This morning, I came across two articles I thought were worth sharing. They’re both about industrial networks, but from two entirely different angles.
The first article is written by a network engineer at a manufacturing plant. The gist of it is something we at Lesman talk about often with our customers: Buy what you need. In this case, he’s talking about Ethernet switches for light manufacturing and assembly operations, where a field-hardened industrial ethernet switch may be overkill (and out of your budget).
There’s usually a good-better-best scenario in most instrumentation decisions. Would you like to buy the best of everything? Yes. Would your instrumentation salesperson like you to? Of course. But an instrumentation provider that’s really working on your behalf will give you this advice: Look at your needs first, and buy what best matches them.
You can read the full story, Don’t Over-Specify Ethernet Switches, at ControlDesign.com
The second article was originally published in InTech magazine, and is a great example of how a customer not only uses an industrial wireless mesh network, but continues to find new functionality and time- and cost-savings after it was put in place.
If you’re considering industrial wireless, and not quite sure if it’s right for you, take a look at how this Central U.S. refinery has implemented a wireless mesh network in their plant. Sometimes, it’s easier to envision a technology in your own plant when you see how it works for some other guy.
The article has everything from general goals, specific applications, the break-even point (that the customer has already achieved), and the lessons learned from the process.
You can read Finding the Unexpected Benefits of Wireless, written by Honeywell’s Andrew Nolan, at ISA.org.
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Looking for more on industrial networking and wireless technology? The Lesman team recently released our latest Industrial Wireless Solutions Guide, a 48-page catalog that will walk you through the different wireless technologies, instrument options for each, and applications where wireless has proven successful. It’s free, and available now at Lesman.com. (4.9MB PDF… please be patient as it loads.)
Do you have a question about wireless? What confuses you most? What concerns do you have about putting in a wireless system? Ask me.
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