Kaltenbach - A cut above the rest - Industrial Technology Supply Co
Transcription
Kaltenbach - A cut above the rest - Industrial Technology Supply Co
Kaltenbach - A cut above the rest Alstom: powerlink redundancy ulma: High-tech from spain ITS: saving lives with gprs technology VNG: natural gas supply under control 06/2007 Perfection in Automation www.br-automation.com 4 Ulma: High-Tech from Spain 6 Indumont: Driver optional 8 Alstom: Playing it safe 12 XXL 11Rotalec: An experienced partner for the Canadian market 12Fränkische Rohrwerke: XXL 14Lechler: Plug & Spray 16 Perfect Drive Solutions: In the blink of an eye 18Ilapak: Only two things matter! 16 In the blink of an eye 20Carnevalli: Innovation, expertise, quality 22 Kaltenbach: A cut above the rest 24 Huitong: Biomass for cleaner power generation 26Palamides: Delivery, pure and simple 18 Only two things matter! 28 Syx Automations: „Automatic janitor“ 30 Autoprint: Quality in print 32 ITS: Saving lives with GPRS 34 B&R USA: Back to school 36 VNG: Natural gas supply under control 39 GEM: Buon Latte 40Interview: Where are you headed? 42 20 years of customer service 43 10 years B&R CZ / Fair preview 20 Innovation, expertise, quality 38 Where are you heading? 06/2007 Dear reader, The economy is booming, the commission books of machine manufacturers are full, the entire industry is doing well. Many companies can document above average growth and are working at full capacity. Expansions are the order of the day. At B&R, continuous growth is an indelible part of our corporate history. Not long ago, Austria’s chancellor Dr. Alfred Gusenbauer convinced himself of this performance and innovation power during his visit at the corporate headquarters in Eggelsberg. automotion We strive to maintain continuity not only in our growth, but also in long standing, trustbased partnerships with our customers around the world. This continuity is evidenced by the long-time success of our international subsidiaries, two of which celebrated their 10th, respectively 20th anniversary just recently. Online version: www.automotion.info Where automation is headed in the future and how technologies and markets are developing are the topics of an exclusive interview, starting page 40. Media owner: Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik Ges.m.b.H. B&R Strasse 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria Have fun reading! A trade magazine for the automation industry, 6th volume Publisher: Hans Wimmer B&R Strasse 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria Editors: Andreas Enzenbach Margit Fellner Lukas Maier B&R Strasse 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria editor@automotion.info Andreas Enzenbach Marketing Manager Design: Lukas Maier B&R Strasse 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria editor@automotion.info Printing: Oberndorfer Druckerei, 5110 Oberndorf Austria Published at: B&R Strasse 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria Free subscription To subscribe to automotion, simply write to: contact@automotion.info 06/2007 Atlanta, Florida and Nevada... from Spain Top technologies do not only come from America; Spain also implements highly innovative automation equipment for its machines. “Atlanta”, “Florida” and “Nevada” are some of the packaging machines developed and produced by the Spanish company ULMA Packaging. Located in Oñati, in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, in the middle of Bask Country, ULMA Packaging is part of the Grupo ULMA, one of the strongest industrial groups of the region. Founded in 1956 as a maintenance and services company for the local chocolate industry, the company developed into an OEM packaging manufacturer a few years later (1961). Nowadays, ULMA Packaging is one of the main players in the packaging industry market. It has an organization model based on four Business Units: Food Packaging, Non-Food Packaging, Supermarkets and Engineering. These result in a wide range of machines: Stretch Film, Horizontal Flow Pack, Thermoforming, Thermosealing, Shrink and Vertical Flow Pack. This multi-line offer, unique in the world, makes ULMA Packaging a unique company and allows it to create innovative applications, which are adapted to customer needs. Research, development and production are located in Oñati and Logroño. Sales and services are of- 06/2007 fered by subsidiaries and distributors in 40 countries all over the world. The total turnover in 2005 resulted in 85 million euros with a total of 652 employees. Just recently a new R&D and production building was inaugurated in order to meet the increasing technological demand planned for this market for the coming years. Long standing partnership Cooperation with B&R started in 1995 through Larráioz Electrónica Industrial. At that time, this was the only B&R representative in Spain. However, direct contact with the Austrian B&R headquarters has always been a fundamental part of the relationship between ULMA Packag- ing and B&R itself. Technical training and competent support have always been offered both from the local distributor and from Austria directly. The first application was developed with a B&R “black line” control system. Since then, the partnership never stopped growing, meaning that the number of applications and machines equipped with B&R products has become larger and larger. Nowadays, the complete range of B&R products is utilized in several ULMA Packaging machines: Power Panel displays with integrated controllers, remote I/O systems, industrial PCs and ACOPOS servo drives are combined to equip machines with innovative automation solutions. The scalability of B&R products fits well in the ULMA Packaging products range: therefore, small machines uses a Power Panel PP15, mid-sized machines are equipped with Power Panel PP200 and whenever Windows-based visualization is required, B&R Industrial PCs represent the optimal solution. Maximum flexibility Furthermore, thanks to the openness of the B&R platform, automation equipment from other manufacturers is combined on the automation network via CANopen or other standard field bus systems. Finally, the flexibility offered by the motion technology used on B&R ACOPOS servo drives is a key factor for ULMA Packaging. “B&R offers us the flexibility and the technological level needed for our machines. This makes our Packaging machines extremely competitive and successful.” Josu Ugarte Head of R&D electronics ULMA Packaging The possibility to access and configure all motion parameters dynamically combined with powerful servo drive CPUs is unique on the motion market. Software integration using Automation Studio handles the rest. “In B&R, we find the flexibility we need in order to adapt standard products to our particular machine constellation” said Josu Ugarte, head of the R&D electronics department of ULMA Packaging. “We have direct contact with B&R, even with the individual Product Managers if required: whenever a problem arises, we always get appropriate support and a quick solution from B&R. Therefore, flexibility applied to technologically advanced products is just what we need.” “At ULMA, all of the application software is developed by our R&D department because we want to maintain knowledge within the company. Since the begin of our collaboration, Larraioz and B&R provided us with professional support, training and knowledge transfer, allowing ULMA Packaging to get full control of B&R products and to achieve maximum performance from the hardware. Thanks to this kind of collaboration, our R&D department is in the situation to autonomously develop powerful application software using standard B&R software libraries available in Automation Studio.”