A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is a computer network that measures, controls, and analyzes an industrial process.  In a SCADA system, controllers communicate with intelligent sensors to collect data which is graphically represented to end-users in real time.  SCADA systems save time and money by eliminating the need for constant human monitoring or frequent site visits because systems can be controlled remotely.  SCADA is crucial for complex processes, such as automating water systems, and it is useful for small applications, such as climate control.

We believe that getting clear, accurate data in real time will help your company improve efficiency, increase safety, mitigate downtime, and process data for smarter decisions.  Our team will design your SCADA architecture, develop the software to your exact needs, install the complete network, and provide commissioning and training.

Industrial equipment and machines require defined functions and orderly

control to achieve their various process goals. Electrical control panels carry out these functions within manufacturing equipment. An understanding of what they are highlights their critical importance to industry.

In its simplest terms, an electrical control panel is a combination of electrical devices which use electrical power to control the various mechanical functions of industrial equipment or machinery.

Pneumatic control systems use compressed air to receive and send the signals that control HVAC equipment. And there’s a reason pneumatic controls have been around for decades.

In building automation system (BAS) applications, many pneumatic sensors, transmitters, and transducers perform essentially the same function in an HVAC system: they sense a physical characteristic and provide a signal to an external control device. The air pressure in the control line triggers the action or position of a valve or damper in the external device. Thus, several pneumatic devices—including those below—fall within the broad category of “pressure controls.”

Servo control is the regulation of velocity and position of a motor based on a feedback signal. The most basic servo loop is the velocity loop. The velocity loop produces a torque command to minimize the error between velocity command and velocity feedback. Most servo systems require position control in addition to velocity control. The most common way to provide position control is to add a position loop in “cascade” or series with a velocity loop. Sometimes a single PID position loop is used to provide position and velocity control without an explicit velocity loop.

A hydraulic system controls the transmission of energy. It transforms the mechanical energy of a prime motor into fluid energy. It controls the fluid configuration and transforms the fluid energy into mechanical work at specified locations. Hydraulic systems feature high power density, sensitive response and precision of control, especially when operating under computer control. Thus, they have been widely used as the energy transmission control systems in aircraft, ships, construction machinery, machine tools and others. Therefore, it is indispensable for a mechanical engineer to become versed with hydraulic control technology. The technology is mainly associated with fluid mechanics and control theories, but it is related to the wider field of engineering as well.

Mechanical Control Systems specializes in acoustics, firestopping, vibration isolation, and seismic design for Mechanical/HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, and Fire Protection systems. Not only supplying the material, but also applying our knowledge using the most up to date building codes to present the best solution.

Mechanical engineering design includes all mechanical design, but it is a broader study because it includes all the disciplines of mechanical engineering, such as the thermal fluids and heat transfer sciences too.

Agricultural automation is the core technology for computer-aided agricultural production management and implementation. An integration of equipment, infotronics, and precision farming technologies, it creates viable solutions for challenges facing the food, fiber, feed, and fuel needs of the human race now and into the future.

Lower operating cost: Industrial automation eliminates healthcare costs and paid leave and holidays associated with a human operator. Further, industrial automation does not require other employee benefits such as bonuses, pension coverage, etc. Above all, although it is associated with a high initial cost it saves the monthly wages of the workers which leads to substantial cost savings for the company. The maintenance cost associated with machinery used for industrial automation is less because it does not often fail. If it fails, only computer and maintenance engineers are required to repair it.

What is process automation? Whereas task automation focuses on accomplishing a repeated action, service automation is more complex. It involves delivery of service rather than optimization of a task. Here’s a quick example of how they differ:

• Motion sensitive lights are a task automation. Instead of turning on the lights manually via a switch (task), the automation removes the manual action to deliver the result.
• Submitting a maintenance request to replace a burnt-out light is a form of process automation. It automates the many tasks to elicit the maintenance (process ) from the correct department in a timely manner.

process automation is also called “service orchestration,” because it involves coordinating multiple processes to produce a result. Whereas task automation fulfills a specific action, service automation streamlines a process with many variables and possible outcomes. Motion sensitive lights always turn on when triggered; every maintenance request is different.

Automating a service

Before they can automate a service, companies need to understand the capacity in which it’s utilized by employees and what the demand is. Often, the best candidates for service automation are services:

1. Utilized frequently by employees; i.e. desk booking
2. Utilized in a broad capacity by different groups; i.e. maintenance ticketing
3. With barriers to obtaining them; i.e. scheduling a standing desk installation

In any case of process automation, the “automation” enables the service by streamlining the solicitation of that service. Instead of going through process X, Y, and Z to gain access to a service in a special capacity, automation condenses X, Y, and Z to X.