Component Based Automation Widget

Interlocking multiple pieces of equipment in an automation system is often a time consuming, expensive and inflexible task. Component Based Automation alleviates these issues. “CBA” stands for Component Based Automation – it represents a very simple and modular way of implementing machine to machine communications based on Ethernet technology. CBA is implemented using a Siemens software tool called “iMap” that uses a very simple, graphical editor that allows the user... Read More

Sinamics® S110 Servo Drive

“Plug and Play” has become a term almost synonymous with the consumer electronics market – and especially the computing market. These days, if a device requires more configuration than connecting it via USB and a brief walk through of a couple of point-and-click screens then most people will decide it’s not worth the effort.That same kind of convenience is gradually coming to the vastly more complex environment of the industrial automation world.HMI SCADA systems have... Read More

Eliminate 40% Costs when Applying Drive Architectures

The technology to network drives into a single, holistic plant or production line configuration has been available for several years, but adoption has not been universal, a fact that still surprises Greg Richards, an automation consultant with Siemens Energy and Automation. “I’ve gone out to plants and people don’t want to do it and I don’t understand why,” he says, pointing to cost savings in the 40 percent range when electing to go with this approach over traditional... Read More

New MP 177 6-inch Color Multi Panel

Miniaturization isn’t just desirable in the silicon chip and computing markets. Any automation engineer will happily tell you that the most precious commodity in an industrial environment is space. But there are limits to how small you can make a piece of equipment and still have it perform adequately. Siemens Energy & Automation has introduced a new HMI touch screen that, at 6 inches, has an extremely low footprint on the plant floor. With built-in Profinet/Ethernet and... Read More

Modular Embedded Controller Add-on Modules

Late in 2008, at the SPS/IPC/DRIVES fair in Nuremberg, Germany, the largest trade show of its kind in Europe, Siemens Energy & Automation took the covers off its new industrial embedded controller, the modular SIMATIC S7-mEC which integrates control, HMI and PC functionality in one device.“The S7-mEC is a turnkey automation solution that integrates both HMI and software control capabilities,” says Siemens spokesperson Andreas Czech. “The device comes with preinstalled... Read More

Five Things to Think About Before Using Hardwired Controls

Regardless of the industry you are in, the universal workhorses for automating a piece of equipment or process are simple hardwired controls like cube relays, timers and counters. You can find these devices in discrete and process industries, on the plant floor in the manufacturing environment and even in commercial and consumer applications such as gate controls, vending machines and amusement equipment. They work just fine, doing their assigned tasks as required so what’s... Read More

How Asset Management Saves in a Down Economy

Plant Asset Management systems let you squeeze more out of your industrial equipment by reducing unplanned stoppages and unnecessary maintenance tasks. Estimated savings in the U.S. could exceed $60 billion. Wouldn’t it be nice to know something was going to break before it actually brought your production line to a grinding halt, killing productivity, throwing off schedules and possibly compromising delivery deadlines? Now think about how nice it would be to be able to put... Read More