3/27/2023 - Anita O'Brien, Services and Solutions Business Manager
With unemployment at a low, technology advancing faster every day, and experienced employees retiring, that can leave a huge skills gap in your workforce. Learning + and the new Learning + Enhanced can bridge this gap and keep your facility running at peak efficiency.
3/7/2023 - Greg Powell, Director of Enterprise Solutions
Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and industrial manufacturing are a pressing concern, with ransomware being the most popular among threat actors. This post highlights three effective strategies for safeguarding your facility against such threats.
2/8/2023 - Greg Powell, Director of Enterprise Solutions
Manufacturers should improve operational technology security by increasing asset visibility, segmenting the network, and continuously detecting threats.
12/20/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Part III of our In and Out Trilogy - Understanding SineWave Filter Applications.
11/30/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Part II of our In and Out Trilogy - an overview and introduction to dv/dt filtration.
10/12/2022 - Anita O'Brien, Rexel Technical Consultant
Gaps in skills and knowledge in your facility don't have to hold you back. There are convenient training options to keep your employees at the top of their game.
8/10/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Part I of our In and Out Trilogy - Line reactors may be optional for your drive installation, but there are several benefits you may be missing out on.
7/1/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
This article addresses analog scaling to the analog input to the PowerFlex 525 drive. The example is a 4-20mA signal with a different minimum or maximum frequency output from the drive.
6/2/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
60% of all electrical energy is from electrical motors. Learn how you can save energy that exists with air compressors, fans, and pumps in your facility.
5/24/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Learn the facts about multiple motors on one VFD solutions to reoccurring issues.
5/20/2022 - Chris Williams, Rexel Technical Consultant
Discover how to increase performance and flexibility with ethernet-based servo drives.
5/18/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
This blog will address the three operation models and when to use each mode of the VFD drive in a variety of heavy-duty applications.
5/5/2022 - Will Cole, Rexel Technical Consultant
Machine safety is an important topic whenever you have moving hazards like motors and conveyors. This post will discuss using trapped key interlocks and access/control locking modules.
5/4/2022 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
This post will discuss two of the three operations modes to allow for the best and most reliable characteristics of the drive, improving the performance of pumps and fans.
3/31/2022 - Horizon Solutions
Horizon Solutions won the inaugural Ecosystem Award at the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork conference for our Business Intelligence in a Box offering, which is a solution bundle.
3/8/2022 - Joe Amorese, Rexel Technical Consultant
FactoryTalk Logix Echo emulation software for ControlLogix 5580 controllers offers a convenient way to save time during prototyping, design, and testing. Let's look at reasons to try it.
3/2/2022 - Eric Haff, Rexel Technical Consultant
Are your patch policies set up to protect your production computers? Are you on top of upcoming patches? Learn how to manage your patch policies to avoid costly downtime.
Did you know that terminating a VFD cable differs from terminating other shielded cables? Terminating the cable and its shield correctly is essential to system performance and reliability.
2/15/2022 - Austin Desmond, Rexel Technical Consultant
Making the right Studio 5000 software selection can be confusing. This post breaks down the selection process for Logix Controllers, including CompactLogix and ControlLogix.
2/1/2022 - Eric Haff, Rexel Technical Consultant
If you work in an industrial setting, an IDMZ (industrial demilitarization zone) might be the cybersecurity component you need to protect your employees and productivity.
1/18/2022 - Marcia Pohl, Rexel Technical Consultant
Is unexplained downtime costing you sleep, productivity, and money? A process controller can help! Learn how to gain more visibility and find issues faster to get up and running quickly.
1/4/2022 - Anita O'Brien, Rexel Technical Consultant
Why are industrial companies a target for cybercrime? In the industrial world, we have a lot of systems that are more than 20 years old. These legacy systems often have insecure designs.
12/14/2021 - Will Cole, Rexel Technical Consultant
Rexel Technical Specialist Will Cole talks about the move from Allen-Bradley Bulletin 140M to 140MT motor protection circuit breakers (MPCB).
