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Forsyth Alliance Robotics
Watch the Forsyth Central robotics entry in this year's FIRST Robotics Competition "Ultimate Ascent." It was the only robot at the competition that could climb the entire pyramid. The climbing mechanism was 100% pneumatic, using Automation Direct cylinders, fittings, tubing, flow control and pressure sensors and regulators.
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Here’s your chance to vote for excellence! It’s time for Automation World magazine’s annual “Leadership in Automation” program. This is your opportunity to recognize innovation, leadership and excellence among suppliers of automation software, technology and products. Voting is currently open and Automation World will recognize category leaders at the end of the voting period.
Click here to access the survey and vote for AutomationDirect.
We continuously strive to serve our customers well by providing quality products at great prices. We do this by keeping overhead costs low, so we can sell at the best possible price. We typically hold our prices stable for as long as possible, but there are times when adjustments become necessary.
As such, we have implemented price changes on a number of product lines effective April 17, 2013. While prices have increased on some product lines, in many cases, there are price reductions, such as in the enclosure line and others.
You can view the complete price list online with existing and new prices shown, in Microsoft Excel format.
We have extended our series of Koyo medium duty encoders to include high PPR (Pulses Per Revolution) models.
Available in Totem Pole (Push-Pull) or line driver (differential) configurations, the encoders feature a 50mm diameter body with a 35mm depth. Models are constructed with an 8mm diameter solid or hollow shaft and offer incremental resolutions of 3000, 3600, or 5000 PPR. The encoders are also fitted with a two-meter cable with tinned ends and are available with either 5 VDC or 5 to 30 VDC inputs; the high-PPR encoders provide up to 200 kHz response frequency. The high-PPR encoders start at $175 and are available for same-day shipping.
Get more information on Koyo high-PPR encoders.
Flexible multi-conductor control cable is now available in sizes ranging from 18 to 10 gauge, with three to 41 unshielded conductors (including green/yellow ground). Individual stranded copper conductors feature black PVC/Nylon insulation and are marked with identification numbers. Fitted with a rugged premium grade PVC outer jacket, cables are flexible for easy installation and are available in 100, 250, 500 and 1,000-foot reels.
Resistant to sunlight, oil, and moisture penetration, the cables are suitable for wet and dry locations and for indoor and outdoor applications. Starting at $50 (100-foot reel), multi-conductor flexible control cables are UL and CSA approved and RoHS compliant. When combined with AutomationDirect’s line of ZipPort multi-wire connectors, these cables are an economical way to organize and simplify control wiring.
Our line of safety products has been expanded to include additional tongue interlock and cable-pull safety switches.
Tongue operated safety interlock switches are designed to fit to the leading edge of sliding, hinged or lift-off machine guards and provide positively operated switching contacts. They provide a tamper resistant actuator mechanism and robust position interlock detection for moving guards.
Available in 22mm, 30mm and 40mm mounting profiles, models are available in plastic, aluminum and stainless steel housing options. The switches are designed with multiple actuator entry points and offer adjustable heads with 90-degree and 180-degree options; switch styles provide single and multiple half-inch female NPT conduit openings. Interlock safety switch prices start at $15. Interlock switches require actuator keys which are sold separately in several styles, starting at $1.25.
Additional cable-pull safety switches are also available. Cable-pull, or grab-wire, safety rope switches are designed to be mounted on machines and sections of conveyors which cannot be protected by guards.
Newly added models include a 57mm wide die-cast aluminum body which supports up to a 50-meter cable; 65mm models are available in aluminum or stainless steel and support cable lengths up to 100m. Models provide ½ inch NPT openings, and are available with or without reset button; units with an e-stop button, as well as red/green LED (24VDC or 110VAC) versions are also available. Cable-pull safety switches start at $20.50.
Rope kits, starting at $58, are available with galvanized or stainless steel cable and contain eyebolts, tensioner, and cable (up to 80m) with pre-mounted eyelet and quick link.
Additional accessories available include steel rope in lengths from 5-126 meters, stainless or galvanized eyebolts, springs, tensioners and pulley assemblies, as well as replacement LEDs.
