robotic standards.
ONLINE
If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline
for more resources including links to related articles.
www.controleng.com/robotics
www.robotics.org

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input #16 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
ROBOTIC SAFETY
John Ritter, Rite-Hite

Create safe, efficient barriers

Automated machines and robots can create potentially dangerous hazards for
workers; barriers can be designed to lower risk and not impede operations.

A
dvances in machining and robotics have
increased operational efficiency in man-
ufacturing operations. Production and
profits would plunge if all manufactur-
ing were done by hand. While the advan-
tages of machines are undeniable, these automated
systems can create potentially dangerous hazards for
workers who operate and/or interact with them. Facil-
ities can and should protect workers by implementing
safeguards at critical points of interaction.
Recent regulatory and protocol changes by nation-
al and international governing bodies such as OSHA,
British Standard European Norm (BS EN),
and the Robotics Industries Association
The distance formula in OSHA guidelines can
assist in determining the best machine-guarding
device. The formula is: DS = K (T) + DPF.
DS stands for safety distance; K stands for the
maximum speed an individual can approach the
hazard; T stands for the total time to stop the haz-
ardous motion; and DPF stands for the depth pen-
etration factor of the safeguarding device. Per this
formula, the safeguarding product has a prescribed
location based on a number of factors, includ-
ing secondary hazards that might harm a machine
operator. This formula makes a big difference in
determining which safeguarding device a facility
should implement.

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Machine safety
Automated machines pose
potential dangers to workers.
Presence-sensing devices and
physical barriers can lower risks
and not productivity.
ONLINE
Click the head to read online at
www.controleng.com for more
information and another photo. guarding regulation, R15.06, several years
Automated barrier doors protect workers
from dangerous machine work cells and from
fumes, sparks, and debris. Courtesy: Rite-Hite reduction.
(RIA) reflect a conscious effort to pro-
tect employees working these advanced
machining technologies. Facility manag-
ers have options to comply with standards
and improve worker safety. The prop-
er safeguard depends on the application.
It’s critical to determine risk if a facility is
introducing a new automated operation.
Determine potential risk
Even before RIA updated its machine
ago to make risk assessments
mandatory, assessments have
always been a good idea.
Point-of-operation guarding
represents the intersections
of human and machine, and
safety and efficiency.
Most situations require a
machine operator to inter-
act by loading or unloading
materials or components
and “running” the machine,
so installing perimeter
guarding is rarely sufficient.
Point-of-operation details
include process layout or
design, system limits, prop-
erly identifying all associ-
ated hazards, and devising
methods for hazard
elimination and risk
Presence sensors, automated barriers
The most basic devices used for safeguard-
ing manufacturing operations are presence-sens-
ing devices such as light curtains and laser scanners.
Operations from Tier 1 automotive to small machine
shops and fabrication facilities commonly use them.
When the infrared beam is tripped, the automation
ceases.
These devices can provide acceptable safety
for some applications, but workers must adhere to
OSHA’s distance formula to reduce risk of injury.
This can lead to larger work cells. Because an infrared
beam can’t be seen, a worker who has no intention
of entering the hazardous area can accidentally trip
them, resulting in unintended delays in operations.
A fast-acting automated barrier door or roll-up
curtain can eliminate exposure to dangerous machine
movements and secondary process hazards, poten-
tially eliminating risk and the severity of exposure.
When they are coupled with safety interlocks
(up to PLe, Cat. 4 per EN “ISO 13849-1 – Safety
of Machinery” when integrated properly), auto-
mated barrier doors and roll-up curtains offer an
increased level of protection for point-of-operation
guarding. They contain secondary hazards such as
smoke, flash, splash, mist, or flying debris associ-
ated with automated welding operations by placing
a barrier between machine operators and machine
movement. ce
John Ritter, product manager, Rite-Hite Doors. Edit-
ed by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engi-
neering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