__ www.ulmapackaging.com Driver optional reprint from “Material Handling” magazine The INHILIFTER TSP140Laser is a different kind of forklift. The base vehicle - a mass-produced forklift NOVA TSP140 from the company Atlet - was turned into an automatically or manually operated ground conveyor. The “secret” to its success: Indumont’s expertise implemented in an X20 CPU from B&R. The expert jury at the LogiMAT 2007 trade fair in Stuttgart faced the difficult task of finding the best product in the category “Procurement, Handling, and Storage.” After extensive deliberation, the jury, which consisted of professors from German universities and representatives from the German trade press, presented their conclusion: In the end, the award for “Best Product” in this category went to the INHILIFTER from the Swiss company Indumont. Based on a standard forklift, these material handling experts from Pieterlen produced results that can be seen around the world. The operator decides The tasks for which the INHILIFTER was designed are no different from those of other forklifts. It can be used for storing, stacking, and transporting pallets and wire carts, and helps to streamline the orderpicking process. What’s new about Indumont’s product is that all these tasks can be completed automatically, manually, or using a combination of the two. It is up to the operator to decide whether to ride along with the INHILIFTER or to allow it to operate automatically in the warehouse. The laser will find the way When using the INHILIFTER for unmanned transport, the path and load changes can be recorded directly using the “teach-in” process, or they can be uploaded to the controller from a CAD plan. Laser navigation is used to find the path. Safety is ensured in the front by a laser scanner with configurable warning and 06/2007 protective fields and in the back by light sensors under the tips of the forks. Additionally, there are several E-stop buttons integrated on the forklift. If multiple INHILIFTERs are working together, a control computer takes over coordination of the tasks. Two implementation examples The innovation of allowing use as an unmanned transport vehicle or as a manual forklift can be seen in the following two examples: The first example is the semiautomatic loading of a truck on a loading platform. The control computer sends the INHILIFTER information about the products that it should transport from storage to the loading platform. The vehicle then automatically executes these assignments. Once it reaches the platform, the truck driver takes over manual control, transports the pallet to the truck’s loading bridge, and then returns the INHILIFTER to the loading platform. When the lift’s automatic button is pushed, it returns to storage to retrieve the next pallet. The INHILIFTER also has some interesting applications in the area of order-picking. When orders are picked manually online using mobile data collection, the storage address that is sent to the order picker’s barcode scanner is also sent via broadband signal to the INHILIFTER. This way the vehicle can move automatically to the correct position and save the order picker the drive from location to location in the warehouse. He can load the products on the pallet or cart being carried by the INHILIFTER and then move on to the next order. This considerably reduces the time required for picking an order. The NOVA TSP 140 series forklift from Atlet is a rock-solid piece of equipment. Indumont modified it to create three operating variations. The basic construction of this four-wheel forklift is robust and has proven itself well in thousands of applications. The drive unit with fully electronic pulse control provides optimum performance with minimum maintenance costs. Variants of the forklift are available with different lifting capacities, different maximum lifting heights, equipped for either single or double pallet handling, or with a wider base. A view of the switching cabinet - where an X20 System operates. B&R technology in the forklift “Big power in a small space” is the motto that applies to the selection of the optimum automation system for a forklift. B&R’s X20 System is the most compact system available on the market. Yet the PLC still ranks in a performance class approaching that of an industrial PC. This is a deciding factor, since the controller must react quickly and reliably to information from the laser navigation system. B&R’s graphics-capable panel operating device boasts a user-friendly menu structure as well as quick and simple integration options. Installation of the panel in the switching cabinet door makes for efficient manufacturing of the entire switching cabinet and optimum utilization of the available space.__ www.indumont.ch The INHILIFTER was awarded the prize for “best product” in it’s category at the LogiMAT 2007. 06/2007 Playing it safe Redundant network layout for process industry applications with Ethernet POWERLINK High availability is essential in process industry applications. Critical applications must be secured in a way that prevents functional disruptions in case of control hardware failures or cable damage. This is implemented by means of redundant central control units. If one IPC with control functions breaks down, a second unit needs to immediately “notice” the malfunction and assume the tasks of the failing unit, preventing risk-entailing delays in operation. Another important requirement for high-availability systems is the localization of cable or control malfunctions. 06/2007 Alstom presents a fieldbus which fulfills these requirements. An Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) member globally active in the energy and transport industries, the company has developed a redundant system based on POWERLINK which features minimal reaction times, real-time synchronization, high bandwidth and easy diagnosis options. Alstom has been solely using Factory Implementation Protocol (FIP) until another fieldbus solution became necessary. “In our most recent process sequences, the amount of data now exceeds FIP’s bandwidth”, explains Stéphane Potier, project manager at Alstom. “We therefore needed an alternative capable of handling the data volume in real-time which is suitable for redundant layouts.” Therefore, the control technology needs to remain available and transparent in the long term - and we are confident that POWERLINK’s openness will allow us to adapt it to any kind of process”. Furthermore, Alstom requested a consistent solution throughout the plant. “We were looking for a real-time deterministic fieldbus to enable centralized processes with distributed I/Os”, says Potier. After Alstom’s system experts had laid down the requirements, the complex decision-making process took several months. The engineers used a rating matrix which exposed the advantages and disadvantages of each eligible bus system. Weighing the pros and cons, Alstom selected POWERLINK and Profibus IRT, as these buses fulfilled all requirements and promised the highest speed. Since Profibus IRT was not yet available on the market at that time, the actual choice was clear. Choosing a system POWERLINK history Potier explains the criteria for Alstom’s decision: “Important points that arose concerned not only technical specifications such as bandwidth, but also the standardization of the system. After all, selecting a new technology always brings up the question of investment protection. POWERLINK was developed in 2001 by Bernecker & Rainer (B&R), the Austrian control technology manufacturer. B&R’s aim was to implement real-time data transfer on the microsecond level by means of a protocol extension of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard. The challenge POWERLINK was made open for other developers, which led to the foundation of the democratically organized Ethernet Powerlink Standardization Group (EPSG) in 2002. In 2003, the EPSG adopted the POWERLINK V2 specification, whose most important extension is a standardized application interface based on mechanisms defined in the CANopen standard. POWERLINK POWERLINK’s key feature is the timing organization between devices on the network. Unlike standard Ethernet systems, where the transfer speed depends on the amount of data, the POWERLINK extension features a time-slot method which ensures isochronous data exchange. In order to synchronize the data transfer, to utilize the whole bandwidth and to prevent data collisions, one device within the POWERLINK bus is assigned Managing Node (MN) functions, while all other devices act as Controlled Nodes (CN). The MN defines the clock pulse for the synchronization of all devices and controls the data communication by sending requests (Poll Requests Frame, PReq) containing a Poll Response Frame (PRes) to all CNs within one clock cycle. Since Ethernet is a broadcast system, all network nodes can receive all data. A POWERLINK cycle consists of four periods: during the “Start Period”, the MN sends a “Start of Cycle Frame” (SoC) to all CNs which synchronizes the devices. Cyclic isochronous data exchange takes place during the second period (“Cyclic Period”). The following “Asynchronous Period” enables the transfer of non-timecritical, asynchronous data. An “Idle Period” completes the cycle. Since the time-slot method prevents different devices from sending simultaneously, the number of hubs within the network is unlimited, which allows users to implement any topology. In any network segment, the respective MN can be assigned up to 240 CNs. Further POWERLINK advantages are a fully software-based approach and conformity with existing standards. One cycle consists of a real-time phase with Poll Requests and Poll Responses and an asynchronous phase which is used for the transfer of non-time-critical data. Redundancy POWERLINK lacked one decisive feature for use in Alstom applications: an option for redundant layouts. Based on their long-time experience in high-availabity network technology, Alstom’s experts set out to implement high availability in the POWERLINK stack which would enable the integration of a redundant MN serving as a failure protection. Potier comments the development conditions: “We greatly benefited from the openness