elliTek's Automation Know-How

Send us Fan Mail If you're considering the purchase of a collaborative robot, vision system, or industrial IoT system, this episode is for YOU! Before making an investment in the automation of a process, there are some commonly overlooked aspects that can be forgotten, overlooked, or even disregarded. With more than 25 years experience in the industrial automation market segment, Brandon shar...

Send us Fan Mail This is a special crossover episode with CSIA, Control System Integrators Association.  Lisa Richter , host of CSIA's podcast "Talking Industrial Automation", sat down for a chat with elliTek's Brandon Ellis. CSIA is a global trade association that strives to advance the control system integration industry.  CSIA has more than 500 member companies that they pro...

Send us Fan Mail Are you confident your employees have the knowledge and skills to help your business grow and thrive?  Knowledge is power! We're starting Season 3 talking about training and leveling up. By providing technical training for your employees, you're fostering a work environment that promotes self-confidence knowing that they have the knowledge and skills to perform their dai...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we talk about some new ways to generate money, real money while saving the earth.  We're talking about green initiatives, aka Green Manufacturing, and how your manufacturing facility can benefit from sustainability efforts. During the show, we dig into the benefits of green initiatives in manufacturing.  We discuss how manufacturers can reduce waste - with real-wor...

Send us Fan Mail ROI - Return on Investment - pre-pandemic vs post-pandemic. How ROI looked before the pandemic is completely different in a post-pandemic world. Does your perspective on ROI need to change as well? Traditionally, the focus for production engineering was to increase production. Automation was trying to increase production which meant getting more out of the line without adding peop...

Send us Fan Mail Doom and gloom. Enough of that - this episode is all about successes! Listen to hear how manufacturers can use automation (and sometimes not) to overcome and succeed in a competitive market when labor can be difficult to find. elliTek's Engineers have been asked about some interesting things lately that could benefit you. Anti-air? Listen to learn what it is, why it's im...

Send us Fan Mail Labor shortages can be seen in nearly every industry. In manufacturing, frustration is rising because factories are seeing huge demands but are unable to take full advantage. WHY? Join us as we explore some of the reasons. Including why the labor shortages happening today are different than in the past. Why is the demand for blue-collar and manual services workers increasing? What...

Send us Fan Mail What happened with Colonial Pipeline and could it have been prevented? This episode isn't a dig at Colonial Pipeline. It's a cautionary tale for businesses, and their cybersecurity preparedness efforts. The reason Colonial shut down their pipeline was they were uncertain. They were unsure what systems were going to be affected over and above the accounting systems. They...

Send us Fan Mail This is a HOT topic -- Condition Monitoring (CM).  Brandon pierces through the sales and marketing fodder to expose some really cool stuff. Sales and marketing would have you monitor just temperature and vibration. But wait, there's more! Remember the refrigerator analogy? What indicators are really enough? Manufacturers are developing some fantastic capabilities for sensors...

Send us Fan Mail When you think of motors, do you think of a spinning shaft for running things like the fan in an air conditioner or an exhaust fan?  What happens if something needs to move in a linear fashion?   Motors are more than rotation.  This episode is about motion control, rotary and linear motion. You'll learn about the types of rotary motors:  stepper motors and servo motors.  You&...

Send us Fan Mail Menial tasks are those repetitive, tedious, or dangerous tasks that a robot is capable of doing freeing up time for associates to focus on high-value-added tasks. The types of robots used to automate applications can be different and sometimes confusing, so we're breaking it all down for in this episode. Please join us as we explore collaborative robots, also called cobots. ...

Send us Fan Mail Have you been seeing the phrase Robotic Process Automation lately?  Well, you're not alone.  This episode we learn about Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and some of the misconceptions surrounding RPA. What are the benefits of RPA? How would one implement RPA? What are the four reasons to automate, according to Brandon's Brandology? What does RPA have to do with cobots?...

