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Interpack, taking place in May, is far more than just a packaging show. 2,700 exhibitors from more than 60 countries will present their latest ideas, innovative concepts and technological visions at Interpack – not only in equipment and machinery for packaging and processing, but also in production tools for packaging materials, materials themselves, and services for the entire industry. And this entire spectrum for all target groups: from food, beverages, confectionery and bakery to pharmaceutical, cosmetics, consumer goods (non-food), services and industrial goods. In 2011 alone, more than 166,000 trade visitors from 190 countries came to the show in Düsseldorf and made Interpack into an international meeting point for processing and packaging technology.

B&R Automation will again be heavily involved in Interpack 2014, and we wanted to share with you some of the innovations in packaging automation technology they will be sharing at the event. The newest B&R solutions for the packaging industry will be on display on May 8 – 14 at Interpack 2014 in Dusseldorf (Hall A6 / Booth E62).

B&R continues to push packaging machine performance to its physical limits. With reACTION and NetTime technology, B&R has reduced response times in industrial automation applications down to 1 µs, allowing extremely time-critical subprocesses to be managed using standard hardware within IEC 61131 requirements.

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We like to use this space to keep you posted on recent developments and trends in the automation market that we feel are noteworthy. One of those recent trends has been the advancement in HMI development software, that can support innovative PC HMI hardware. In many cases, simple HMI systems have evolved into highly advanced SCADA solutions that provide key data to operators, engineers and plant managers from any location.

IFP recently became an Indusoft partner distributor here in Indiana.  InduSoft Web Studio is a truly unique development and runtime software that incorporates all the tools users need to create SCADA HMI applications, dashboards and OEE interfaces.

Most industrial automation and other manufacturing personnel are very familiar with multi-touch technology from their smartphones and tablets. Many work for companies that allow employees to use their personal mobile devices for work purposes, from checking emails to accessing corporate data. Now, multi-touch technology is making its way to the automation world through multi-touch Human Machine Interface (HMI) applications. (more…)

Technology is constantly changing. We all know this to be true.

Moving technology forward often requires new hardware, software, and training.  As safety awareness and acceptance continues, it can require time and financial commitment to design your machine to be safe.  As new hardware products are released, will your safety components be compatible in the future with other manufactures, or simply be tied to whatever brand of hardware you initially decided to choose?

The openSAFETY organization has developed the road map to integrate safety between different manufactures with different fieldbus protocols.

How does it work? An excerpt from the OpenSAFETY page shares:

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Adhering to the rules and regulations that govern the functional safety of your machine can be a daunting task.  Why make it more difficult when selecting compatible safety hardware or add extra engineering and commissioning time often found when using traditional hard wired systems?

Typical hardwired and large integrated safety solutions require additional relays, wiring, software, or a separately programmed PLC.  These options increase costs and complexity to the system.  With B&R Automation’s new SLX product these types of downsides are eliminated.

The SLX integrates seamlessly to the standard platform and does NOT require a standalone or “safety PLC”.  Conforming to OpenSafety standards, B&R developed the SLX to easily connect to all fieldbus networks.  http://www.open-safety.org/

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When designing automation equipment, often times there may be different component manufacturers selected for separate aspects of the machine.  In a conventional controls architecture structure, there is a separate HMI, PLC, motion controller, drive(s), motor(s), and safety equipment.  These components can come from different manufacturers or possibly the same. In either case, maintaining multiple different components for discrete tasks can increase the complexity of the system.

For example, each station may require separate software which adds costs along with potential compatibility conflicts.  Commissioning and service may also require special training along with individual software & licensing from different providers.   When multiple manufacturers are used, an individual component supplier is only responsible for their product, and may be somewhat removed from the end performance goal of the system. The added complexities and associated costs can quickly add up and increase the risk that a machine designer incurs when creating a new controls architecture.

A Conventional Automation Architecture

With an integrated automation system, these concerns can be eliminated.  In this case, the PLC, HMI, and motion controller are an all-in-one package, eliminating the concern for compatibility issues.  The I/O devices in this setup can include traditional digital and analog points, as well as safety IO and drives nodes. Each can be connected via Ethernet Powerlink (a truly deterministic ethernet based communication protocol). In an integrated system, safety compatibility is not a concern.  In fact, in this setup, safety conforms to the openSAFETY standard and is capable of running safe and non-safe I/O together without a stand alone safety PLC.

Scalability: Another advantage in such a system is the scalability.  For example, high performance motion control can be done directly in a standard B&R controller (alongside visualization and general automation tasks).  If a single axis or a ten axes system is being built, the OEM or user customer can utilize the same controller platform and software.  This secures investment and reduces hardware costs as your automation demands change. No longer must a controls software engineer rebuild a controls package from scratch simply because the machine needs have changed.

A B&R Integrated Automation Architecture

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