and transparency within the EPSG. Exchanging knowledge and cooperating without rebooting. Moreover, the RMN must be able to prompt the AMN to send current NMT status information about the CNs via the Asynchronous Send (ASnd) service. This function is implemented by means of a node address management system included in the Alstom-developed stack. The POWERLINK node ID 240 is reserved solely for the MN, the address space from 241 to 251 is reserved for RMNs. In case of an AMN malfunction, the POWERLINK Node ID 240 is transferred to the next RMN on the fly, thereby ensuring full compatibility of all CNs and Alstom offers comprehensive capability, possessing the broadest scope of power generation systems, equipment and services in the industry. with other groups working in this field provided many advantages. As we already had great experience in the field of redundancy, we were able to position our company at the forefront of development and greatly contribute to the standardization of high availability.” The solution Alstom’s redundancy model is structured as follows: two or more Redundant Managing Nodes (RMN) are at the top of the network hierarchy. Only one of those acts as an Active Managing Node (AMN), the others remain on stand-by (SMN) and act as Controlled Nodes from the view of the AMN. The only difference between an SMN and a CN is that a SMN continuously monitors all network and CN functions - in case of emergency, this enables the SMN to assume all AMN functions RMNs within the network. Each RMN must be able to configure all devices in the network, with the exception of other RMNs. This redundancy model allows for a wide range of topologies. RMNs can, for example, access a simple network layout via a hub. An equally viable layout is placing RMNs and CNs in a ring-shaped, closed network structure. A third solution favored by Alstom includes redundant data lines, which protects the bus not only from MN failure, but also from cable damage and malfunctions. The network management (NMT) status Alstom’s developers had to implement a number of changes in the network status machine for the RMNs to enable the integration of several redundant Managing Nodes, since POWERLINK 06/2007 the development stages, have full access to all resources and can push for further developments if required. That simply leaves us with a good feeling.” Moreover, the whole community profits from the development: The new functionalities will be standardized within the EPSG and are open to everyone. Outlook Alstom redundancy model originally only allows for the operation of one MN. The network management (NMT) is a CANopen-based monitoring and control service. Each network device has an NMT status machine, which provides information about the operating status on request from the NMT master of the MN. There are four defined states: “Initialising”, “Pre-Operational”, “Operational” and “Stopped”. During initialising, the device boots and network activity is not allowed. In the pre-operational state, the device synchronizes with the network parameters; data communication is not yet enabled. “Operational” signalizes that the unit is fully operational and “Stopped” means that the device is uncoupled from the network, reacting only to NMT commands. In order to allow for the operation of redundant MNs which can assume control functions at any time, the programmers added a fifth state (“StandBy”) for the NMT status machine. During the pre-operational mode, the RMN checks the bus activities. If no relevant signals are detected, it switches into active mode and acts as an AMN. If there are several RMNs within the network, the RMN with the lowest ID will assume AMN functions. If the RMN detects network activity, it will switch into stand-by during the operational mode, but will log into the system as a standard CN. The Link Selector In addition to the stack changes, Alstom’s experts developed the link selector, an innovation which enables network operation with redundant data lines. Similar to a hub, it connects the inputs of both data lines with the CNs. It 10 06/2007 acts as a relational operator and routes the data of the signal-carrying line to the CN. If one line is interrupted, it switches to the other. Cable breaks can be easily localized through a message sent by the link selector. Application After completing all models and technical developments, Alstom went into an intense simulation phase. The system’s suitability for specific processes in Alstom’s industrial installations had to be proven by means of computer-based models. “First of all, the simulation confirmed our calculations, which had shown that the 100 MBit Ethernet variant is sufficient for our data loads. Subsequently, we created a wide range of critical scenarios and tested the functionality of the system under these conditions”, comments Potier on the long simulation stage. “We did not put the system into operation before being sure that it works exactly the way that we want it to.” Conclusion Alstom is enthusiastic about the results. “We now have a field network which fulfills all our requirements. The system has a very clear layout, another advantage is its hot-plugging support. Connecting additional devices to the network does not require any notable configuration effort. Moreover, we could easily integrate the network configuration into our engineering tool, since POWERLINK is based on CANopen”, concludes Potier. “But the best thing about it is that the system wholly belongs to us. We know The openness and simplicity of POWERLINK technology have already given Alstom’s experts ideas for the next steps. “The first implementation of POWERLINK has been a success”, explains Potier. “We are now starting to integrate POWERLINK into our whole product range. The next step will be the implementation of POWERLINksafety, which will enable SIL 3 compliant machine and plant protection.” Safety is a new EPSG development which stipulates the emergency shutdown of network segments in case of control failures. “Furthermore, we have been thinking about the integration of the link selector into controllers. Another potential project is the development of network timestamps synchronized with GPS time. In the long run, there are many further possibilities.”__ www.power.alstom.com For over 25 years, Rotalec has been a high technology distributor of industrial machine automation products, product identification systems and mill products. Rotalec also offers a wide selection of newly-developed technologies as well as established products from well-known market leaders. An experienced partner for the Canadian market The team of engineering experts aims to reduce the cost of ownership by providing the highest quality equipment and the knowledge to apply the technology to innovative processes in the manufacturing industry. Rotalec’s variety of value-added services such as product modification, technical training, turnkey solutions, local inventory of parts, and after-sale service offers support from products to solutions. Technologies offered are Sensors and Controls, Machine Safety, Motion Control, PC Based Control, HMI and connectivity products, Electrification systems for mobile equipment and mill products, among others. B&R was chosen as a partner, due to their reputation for tremendous flexibility and creativity in the technical side along with easy to implement automation equipment. This will allow Rotalec to offer services as a technical partner to B&R customers in Québec in the implementation and installation of integrated solutions for all customers’ processes needs. centering on integrated automation, such as Industrial PCs, I/Os, controllers, drives and motion, as well as software.__ www.rotalec.com Rotalec as a member of the AHTD (Association for High Technology Distribution) is proud to be the official Québec distributor of B&R’s innovative solutions “We were looking for an innovative supplier to match closely with our own philosophy in improving automation processes for customers. B&R came highly referred from our American counterparts. Since B&R is a highly innovative private company with products and philosophies matching our marketing policies, we felt we could raise brand awareness in French Canada for B&R, a market they had not yet penetrated.” Robert C. Tayler President Rotalec Inc. 06/2007 11 XXL Corrugated plastic piping is constantly finding applications in new areas. One of the world’s most innovative corrugated piping specialists is at home in Germany: The pipe manufacturer Fränkische. The company not only manufacturers pipes in its own facility, but also operates as an international supplier of corrugated piping manufacturing systems. The latest generation of corrugated piping manufacturing systems, FDC XXL, stands out through its power and user friendliness. 