In This Issue...
News
- RMCs in Entertainment - The House of Dancing Water
- Nachtwey Writes Motion Control Feature in Hydraulics & Pneumatics
- RMCTools Training
- South Korean Distributor Delta Control Moves To New Offices
- Distributor Realizes Pull Through Sales With Controls Upgrade
- Scam Email Warning
Product News
- RMC200 Firmware Release for PROFINET Communications
Distributor Highlight
People at Delta
- David McNichol: Applications, Support, and Training
Trade Shows & Conferences
Learning More About Delta
- Education & Training
- Delta Forum Has New Look
- New Tutorial Videos
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RMC Motion Controllers in Stage Production
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RMCs in Entertainment - The House of Dancing Water
Delta RMCs are most often associated with best-in-class industrial applications; not surprising, considering Delta’s strong history in many industries. However, filmmakers, stage producers, and performing artists can also benefit from fast, precise, and powerful electro-hydraulic motion control. Delta Computer Systems is pleased to present a new video highlighting one such dramatic application. The House of Dancing Water is a stage production at the City of Dreams complex in Macau, China. The integration of Delta’s powerful RMC150 motion controllers into the control system allowed the show’s production team to stage an incredibly complex and dynamic performance. The technical details behind this stage performance are as amazing as the show itself.
(Thanks to the City of Dreams, Macau, and COMOSO for providing video assets.)
View on YouTube
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Nachtwey Writes Motion Control Feature in Hydraulics & Pneumatics
Delta’s President, Peter Nachtwey, is writing a regular feature for Hydraulics and Pneumatics magazine. Beginning in the January/February 2019 edition, Mr. Nachtwey explores the challenges and presents the problem-solving solutions relating to high-performance hydraulic motion control. Many of these control concepts are incorporated into the firmware of Delta’s RMC Motion Controllers. His work is featured in the “Motion Control” feature of the magazine.
Mr. Nachtwey has more than 35 years’ experience with industrial control systems. Some of his earliest work involved control and automation in sawmilling applications. He has since been involved in solving control problems in industries as diverse as entertainment, product testing, and steel milling. Peter is a graduate of Oregon State University, and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy until 1980.
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RMCTools Training
At Delta, we put significant time, effort, and resources into our training offerings, because we feel that it is important part of our commitment to product support. Delta offers on-line, self-paced training, instructor led on-line training, and live classes. We present live classes both at Delta’s facility and at customer facilities around the country. We consistently receive positive feedback about the quality and personal attention available in our live classes. As mentioned in previous newsletters, Delta invests in live hydraulic demonstration stations designed for students to experience different kinds of control situations in a hands-on environment. These stations give participants the opportunity to try different features of the RMC controllers and RMCTools software using live hydraulics.
Delta is pleased to report that we have had nearly 80 individuals attend training classes in the first quarter of 2019. Approximately half of these students attended classes held in locations throughout the South and Southeast U.S. If you are interested in learning more about Delta’s training options, or would like to arrange an on-site training for your team, please contact the Regional Technical Sales Manager in your area, call Delta at (360) 254-8688, or visit www.deltamotion.com.
Scheduled upcoming training dates can be found here: https://deltamotion.com/education/training/training_classroom.php.
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South Korean Distributor Moves to New Offices
Our South Korean distributor, Delta Control, recently moved into new offices. We congratulate them on the upgrade, and we’d like to share some photos of their new space.
Delta Control
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Building's exterior in Bucheon, South Korea.
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The entrance to Delta Controls.
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The sensor room, with some of the sensor stock.
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A part of the Demonstration area, with several demonstration systems visible.
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Distributor Realizes Pull Through Sales with Controls Upgrade
While it is well-known that motion controllers are the differentiating factor in many sales situations, it is not often that we can quantify how Delta motion controller sales can benefit a distributor’s total sales. We’d like to share a recent success from one of our distribution partners in the Southern U.S. Delta was initially contacted about retrofitting some existing machinery. The end customer wanted to investigate incorporating an RMC into some machinery that was currently solely PLC-based. The desired end result was more throughput, faster machine cycle, smoother motion profiles, less downtime, and so on. As conversations continued, Delta soon realized that it was not only going to be just a “Controls Upgrade” – but rather an extensive overhaul including the RMC, servo valves, sensors, pumps, on-site work, etc.
The end result to the distributor was $850,000 in total sales – all initiated by a simple phone call about a single motion controller. The end customer is thrilled with the performance of their “new” machines, and the distributor is very happy with the additional sales. This was a great example of the importance of the RMC’s flexibility, controllability, and reputation to get pull-through sales for our distribution channels … and how the Delta RSMs working together with distributor salespeople can make it happen.
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Scam Email Warning
I recently got a call from Ian Duncan of CMA Electro-Hydraulic Engineers, an excellent Delta distributor located in Australia. He was wondering about an email that he received from me (supposedly) that started like this:
Since email is a convenient way to communicate internationally and my email address was “spoofed”, there was nothing to indicate that this was not legitimate, but subsequent emails led to:
Which prompted the telephone call and a chance for me to confirm that it was a common type of scam known as spear-phishing. Since then, several Delta people have received similar emails along these lines:
If you get an email like this that is supposedly from me, it is a scam – I’m not out to try to avoid tariffs and I don’t use a “private” email account.
