Editorial archive;

News - Techno website to provide LabVIEW drivers (31 August 2010)
Techno Linear Motion Systems is offering free LabVIEW drivers on its website that are compatible with a variety of Techno controllers and machines. The drivers allow direct control through LabVIEW of the Techno motion controller for pick and place, dispensing, assembly, testing, drilling, routing, welding, inspection and general automation....FULL STORY

News - National Instruments announces Developer Day details (20 August 2010)
National Instruments has unveiled details of its LabVIEW Developer Days to be held throughout the UK and Ireland in September. Eight events will offer introductory and advanced technical sessions designed to help engineers and scientists improve product skills, knowledge and productivity....FULL STORY

News - LabVIEW 2010 cuts code execution time with compiler (02 August 2010)
National Instruments has unveiled LabVIEW 2010, speeding up code execution with an optimised compiler. The company also expanded the platform with an add-on developer program....FULL STORY

Features - Integrating Vision and Robotics (23 July 2010)
On this Italian production line for cosmetic powder cases, the challenge was to program two robots to pick up face powder brushes from random piles and then accurately place them in an eight-slot shuttle. The robots work side by side, each with its own image acquisition system, and each picking up four brushes....FULL STORY

News - NI embarks on summer education push (29 June 2010)
National Instruments UK and Ireland is rolling out a series of LabVIEW webcasts as part of its summer-long education drive. The summer school for engineers and scientists encompasses 12 interactive webcasts and runs from August 3 to 26....FULL STORY

News - NI joins the battlefield for Deadliest Warrior (03 June 2010)
A TV show is using National Instruments products to quickly determine battle outcomes of contests between warriors such as pirates and knights. The “Deadliest Warrior” programme implements LabVIEW and CompactDAQ software and hardware to conduct impact tests and measure and analyse the biometrics of injury....FULL STORY

Features - Optimising Cold Rolling Mills in Europe (12 May 2010)
Many outdated cold steel rolling mills exist in Europe, some of which were built more than 40 years ago and are no longer competitive because they are technologically lagging behind. Replacing these manufacturing lines is not an option, since it would costs billions of Euros. Therefore, the old production facilities need to be optimised and updated....FULL STORY

News - Roboticists saved from integration workload (12 March 2010)
To highlight and enhance their mutual areas of interest, Maxon Precision Motors (Fall River, MA) and National Instruments (Austin, TX) have announced a strategic partnership. Both Maxon, maker of electric motor technology and motion control products, and National Instruments look to provide designers with state-of-the-art hardware and software solutions for developing new robotic products and applications....FULL STORY

News - NI UK and Ireland offers grants for SMEs (10 March 2010)
National Instruments UK and Ireland is encouraging micro, small and medium sized enterprises in embedded development, announcing a grant programme. The grants, of anything up to £25,000, will cover software, support and training....FULL STORY

Features - Advantages of FPGAs (05 March 2010)
FPGA design tools are increasingly available, allowing embedded control system designers to more quickly create and adapt FPGA hardware....FULL STORY

Features - The Need for Green Engineering (17 December 2009)
Ian Bell MEng MIE, market development manager, Industrial Embedded, National Instruments argues the case for innovation in engineering to improve technologies, products and processes that can provide environmental benefits....FULL STORY

Features - Driving Plant Optimisation with Advanced Process Control (14 December 2009)
Once largely limited to petro and chemical plants, APC use has grown. Economic more than technical issues are key motives....FULL STORY

Features - Tutorial: Working with "semi-wireless" instrumentation (21 October 2009)
Will all wireless instrumentation really be completely wireless? Many devices are not suited to battery powering, so is removing just the data cable enough? What are your options for semi-wireless devices?...FULL STORY

News - LabView 2009 introduced to UK market (17 September 2009)
Last week National Instruments introduced its latest version of the LabView software platform to the UK market. New features on LabView 2009 are aimed at a market operating in a challenging economic climate where projects have to be completed with fewer resources and in less time....FULL STORY

News - National Instruments Expands Wireless and Ethernet Data Acquisition Platform (15 July 2009)
National Instruments announced six new wireless and Ethernet data acquisition modules and two specially protected enclosures for remote monitoring and control in harsh environments. The new modules combine high-voltage digital I/O and IEEE 802.11b/g (Wi-Fi) or Ethernet communication to remotely monitor and control actuators such as pumps, valves and relays. ...FULL STORY

News - Internet network group grows 50%; interoperability test event planned in March (10 February 2009)
Texas Instruments, National Instruments, Landis+Gyr join others in promoting use of Internet Protocol (IP) for sensor-equipped smart objects. The IP for Smart Objects (IPSO) Alliance has grown its membership by more than 50 per cent since its formation by 25 founding companies in September 2008, adding Texas Instruments, National Instruments, Landis+Gyr/Cellnet and 10 other new members....FULL STORY

News - Instrument-Class I/O for FPGA hardware (13 November 2008)
Four years ago, National Instruments introduced its first product to use FPGA (field-programmable gate array) technology, the CompactRIO. FPGA technology gives flexibility with low-level hardware customisation and onboard processing....FULL STORY

Features - Why is lack of interoperability in wireless a concern in industrial applications? (17 October 2008)
Syed Tauseef Ahmad, Frost and Sullivan’s research analyst for Industrial Automation and Process Control, Europe argues that suppliers need to offer wireless products that communicate with each other for the market to take off....FULL STORY

White papers - Graphical System Design for Machine Control by National Instruments (20 August 2008)
The traditional process for designing embedded machine control systems typically involves multiple stages of development that each requires specialised electronic design automation (EDA) tools such as state-diagram and flowcharting tools, SPICE circuit simulation, board layout and routing, control design tools, finite element analysis (FEA), C and VHDL languages, multiple target-specific compilers, and human-machine interface (HMI) tools....FULL STORY

Features - NI sheds light on machine control challenge (15 July 2008)
Sylvania Lighting, artificial light source manufacturer, has installed a new production machine to manufacture a smaller type of lamp. ...FULL STORY

News - New mechatronics videos on Cetv (07 April 2008)
Because mechatronics involves motion, video can be the best medium for learning about mechatronics solutions. Control Engineering’s educational video portal, CEtv, is the place to find videos from users, designers and automation suppliers. Visit www.controleng.com/cetv to see the following videos, new as of March 2008, or use the links provided in the article....FULL STORY

Features - Machine vision applications (01 October 2007)
Originally used for inspection, modern digital cameras have combined with high speed communications, increased processing power, and highly articulate robots to extend vision applications into areas that were previously thought impossible. Here are five examples of new technology that would have been impossible five years ago....FULL STORY

Features - A high-level programming tool for complex systems (01 October 2007)
Statecharts are commonly used to design state machines that model the behaviour of real-time and embedded systems. They depict event occurrences and responses and are used for designing digital machine controllers and system-protection applications....FULL STORY