12 06/2007 We have all seen them, and even if we don’t always take notice - they are all around us: corrugated plastic pipes. This kind of piping has a wide variety of applications. You may find them, for example, in the form of hollow pipes to protect cables in electrical installations, as a durable hose on a vacuum cleaner or washer, or with larger diameters and openings for draining fields or house foundations. Lately, corrugated piping with diameters over 50 cm is also becoming more prevalent in canalization and road construction. These pipes are not only considerably lighter than conventional concrete pipes, but are also easier to seal since the longer pipe sections reduce the number of connections. A market with growth potential: corrugated piping in canalization Plastic pipes are manufactured by special machines known as corrugators, which produce an endless plastic pipe that is then sawed down to various lengths. One particular challenge in this business is the strong international competition, which includes an increasing number of players from the Far East - thus far mainly in the lower price segment. At Fränkische Rohrwerke Gebr. Kirchner GmbH & Co. KG is a worldwide leader not only as a manufacturer of corrugated piping, but also as a producer of corrugated piping production systems. The newly developed FDC XXL generation of corrugators is the latest flagship system from the more than 100-year-old company. These systems are designed to produce large corrugated pipes with diameters up to 1.5 meters. For Fränkische and its nearly 1,500 employees worldwide, this not only adds corrugated pipes with diameters of 6 to 800 mm to their product range, but also paves their way into the market segment with the largest growth potential. the same time, the end product - pipe - is subject to a wide range of regional specifications. With the many special requirements to fill, standardization is generally out of the question. This equates to high demands on the production machines. They must provide high productivity while maintaining high product quality (e.g. with respect to optical and mechanical properties such as rigidity, flexibility, and durability). In addition, the systems must be reliable and easy to operate and maintain, have a long life-cycle, and at the same time, guarantee efficient production. Machines from Fränkische Rohrwerke meet these requirements with ease, and the in-house pipe production helps Fränkisch stand out above the competition. As new demands are identified in practice, they are directly incorporated into new machine solutions. Even operators of the FDC XXL generation of corrugators profit from this situation. Despite the large pipe diameters it is designed to produce, the new generation has an impressively compact design, a sophisticated cooling system for the mold, and computerized system operation. Also, the machine is designed so that forming tools (multiple molds) which were previously purchased for smaller machines can be used directly with an adapter. In the early phases of a large piping business, this flexibility guarantees that the system operator can change over cost-efficiently and work to full capacity from the very beginning. Endless efficiency - the new generation of FDC XXL corrugators The corrugator’s molds are mounted on freely moving beams. The beams are moved by various linear drives with corresponding carriers. The linear drives are operated electrically via servo motors and drive combinations. The chronological arrangement of these movements allows for uninterrupted movement, which makes continuous production possible. Using the controller, the system can be operated in automatic or manual mode, where each drive can be controlled individually. A number of other details make the FDC XXL generation from Fränkische an innovative and efficient system for manufacturing one-, two- or three-layer HDPE or PP corrugated plastic piping. Impressive solution from B&R The sophisticated construction is maintained throughout the architecture of the new corrugator’s automation components. For the HMI, the engineers at Fränkische selected the modular 15” AP800 touch screen display from B&R’s Automation Panel series with additional keypads connected via the X2X bus. The combination of a large monitor and ergonomically designed keypads makes it possible to achieve an optimum layout for the extensive operation and visualization functions of the XXL corrugator. Up to 14 servo axes, synchronized via Ethernet POWERLINK, are controlled using ACOPOS servo drives. The controller for the axes is a Power Panel, to which X20 and X67 modules are also connected. “We examined solutions from other companies intensively, but none of them impressed us as much as the solution from B&R,” explains Rainer Dauelsberg, head of control technology for Fränkische. “In particular, file management was extremely complicated with the competitors’ products.” Fränkische especially appreciated the ability to contact B&R reference customers in order to learn about their first-hand experiences. “Our conversations with leading manufacturers of extrusion machines cast a very positive light on the B&R technology and helped reinforce our decision.” Another important factor, according to Rainer Dauelsberg, was the suitability and performance of the programming and configuration tool, Automation Studio. Says Dauelsberg, “The software not only simplifies the control of complex curves and the creation of visualizations, but also proved to be very flexible overall.”__ www.fraenkische.com FDC 800 V: corrugator for production of pipes with up to 800 mm outer diameter 06/2007 13 Plug & Spray Lechler are the world’s leading spray technologists with more than 125 years of experience in providing spray solutions to global leaders in manufacturing industries. Since the company was founded, the unsurpassed knowledge and experience they have gained has enabled Lechler to keep at the forefront of spray technology. Research and development plays a vital role in maintaining a global position. Teams of highly motivated engineers are constantly striving to develop new products and solutions to assist the customer in maintaining the competitive edge in today’s fast moving environment. In recent years, part of this R&D effort has been directed to develop an advanced universal spray controller solution - the Lechler Spray Controller LSC 360i. The objective of this initiative was to enable the company to offer a standard control product for use across almost any industry requiring control of the spraying process. Modular system design The controller needed to be easily and quickly configurable by the customer without the need for programming or any specialised technical knowledge other than his own specific application requirements. The LSC 360i is an advanced universal spray controller solution. 14 06/2007 The brief was for a system that offered interchangeable modular components that could be easily assembled to meet the customer’s requirements. It had to use a standard software package that was easy to understand and, due to the company’s global status, the system also needed to have multi-language support. Minimum learning time was another feature considered to be very important to the customer so smart key selection buttons with mnemonic symbols for user friendly navigation were decided upon. Lastly but equally important, the system had to be of high quality and ruggedised to withstand the rigours of production environments. Economical and environmentally conscious With all these points in mind, the Lechler engineers decided upon the B&R Power Panel solution as it met all these requirements and more. A customised front mylar layout was designed to give the units a high profile identity in the market and reinforce the already strong Lechler brand awareness. The precise of control of the B&R Power Panel unit gives the customer the benefit that reduced amounts of chemicals can be used in the spraying process which in turn reduces wastage and costs. There is also the benefit of improved product quality and lessening reliance on skilled labour. The user friendly software gives reduced set-up and batch changeover times increasing up-time and throughput. The response of the system to process line variations also reduces the need for operator intervention and potential for errors. All in all, the Lechler/B&R partnership has proved to be a winning formula from which the customer can expect to benefit in many ways. The payback time is reduced to an absolute minimum and production efficiency and flexibility can be increased to previously unheard of levels. The LSC 360i is set to enjoy a long and successful future around the globe and the customer has the reassurance that the system is backed up by the long-term support offered by two companies committed to providing world class customer service. The flexibility of the B&R solution meant that Lechler could develop a system that required no programming by the end user. This helped achieve a major objective in the corporate strategy and gives the customers a real benefit. The Lechler specific design of the front facia has helped gain excellent brand recognition in the market. B&R’s OEM strategy further helps to guarantee investment security.