34 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 2018 Global Automation &
Manufacturing Summit
September 12th
Join Control Engineering, Plant
Engineering and Hannover Fairs
USA for the Global Automation
and Manufacturing Summit, part
of the Industrial Automation North
America (IANA) pavilion at the
2018 IMTS Show at McCormick
Place in Chicago. This one-day
summit is designed to bring plant
managers, control engineers,
and manufacturing business
leaders together to highlight plant
improvement opportunities and
deliver strategies that manufacturing
personnel can take back to their
plants and implement immediately.
Sponsored
by:
GAMS Agenda
REGISTRATION: 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
LUNCH: 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
KEYNOTE: 12:30 p.m.
Global manufacturing: The race to serve 7 billion potential
customers, and how to win the race.
In a global, competitive manufacturing environment, how can American
manufacturers compete? The same way they’ve lifted the U.S. economy
out of the Great Recession: By being smarter, leaner (and Leaner) and using
technology and data to point the way to a better manufacturing strategy.
SESSION 1: 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Cybersecurity: How far do we need to go?
The problem of security for (IIoT) is one of the most discussed issues as
manufacturers look to deploy this technology solution. We’ll look at the real
issues, perhaps debunk a few myths, and talk about the common-sense
ways manufacturers can secure their data and their operational integrity. The
presentation will be led by Dr. Richard Soley, chairman of the Industrial Internet
Consortium, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OMG (Object Management
Group) and executive director of the Cloud Standards Customer Council.
SESSION 2: 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Embrace your robot: A guide to the future
No longer a science fiction story, robots are real, valuable to manufacturing,
and winding up in more plants than ever. How can you find the best way to
utilize robots in your plant? Listen to our experts who will discuss the practical
ways robots can enhance manufacturing—and all the ways humans are still
vital to your operation. The panel will be led by a representative from the
Robotics Industries Association (RIA), a CFE Media Partner.
SESSION 3: 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
IIoT in discrete manufacturing: Managing the process
When it comes to IIoT, manufacturers in discrete industries, particularly in the
metalforming and CNC industries, have a different set of expectations from
those in the process industries—and a different set of challenges. We’ll talk
with industry experts to look at how to get the most out of IIoT, and how to
use data to improve operations, supply chain and safety.
SESSION 4: 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Maintenance and IIoT: Follow the numbers
The data generated by IIoT can point a maintenance professional to a problem
on the plant floor— if he’s looking at the right numbers at the right time. More
sophisticated analytics are helping maintenance teams focus on the right
data at the right time, and we’ll talk with them on how this strategy can lead
to more uptime and better safety. The presentation will be led by Sal Spada,
research director for discrete manufacturing for ARC Advisory Group.
COCKTAIL AND NETWORKING RECEPTION: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
After a great day of information, continue the discussion in the lobby.
Cocktails, light snacks and conversation about the day’s events will follow.
ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS: INTEROPERABLE CONTROLS
Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
Open Process
Automation status update
The Open Process Automation group, part of the Open Group, continues
to work on standards to help enable interoperable process controls.
ExxonMobil Research & Engineering, BASF, Saudi Aramco, and ARC Advisory
Group offered a progress update in February.
T
he Open Process Auto-
mation (OPA) initiative,
an effort to make process
controls more interoper-
able, was discussed by
ARC Advisory Group, Saudi Aram-
co, Open Process Automation,
BASF, and ExxonMobil.
The following experts reviewed
progress as of the 2018 ARC Forum,
in February.
• Harry Forbes is analyst at ARC
Advisory Group.
• Abdullah Alkhalifah is senior engineer-
ing consulting at Saudi Aramco Engineering
Services.
• David DeBari is OPA program prototype lead
engineer.
• Michael Krauss is senior automation manager,
control systems technology, at BASF.
• Don Bartusiak is chief engineer, process con-
trol, at ExxonMobil Research & Engineering.
Manufacturing software changes
Forbes cited a major automation supplier CEO
who said customers do not want to live in a plant
where they have to manage application software
across thousands of devices. Vendors are doing that
as they replace switches by virtualizing them.
It’s a time of breakthroughs, not incremental
improvements. Software is eating the world. Cloud
