Read how MAC Automation, an IoT Certified OptoPartner, and EnerCorp use Ignition SCADA with groov EPICs and RIOs to automate sand removal and management in oil and gas.

Handling sand in oil and gas flowback systems is both critical and challenging. Left unchecked, sand can damage equipment, leading to leaks and costly system shutdowns. Manual handling of flowback systems exposes workers to hazardous materials, heavy equipment, and high-pressure environments. 

Together, MAC Automation and EnerCorp have automated the dangerous and labor-intensive process.

See how you can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively capture and publish live images from remote sites to the cloud via MQTT/Sparkplug.

If you couldn’t attend the Ignition Community Conference or want a closer look, here’s your chance to experience it recorded with Opto 22's groov EPIC booth cam.

With the expertise of Alex Marcy from Corso Systems and Jason Hamlin from Inframark, we captured live booth footage using an off-the-shelf, IP-based camera, Ignition Edge, its MQTT Transmission module, and Node-RED, all running on a single groov EPIC.

Check out this one-minute time lapse video.

Get a recap of all the adventures that made last week's Ignition Community Conference a memorable occasion for all attendees.

Couldn’t make it to ICC 2024? You’re not alone—but you still have plenty of time to learn before Inductive Automation’s 8.3 release of Ignition—it’s still a few months away. 

This year’s #ICCBreakthrough showcased advancements to the Ignition platform, real-world projects that tackled the same automation hurdles you’re facing every day, and a community of dedicated partners working together to drive the industry forward—starting with your success at the core.

Can’t make this year's Ignition Community Conference? Don’t miss your chance to learn how to collect, model, and democratize OT data with Ignition Edge in a virtual workshop.

Opto 22 is in Folsom, CA this week—ready to rock at ICC 2024. 

We’re looking forward to seeing you there, but if you can’t attend, here’s a great opportunity to stay up on the latest SCADA tech.

OptoPartner Enginuity shares how their engineers ensure reliability and minimize downtime with custom scalable redundancy.

When your operations rely on consistent performance and uptime, you can't afford to be caught off guard by control system failures.

But nothing lasts forever—failures will occur. A robust redundancy system ensures your processes continue running without costly downtime. 

This blog post, written by Daniel Baugh of Enginuity Inc., an IIoT-certified OptoPartner, explores how you can implement effective redundancy solutions using groov products from Opto 22.

Without disturbing existing systems, edge devices make it easy to convert data from a custom fieldbus into open protocols for digital transformation.

If TCP/IP won the “protocol wars” in the ‘90s, then WHY are you still fighting protocol battles on the plant floor today? Because industrial networks were around long before the internet. As far back as the 1960s, machines communicated via serial networks like RS-232, RS-485, and CAN Bus—with specialized proprietary fieldbus protocols like Modbus, Profibus, and DeviceNet.

Even with TCP/IP on Ethernet, specialized protocols remained. Modbus now has a TCP/IP version, Profibus gave way to ProfiNET, DeviceNet to EtherNet/IP, and even some new ones joined the protocol party.

After the industry demanded interoperability, OPC was born—now OPC UA—a big step toward a unified architecture on OT networks. Meanwhile on the IT side, using HTTP and HTTPS was common. It’s how web browsers—and most of the internet—work today.

MQTT Sparkplug came later. A recently named International Standard, it’s built on efficient, secure, and scalable publish/subscribe communications—a great fit for digital transformation projects and the IIoT.

Why a first-of-its-kind event is changing the world of SCADA.

Attending the inaugural OT SCADA CON in Houston can only be described as “a breath of fresh air.” I attend a lot of automation industry events, and this one was a hit—thanks in large part to its excellent format.

Informative sessions were kept to 30 minutes—a block of time long enough to highlight each speaker’s real-world experience and expertise, but short enough to keep the audience engaged, attentive, and in some cases, QUITE entertained.

In 1974, Robert Engman III stared down at 22 optically isolated, highly reliable, liquid epoxy-filled, solid state relays (SSRs) with no moving parts—quite an innovation back then—and he contemplated what to name the new company.

The result? "Opto" signifies optical isolation, and the "22" represents the original lineup of 22 relays. But this year, there’s another important number that we need to discuss—50!

Yes, Opto 22 is 50. Years. Young. 

This week, as we celebrate Opto’s Golden Anniversary of existence, I’d be remiss not to reflect on the legacy of a company I have loved being a part of for the last decade. And while my 11 years may seem like a long time, many of the folks I work with each day have tenures twice or thrice as long—they’ve been carrying the torch, maintaining the legacy that we are still building today.

Were you in Chicago for Automate 2024? Dan White shares some highlights from last week's show.

As cities worldwide buzz back to life post-pandemic, trade shows are reclaiming their spotlight, and none more so than the recent Automate Show held in Chicago. With over 800 exhibitors showcasing the latest in automation and robotics tech, the McCormick Place was the place to be.

Start analyzing your energy data to manage and reduce your energy consumption.

Managing and reducing your energy consumption sounds like a no-brainer. Save thousands on electricity, maintain critical machine health, reduce carbon footprint? Sign me up! 

Where to begin? Well, the best place to start is analyzing your energy data, but unfortunately, you can’t find that data on your electric bill—it’s barely a summary. To manage your energy, start by measuring it. Once you determine where, when, and how that energy is consumed, areas for improvement become obvious.