__ www.lechler.com With more than 30,000 standard products, Lechler offers an extensive selection of nozzles off-the-shelf. Additionally, a large number of individual solutions are possible. Automation PC with a performance upgrade APC810 with Core™ Duo and Core™ 2 Duo processors B&R’s newest industrial PC generation, the APC810, adds new products to the top of the performance range and is fully integrated in the Automation PC product line. The APC810 is based on the newest Intel® CoreTM Duo technology. This technology combines two processor cores in one housing, resulting in a considerable boost in performance over processors with only one processor core. Even so, the power consumption of the CoreTM Duo processors is so low that the APC810 can be operated without a fan. The new PC infrastructure provides faster connection of peripheral devices. In addition to PCI slots, there are also PCI express slots. This new bus topology ensures very fast data throughput and can be used for graphic applications and image processing. Additionally, the APC810 supports serial ATA hard disks, which further increases performance. A gigabit Ethernet interface makes sure that data from external sources is also transferred at a high rate.__ 06/2007 15 In the blink of an eye The automotive technical centers run by the ÖAMTC (an Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club) have been setting the international standard for technology in the area of traffic safety training for several decades. Thanks to a state-of-the-art controller from B&R and an innovation from Perfect Drive Solutions, the quality of training has been increased even more. Author: Markus Reithofer, megatech Two hours of driving, the windshield wipers have been running at full-speed for at least the past 100 kilometers. The driver adapts his speed to the wet asphalt and attempts to concentrate on the traffic as best as possible. Suddenly the mobile phone rings and the driver answers on a hands-free kit, thankful for the welcome change. That’s when it happens: As if out of nowhere, a deer suddenly stands in the middle of the road. In a moment of shock, the right foot instinctively reaches for the brake pedal, and... This horror situation is a particularly common scenario in Austria. However, children running into the street or other drivers disregarding the rules of the road can also cause accidents. There is no patent recipe. However, one thing is for certain. Drivers are considerably better at handling such situations once they have practiced under safe conditions. This is precisely the situation where Test & Training International driving safety centers are implemented. from DI Karl Fischereder, who together with his company Perfect Drive Solutions also offers other solutions for the area of driving safety. A vehicle driving over the Kick Plate is automatically sent into realistic skid behavior, which provides the driver not only with a feeling for this dangerous situation, but also teaches the proper counter-measures to be used. Franz Wurz, Director of ÖAMTC driving safety, is convinced of the system’s value: “In principle, anyone could find themselves in this sort of situation, but only a minority of drivers actually knows how to react properly. The simulation Lightning-fast reaction One of the most impressive systems at the Test & Training International training centers is the Kick Plate, a development 16 06/2007 The X20 CPU makes sure the dry obstacle is retracted in the fraction of a second. of these types of extreme conditions is one of the most important aspects of the initial and advanced training courses we offer.” Simulating a situation such as the deer on the street mentioned previously requires special measures, because the driver must be confronted with an object that appears suddenly without expecting it to occur. In the past, this was accomplished using a water jet system implanted in the road - essentially a fountain that is switched on abruptly. Wurz: “Water has the disadvantage that the driver does not sense true danger and therefore reacts in a different manner psychologically than he would with a real object. Furthermore, operating a water system brings a number of other disadvantages involving everything from energy and environmental factors to a dependency on sufficient outdoor temperatures. As a result of our positive experience with Perfect Drive Solutions, we set Mr. Fischereder to the task of developing a more suitable system.” When driving at a speed of 60 km/h on the track prepared by Perfect Drive Solutions, approximately 1-meter tall bars pop-up suddenly from the asphalt. A driver gets a real shock the first time he experiences this - panicked braking is the typical reaction. The obstacle quickly drops back into the road if the vehicle cannot stop in time, thereby avoiding collision. Innovative control Mr. Fischereder: “Our dry obstacle pops-up within 0.3 seconds and drops back into the road equally as fast using a pneumatic drive. Because of the low weight of the carbon fiber obstacle, it is “B&R’s state-of-the-art product range offers an enormous potential that can solve even special tasks with unconventional requirements.” DI Karl Fischereder CEO Perfect Drive Solutions absolutely sufficient to use pneumatics, which offers clear advantages compared to a hydraulic solution in regard to costs and installation complexity.” To realistically simulate unexpected appearance of the obstacle, the popup and retraction impulse must occur according to the speed and position of the approaching vehicle. To do this, Perfect Drive Solutions uses classical inductions loops that meet the requirements of tough outdoor conditions. A signal is then sent to the controller at the side of the test track when they are driven over. The actual challenge lies in measuring the speed. Mr. Fischereder adds: “The real task was to measure the speed of a vehicle moving up to 130 km/h with an accuracy of +/-3%. This resulted in a necessary cycle time of 12 milliseconds for the control CPU being used. There are hardly any systems available on the market that can reach this performance range. When the CPU requirements include a highly compact design, an integrated task class system and programmability in a high-level language such as C, most suppliers could only reply with a shrug of the shoulders - until recently.” Mr. Fischereder was able to find a suitable product that was just about to be released on the market by B&R. The X20CP0291 and X20CP0292 CPUs meet all of the requirements and also fit the price expectations, allowing Perfect Drive Solutions to introduce the complete dry obstacle track to the market at an attractive price. “My development work showed that even special tasks such as this with unconventional requirements can be solved with B&R’s state-of-theart product range. Thanks to cost-effective series products that can handle unconventional demands, their product range offers an enormous potential as compared to other manufacturers that only offer specially-manufactured, and therefore expensive, solutions”, sums up Mr. Fischereder concerning the positive collaboration with B&R.__ www.PerfectDriveSolutions.com The dry obstacle drops back into the road in just 0.3 seconds in order to prevent a collision. 06/2007 17 Only two things matter! “There are only two things that matter when selecting an industrial Ethernet bus system,” explains Claudio Macchiavelli, the software engineering supervisor at ILAPAK. ILAPAK produces high-end packaging machines and supplies them to well-known brand name manufacturers in the food & beverage and personal hygiene industry. The products they manufacture include cookies and biscuits, coffee, sugar, tea, pasta, meat, poultry, as well as other medical products and wet wipes. An important factor for packaging machines is a communication medium that is capable of handling real-time, synchronous demands between devices like the CPU, I/O nodes, and servo drives. Only this type of deterministic communication allows each individual signal to be processed in such a way that the machine’s optimal output is achieved without a reduction in the final product’s quality. Up until now, ILAPAK relied on the CAN bus. CAN bus advantages include openness and the required determinism. However, problems can result when several devices are connected to the bus due to its limited bandwidth. It therefore often becomes necessary for machine manufacturers to install two or more CAN buses. This, in turn, results in disadvantages during commissioning and maintenance. Searching for a future-proof bus system This prompted Claudio Macchiavelli to start searching for a new bus system that met his demands regarding speed and deterministic behavior. Modern concepts are clearly focused on industrial Ethernet. The advantages are