software is eating the enterprise, the edge, and the
embedded space. Cloud technology can see and
P1 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
Harry Forbes, an analyst at ARC
Advisory Group, said software
development tools for the cloud
are moving into industrial auto-
mation and other areas. Forbes
moderated a panel on open pro-
cess automation at ARC Forum
2018. Images courtesy: Mark T.
Hoske, Control Engineering
interact with lower-level systems.
Software is becoming smaller and
more secure. Software development
convergence is happening at open-
source speed.
Software development is flattening what histori-
cally has been in different classes.
State-of-the-art cloud software development
and software operations (DevOps) technology will
penetrate embedded system and embedded indus-
trial automation, development, deployment, orches-
tration and monitoring, and updates will elevate
end-user expectations for industrial automation
software. Software management at scale and over
the software lifecycle are requirements shared by
the cloud, enterprise, Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT), and OPA.
“Keep an eye on cloud. It’s coming down to
where we live, work, and manufacture,” said Forbes.
Open automation
Alkhalifah said the OPA initiative aims to
enable production of data-centric, standards-
based, open, secure, and interoperable process
automation systems.
Alkhalifah is responsible for process automation
and helps develop standards and technologies to
address process challenges.
www.controleng.com
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input #17 at www.controleng.com/information
The Emerson logo is a trademark and service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2018 Emerson Electric Co.
 ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS: INTEROPERABLE CONTROLS
The Saudi Aramco process automa-
tion system (PAS) lifecycle manage-
ment program has a long-term objective
of an open data-centric process auto-
mation concept to enable technologies,
industrial initiatives and standards, said
Alkhalifah. In 2010, faced with obsoles-
cence, the company looked at its sup-
plier model, spare parts management,
in-house technical support, and reliabil-
ity driven replacement, all of which pre-
sented challenges with a long-term view
of using proprietary architectures.
Doing so pointed to obsolescence at
‘
various levels: inputs and outputs (I/Os),
devices, controllers, and human-machine
interfaces (HMI) all with different lives
for expiration.
A new plan sought to eliminate mul-
tiple layers and make a flat network,
decouple controllers, and replace the
control system with a reliable communi-
cation framework.
The new solution sought to avoid
wholesale replacements and distribute
control capabilities throughout the archi-
tecture. The safety system at the bottom
would not be touched.
I/O modules were I/O only and con-
nected to a real-time databus. Control-
lers were hardware and software-based.
These attributes require a data-
centric, open standard, using a publish/
subscribe communication protocol, serv-
ers for HMI and controller virtualization,
a high availability computing platform,
interchangeable basic I/O, hardware-
or software-based controllers, built-in
cybersecurity, and application portability.
After joining the Open Group, Saudi
Aramco has been working on an in-
house system for the end of 2018. The
company solicited participation in a
demonstration system to help with the
learning curve.
input #18 at www.controleng.com/information
P3 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
Cloud software develop-
ment tools are eating into
all other areas touching
industrial automation, as the
graphic shows, according
to Harry Forbes, an analyst
at ARC Advisory Group, at
ARC Forum 2018.
Based on the learning
curve, the company began to
realize that using a data dis-
tribution service is not as simple as
expected. A lot of time is required form-
ing an information model.
Saudi Aramco is committed to
working with the Open Automation
Forum on a data-centric, publish/
subscribe collaborate automation plat-
form based on open technology. The
hope is to preserve current invest-
ments and use commercial-off-the-
shelf (COTS) technologies and provide
mechanisms for easier integration or
partial replacement.
Proof-of-concept system
uses a real-time advanced
computing platform. It
controls a simulated process
unit using proportional-
integral-derivative and
’
constraint control.
OPA program status
DeBari gave an OPA status update.
OPA creates a system of systems puts a
distributed control system as just another
peer among other elements in the OPA
architecture vision, rather than a top of
layer hierarchy.
A running proof-of-concept system
uses a real-time advanced computing
platform. It controls a simulated pro-
cess unit using proportional-integral-
derivative (PID) and constraint control.
The demonstration took I/O and logic
and broke it into three distributed con-
trol nodes (DCNs).
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input #19 at www.controleng.com/information

 ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS: INTEROPERABLE CONTROLS
Because most process controls run faster than
the application requirements, this slows down to
100 milliseconds, deemed as fast as would be need-
ed to run anything.
Interoperability’s definition and objective: Abil-
ity of two components to exchange meaningful
information and interoperation among vendors to
allow integration of the best components and to
foster competition and innovation in the market-
place, permitting customization and fit-for-purpose
solutions.
‘
Configuration and application portability
allows sharing configurations from one
’
application to another.
Interchangeability is when a component can be
replaced with another from another vendor with-
out modification. A Raspberry Pi 3 can be swapped
with an Intel prototype DCN. It was redeployed
without changing IEC 61499 control logic and
without re-engineering the control logic. (IEC is the
International Electrotechnical Commission, a global
standards organization.)
Configuration and application portability allows
sharing configurations from one application to
another.
Preserving asset owner’s custom configuration,
intellectual property (IP), and aid the use of lead-
ing-edge capabilities, allows integration of best-in-
class components.
Application development flexibility would have
an app store concept to support use of best-in-class
algorithms, open the market to innovation, and pre-
serve custom configurations.
ExxonMobil’s vision for OPA is to have technical
readiness by 2021. More participants are encour-
aged, and the organization seeks partners for col-
laboration and field trials because ExxonMobil’s
needs may differ from other users.
(Additional end users involved in OPA include
Dow, DuPont, Georgia-Pacific, Merck, and Statoil,
among others.)
New approach needed
Krauss at BASF offered a perspective on
NAMUR with help from Don Bartusiak, Exxon-
Mobil and the Open Group. NAMUR is a German
acronym for the user association of automation
technology in the process industries.
Krauss asked, “Why is a new approach needed?”
This effort is the culmination of 20 years of meg-
atrends: fieldbuses, asset management, computer-
P5 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING
aided engineering (CAE) for integrated engineering,
distributed control systems, standard data exchange
for CAE and DCS, and SAP-R/3 integration of DCS
among others. “More disruptive changes are needed
because we’re not there yet,” Krauss said. “We’re lack-
ing platforms interfaces and data models.”
NAMUR Open Architecture is proven and
accepted, highly available, and designed for mature
systems for sustainable operations with a long life-
cycle. The architecture is not open; if technologies
are integrated slowly or not at all, there’s no room
for trial and error. Will the industry lose the abil-
ity to innovate? Open architecture covers the field
level, basic automation, manufacturing execution
systems, and enterprise resource planning.
The module-type package (MTP) is a standard
nonproprietary description of modules for process
automation. The MTP addresses plant engineering
and the process control level.
Bartusiak said the groups are working on finding
common ground around user needs and coalescing
efforts in one reference architecture. Compared to
the traditional OSI model, this collapses levels 1-3.
NAMUR functional requirements can be supported
by the OPA architecture and gateways can be pro-
vided to existing (legacy) devices. The difference is
the trajectory to the ultimate solution. The Open
Group, ZVEI (the German Electrical and Electron-
ic Manufacturers’ Association) and NAMUR agreed
on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in
October 2017 to share work documents in process.
Goal is common promotion and internationaliza-
tion of standards into IEC standards. There’s no
conflict, he suggested; the groups are coalescing to
a critical mass for change.
Bartusiak also mentioned there’s a critical mass
among end users for change and a wider spirit of
compromise and cooperation, with determination
to learn from earlier failed efforts, such as MAP
(before its time) and fieldbus wars (which had
many vendors protecting their own interests).
Benefits of open process automation
At another session at the ARC Forum, Kenny
Warren, vice president of engineering, ExxonMobil
Research & Engineering, said that OPA efforts ben-
efit end users and automation vendors.
For end users, the benefits of open process auto-
mation include:
• Support reuse of control system applications
• Increase value creation
• Enable continuous innovation
• Solve system integration issues
• Be safe and intrinsically secure
• Empower workforce and reduce total
cost of ownership (TCO).
www.controleng.com
 For suppliers, open process automa-
tion benefits include ability to:

