Comprehensive automation resource update.

"Giving professionals a lasting foundation they can build on throughout their careers."

This newly updated Fourth Edition of A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge is the only officially authorised book covering ISA’s body of knowledge core competencies. This revised guide provides an overview of important automation concepts and processes, while also describing the technical skills required to implement them in today’s industrial environment. The book enables readers to effectively study for the ISA Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®), ISA Certified Control Systems Technician® (CCST®) and/or Professional Engineer (PE) Control Systems Engineer (CSE) exams.

In addition to this important guide, ISA’s roster of new book titles published through Wiley in 2026 include:
•Successful Instrumentation and Control Systems Design, Third Edition by Michael D. Whitt
• Loop Checking: A Technician’s Guide, Second Edition by Harley M. Jeffery and Paul M. Franklin
• Calibration: A Technician’s Guide, Second Edition by Michael P. Cable and Alan W. Bryant
• Data-to-Information Handbook: Building Effective Display Systems for Refining Processes by Ike Brackin, Mark J. Nixon and Dave Strobhar

Edited and written by nearly 30 leading experts from all aspects of automation, A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge, Fourth Edition includes information on:

• Process and analytical instrumentation, discrete control, continuous and batch control, control valves and final control elements
• Basic discrete, sequencing and manufacturing control, advanced control, process modeling and digital twins, digital and analog communications and data management and system software
• Networking and cybersecurity, safety and reliability, system checkout, testing, start-up, troubleshooting and project management
• Manufacturing operations management, automation justification and performance analysis, motors and drives, electrical systems, asset management and maintenance, motion control and vision systems and control systems including PLCs, DCSs and SCADA

"What makes this guide so valuable is its focus on the fundamentals — the core concepts and skills that every automation professional needs to master, regardless of how quickly technology trends shift,” said Rick Zabel, managing director of ISA publications. “This edition ensures that grounding remains strong, giving professionals a lasting foundation they can build on throughout their careers."

A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge is widely known as an indispensable text for automation engineers, managers, technicians, control systems integrators, students and educators. The Fourth Edition is now available for purchase through ISA’s publishing partner, Wiley, as an e-book as well as a print version.

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@ISA_Automation @WileyGlobal  #PAuto #Automation #TandM

Rethinking valve platform architecture?

Addresses growing demand for higher airflow in automation.

Across factory automation, packaging, water treatment, and automotive manufacturing, machine builders are facing a familiar challenge: higher airflow demands in increasingly compact machine designs. Moving to a larger valve platform can solve the airflow problem but introduces new complexity — different interfaces, different configurations, and disruption to established machine architectures. Emerson has developed the AVENTICS™ XV05 High Flow Valve System to address this gap directly.

Their XV05 High Flow variant delivers up to 1,200 L/min — enabling OEMs and machine builders to achieve greater airflow capacity without moving to a larger valve system.

Now available globally, the XV05 High Flow is an extension of the established AVENTICS XV platform — the same architecture, the same electrical connection options, the same communication protocols, and the same modularity that machine builders already rely on. The difference is flow capacity: up to 1,200 L/min, compared to 1,000 L/min for the standard XV05. Larger ports and dedicated high-flow fittings deliver the increased airflow where applications demand it, while compatibility with the standard XV05 means High Flow and standard modules can be combined within a single valve system.

The XV05 High Flow is available in front-, top-, and bottom-ported configurations, giving design engineers the flexibility to integrate higher airflow capacity into new and existing machine layouts without redesigning the broader pneumatic architecture. Applications well suited to the new variant include pilot valve systems for process valves in water treatment, package molding equipment, slicing and cutting units requiring high actuator force, cleaning systems, pneumatically driven winches in oil and gas operations, and automotive manufacturing equipment with high airflow requirements.

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• See also Next Generation Pneumatic Valves.(24/2/2025) 

@AVENTICS @EmersonExchange @Emerson_News @EMR_Automation @mepaxIntPR #PAuto #Machine_Building

CAD model review on the phone.

Engineers, reviewers, and suppliers explore CAD models, PMI, and metadata on a phone or tablet.

Tech Soft 3D, the provider of engineering software development toolkits and industrial applications, has released SpinFire Insight for Mobile, a free companion app to its SpinFire Insight desktop viewer, now available on iOS and Android. 

