Wayne Labs

Wayne Labs has more than 30 years of editorial experience in industrial automation. He served as senior technical editor for I&CS/Control Solutions magazine for 18 years where he covered software, control system hardware and sensors/transmitters. Labs ran his own consulting business and contributed feature articles to Electronic Design, Control, Control Design, Industrial Networking and Food Engineering magazines. Before joining Food Engineering, he served as a senior technical editor for Omega Engineering Inc. Labs also worked in wireless systems and served as a field engineer for GE’s Mobile Communications Division and as a systems engineer for Bucks County Emergency Services. In addition to writing technical feature articles, Wayne covers FE’s Engineering R&D section.

Senior Contributing Technical Editor

Non-Thermal Processing

Take off the heat

For some applications, non-thermal pasteurization or sterilization techniques can produce safe food as well as thermal techniques and preserve taste, texture and color.

Wayne Labs

August 14, 2015

Thermal pasteurization techniques have been around since Louis Pasteur, and there is no question they’re effective.

State of Food Manufacturing

The State of Food Manufacturing: It's all about throughput

Concerns rise due to the need to increase throughput as consumers clamor for more and more innovative food selections in a biosphere being pushed to its limits.

Wayne Labs

August 6, 2015

What issue about your current plant/facility keeps you up the most at night?

Preventive & Predictive Maintenance

The future looks smarter

Whatever maintenance program you follow, an intelligent data gathering system plus a CMMS can decrease parts expenditures and increase uptime.

Wayne Labs

July 22, 2015

If run to failure is no longer an option, food and beverage processors have alternative ways to keep their equipment running at peak performance levels; they can plan maintenance schedules based on OEM suggestions.

Engineering R&D

Putting 'static cling' to use

You’ve seen the commercials for washday products that eliminate static cling. Ironically, the principle behind it gives an innovative robotic gripper a light, gentle touch that doesn’t bruise food items.

Wayne Labs

June 17, 2015

If you’ve ever experienced static cling when you take off a sweater in a dry, winter environment, you’re already familiar the technology behind Grabit’s robotic gripper technology, which the company calls electroadhesion.

Plant Construction Survey

38th Annual Plant Construction Survey: Fast track project delivery

There’s more money available, but it’s already earmarked for automation, sanitation, operational efficiency, utilities—and sometimes a new facility.

Wayne Labs

June 11, 2015

No question about it, the numbers of reportable food and beverage projects in 2014 hit a nine-year high—a total of 635 compared to 555 in 2013, according to Food Engineering’s 38th Annual Plant Construction Survey.

Tech Update

Electrical systems and components: The lifeblood of your facility

Electrical systems and components run in the background, keeping your plant energized, but without maintenance and attention, things can go wrong.

Wayne Labs

June 5, 2015

From 2006 to 2010, 8,600 structure fires were reported at US industrial or manufacturing facilities, resulting in 11 fatalities, 230 injuries and $753 million in direct property damage, according to NFPA research.

Engineering R&D

A secure, reliable automation controller from the silicon up

Rather than apply Band-Aids to old technology, the designers of this automation controller started with a clean sheet of paper.

Wayne Labs

May 31, 2015

If you could design and build a new programmable automation controller, what characteristics would you include?

Tech Update

Cloud-based MES/ERP--No longer an oxymoron

Putting your MES or ERP system in the cloud may be more secure and reliable than your on-premises systems.

Wayne Labs

May 26, 2015

It wasn’t that long ago that you’d never think of putting any of your data in the “cloud.”

Engineering R&D

Extended Interview: Food-safe, surface enhancement process extends component life

This recently developed surface enhancement technology can extend the lifetime of grinders and other critical wear components from two shifts to many months with no peeling or flaking.

Wayne Labs

April 8, 2015

Food Engineering caught up with David Bell, founder, president and CEO of Phygen Coatings, to hear more about surface enhancement technology.

Plant of the Year

Food Plant of the Year 2015: Mars Chocolate is lean, green and poised for growth

Wayne Labs

April 6, 2015

As a kid growing up on a poultry farm, I couldn’t wait to help my dad truck cases of eggs to the local co-op, but I confess to an ulterior motive—hitting the candy machine just inside the door for a SNICKERS bar.