• Reach new markets and customers

while remaining relevant to existing
‘
For NAMUR, open architecture covers the field

level, basic automation, manufacturing execution

’
customers
• Create new goods and services systems, and enterprise resource planning.
• Grow the bottom line by increasing
margins and reducing costs.

Warren said this is important to

ExxonMobil and other companies sup-
porting The Open Group because tests
and trials will improve data acquisition
and analytics. They can monetize opera-
tions and provide a globally consistent
above-site approach, constancy, and
transparency over time.

Open instead of closed

Replacing a closed layer with open
one will widen the path to increased
productivity, Warren suggested. The
industry today is less like the hardware-
defined architecture of 1980s. The inter-
net, cloud, robotics, machine learning,
and AI, need a standards-based, open
interoperable digital architecture.
Because the industry is chang-
ing at faster speeds and innovation are
vital, Warren said. He closed by asking,
“Where will you be in 10 years?” ce

Mark T. Hoske is content manag-

er, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Interoperable controls, Open
Process Automation
Open Process Automation, part of the
Open Group, is working on interoperable
process controls.
NAMUR is working on a similar effort.
Cooperation seems likely to increase after
an MOU.
ONLINE
Need to catch up? Search on ExxonMobil
at www.controleng.com to see prior
coverage on this topic.
CONSIDER THIS
Preserving investments in automation
seems likely to increase efficiency, add
functionality, and speed upgrades.

CONTROL ENGINEERING May 2018 • P6

input #20 at www.controleng.com/information
 ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS: USING PROCESS MODELS
Philip Lyman, CRB

Why build a process model?

See 10 reasons for using a process model with more info online.

A
process model can be anything from a 3. Size a utility system. Manufacturing plants
simple spreadsheet to a complex model often have many utility demands, some of which may

M More
ANSWERS
that includes all aspects of a real-world
manufacturing plant. However, the best
model does not include everything. It only includes
be poorly characterized. Factors such as sanitization
schedules and preventive maintenance can affect the
delivery of critical utilities. Without the availability
KEYWORDS: Process
model, process modeling what is necessary to answer questions. of these utilities, when needed, the throughput and/
Determine equipment One question to consider is: Under what cir- or the product quality may be impacted. Rather than
number and sizing for a cumstances is a model and simulation project likely guessing a value, simulation allows for quantifying
facility design to add the most value? and fixing the level of over-design.
Check for process 1. Determine equipment number and sizing 4. Optimize the layout. Alternative layouts can
bottlenecks for a facility design. For example, how many bio- be quantitatively compared with a model so the best
Map material flow into a reactors and purification trains are needed to meet one in terms of operability and cost can be selected.
large facility.
the 10-year forecasted demands? 5. Determine staffing. When does it make sense
ONLINE 2. Check for process bottlenecks. Most pro- to add another operator or another shift?
Link to additional online cesses are very complicated—lots of equipment and 6. Optimize a laboratory. This may mean chang-
resources, process resources. Sometimes, the bottleneck varies over ing the layout, adding the right number of pieces of
modeling and related
content at www.controleng. time or as a function of process variability. Know- test equipment, or streamlining operations.
com/archives, under May ing where a bottleneck is and how to constrain it 7. Clean each piping segment. Cleaning in place
2018. can help improve throughput. could be a bottleneck in a complicated piping network.

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input #21 at www.controleng.com/information
Scan to learn more about
Allied Moulded and the latest in
nonmetallic enclosures & accessories.

Or connect with us online!

222 North Union Street • Bryan, Ohio 43506
Ph: 800-722-2679 • Fx: 800-237-7269
© 2018 Allied Moulded Products, Inc. www.alliedmoulded.com
 8. Map material flow into a large facility. Raw
materials must be moved from the warehouse for
weighing and dispensing and then onto solution
prep. If they are late, the buffer could be late, and
the product batch may be impacted. Conversely, if
materials are too early or the buffer prep scheduling
is too conservative, extra inventory and associated
costs could result.
9. Reduce costs. Understand all the elements
of the cost structure. Where should attention be
focused to reduce the cost? Is it focused on the easy
way to change elements, or is it focused on the ele-
ments with the biggest impact.
10. Learn more about the process being
modeled. This insight often leads to unexpected
improvements. For example, one client was pleased
to learn how to increase capacity by 25% without a
costly capital project.
If any of these items describes your manufactur-
ing plant, consider process modeling and simula-
tion as an efficient method of learning new ways to
improve processes and operations. ce

Philip Lyman is director of process simulation at CRB,

a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Jack Smith,
content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering, The top 10 reasons why you should build a process model.
jsmith@cfemedia.com. Courtesy: CRB

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input #22 at www.controleng.com/information

INNOVATIONS See more New Products for Engineers.
www.controleng.com/NP4E PE
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