numerous and range from the use of standard components from the office, which guarantees investment security, and the use of favored technologies like star, ring, or tree topologies to attain previously unreachable speeds. In addition to 100 Mbit transfer speeds, industrial Ethernet systems currently on the market now offer 1 Gigabit speeds as well. The trend in the industrial arena will definitely follow the developments in performance that have affected the office 18 06/2007 world. Whoever bets on the wrong horse in this regard will surely see their mistake in the future. For this reason, the new options presented by industrial Ethernet are enough to increase the heart rate of any system designer. If the basic decision has been made to implement industrial Ethernet, the following question arises immediately: “Which system is the right one for me?” System designers who have only briefly thought about this topic will have to learn quickly that solutions offered by different providers are incompatible with each other and that industrial Ethernet actually has several different meanings. The question of the right industrial Ethernet system From the point of view of individual machine manufacturers, the market is a mess, with companies beating their advertising and marketing drums and naturally extolling their own products as the only true form of industrial Ethernet available. Depending on the company’s market position, the stress is either on the number of available products, references, market penetration, or sometimes simply overall market dominance. Carrying out an objective comparison of different systems would easily go beyond the scope of this article. But that still doesn’t erase the question of how a system designer chooses the right product. The two factors ILAPAK decided to use an industrial Ethernet system that was independent of any single automation supplier. Remember those two factors that were crucial for ILAPAK? Factor 1: The system must be able to handle standard Ethernet components. This may seem obvious at first, you say. After all, Ethernet is a part of industrial Ethernet. In practice, however, so-called industrial Ethernet systems are being offered that work exclusively with proprietary ASICs. A trivial factor in a selection like this can easily be overlooked and very quickly become a trap. Claudio Macchiavelli expresses it this way: “You buy, you die”. Whoever chooses one of these types of bus systems “off the cuff” is soon at the mercy of a single automation provider. Now for Factor 2: It must be an open system. Open is another way of saying “non-proprietary”. It means being accessible to everyone and able to be implemented into existing systems without licensing or ASIC costs. Sure, there are several license-free and ASIC-free Ethernet-based systems being offered, even to the extent of free source code downloads, but there is certainly a trap set here for those who aren’t paying close attention. Promoters looking out for themselves promise freedom from jitter, synchronicity, and deterministic behavior to an extent not yet possible. This is exactly what today’s machine manufacturers want and need. However, so-called ASIC-free solutions that run on any standard Ethernet chip often turn out to be nothing more than tired copies with performance losses that further sour the deal. Full performance can then only be achieved by reverting back to ASICs. “We took a look at all of the relevant industrial Ethernet systems currently on the market. We came away completely convinced that only POWERLINK was able to meet the demands of our end customers.” Claudio Macchiavelli Software Engineering Supervisor ILAPAK The million dollar question The question concerning systems that are both open as well as based on standard Ethernet components thus becomes, quite literally, the million dollar question. But the answer can still be found after careful consideration. “We took a look at all of the industrial Ethernet systems currently on the market that are relevant,” says Macchiavelli. “This includes EtherCAT, POWERLINK, Profinet RT, und Sercos III. Only POWERLINK is able to meet these two essential factors!” It only took six weeks for Claudio Macchiavelli to implement POWERLINK on his Linux system platform. The POWERLINK “managing node” runs on a standard Ethernet chip. This is possible without ASICs or licenses since the EPSG (Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group) promotes open technology that is available to everyone. By doing so, ILAPAK has taken a decisive step into the future. They can now select their automation components without having to rely on a single supplier. Not only that, but it’s refreshing to be able to select a system that has the most market penetration and that offers the most components. In addition to the two factors that were crucial to ILAPAK, POWERLINK today has already achieved the future. Integrated safety, 1 gigabit technology, CANopen profiles, and redundancy are just a few of its most important features. This guarantees absolute investment security. “Maybe it’s the case that standard Ethernet components and openness are not that critical for you, and neglecting these two factors is an option. But it’s also possible that your end customers will one day be asking not about your machine’s controller, but about the bus system it uses.”__ www.ilapak.com Facts: ■Founded: 1970 ■ Headquarters: Lugano, Switzerland ■Total revenue: Over €70 million ■Employees: 400 ■ 600 individual machines and complete automatic packaging lines ■Four production sites located in Lugano (Switzerland), Nova Milanese with 2 manufacturing sites and Arezzo (Italy) 06/2007 19 Innovation, expertise, quality Well known on the Brazilian market as an innovative company, Carnevalli leads the ranks of film extrusion machine manufacturers in Brazil and is one of the leaders in the entire world. Its name is synonymous with innovation, competence and high quality in this industry and is now also becoming synonymous with flexographic printer machines. 20 06/2007 Carnevalli goes global Carnevalli began its activities in 1962 manufacturing extruders for very different applications. After several years, Carnevalli launched machines for the production of polyethylene nets, low-density blown film extrusion lines, polypropylene raffia. Another milestone was the introduction of the “rotating” head, which fulfilled technical requirements for the production of highdensity polyethylene films. With more than 300 employees, Carnevalli is now a leader in the South American market thanks to constant advancements and developments applied to the machines and benefiting from its 38 years of experience, during which more than 3000 extrusion machines were produced. Its annual production exceeds 180 extruders and has reached a very high technological level, comparable to the best machines available on the international market. During the last four years, the export share has reached more than 30%. Machines are sold to European, African, North and Latin American and Oceanic countries. Market overview The Brazilian printing and graphic arts equipment sector is estimated at €500 million, with 45% in local production and 55% in imports. Germany and the United States are the main suppliers of printing and graphic arts equipment to Brazil. According to ABIGRAF (the Brazilian Printing Industry Association), the Brazilian printing and graphic arts industry registered revenues of €5 billion. Despite local market difficulties, the printing and graphic arts industry invests substantially in new equipment with the objective of gaining a competitive edge in the world market. These investments launched Brazil as Latin America’s main purchaser of printing and graphic arts equipment. The printing and graphic arts industry has gone through some dramatic market changes. Printing companies had to become more flexible, providing quick runs while keeping low inventory levels. These market changes proved to be extremely promising for the flexographic printing segment. This segment is beginning to take over areas previously occupied by other printing processes. Growth in this segment is phenomenal, amounting to 4% to 5% worldwide, while Brazil registered rates of up to 10%. Analysts estimate that by now, flexography caters to 35% of all printing demands. A brand new technology for a brand new machine Carnevalli has launched a new machine that improves cost and technology compared to existing machines on the market. B&R was chosen as the right partner due to the demanding automation requirements. The “intelligent” solution is based on a scaleable PLC system. The performance of the PLC depends the on number of intelligent peripherals, which are mainly X67 and X20 modules. For instance, the film winders can be standalone equipment or built into the main machine. The software in both cases stays the same and is designed to avoid unnecessary loads on the CPU when the peripheral device is