Clik here to view.
The Value of Education
In my previous life as owner of an automation and machine building company, part of my job was the hiring of employees. After placing an ad in the local paper I would usually receive 20 or more resumes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bite Too Big to Chew
Torque Converter PressThis is the loading station of a machine that was one of the last jobs I did with my small machine building company. It is a precision hydraulic press for torque converters....
View ArticleClik here to view.
PLC Software and Templates
As I progressed through my automation career I was exposed to many different PLC platforms. My first job out of college was as an applications and sales engineer for a distributor of Eagle-Signal,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Automation Consulting
Only two weeks left at my current employer. I have learned a lot there, and if I had to work for someone else there is nowhere better in my opinion. At the same time I have really missed having full...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Engineering
I started my technical career in the US Air Force. I joined when I was 21 years old after holding a series of minimum wage jobs after failing to graduate high school and getting my GED in 1978. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Your Career…
So… what do you do? Whenever I travel and meet new people this is a question I regularly get asked. It used to be a fairly simple question to answer… “I sell automation equipment”, or “I run a small...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Change of Direction
For the past 20 years I have been involved in the automation and machine-building industry in one form or another. In 1996 when I had a lot more energy and less common sense, I started my own...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Automation Consulting
In several previous posts I have mentioned that my company is undergoing a radical shift in focus. I had hoped to have my business website completed by the beginning of September so that I could have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Automation Training
In a previous post I mentioned that I have changed the focus of my company from contracting and integration to various other things. I am working on some software products to aid in machine and system...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advanced PLC and Industrial Training
Since October I have been on an extensive and exhausting travel schedule, primarily teaching PLC and HMI classes for Automation Training. While I enjoy teaching more than almost anything else,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Teaching and Consulting
Red – TeachingBlue – Consulting Four years ago I relaunched my old company, Automation Consulting Services, Inc. as Automation Consulting, LLC. For the first year or so I spent a lot of time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Update on Projects –“Why haven’t you written more posts?”
I have been asked by a lot of readers, friends and associates lately about where I’m at on the various projects I’m involved in. There has also been an undercurrent of “why haven’t you posted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Help Me Name My New Course!
More than a year ago I first mentioned that I was considering creating an online course for PLCs. At the time I had just discovered Udemy through another PLC course that was hosted there, but I became...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Automation Simulation
In my quest to produce online training classes I have been investigating some of the different types of industrial automation and PLC simulators available. My intent here is to find two different...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy New Year 2017!
Well, its that time again where people around the world review the last year and make plans for the new one to come. While this can be done at any time of year, people often choose this particular day...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So… What Do You Do?
Hello from mushy Sacramento, CA. Flying in this afternoon the whole area looked like a big sponge, everything looked flooded out, and its still raining. And I thought there was a severe drought here…...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My New Trainers!
Well, its official. I have my first actual PLC trainers, in addition to the ones on the wall in My Little Factory. I think they’re awesome! They did take 8 weeks to build, but as more are made I think...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy New Year! What Can I Teach You?
Hey, I know the holiday season is gone, but Happy New Year anyway! After all, the year is still pretty new and I’m sure everybody is excited and optimistic. Usually around this time of year I post my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Manufacturing Terms, Buzzwords and Acronyms
As part of a consulting project I am involved in, I have created a list of acronyms and terms that are used in manufacturing and industrial automation. These are terms and acronyms from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advanced PLC and Industrial Training
Since October I have been on an extensive and exhausting travel schedule, primarily teaching PLC and HMI classes for Automation Training. While I enjoy teaching more than almost anything else,...
View Article