Portable oscilloscope probe saves battery life

The IkaScope WS200 has a 30 MHz bandwidth and 200 MHz sampling rate and is an ergonomic
tool designed to provide quick and reliable diagnostic in many on-the-field applications. Ikalogic’s
ProbeClick allows the probe tip to sense pressure and start/stop a measurement automatically. This
feature also allows battery life savings, as the power consuming circuitry only operate when the
probe tip is pressed and being used to transmit a signal. Isolated measurements gives IkaScope yet
another advantage over traditional oscilloscopes. Even when a USB is plugged in to recharge its 420
mAH battery, an integrated transformer guarantees isolation from the USB’s ground. This avoids
ground loops from occurring and protects both the measured device as well as the oscilloscope.
Ikalogic, www.ikalogic.com Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information

Wireless sensors for temperature, vibration tracking

Nikola Labs’ PfM predictive maintenance sensor system is designed to capture vibra-
tion and temperature (two of the biggest predictors of equipment malfunction) to
monitor the condition of operating equipment and ultimately optimize maintenance
programs for industrial and manufacturing facili-
ties. PfM consists of completely wireless sensors for
temperature and vibration tracking that is remotely
powered by and communicate with transponders.
It is able to predict equipment failures and monitor
in extreme and remote conditions. It also monitors
points of weakness to help operators better deter-
mine when to fix versus replace. Multi-volt timer
Nikola Labs, www.nikola.tech NSI Industries’ Tork 1109A dual volt-
Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information age mechanical timer features volt-
ages ranging from 120 to 277 V ac,
replacing all single voltage switches.
Safety-based This multi-volt timer is cULus cer-
communications protocol tified to control all LED products in
indoor (1109A) and outdoor (1109A-
Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley Guard-
O) applications. This reliable timer is
master GuardLink safety system is a safety-based
designed for residential and commer-
communications protocol designed to help oper-
cial use for a variety of loads requiring
ators reduce and improve machine diagnostics
automatic on and off during a 24-hour
and downtime while increasing productivity.
cycle when operation is required at
Connect safety devices in series while providing access to individual device diagnostics.
the same time every day, saving ener-
This system provides safety, diagnostics, remote reset and lock command over one four-
gy, money, and providing safety and
conductor cable with up to 32 devices per link. Customers can greatly reduce installation
security. Designed for a minimum ON
cost, with up to 38% reduction in wiring, when using GuardLink.
time of 20 minutes with a minimum
Rockwell Automation, www.rockwellautomation.com OFF setting of 75 minutes, the tim-
Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information
er’s dial accommodates up to 12 pairs
of tripper tabs. The timer also features
Precision limit switches a manual override. Built to withstand
AutomationDirect’s Metrol mini stopper and stopper harsh environments, the product fea-
bolt precision limit switches are designed to improve tures a sealed motor, eliminating ele-
safety application. Mini stopper limit switches incor- ments from interfering with the timer
porate a mechanical stop along with the limit switch operations, which extends unit life. A
function, eliminating the need for a separate stop in removable door allows for easy instal-
many applications. With 10 micron repeatability, long lation and the timer is lockable for
service life, and high contact force, these stainless added security. Short circuit rating is
steel switches are ideal for use in precision indexing/positioning applications. Stop- 120/208-277-V, 5KA. The timer fea-
per bolt limit switches can take the place of a stop bolt and a separate switch for indi- tures a NEMA 1 rated indoor lockable
cation. Metrol stopper bolt precision limit switches incorporate a mechanical stop enclosure, and the outdoor model has
along with the limit switch function and provide two tasks with one device by hous- an indoor/outdoor NEMA 3R rating.
ing a high-accuracy switch in a stopper bolt. NSi Industries, www.nsiindustries.com
AutomationDirect, www.automationdirect.com Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information

44 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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Input #103 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #104 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #105 at controlengineering.hotims.com

ce2014_digitlEditn_6th.indd 1
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eNewsletters Go online to view the weekly

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46 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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Letters to the editor: Please e-mail us your opinions to Load Controls Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .P8 . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . .WWW.LOADCONTROLS.COM
MHoske@CFEMedia.com or fax 630-214-4504. Letters should
include name, company, and address, and may be edited. TDK-Lambda Americas Inc. . . . . . .P6 . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . .www.us.tdk-lambda.com
Information: For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar,
email Trudy Kelly at TKelly@CFEMedia.com. WAGO Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P4 . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . .www.wago.us
Marketing consultants: See ad index.
Custom reprints, electronic: Marcia Brewer,
Wright’s Media, 281-419-5725, mbrewer@wrightsmedia.com REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about products and advertisers in this issue by using
the http://controleng.com/information link and reader service number located near each.
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directly, please let them know you read about them in Control Engineering.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING May 2018 • 47

 INNOVATIONS
BACK TO BASICS | PROJECT DESIGN
Frank Lamb, Automation Primer

Six tips for designing and

building a small controls project
Ordering and specifying parts, building the system, and programming should be considered
to make building a small controls project as smooth as possible.