not present. Data exchange between the two CPUs takes place with a high-speed Ethernet connection. As a matter of fact, a flexographic printer is an example of high-precision motor control and good synchronization of several axes. For B&R, all these requests are attainable due to the wide range of possibilities including strictly synchronized servo drives, servo motors, AC motor control, and stepper motor control all running together. Additionally, all of the products can be programmed with one and the same application software, even the screen design for the operator. control add a significant value to machines demanding that kind of control. At the moment it is the only system on the market capable of having precise control of up to 4 motors including encoder feedback and accurate closed loop control for positioning. A partnership that pays off From the very beginning, Carnevalli has made it clear that their machinery must have all the main features of the high-end machines from Europe or the USA and also benefit from an improved price/performance ratio. Good after-sales support is a key point to becoming a good partner. Carnevalli is very competitive on the market; therefore, it’s very important to be one step ahead of market changes and provide innovative solutions. According to Sidney Reis, responsible the automation development at Carnevalli, solutions like gearless machines, automatic positioning of the printing groups and a modern machine control philosophy are crucial to survival in the flexographic industry. Key points of the automation systems required in order to fulfill market demands are flexibility using distributed I/O, multiaxis synchronization, scalability and easy exchange of hardware based on different platforms like industrial PCs or PLCs with an integrated display. “The accuracy achieved with the B&R stepper motor control is really amazing. This solution has made the machine more attractive in the market, and we are delighted to be the first to offer such a solution to our customers,” Sidney Reis commented with enthusiasm when seeing the new machine in operation.__ www.carnevalli.com With an area of approximately 25,000 sqm, the Carnevalli plant in Cumbica produces more than 180 extruders a year. More than 300 employees work on expanding market shares and continously developing and improving Carnevalli’s machines. “We want to provide the market with pioneering machine designs that give our customers the competitive edge. B&R is the perfect partner to help us achieve that goal.” Wilson Carnevalli Owner Modules available with IP67 protection have changed the conceptual design of many applications, which results in reduced assembling time, lower cabling and cabinet costs, additional networking flexibility and connectivity to many other devices. Within this concept, new innovative X67 modules from B&R for stepper motor 06/2007 21 A cut above the rest The name Kaltenbach stands for reliability and durability. Circular and band saws manufactured by this traditional company for metal working machines are well-known by professionals and are highly valued by metal processing and metal working companies all over the world. And it is usually B&R automation technology that makes it happen. “The deciding factors that helped us to select B&R technology include aspects such as the extensive delivery program, which optimally supports our product range with suitable solutions”, explains Gerhard Strobel, manager of the electrical construction department at Hans Kaltenbach Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG. In 1996, Kaltenbach changed suppliers because the control system used previously was discontinued by a leading German supplier of automation and drive products and alternatives were not available. Kaltenbach is highly dedicated to quality and reliability, and therefore does not want to prematurely jump onto a trend in technology; therefore suppliers are expected to provide a high level of innovation and an experience-oriented product policy. “This also includes an excellent price-performance ratio, which is very important to us as a manufacturer of series production machines,” adds Gerhard Strobel. “The follow-up control system was not convincing at the beginning, and standard accessories such as analog I/O and axis positioning cards were not yet available,” states Gerhard Strobel. It was not possible to connect a rotary encoder - a standard application for many machines. In addition, only expensive single-station licenses were available. “It was clear that this situation could not be maintained and that something had to change.” 22 06/2007 A new start with dependable technology The KF-series plate machining centers were developed specifically with the requirements of steel, machine and plant manufacturers in mind. More than 120,000 Kaltenbach machines are in use today all around the world. This number makes it clear that changing the system is an extensive amount of work and cannot be taken lightly. The decision was made more difficult because of the large and diverse product range provided by the metal working specialists. The company, with a total of 450 employees, develops and manufactures circular saws for steel and aluminum, band saws, systems for steel profile processing, sheet metal processing centers as well as punching and cutting systems. The broad product spectrum offers the optimal solution based on the demands placed on the machine by the material being processed: The individual product lines are available in various designs - e.g. from partially automatic saws to high performance automatic sawing machines. The control technology now being used is also just as versatile, as explained by Gerhard Strobel. “We use a half dozen different CPU types - and this does not yet include variations e.g. with diverse I/O configurations.” “We are now mainly integrating PLCs based on Motorola or Freescale processors. But we are in the process of successively changing over to controllers with an Intel format.” The Intel-based devices now being used include all CPUs in the X20 family. “The X20 System is very interesting for us because it offers nearly unlimited power reserves - even the smallest CPU provides added performance for our purposes - and the modular architecture of the system provides support for our machines.” Kaltenbach likes to use the Power Panel as HMI for newer partially automatic systems. For complex processing machines, the controller works together with an industrial PC that is connected to the PLC via PVI. “This is then responsible for the visualization application and data processing.” An application created by Kaltenbach in the object-oriented programming language Delphi runs on the PC and handles the visualization application as well as data processing. The software supports the DSDV interface; therefore, data can be taken from the processing engineering system and does not have to be entered manually. The Automation Panel is integrated in a customer-specific support arm system. Optimized workpiece transport for cost savings Another current trend is workpiece transport optimization, as stated by the manager of the electrical construction department: “The actual processing time for the tool now only makes up a small percentage of the total time required for manufacturing. A much larger portion is taken up by work such as transporting materials to and from the system. There’s room for savings here.” For this reason, Kaltenbach has developed modular standard components such as cross transport units, which automatically transport the workpiece to and from the system. “These system components normally have their own PLC and software interfaces that we have defined. In this way, we guarantee that we have closed, reusable and testable units that can be adjusted to the specific task with the least amount of work.” Communication via POWERLINK For example, we use CAN to connect ACOPOS servo axes that we use e.g. as supply axes to position the workpiece. Normally, the speed of the CAN bus is sufficient for such tasks. However, there are many reasons to replace the CAN bus with Powerlink. When using Powerlink, the operating system on the controller takes care of many things that we now still have to handle in the program. Earlier drive suppliers, including Lenze, offer Powerlink inverters so that integration will become easier in the future here as well,” predicts Gerhard Strobel confidently. Gerhard Strobel quickly pointed out another positive aspect of Powerlink: “With larger systems, the number of Estop switches increases rapidly, making it more and more difficult to guarantee work safety. Therefore we are very happy that B&R has announced a safetyenabled version of Powerlink.”__ www.kaltenbach.com With this type of system configuration, one of the controllers (usually the one for the system in the middle) works as the master, while the other controllers are connected using CAN and configured as slaves. “We use CAN in many instances. 