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Optimizing Exceptional Machines

Scalability Matters
Improve design flexibility with a scalable control platform Information from Rockwell Automation® for OEMs

In this Issue of Scalability Matters
The number of product variations continues to explode, requiring machines to handle a wider scope of product sizes, shapes and configurations. To stay ahead of changing production requirements, machine and equipment builders (OEMs) can design ultrasophisticated machines capable of more throughput, and more motion axes and I/O than immediately necessary. Or, to avoid the added expense of “just in case” features, OEMs can take a more modern approach – one that effortlessly scales from small to large and from single to multi-disciplined applications. A scalable, right-sized control system and single network architecture provide the price and performance your machine needs to continuously mirror your customers’ requirements at any given time.

Mirroring Control Requirements
Multi-disciplined control systems – managing high-performance integrated motion, process and safety control – have been around for years helping users converge large-scale applications. Yet OEMs have traditionally used multiple control platforms and networking architectures to accommodate the range of applications and machine sizes within their portfolios. This has created unnecessary complexity – for both the OEM and the end user – because each platform and network has a unique design environment, user interface and vendor support model. Now, however, Rockwell Automation has extended its Integrated Architecture system with a full portfolio of EtherNet/IP™-enabled controllers, I/O, drives, and HMI terminals that are ideally suited for smaller applications. EtherNet/IP helps enable a simple network architecture and offers a clear migration strategy for OEMs looking to future-proof their network choice. Using standard IP network technology, EtherNet/IP also offers the best pathway to a converged network architecture – helping OEMs and their end customers streamline control and information flow. Through EtherNet/IP connectivity and features such as integrated motion, safety and standard control, the Rockwell Automation Midrange Integrated Architecture™ can help you take advantage of a single control platform and network architecture for your machines.

Optimizing Exceptional Machines
Information from Rockwell Automation® for OEMs Modern Day Scalability
The new, modern approach to control offers broad scalability to accommodate the full range of applications and machine complexity. The Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture embodies this approach with its Allen-Bradley® ControlLogix® programmable automation controller (PAC) for applications with up to 10,000 I/O and 100 motion axes, and the CompactLogix™ PAC, which is ideal for applications with 2-16 motion axes and fewer than 200 I/O. Both of these control platforms share a common design and user environment. OEMs are finding that this standardization helps improve design flexibility, allowing you to quickly scale the control system up, down or across applications to meet a range of needs. The benefits of this type of control approach are endless. You can bypass the lengthy control selection processes, better accommodate changing design parameters or expansion of the end customer’s application needs, and dedicate more engineering resources to drive machine innovation. If you motivate the majority of your customers to standardize on a single control and networking platform, it also can streamline support and maintenance efforts. Because engineers would only need training on one platform, you can provide more focused support while saving on overall training costs. With more engineers on staff who are fluent on a given control architecture, the consistency and quality of customer support also improves. Finally, standardizing on a single control platform allows you to stock fewer parts while improving overall part availability. A Germany-based packaging machine builder recently re-designed its system of stretch banding machines used to produce sleeve wrapped packages with the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture. The re-designed system allows engineers to more easily adapt it to individual customer production requirements and eliminates the need for end users to spend resources on in-house development. It also simplifies frequent product changeovers while maintaining high machine availability for the end user. “What our customers want is modularity and flexibility, so they require the best industrial network interface options,” says the machine builder’s project manager for banding machines. “This is why we selected Rockwell Automation as our supplier in this area.” The modularity and faster communication over EtherNet/IP also helps reduce installation costs and the number of switches, connectors and modules in the network. “For example, one add-on allows us to operate each AC drive in the network individually in multi-drive mode,” explains the project manager. “We can do this within the controller using one single interface. Because the I/O unit is closer to the process, we can achieve better performance throughout the whole system.” Choosing a control system that connects and integrates easily to the end user’s manufacturing network makes it significantly easier to incorporate the machine into the end user environment – leading to faster commissioning and time-to-market. Once the system is installed, the single control platform and networking architecture helps your customers effectively converge machine-level data with business-level data for improved management and decision-making.

“The Integrated Architecture solution from Rockwell Automation is so scalable that we can design our applications with a single control engine and a single development environment, irrespective of the size and complexity,” says Martin Schürmann, manager of electrical development at Ferrum AG, Schafisheim.

