The requirements for Programmable Logic Controllers are increasing continuously, and today's PLCs don't have much in common with their predecessors of a few years ago. The higher complexity brings potential risks that have to be fought off with even more new functions. With the newest member of the S7 family, Siemens tries to bring it all together.
The European programmable logic controllers (PLC) market witnessed a heavy decline in growth in 2009, owing to the recession of 2008. However, it made a strong recovery in 2010 with all major market participants in Europe experiencing high growth. A new Frost&Sullivan study anticipates continued moderate growth, under some conditions.
Stepper motors are the engines of choice for belt control or mult-axis machine control - or would be if controlling was simpler. A new type of controller might make it possible to get rid of more expensive motors and facilitate regulation.
One of the key issues in automation is safety for personnel and material, not least because a production line not interrupted by accidents usually is more productive than the other kind.
On the first day of the Hannover Messe, two automation companies announced their cooperation in the field of motor starters. It’s supposed to establish a new communications standard for switchgears.
Ever tried writing a letter in a driving bus? Measuring small distances on a vibrating plate isn’t easy either – the vibrations simply interfere too much. The same is true for sensitive equipment in production lines. Damping is necessary!
Power Modules for inverter applications need to switch high power levels smoothly with as low an EMI as possible. Besides, they are supposed to be small and lightweight – a balancing act
Modular software for modular systems: Assembly lines consist of several units, which as a rule are developed and tested independently of one another to a large extent. In order to ensure reasonable interaction of those units in a manufacturing plant and to shorten deployment time, automation software development needs to take place in parallel to hardware development, i.e. in a modular way, too.
EtherCAT , the Industrial Ethernet system, has become the process communication standard in many robots. Its use in the field of robotics offers a number of advantages: EtherCAT enables extremely short update times for the process image (50 μs); control loops (up to the current controller) can be closed via the bus. Control of the axes can take place centrally in the controller – including the coupled movement function. It integrates redundancy, hot connect and hot swap options.
Despite the obstacles the Icelandic volcano at the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier is causing in the international aviation, the organizer has opened the world leading showcase for industrial technology HANNOVER MESSE 2010 on Sunday as planned.
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