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate National Women's History Month, this episode is dedicated to the countless women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math who have blazed a trail for women in STEM today.  At elliTek, a couple of women are carrying the Engineering torch today. Julie Shaw is an Applications Engineer with elliTek.  Julie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engine...

Send us Fan Mail Making Robots ~ Building Leaders , Gracious Professionalism , and Coopetition  are just a few terms you'll hear during this episode. Morgan Everett, Lead Mentor with Red Nation Robotics, is our special guest!  More than just robots and more than a student run enterprise, FIRST® Robotics & Red Nation Robotics has it all.  Listen to hear how tomorrow's leaders get real...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is dedicated to the Edge - Edge Computing that is.  Listen to learn all about Edge Computing.  What is the Edge?  Where is the Edge?  What's the big deal? Brandon gives a down-to-earth explanation of what the edge is outside of manufacturing that nearly everyone can relate to. Find out what lives on the Edge in the world of manufacturing.  Learn the differences b...

Send us Fan Mail Safety of employees is a top priority for plant managers.  In addition to the countless aspects that represent safety risks throughout a facility, the total cost of serious workplace injures exceeds over $1 billion per week according to the 2020 Workplace Safety Index. This is HUGE, so we brought in a safety expert to get the low-down. Dave Rice is the Territory Sales Manager with...

Send us Fan Mail Additive Manufacturing or 3D printing is bringing new perspectives to manufacturing, so we have a special guest, Matthew Stuckey , to bring us his fresh, new perspectives on the subject. Matthew is studying Mechanical Engineering at the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is well versed in Additive Manufacturing.  Matthew interned at elliTek...

Send us Fan Mail In September 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new proposed rule regarding food traceability.  This rule, which would be part of Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) , establishes event tracking requirements for specific foods and ingredients throughout the supply chain. Comments for the proposed rule have been extended until Februa...

Send us Fan Mail This is a fun season wrap up where we're reviewing our previous podcasts and looking ahead to 2021! Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Engineered elliTek's pre-engineered Smart Servo Actuators and Robotic Work cells are designed to help manufacturers save money. You do what you can do and elliTek can fill in the gaps. There are plenty of manufacturers...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of elliTek's Industrial Automation podcast is about Predictive Maintenance.  We are talking with a  special guest, Keary Donovan .  Keary is the owner of Pathways 7 . Pathways 7 is a consulting firm helping SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) capitalize on up-to-date information systems so they can  become more competitive.  Keary recently published a white...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about thankfulness and gratitude. Industrial Automation can be hopeful and positive.  elliTek is thankful for each of our customers, our colleagues, and our families.  During this episode, we review some projects that our customer's have told us that they are thankful for and that they have benefited from.  Hopefully, you will come away with a fresh idea or pe...

Send us Fan Mail Join us on the second Tuesday of each month as we talk about Industrial Automation and what it doesn't have to be ! elliTek builds custom machines for manufacturing systems, and offers comprehensive turnkey and design/build services, and technical training. Our mission is to empower our clients . That's what this podcast is all about - empowering manufacturers, hopefully...

Send us Fan Mail Myopic is being short-sighted -- unable to clearly see things that are far away.  elliTek's mission is one of empowerment. We want manufacturers find a way to better position themselves moving forward. Our hope is that this podcast provides helpful perspectives. This episode is about the tendencies we can have as human beings to focus on one piece of the puzzle but miss the p...

Send us Fan Mail Adding automated robotic systems to a factory can save money, create higher-quality parts, and increase production. There are six types of industrial robots that can be classified according to the typed of movement, the application needs, reach and payload requirements, and manufacturing preference. You will learn about the types of robots and how they are used in manufacturing, b...

Send us Fan Mail This podcast expands on Brandon's interview with Food Engineering magazine, " Keeping machines and OT networks and IT safe from cyberattacks ".  We take a deep dive into cybersecurity. Listen to the full episode to learn: Are cyberattacks evolving? Has automation technology opened the door to hackers? Is the Operational Technology (OT) side vulnerable to cyberattack...