Optimizing Exceptional Machines
Information from Rockwell Automation® for OEMs Product and Service Highlights
Rockwell Automation has focused on bringing the values of Integrated Architecture to machines and small applications by expanding its midrange system portfolio – including a series of CompactLogix controllers, servo drives, I/O and HMI terminals.

Kinetix® 350 Servo Drive on EtherNet/IP
The Allen-Bradley Kinetix 350 single-axis servo drive from Rockwell Automation delivers high-performance motion control on EtherNet/IP, the world’s leading industrial Ethernet network. The drive can simplify the network architecture by eliminating the need for a separate motion network and can lower the cost to deploy integrated motion on low-axis machines found in applications such as indexing tables, process skids, case packers, erectors and packaging.

CompactLogix 5370 Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC)
The 5370 series, which includes the L1, L2 and L3 controllers, features enhanced performance and motion capabilities while leveraging the common design and networking environment of the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system. The new controllers manage 2-16 axes and offer users the same processing speed as the ControlLogix platform to boost system performance and enhance access to real-time information. These controllers are ideal for a variety of applications, including sorting, labeling and packaging, blending, and batching and filling. For more information, visit: http://www.rockwellautomation.com/go/5370

For more information, visit: http://www.rockwellautomation.com/go/kinetix350

PanelView™ Plus 6 Human Machine Interface (HMI) Terminals
The Allen Bradley PanelView Plus 6 HMI helps enhance run-time performance and operator experience while reducing deployment time and costs. Each PanelView Plus 6 includes the latest FactoryTalk® View Machine Edition (ME) and FactoryTalk ViewPoint software running on the Windows CE 6.0 operating system. FactoryTalk View ME 6.0 software provides the PanelView Plus 6 with new time-saving design enhancements, including a new extensive graphics library, enhanced color animation capability and access to a multi-language font library. The terminal can directly reference tags created for a controller and comes with a factory-default option, reducing troubleshooting to increase uptime. For more information, visit: http://www.rockwellautomation.com/go/pvp6

Optimizing Exceptional Machines
Information from Rockwell Automation® for OEMs Product and Service Highlights
Slim ArmorBlock® I/O
Rockwell Automation has expanded its Allen-Bradley ArmorBlock I/O line to help OEMs deploy distributed I/O in high-speed applications. The new 1732E Slim ArmorBlock digital Scheduled Output module can schedule an output in one-microsecond increments and trigger multiple outputs at high-speed intervals of 100 microseconds. This is useful in motion applications where higher resolution of outputs is required for more precise control and synchronization. By using CIP Sync distributed time synchronization, the new 1732E Slim ArmorBlock digital Sequence of Events (SOE) input module can register any axis position within the system accurately with a single time-stamp input. It reduces wiring costs and installation time, compared with the conventional method. For more information, visit: http://www.rockwellautomation.com/go/1732e

Migration Tools
Rockwell Automation Ethernet adapters and toolkits help to easily convert competitive solutions and/or migrate older platforms (e.g., SLC 5/05 or 5/03) to CompactLogix, while maintaining the existing field wiring and physical footprint of the control cabinet. The migration tools can help convert RSLogix 500 code to the RSLogix 5000 software platform to help users simplify the design and configuration of information-intensive and complex control solutions. For more information, visit: http://www.rockwellautomation.com/go/iatools

Online Resource Center for Rockwell Automation Midrange System
The Rockwell Automation compact machine control platform helps OEMs design better-performing equipment. With features such as integrated motion, safety, EtherNet/IP connectivity and reusable development tools, the midrange system give users the ability to standardize on one control platform for small- to large-scale applications on a single network. To download free tools and for more information, visit: http://marketing.rockwellautomation.com/midrange/

For more information on Machine Builder Solutions from Rockwell Automation, visit www.rockwellautomation.com/solutions/oem

Allen-Bradley, ArmorBlock, CompactLogix, ControlLogix, FactoryTalk, Integrated Architecture, Kinetix and PanelView are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc. Trademarks not belonging to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies.

Publication OEM-BR015A-EN-P - June 2012

Copyright © 2012 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.

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