EPLAN Blog

The megatrends in automation and control are long-term changes and shifts that will end up shaping the direction of industrial technology, processes and products. Certainly, the concept of the Industrial Internet is the defining megatrend of our time, but there are other industrial control technologies being developed that will also have a lasting effect on specific areas within manufacturing companies.

We scoured leading blogs and websites dedicated to engineering topics and identified 5 articles we found to be particularly valuable and think you will too.

1. 5 Must-Watch Manufacturing Process Videos Under 5 Minutes

These five videos offer a glimpse into the hidden world of cutting-edge manufacturing processes behind our manufactured products and a glimpse into the future. Read article

We scoured leading blogs and websites dedicated to engineering topics and identified 5 articles we found to be particularly valuable and think you will too.

1.Successful Sabotage of Drone Highlights Additive Manufacturing Security Needs

Additive manufacturers seeking to protect their products must secure every point in their manufacturing process, a need highlighted by the recent successful hack and sabotage of a drone produced by 3D printing, Richard Grylls, technical director at SLM Solutions, said. “Companies looking to safeguard their components should be concerned with securing all parts of the process – from data generation to shipping,” he added. Read article

We scoured leading blogs and websites dedicated to engineering topics and identified 5 articles we found to be particularly valuable and think you will too.

1. Space Engineers Needed: Nat Geo documents our mission to 'Mars'

National Geographic Channel (NGC) is launching a new TV series, “Mars,” in November. The six-part miniseries brings together some of the best minds in modern science and innovation, illuminating how research and development are creating the space technology that will enable our first attempt at a mission to Mars. And it is leading the way, along with Elon Musk at SpaceX, in making engineering fun again for generations to come. Read article

Customer expectations are changing. It is one of the payoffs of living in a connected society. Since the introduction of the iPhone, we have discovered the ability to engage with others in real time whenever we want. The impact of that can be seen on a personal level whenever we go into a public space and see upwards of 80% of the people around us on their smartphones. Whatever your viewpoint of this engagement, it is a new world that is effecting all of us as individuals and increasingly, as professionals as well.

We’ve talked about Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) here before. So, it should come as no surprise that, for our next look at collaboration, we are going to talk about what role machines play in improving manufacturing efficiency.

This issue is at the forefront of so many conversations about what is next for connected manufacturing. A recent article in the technology and science newspaper, The Register, discussed the next iteration of the mobile network, 5G, whose initial standards are set to be released in 2020.

We’ll cover this in greater detail in a future post, but what you need to understand for the purposes of this article is that ultra-fast, low latency wireless internet is on the horizon and being built to accommodate the needs of industry and the IIoT. What this means is that the manufacturing industry is going to see rapid changes in infrastructure, processing and automation capabilities. It will also mean a much more focused transition to IIoT, which will filter its way down to nearly all industries and business sizes.