Design review without a desk.
Engineering teams reviewing 3D models are typically tied to a workstation. Suppliers, quality staff, and project managers who need to check a design, confirm manufacturing information, or answer a question about a part often have to wait until someone with desktop access is available. This slows down reviews and adds friction to communication across distributed teams.

The new SpinFire Insight for Mobile gives teams the benefits of 3D CAD visualization wherever they may be. The app opens standard 3D formats, including STEP, IGES, and PRC, along with publishing formats 3D PDF and U3D, and reads ACT3D files created in the desktop version of SpinFire Insight. Users can navigate models with touch controls, apply standard views, switch between rendering modes, inspect part metadata, and access CAD views and PMI (Product Manufacturing Information) directly from a phone or tablet.

"Engineering data has always lived on a computer, but the questions about it don't wait for someone to sit down at a workstation," said Lionel Vieilly, Senior Product Manager - Industrial Applications. "SpinFire Insight for Mobile puts that data in people's pockets, so a supplier, a reviewer, or a project manager can pull up a model, check a dimension, or confirm a manufacturing note the moment it comes up, not hours later. It’s a small shift with a big impact on team efficiency and speed "

Fitting into existing engineering workflows.
The app is designed for quick, on-the-go review rather than replacing desktop workflows. For advanced design review, measurement, markups, or major CAD formats such as CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, NX, Creo, and Inventor, SpinFire Insight for Desktop remains the primary tool. SpinFire Insight for Mobile is intended to sit alongside it, giving teams a way to check model data, respond to a question, or review PMI when they are away from their workstation, without requiring a full CAD license or desktop session.

By making CAD data accessible from a phone or tablet, SpinFire Insight for Mobile reduces the delay between a question being raised and a model being reviewed. Technical, suppliers, and non-technical stakeholders alike can inspect geometry, manufacturing information, and metadata wherever the work takes them, supporting faster communication and fewer bottlenecks in distributed engineering and manufacturing organisations.

The app is available now as a free download on the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android.

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@TechSoft3D @UnnGmbh @pressebox #PAuto #Design

Asset condition assessment streamlined.

Thermal imaging cameras to bring AI-driven asset condition assessment directly onto the camera.

Flir has announced the worldwide availability of the MentorLens® app by MentorAPM on its professional-grade iXX-Series thermal imaging cameras, bringing AI-driven asset condition assessment directly onto the camera. Developed by MentorAPM, a provider of asset performance management software for critical infrastructure, the app allows maintenance and reliability teams to capture nameplate, condition and thermal imagery on a single device and send it straight to the asset record, without the file transfers and manual data entry that have long slowed condition monitoring programs.*

In industrial operations, the value of a thermal inspection is determined less by the image itself than by what happens to it afterward. Files are moved from an SD card to a laptop, thermal metadata is altered or lost along the way, and findings end up in a folder rather than in the system where maintenance work is actually planned. Running natively on the iXX-Series, the MentorLens app removes that handoff. Images upload from the camera directly to the asset record with their thermal data intact, and technicians can create new assets or update existing ones without leaving the camera. All Flir imaging and hardware controls remain available, including MSX, palette selection, lamp and laser, so the same device that captures the thermogram also captures the nameplate photo and the condition photo.

Once the images are synced, MentorLens processes them automatically. Nameplate and tag data is transcribed into standard asset attributes, visual imagery is scored for condition, and thermal imagery is measured against operating baselines taken from the asset's own nameplate data or from manufacturer manuals. Reports return observed anomalies, temperature readings and recommended actions, and because previous assessments for the same asset are carried into the analysis, degradation is tracked across inspections rather than judged one image at a time.

“Customers don't need more inspection data. They need actionable information that helps them prevent downtime and make better maintenance decisions," said John Gould, Sr. Director of Strategic Business Development, FLIR. "With MentorAPM integrated into the iXX-Series workflow, thermal findings become part of a broader asset health picture. Data is automatically evaluated against previous conditions and delivered to the teams responsible for maintenance planning, enabling earlier intervention and more effective predictive maintenance programs.”

For the wider organisation, the benefits go beyond the inspection itself. Condition and thermal results feed the MentorLens platform, where rules can automatically trigger preventive work orders and where condition history, work history and SCADA events are held against the same asset record. Reports are exported as standardised PDFs, and the underlying data can be pushed by API into an existing CMMS or EAM system, so operators are not obliged to change their system of record in order to benefit. Every AI-assisted workflow keeps a human in the loop, with a person confirming what is committed against the asset.