12/7/2021 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Are you ready to move away from mechanical starters to a solid-state, non-wearing drive that can do so much more than a starter? Learn how to convert to a PowerFlex 4M drive.
12/1/2021 - Tom Hopkins, Rexel Technical Consultant
Are phantom issues plaguing your machines and causing downtime? PQ issues could be to blame. Learn how to improve power quality in your facility with the right solutions.
11/23/2021 - Scott DeVost, Rexel Technical Consultant
CIP Safety devices confirm data integrity and go into a safe state when errors occur. Learn how to apply CIP Safety in your facility with Allen-Bradley products from Rockwell Automation.
10/26/2021 - Rexel
If you read our blog, you know we put our specialists to work. But did you know we also provide downloadable resources that you can take with you? We have a free growing library.
10/12/2021 - Michael Martinson, Rexel Technical Consultant
Meet lockout/tagout requirements with help from the experts. Learn how Rockwell Automation can help you maintain compliance at your facility with several convenient options to choose from.
10/5/2021 - Chris Williams, Rexel Technical Consultant
In this blog, first we’ll look at single-loop control and its potential issues. Then we’ll learn about dual-loop servo control and the circumstances under which it may be a good solution.
9/28/2021 - David Kew, Rexel Technical Consultant
To stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing marketplace, manufacturers need fast access to intelligent, actionable operational data. Learn how FactoryTalk Edge Gateway can help.
9/14/2021 - Tom Hopkins, Rexel Technical Consultant
We all know e-stops on automated machinery are a requirement. But what is the best way to apply and position them, especially for long spans? Cable pull switches are an option.
8/31/2021 - Jim Bischoff, Rexel Technical Consultant
Let’s look at five reasons to start your digital transformation. Even if you’re working within a budget or have limited capital, there is always a way to start or continue your journey.
8/24/2021 - Scott DeVost, Rexel Technical Consultant
For applications requiring a steady 24V DC power source, a redundant power supply is a backup power supply in the event of a failure. This blog looks at your options for avoiding loss of power.
8/17/2021 - Kevin Beach, Rexel Technical Consultant
When it comes to cables between VFDs and AC motors, the rules have changed dramatically in recent years. And now with the NFPA 79 2021 edition, there have been some more minor changes.
8/3/2021 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Go from the PowerFlex 4 drive series to the PowerFlex 523 drive series with step-by-step instructions. This is the seventh installment of our Allen-Bradley drive modernization series.
7/27/2021 - Joe Amorese, Rexel Technical Consultant
Over time, Rockwell Automation deployed different software activation techniques. The original FactoryTalk Activation used Flexera technology and most recently moved to CodeMeter.
7/0/2021 - Andy Lussier, Rexel Technical Consultant
In this blog, we discuss the control theory in servo and motion control systems at a high level, covering a wide variety of topics. It is this very control theory that makes a servo a servo.
7/13/2021 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Go from the PowerFlex 40 drive series to the PowerFlex 525 drive series with step-by-step conversion instructions. This is the sixth installment of our Allen-Bradley drive modernization series.
5/25/2021 - Eric Haff, Rexel Technical Consultant
Learn about subnets, breaking your industrial network into smaller networks, reducing broadcast traffic. This post will increase your networking knowledge, helping you improve your networks.
5/19/2021 - Anita O'Brien, Rexel Technical Consultant
Ready to streamline your maintenance process while reducing downtime and lowering costs? Learn how to make scheduling, organizing, and tracking maintenance easier than ever with Fiix CMMS.
5/27/2021 - Mark Brant, Rexel Technical Consultant
When it comes to industrial networks, finding the right solution can be tricky. Let’s compare networking safety solutions, including relay-, PLC-, and ethernet-based safety solutions.
4/20/2021 - Tom Hopkins, Rexel Technical Consultant
Consider the features and cost savings of an SMC. There are new SMC platforms that you should be aware of. For applications that don’t require variable speed, take a second look.
4/6/2021 - Chris Williams, Rexel Technical Consultant
There are a number of types of servo motor brakes and choosing the right one depends on your needs. Let’s look at some types, including holding brakes, dynamic brakes, and safety brakes.
