‘Floating’ Solar Tracker Technology Boosts Efficiency and Profit for Solar Farms

Trabant Solar’s innovative floating tracker increases profits for solar farms by more than 20% and efficiency by up to 42% over fixed-position systems. Pre-programmed controller, which scales up to 25 trackers, relies on easy-to-use function blocks from a special Siemens solar library.  Solar energy is becoming more viable as the green movement grows and pricing gets closer to matching existing utility rates. Infrastructure improvements such as the trackers that help position... Read More

SINEMA Server Software Removes Complexity of Network Troubleshooting

SINEMA Server software from Siemens simplifies network troubleshooting by enabling quick and easy identification of communication problems in Industrial Ethernet networks and connected terminal devices. By shortening response times to industrial network problems, manufacturers are capable of reducing or even avoiding downtime. The information collected by SINEMA Server can be viewed at any time on standard Web browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox. The information can also... Read More

TIA Portal V11 Service Pack 1

The TIA Portal is the integrated engineering framework from Siemens. It integrates the PLC and HMI engineering tools of STEP 7 and WinCC into one easy-to-use environment. As of August 11, 2011, there is a new service pack 1 available for both STEP 7 V11 and WinCC V11. This service pack 1 brings important functional and usability features to both of these products. For STEP 7 V11 SP1, the most important highlights are as follows: Optimized project conversion from V10.5 to V11 This... Read More

Whitelisting vs. Blacklisting: A more Secure Approach for Preventing Malware Attacks

Traditional blacklisting approach allows any software to run unless it’s identified as bad by the antivirus software. Whitelisting turns this paradigm on its head, and permits only those patches and software that have been verified by the user. With blacklisting technology, the user can do anything he wants unless the antivirus software says it is “bad.” The antivirus program indicates that the file that has been downloaded appears to be infected with a virus, and that the... Read More

Support of Modbus TCP with STEP 7 V11 Service Pack 1 in the S7-1200

The S7-1200 PLC can now communicate to far more third party devices over Ethernet, thanks to enhancements delivered with STEP 7 V11 Service Pack 1.  Modbus TCP is now supported in the S7-1200 and requires no additional hardware. Modbus TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a standard network communication protocol that uses the integrated PROFINET connector on the S7-1200 CPU for TCP/IP communication. Modbus TCP uses client-server connections as a Modbus communication path.... Read More

New Diagnostic Tools Cut Downtime

New functionality in Siemens TIA Portal enables technicians to better pinpoint root causes on the production floor to get systems up and running more quickly. For manufacturing engineers worldwide, the pressure is on. Fueled by the manic intensity of global competition, manufacturing facilities face immense and increasing pressure to keep throughput levels consistently high. Any unplanned machine downtime can cause agitation for the engineering staff supporting the production... Read More

SIEMENS IO-LINK: Completely integrated in Totally Integrated Automation (TIA)

IO-Link is a point to point open communication technology designed to reduce installation and commissioning costs for OEMs while providing increased diagnostic and parameterization capabilities for end users. IO-Link was originally designed for use directly out on the machine to connect smart sensors and actuators. However, Siemens is the first and only manufacturer to provide IO-Link devices for use inside the control cabinet. IO-Link has been seamlessly integrated into the... Read More

Re-engineering a Machine to Make, Store, Package, and Vend Ice

Siemens components enable Kooler Ice to offer reliable operation while eliminating wiring and components. iPhone app informs machine owners of bags remaining and funds collected, and notifies when there’s a jam. In Byron, Georgia, a little town of less than 3,000 in Peach County, the world of ice making is changing dramatically. The principle architects of this change are Kerry Seymour, president of Kooler Ice, Inc., and his partner, Jeff Dyson, vice president for marketing... Read More

RFID Readers Fit Many Applications

The need to identify and track parts and packages at high speeds with high reliability levels is driving far wider use of radio frequency identification. Siemens is broadening its offerings in this field with a compact, cost-effective RFID reader system, the SIMATIC RF200. Designed for intra logistics and small assembly lines, the SIMATIC RF200 RFID readers support the ISO 15693 RFID standard, operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz. It meets a wide range of application requirements... Read More

Rugged Industrial Laptop Offers Broad Capability

The SIMATIC Field PG M3 industrial notebook brings a host of options including wireless technology and Bluetooth connectivity to industrial applications. It also offers capabilities that are state of the art in commercial systems, offering an Intel Core i5 processor, high-resolution 15.6″ widescreen display. The laptop comes in two versions, with a third offering Premium capabilities and additional interfaces that let it connect to S5 PLCs. The M3 has a dual core 1.86 GHz... Read More