“For most operators the hardest part of asset management is still the most basic one, which is knowing what you own and what condition it is in,” added Tacoma Zach, CEO of MentorAPM. “Putting our app on the iXX-Series means high-quality thermal data now enters that picture at the point of capture, from the same technician and the same device. In plants where downtime is measured in millions of dollars an hour, the payback on that is very quick.”

First proven in water and wastewater utilities, the combined solution is now being adopted in manufacturing, metals, and oil and gas, where thermographic inspection has typically been outsourced to specialist contractors at considerable expense. MentorAPM reports that customers using MentorLens achieve up to 10x faster field data collection and cost savings of more than 75 percent against conventional condition assessment methods. The MentorLens app is available worldwide now for Flir iXX-Series users with a MentorAPM subscription.

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* Both companies will present the integration at the SMRP 34th Annual Conference, held 28 September to 1 October 2026 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh (NC USA). Tacoma Zach, CEO of MentorAPM, leads an Innovation Lab session titled "From Camera to Asset Intelligence: AI Workflows for Reliability Teams" on Tuesday 29 September, 1:15 to 2:15 PM ET, in Innovation Lab #3. The session walks through practical workflows using MentorLens with Flir thermal cameras to capture equipment information, analyse visual and thermal conditions and generate structured asset intelligence automatically. John Gould of Teledyne FLIR joins the session to discuss the iXX-Series.

@flir @MentorAPM  @mepaxIntPR  #PAuto #Manufacturing

Flow calibration in Middle East.

The announcement signals company's expanding automation and industrial technology footprint across the Middle East and Africa.

Emerson has announced plans to build the Emerson Middle East & Africa Service Center, a new automation solutions service and operations centre, in the Umm Alhoul Free Zone. The facility will expand Emerson’s local capabilities for customers in Qatar and across the Middle East and Africa. It will include the region’s first certified in-country flow calibration lab, along with other critical automation technologies designed to help customers optimise operations, reduce turnaround time, minimise costs and accelerate project timelines.

Emerson's Judson Duncan (left), group president, global sales, signs the agreement with Qatar Free Zones Authority's Chief Executive Officer, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani.

“This new investment reflects Emerson’s strategic commitment to accelerating innovation in Qatar and supporting the Middle East’s most critical operations,” said Judson Duncan, group president of Global Sales at Emerson. “Our additional capabilities will enable customers to operate with greater agility, reliability and cost efficiency.”

Strategic investment aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030.
The new 3,500-square-metre facility reinforces Emerson’s expanding industrial technology presence in the region and advances Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives around economic growth and diversification. The new site will add to the existing footprint of manufacturing, service and distribution locations in the Middle East across Saudi Arabia and UAE along with a broad service network of Emerson accredited service partners in the region.

New capabilities for Qatar.
In addition to being equipped to calibrate large-size flow meters for high-pressure and high-volume operations, the Qatar facility will feature:

• Measurement instrumentation solutions and skid training systems
• Off-the-shelf inventory and spare parts distribution
• A training and experience centre for customer operations teams
• Staging and integration services for distributed control systems

The facility is planned to open in phases: control systems staging and measurement solutions services, spares inventory and the training centre will open in December 2026 with the certified flow calibration lab opening in early 2027.

The announcement was formalised at a signing ceremony on the sidelines of Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) in New York City with Qatar Free Zone dignitaries, including Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani, chief executive officer, Qatar Free Zones Authority, and Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, minister of commerce and industry and chairman of Qatar Free Zones Authority.

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@EmersonExchange @Qatar_Customs @Emerson_News @EMR_Automation  @HHC_Lewis #PAuto #Qatar #Calibration

A new cybersecurity member.

DeNexus has officially joined the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance (ISAGCA), demonstrating its commitment to advancing operational (OT) cybersecurity through the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards.

Created by the International Sociey of Automation (ISA), the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance is a collaborative forum focused on strengthening OT cybersecurity through education, knowledge sharing and industry collaboration. Leveraging the widely used ISA/IEC 62443 standards, ISAGCA works to expand cybersecurity expertise, openly share knowledge and resources and protect the OT cybersecurity worldwide community.