Unfortunately, a person just has to be skeptical these days—with all messages. Although we have not seen this at Delta, hackers have been known to take control of a company’s mail server, and intercept and modify emails from real accounts. One wonders how much time is collectively wasted dealing with these messages.
- Steve
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Product News
RMC200 PROFINET Firmware Available
Delta Computer Systems, Inc. announces that updated firmware and related RMCTools software is available for Delta’s newest and most capable controller, the RMC200. The RMC200, which controls up to 32 axes, joins the RMC150 (up to 8 axes) and RMC75 (1-2 axes) as certified products that comply with ongoing enhancements to the PROFINET specification. The latest conformance tested RMC product versions of PROFINET are available on Delta's website, www.deltamotion.com/downloads for firmware and related RMC software.
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Distributor Highlight
CMA/FLODYNE/HYDRADYNE
This year, CMA/Flodyne/Hydradyne is celebrating 45 years of service to the industrial market. The company’s history is encoded in their name: Flodyne was founded to distribute quality pneumatic products, while Hydradyne was founded to provide hydraulic products. In the early years, the two companies shared space, until finally merging in the late 1990’s. Controls for Motion Automation, Inc. (CMA) provided industrial customers with comprehensive automation and control solutions. In 2008, CMA and Flodyne/Hydradyne merged to form a full-service distribution and system integration company for hydraulic, pneumatic, and electro-mechanical applications.
 Headquartered in Hanover Park, IL, CMA/Flodyne/Hydradyne serves customers throughout the upper Midwest. Delta extends our congratulations to CMA/Flodyne/Hydradyne for their 45 years in business, and best wishes for continued success.
Visit CMA/Flodyne/Hydradyne
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People at Delta
David McNichol – Applications, Support, & Training
David McNichol began working at Delta as in intern while in college, and worked on various programming tasks, prototype testing of the RMC200, and helping with training and demonstration systems. David then joined Delta full time as part of the Product Development team, primarily doing functional testing of new products and features. Delta is pleased to announce that David has moved to the Applications Engineering group, using his electronics and programming experience to support RMC users. If you have contacted Delta for tech support, there is a good chance that David has helped with your question.
As part of the Applications team, David not only provides technical support, but he is also an active part of Delta’s training staff. He frequently travels around the country to conduct on-site or custom trainings at customer locations and presents topics during the training classes held here in Battle Ground, WA. He contributes electronic expertise to new training systems and develops custom User Programs to address a variety of manufacturing applications. David also occasionally provides technical help to Delta’s sales team, which can involve international travel.
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Tradeshows & Conferences
Upcoming Trade Shows
Please join us! See Delta RMC products and talk with our team at the following locations in 2019.
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MSOE Kern Center
Milwaukee, WI
May 13-15, 2019
Booth 209
Pasadena Convention Center
Pasadena, CA
May 21-22, 2019
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, GA
June 26-27, 2019
Booth 1406
Cobo Center
Detroit, MI
October 15-17, 2019
McCormick Place
Chicago, IL
November 11-14, 2019
Booth D45451
View all Tradeshows
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Education & Training
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RMCTools Technical Training
Apr 9 - Apr 10, 2019
Jun 11 - Jun 12, 2019
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RMCTools Technical Training
Jun 18 - Jun 19, 2019 (Battle Ground, WA)
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Sign Up |
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Delta also provides self-paced training options, check out some of these options:
Video Tutorials An easy way to get up to speed on the RMC's features with easy to follow video guides.
Online RMCs Try RMCTools or custom RMCLink programs when you don't have an RMC to test with.
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Advanced Technical Training
Apr 16 - Apr 18, 2019
Sign Up
Please check the Training page frequently as new dates for Advanced Training are added for 2019.
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Delta Forum Updated
Visitors to Delta's popular Discussion Forum will notice a new look. Delta completed an upgrade of the software supporting the forum, which will allow Delta's Applications engineers to expand the Examples section, as well as preparing for future new sections. Users will also notice it is now easier to upload links, insert images, and format special text such as math expressions.
If you haven't visited Delta's Discussion Forum before, we invite you to browse the site.
Discussion Forum
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New Tutorial Videos
Delta provides many different methods to support RMC motion controllers and RMCTools software. Delta’s support team has produced three new videos intended as short introductions to various technical topics that will help answer some common questions:
The RMCLink + MATLAB video is an addition to the series that covers different kinds of communications setup for the RMC motion controllers. Other videos in this series review setting up communications with Allen-Bradley or Siemens S7-series PLCs, for example.
The new wiring videos are in response to common questions about wiring. These videos are provided as another way to support Delta’s customers.
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Communications with MATLAB using RMCLink
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Wiring Series - Differential Analog Inputs
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Wiring Series - Ground Bounce
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Distributor Only Website
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If you are a distributor and need a password or user ID email us or call Delta at (360)-254-8688.
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 Delta Computer Systems, Inc. © 2018
1818 SE 17th St. - Battle Ground, WA USA 98604-8579
P: 360-254-8688 - F: 360-254-5435
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