A
small, properly executed controls proj-
ect can be expensive and time consum-
ing. The skills often required to do even
a small project such as computer-aided
design (CAD), wiring, design, and pro-
gramming are different skill sets. The six steps below
can help make design and building easier.
3. Ordering parts
Procurement of parts may involve some shopping
around. Of course price is important, but don’t spend
too much time trying to save a few pennies. Lead-time
is also a consideration. Keep all documents and paper-
work for received components. Some may end up in
the project binder, and packing lists can be used to ref-

M More ANSWERS 1. Specifying parts

Describe the project on paper with as much detail
erence purchase orders and possible returns later.

4. Building the system

KEYWORDS: project
design, control system
A small controls project
may require assistance.
Consider wiring, panel
fabrication, and bracketry
in the design and build
phase.
Knowledge software is
required for PLC or HMI
systems.
as possible. Identify requirements—and potential
future/expansion possibilities—in the document.
Determine availability of utilities such as pneumat-
ics, 480/120 V power, cubic feet per minute (CFM),
and amperage. This should provide enough informa-
tion to determine if a programmable logic control-
ler (PLC), individual discrete control components
such as temperature controllers, timers, counters, or
a human-machine interface (HMI) is needed.
There are a lot of skills and tools required for wir-
ing, panel fabrication, and bracketry. Among these
are panel layout (drilling, tapping, and “pinging”
drill points), panel prep (cutting of din-rail, wireway,
and component cutouts), wiring (ferrule crimping,
wire stripping, and labeling), possible millwork, and
painting. There are also legal requirements that must
be met for wire sizing, grounding, and cabling/con-
duit outside the enclosure (field wiring).

ONLINE 2. Designing the system 5. Programming and software design

Read this article online at
www.controleng.com for
more info and links to other
posts from Automation
Primer.
This step requires some knowledge of electrical
and mechanical design. For a small project items can
be sketched by hand to determine sizes; one-line dia-
grams can be created for electrical requirements.
For systems involving a PLC or HMI, knowledge
of the platform’s software is required here. This soft-
ware can often be expensive so it should be taken
into account during the specification design phase.
Will the customer have the software? Is there a
licensing fee involved? Is there local support for trou-
bleshooting or modification, or can the customer do
it themselves?

6. Starting up and debugging

Most experienced programmers know not to
worry too much about small mistakes during the
programming and software phase, they will be dis-
covered and fixed easily after the system is powered
up. This is where the system gets fully tested before
going into production. Larger systems may need a
factory acceptance test (FAT) and a site acceptance
test (SAT). ce

Frank Lamb is the founder of Automation Consulting

Aspects such as ordering and specifying parts, building the system,
and programming should be considered when designing and building
a small controls project. Courtesy: Frank Lamb, Automation Primer
LLC, and is on the Control Engineering Editorial Advi-
sory Board. This article appeared on Automation Prim-
er’s blog. Automation Primer is a CFE Media content
partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Con-
trol Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

48 • May 2018 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

Defend Against the
Bounce Pass
YASKAWA
AMERICA

When you call Yaskawa’s FREE technical service hotline,

you won’t get bounced around from person to person,
explaining your problem over and over again. You’ll get
answers – and you’ll get them with the help of the first
person that answers the phone.

Our customer support associates ready to take your call

any time of day or night. They are knowledgeable. They
are experienced. They are friendly.

At Yaskawa, our people are committed to having the right

answers for you. Because to them, it’s not just a job –
it’s personal.

Take a pass on getting bounced around.

Call Yaskawa today.

input #23 at www.controleng.com/information

Yaskawa America, Inc. Drives & Motion Division 1-800-YASKAWA yaskawa.com For more info: http: http://go.yaskawa-america.com/yai1153
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input #24 at www.controleng.com/information