DeNexus delivers an evidence-based solution for OT industrial stakeholders to gain visibility into each facility’s cyber exposure, calculate the probability and financial impact of potential cyber incidents and prioritize risk mitigation based on ROI or other KPIs. By joining ISAGCA, the company underscores its commitment to supporting standards-driven security practices across the OT lifecycle from system design and integration to operations and maintenance.

DeNexus founder and CEO Jose M. Seara spoke at the ISA OT Cybersecurity Summit in Prague (CZ) in June 2026, leading a session titled “OT Cyber Insurance and Risk Transfer: Right-Sizing Coverage Using Evidence, Not Guesswork.” Based on interest, he also conducted an encore presentation on the topic via webinar in September. Through ISAGCA membership, DeNexus will collaborate with global industry leaders to accelerate awareness, adoption and implementation of the ISA/IEC 62443 standards framework.

“This is a significant moment for the ISAGCA community,” said Michelle Ritterskamp, ISAGCA program coordinator. “DeNexus brings a deep OT technical experience and a desire to incorporate ISA/IEC 62443 into their business. ISAGCA staff would like to thank DeNexus for the excellent collaboration on programs already, and we look forward to further sharing DeNexus’ expertise in future initiatives.” 

"Industrial cyber risk has been invisible to the people who carry it — boards, CFOs and the markets that could underwrite it,” Seara said. “That's the problem I started DeNexus to solve, and it's the same problem ISA/IEC 62443 addresses from the standards side. A common standard for how OT security is designed and assessed is what makes risk assessable in the first place. And once risk can be assessed, it can be quantified, mitigated and transferred. That's the chain: ISA/IEC 62443 gives the industry a shared language for control, and our platform turns that control state into a financial number a board can govern by and an underwriter can price against. Joining ISAGCA puts us alongside the organizations building that foundation. Our mission is to make industrial cyber risk quantifiable for boards, investors and the risk transfer market — and standards are what make that possible at scale."

Automation Summit - Prague (June 2026)

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@ISA_Automation @DeNexusInc1 #Cybersecurity #PAuto

Artificial intelligence assisted automation.

It has just been announced that the TrustInSoft Analyzer (TISA) 26.10 is being released at the end of next month (October 2026). The new version introduces expanded Ai-assisted automation to significantly reduce the engineering effort required to set up formal analysis, together with enhanced MC/DC (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage) capabilities designed to help safety-critical software teams reach full coverage in fewer steps.

“With TISA 26.10, we combine the power of AI automation with the rigor of formal verification to make exhaustive software verification faster and easier to deploy at scale,” said Caroline Guillaume, CEO of TrustInSoft. “AI automates the engineering work required to set up the analysis, while TrustInSoft Analyzer delivers the mathematical guarantees—enabling teams to verify more C, C++ and Rust code with significantly less manual effort.”

AI-assisted analysis: from code to exhaustive verification faster.
TISA 26.10 expands Ai-assisted automation directly within the TrustInSoft Analyzer interface. Engineering teams can use an Ai coding agent to automate key steps required to prepare and configure an analysis campaign, while following its progress and reviewing results directly in TISA.

The Ai assists with the engineering work surrounding the analysis.
TrustInSoft Analyzer performs the verification itself. Its sound formal analysis explores the possible behaviors within the defined analysis scope and assumptions, providing mathematical guarantees about the absence of targeted classes of runtime errors and undefined behaviors.

This separation combines the productivity of Ai with the rigor and auditability of formal methods. By reducing repetitive setup and configuration work, teams can get verification results faster and apply exhaustive analysis to larger portions of their software.

MC/DC coverage: reach full coverage in fewer steps.
TISA 26.10 also comes with a higher degree of automation in MC/DC coverage, helping teams identify and close coverage gaps more efficiently, and generating certification-oriented reports and traceability.

Rather than building coverage one test at a time, TrustInSoft Analyzer can use formal analysis to reason over ranges of possible inputs in a single analysis. The resulting truth-table-based view shows which combinations contributing to MC/DC have been covered and which remain to be reached. Each reported reachable combination corresponds to a feasible program execution. When gaps remain, engineers can focus additional analyses specifically on the missing conditions rather than iteratively building coverage one test at a time. The result is a more systematic path to full MC/DC coverage, with detailed reporting and traceability to support verification activities. This is particularly relevant for teams developing safety-critical software under standards such as ISO 26262 ASIL D.

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@TrustInSoft @NapierPR #PAuto #Ai