4/1/2021 - David Kew, Rexel Technical Consultant
FactoryTalk AssetCentre software is a centralized tool, featuring change and version management, disaster recovery, lifecycle management, operator track and trace, and system security.
3/23/2021 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Learn torque regulation with PowerFlex 750 drive series from a drives specialist. This blog will take you through a deep dive, complete with diagrams, system screenshots, and instructions.
3/9/2021 - Scott DeVost, Rexel Technical Consultant
Are you protecting your 24-volt loads? Let’s go through five reasons to use an electronic circuit protector: design, class 2 protection, reset and monitoring, manual current, and IO-Link.
3/2/2021 - Andy Lussier, Rexel Technical Consultant
A deeper understanding of your application typically dictates the technology direction: VFD or servo. This blog outlines some of the technology differences between the two solutions.
2/3/2021 - Jim Bischoff, Rexel Technical Consultant
Have you heard of the Internet of Industrial Things (IIoT)? Learn how IO-Link makes manufacturing smarter, helping people make better decisions to improve productivity and profitability.
2/9/2021 - Kevin Beach, Rexel Technical Consultant
In this high-tech manufacturing world, the issues of electrical noise and methods to mitigate it are of high importance. In this one, we look at the EMC filtering options available in VFDs.
2/2/2021 - Joe Amorese, Rexel Technical Consultant
Your control system must be able to withstand disruptions. A high availability Logix-based system may be the solution. Rockwell Automation has two offerings: redundancy and hot backup.
1/26/2021 - Rexel
Networking manuals can look more like alphabet soup than instructions. This blog breaks down the definitions of the network acronyms you may see as you build your industrial network.
1/20/2021 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
The fifth blog in our AC drive series covers Allen-Bradley architect drives modernization, converting PowerFlex 700 series drives to PowerFlex 750 series drives.
12/15/2020 - Tom Hopkins, Rexel Technical Consultant
In this new age of manufacturing, you need more data. Learn how you can diagnose issues and prevent downtime with the Allen-Bradley E300 electronic overload relay from Rockwell Automation.
10/20/2020 - Michael Martinson, Rexel Technical Consultant
Empower yourself. With the My Equipment by Rockwell Automation tool, you can make informed decisions at your facility to ensure a bright future for your business. Let's look at the benefits.
9/22/2020 - Rexel
Let’s look at industrial control panel basics. The components for your panel will depend on your applications. This post provides basic descriptions of the most common components.
9/15/2020 - Chris Williams, Rexel Technical Consultant
With the right equations, you can calculate by hand—and we’ll show you how. In this blog, we go through calculations for sizing a servo axis step-by-step using a simple application example.
9/1/2020 - Joe Amorese, Rexel Technical Consultant
Rockwell Automation plans to discontinue PanelView Plus 6 in September 2021. With the change a year away, consider upgrading your HMI to the PanelView Plus 7 or PanelView 5000 families.
8/18/2020 - Austin Desmond, Rexel Technical Consultant
A lot of industrial network jargon is simple to explain but rarely are. This post tackles some of the more common jargon to help demystify the language of networking from DHCP to VLAN.
8/4/2020 - Tom Hopkins, Rexel Technical Consultant
Photo sensors are presence sensing devices. And successful application starts with an understanding of the physics of light. Let’s look at some considerations for selecting a photo sensor.
7/28/2020 - Ryan Beauchemin, Rexel Technical Consultant
An installed base evaluation (or IBE) can help you make data-driven business decisions to ensure your plant can stay up and running even if you experience an untimely failure.
7/21/2020 - Scott Savage, Rexel Technical Consultant
Is it time to upgrade your PowerFlex 70 to PowerFlex 525? This post will give you the instructions and information you need to modernize your drives.
7/14/2020 - Jim Bischoff, Rexel Technical Consultant
Every journey starts with a first step. Learn how one food manufacturer took the first step on its digital transformation journey when obsolete equipment slowed productivity.