Can PLCs Improve Your Golf Game?

Yes, and much more – when they transform a driving range into a fully automated entertainment experience. Programmable logic controllers aren’t usually associated with fun and entertainment, but an entertainment company is using PLCs to transform the driving range experience into a game-playing entertainment outing. PLCs work in conjunction with RFID-equipped golf balls, touch screen displays and other electronics gear to provide a new style of golf outing. Over the past... Read More

Auto Manufacturer Looks to Scalable Solution for Increased Network Security and Performance

VPN routers save money and allow plant floor personnel to maintain and control access to their automation systems. Productivity pinch points always prevent processes from moving forward, regardless of whether the issues are related to workflow, product flow, or information flow. This is especially true when a plant floor control system doesn’t keep pace with advancements in industrial networking technology and modern manufacturing information systems. This was the case with... Read More

Solvere Systems Upgrades Blow-Molding Machine Without Interrupting Production at Major Supplier to Coca-Cola

The task: modernize a control and automation system while keeping 40,000 PET bottles per hour rolling off the line at Southeastern Container. In 2010, engineers at Orlando, Fla.-based Southeastern Container (SEC), a major manufacturer of PET bottles for Coca-Cola, decided it was time to make improvements in its Sidel blow-molding machine. While the French-built machine continued to perform well mechanically, its control and automation system, installed more than 15 years earlier,... Read More

Introduction to Burner Management System Demo

View this 2-minute video that shows the basic functionality of a Burner Management System, showing a step-by-step operational process of a single fuel, single burner system controlled by a Siemens 315F PLC.Have an Inquiry for Siemens about this article? Click Here >>    Read More →

Siemens and SPSU Collaborate on Mechatronics Education

Major grant and technology donations support development of Mechatronics Engineering program Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) is a residential, co-educational member of the University System of Georgia. Located on 203 acres of naturally wooded landscape in the historic and vibrant city of Marietta, SPSU is just 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta. Approximately 5,500 students from 36 states and 64 countries study here. Focused on the practical study of science and technology... Read More

New Features with the Release of TIA Portal – V11 SP2

Industrial automation systems will see vast improvements in speed with the recently introduced TIA Portal – V11 SP2, which operates with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. The shift to a faster operating system will let customers take advantage of the increase in performance for both the STEP 7 and WinCC within the Siemens TIA Portal. New tools for the S71200 PLC include an SCL scripting editor. This is a high level programming language that is similar to PASCAL and structured... Read More

Understanding Usability Implications When Selecting Engineering Software

Picking the right software helps improve efficiency and profitability When it comes down to a final analysis of automation systems, “usability” is perhaps the ultimate goal. It covers all aspects of user requirements, from speed and functionality to ease of use and size. When integration and design teams are analyzing the software they’ll use for automation systems, usability comes down to a handful of core issues. First, the programs must do the jobs they have, and it must... Read More

World’s Largest Machine Uses Off-the-shelf Automation Gear to Ensure Safe Operation

The ATLAS detector at CERN in Switzerland: The largest machine in the world is required to research the smallest particles of matter A peek behind the curtain at European particle physics lab CERN reveals the role that several hundred Siemens systems play in ensuring the high availability, operational reliability, and safety of all critical systems–especially for its Large Hadron Collider. Sitting astride the border of France and Switzerland, CERN (Conseil Européen pour la... 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

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