Get more information on interlock safety switches.
The Bill of Materials (BOM) feature is available for registered and logged-in customers. We will store your personalized BOMs with your account for easy ordering of a group of parts with defined quantities.
There are three ways to create a BOM:
• From any product listing or item page click on the “Fav/BOM” icon (, found on the right side of screen). You can add the item to an existing BOM or create a new BOM with this being the first item added.
• From your loaded shopping cart, choose the “Create BOM” button. This feature allows you to create and name your BOM. Note: this creates a BOM adding all the items in your shopping cart. If you need to modify the BOM, that is done from the BOM editor screen.
• BOM editor & maintenance screen. Choose “Ordering Tools” from the store top menu. Choose “Bill of Materials”. Use the “Create a BOM” feature by naming and adding parts. You can also view, copy, delete, export and add your BOM to your shopping cart from this feature.
Purchase from an existing BOM:
• From your shopping cart, choose the “Add a Quote or BOM” feature, choose from a list of valid BOMs stored with your account. Review the BOM contents and press “Add to Cart” button.
• From the BOM editor & maintenance screen, Choose “Ordering Tools” from the green menu. Choose “Bill of Materials”. Expand the BOM [+] to see the contents and quantities you have saved. Add the number of BOMs (group of parts + quantities) you want to order in the “Qty for Cart” field. Press “Update Cart”.
Watch our Online Shopping Help Videos for more help on BOMs and other nifty shopping aids. Help videos are also available on the feature page by choosing the icon
Did you know that we just lowered all the prices on our NEMA Rated Electrical Cabinets? If you follow us on Facebook, you would have been among the first to know!
We have started some very active communities on the social media Web sites that you visit every day. You can join our already 1000+ subscribers on YouTube and gain access to hundreds of “How to” and product highlight videos. Plus, we are always adding more!
You can also join in the conversations on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Stay up-to-date on all of our new products, get some interesting application stories, as well as information about what’s happening at AutomationDirect.com.
Did you realize that automation is not only used in factories? As the technology becomes less cost-prohibitive and more user-friendly, people are finding ways to introduce automation to other settings. One such area is the entertainment industry. More and more theater companies are using automation products for things such as changing scenes more smoothly, controlling multi-level stages, and even for flying actors and props out over the audiences.
Last spring, the San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television, and Film was invited to the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) annual Conference and Stage Expo. A group of both graduate and undergraduate students set up a training center which demonstrated various automation concepts.
Want to share your application story? Send it to us. It just might become a feature article in an upcoming enewsletter or in our Automation NOTEBOOK magazine.
You can check out our complete list of application stories here.
"Momma, there are cookies in the pantry, right?"
"Uh, yes, as a matter of fact there are."
"Well? Could you please ask me if I want some?" (She had just barely turned 2!)
A five-year old Jared calls his grandpa; because he KNEW Grandpa would tell him the truth.
Jared said, "Mom and Dad say they have eyes in the back of their heads. Is that true?"
Grandpa replied, “What do YOU think?”
"Well I have never seen them, (long pause) but I bet they pop out when I do something wrong."
When my daughter was about three, I asked her if she wanted to go swimming. She replied, "OK, I'll go put on my ‘baby soup’" (bathing suit).
A kindergartener was given a writing assignment on Martin Luther King, Jr. He had to complete the sentence, "I have a dream..." with something he hoped would happen in the future.
His response: "I have a dream,...to have less homework."
An overactive five-year-old was not behaving in a restaurant.
His mom says, “Listen, behave yourself."
He replied, “I'm trying. I just can't RETROLL myself.”
A little girl walks up to her teacher at the school's Grandparents day and said, "That's my Grandfather over there. He’s 80 years old, still drives his own car, pays his own bills, has his own house and is a very bitter man," and walked away.
We always welcome your comments or suggestions concerning this newsletter. If you have any topics for future newsletters, please let us know.
Comments or suggestions for topics in future newsletters can be directed to newsletter@automationdirect.com
AutomationDirect is located at 3505 Hutchinson Rd., Cumming, GA 30040 (about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, GA)
