Add these favorites to your list

It’s time again for another installment of Web Update in which we highlight sites that should be a must in your list of bookmarks or favorites. In last month’s column, we mentioned the addition of expanded lists of related web sites in each of the channels on Plant Engineering Online . From these lists, we have chosen several sites worthy of some additional press.

So get a headstart with the sites mentioned below, and then call up www.plantengineering.com for even more web resources sure to be of value to you.

Motors and motion

Our first stop is at the Small Motors & Motion Association (www.smma.org), whose membership includes electric motor and motion control companies, as well as users, suppliers, consultants, and distributors. This web site provides information on educational opportunities offered through the SMMA Motor College, industry trends, benchmarking data gathered through SMMA surveys, and motor and drive research through the Electric Motor Education and Research Foundation. You’ll also find motor-related news, links, events, and a product directory.

Our next stop is in Raleigh, NC, at Advanced Energy (www.advancedenergy.com), a nonprofit corporation that “helps utility and industrial customers improve the return on their energy investment.” Through testing and applied research, Advanced Energy serves as an information resource for industrial process technologies, motors and drives testing, and applied building science, with the ultimate goal of increasing efficiency and productivity.

Potpourri

Safety is a concern in any plant, and the Safety Equipment Association (www.safetycentral.org/ isea) and its member companies serve to ease those concerns. Through promoting standards, disseminating information about the safety industry, promoting the proper use of personal protective equipment, and more, the ISEA web site gives plant engineers concerned with employee health and safety issues a valuable online resource.

Whether you’re an expert or novice in fieldbus technology, the Fieldbus Foundation web site (www.fieldbus.org) has something for you. Training information and an FAQ feature are available for those who need some fieldbus education, and all visitors will benefit from the other resources provided at this site, including a product catalog, end user support, the latest fieldbus news, and more.

Last, but not least, on this virtual tour is a stop at the CAD Forum (www.cad-forum.com). This online resource for the AutoCAD community allows you to search specifically for CAD news, jobs, software, consultants, and more; and it provides links to CAD magazines, drawings, and product reviews. A unique feature of the CAD Forum is DrawingSHARE, where you can share your CAD drawings and receive feedback online. And their “CADtoons” are pretty good, too.

Be sure to tell ’em that Plant Engineering Online sent you.

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