06/2007 23 Biomass for cleaner power generation Biomass Power generation uses renewable sources of energy. It is a great way of using renewable and reproducible instead of fossil sources of energy to reduce the environmental impact of power-generation. The reproducibility of these energy sources is a crucial aspect, so that there is no limitation in availability. Experts estimate that fossil energy sources will be depleted worldwide sometime in the next 35 to 80 years. putting great emphasis on the subject of environmental protection and power-savings. The reduction of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and NOx emissions is an important goal. The use of renewable and thereby CO2neutral energy sources greatly contributes to the worldwide efforts to reduce the emission of polluting gases. When burned, these sources only emit the same amount of CO2 that these plants produced during their lifespan. Worldwide there is a lot of biomass which is currently unused, that comes from e.g. the wood industry. Other usable material is straw, bushes, hemp, bamboo or buffalo grass, among others. The usage of other plants is still under investigation, because many aspects have to be taken under consideration, such as the influence on the soil and of industrial harvesting etc. This biomass power plant in Shandong is the first national demonstration project in China. It burns straw to produce Strong Support from the Chinese Government Since total energy consumption is on the rise in China, the Chinese government is 24 06/2007 energy. A 30 MW “single stage bleedand-condensing turbine generator” with a high-pressure, high-temperature boiler is used for biomass firing. The annual use of agricultural and forest residues can reach up to 0.15 - 0.20 million tons. This results in up to 160 million kWh power generation per year. This method of generating “green electricity” The entire visualization is executed in the native language. “We decided on APROL because this Linux-based system offers excellent stability, which is a must for energy production. Another big advantage is the possibility of creating an engineering library that stores all our process knowledge. The system has been running error-free since December 2006.” Su Youwei Technical Manager, Production Department Huitong can reduce the annual amount of carbon dioxide emmissions by 100.000 tons. Along with the environmental aspect, this ecological way of generating power creates economical and social advantages for an entire region. The farmers that provide the fuel generate a revenue of more than 40 million RMB (approx. 4 million Euros). Additionally, more than 1,000 jobs are created in the region. The ashes that are produced as the end product are used as fertilizer on the fields of neighboring areas. Project outline The bid for the national biomass plant included a distributed control system (DCS) for the boiler, the main controller for the turbine and sub-controllers for systems like chemical waste-water treatment, fuel transport, oil transport, electrics and heating. After an extensive evaluation process, the process control system APROL was selected as the winning bidder, due to its perfect fit for this kind of applications. APROL offers an integrated solution for main and sub control. The system includes a redundant runtime server configuration which is used to store all the real-time and historical data with high reliability. Seven operator stations make it easy to monitor and control the several parts of the power plant independently. The process information is collected by five pairs of DPUs (Digital Processing Units), which are pairs of redundant controllers. The data from more than 3000 I/ Os is collected by intelligent I/O stations, that can process SOE-variables (SOE - Sequence of Events) with a scan-rate of 1 ms. From the network side the attention turns to availability, therefore the bus-systems (control bus, process bus and I/O bus) has a redundant design. the power plant. This project has shown that the cooperation between B&R and Huitong has a bright future. After three months of commissioning time, the power plant went online. For a process as complex as this one, this short timespan seems record-breaking. Further projects are planned The chinese government was very impressed with the success of the biomass pilot project. Official have already stated that follow-up projects are definitely scheduled in the next months and years. This method of power generation has definite advantages for China’s increasing energy needs. Along with promoting independence from fossil energy sources it reduces CO2 emissions.__ www.luneng.com Close Cooperation during Implementation The system-integrator for this project was Shandong Luneng Huitong Science Technology Co. Ltd. The company demonstrated it’s competence in starting up The modern control room is used to monitor and control the entire biomass power plant. 06/2007 25 Delivery, pure and simple palamides GmbH develops and manufactures powerful, user-friendly machines that let printing and print processing companies automate their delivery processes. Founded ten years ago in southern Germany, this company is one of the first addresses for fully automatic delivery systems. 60 employees manufacture more than 250 machines annually that are equipped with a B&R Power Panel device. “We started integrating B&R technology in our machines in 2002 and have not regretted it a bit,” explained Marcus Gasser, head of electrical design and software development at palamides. For controlling, operating, and visualizing machine processes, the company relies solely on the B&R Power Panel in their fully automatic alpha, beta, and delta families of delivery systems. “We were thoroughly convinced by the price/performance ratio of the PP41,” continued Gasser. “Features like its integrated CAN interface, TPU functionality, modularity, and data storage on memory cards are decisive criteria for our performance. They make it possible for us to use a single device across our entire product line that provides uniform controller architecture and operation with the same look and feel. In addition, the Power Panel lets us inexpensively equip our machines with powerful features that we can then adapt to the varying demands of our customers.” Palamides completes the printing process Machines from palamides are primarily designed for print shops where folding machines, saddle stitchers, and printing machines with in-line finishing lines are used. Manually removing, aligning, and bundling the printed product was always a bottleneck for printers and print processing companies. To handle this work, either additional employees were required or the operator had to throttle 26 06/2007 down the performance of the folding machine or saddle stitcher. However, reduced operational performance or an increase in workers results in cost disadvantages, which a printer can hardly afford. Stefano Palamides solved this problem for his parents’ company. Without much ado, he began developing a new machine that automated the delivery process. Today, not even 15 years later, palamides delivery solutions are behind many saddle stitchers, folding machines, mailers, and digital printing machines and have become indispensable. They automatically pass on products and deliver them in a finished, packaged form. The intelligent heart of these machines is the Power Panel PP41 device. Flexibility without dead weight palamides uses CAN technology to network the various machine components like the controller, drive systems, DC motor controllers, barcode scanners, and valve manifolds. “The large selection of available products, the easy system integration, and the fact that the PP41 already has its own integrated CAN interface, which means we don’t have to pay extra for additional interface modules, are all reasons we selected this bus,” explained Marcus Gasser. The simple integration of the various electrical machine components is of extreme importance for palamides. This is because machines that belong to a family may look identical, but in actuality they include options that vary widely depending on individual customer needs. “The modular design of the PP41 and its bus technology make it possible for us to get rid of any unnecessary excess in the base version and only install the technology required by the option,” said Arnd Riewe. “Because of this, our customers do not have to pay any technical overhead, and we can adapt the machine to meet the exact requirements of the user. Thanks to the consistent design of B&R technology and its easy integration, we don’t have to waste time figuring out how to ‚wed’ the automation components. This allows us to dedicate our time and resources solely to machine tasks and the production process.” The PP41’s TPU functionality in particular was a major contribution that allowed palamides to equip their delivery machines with powerful controller functions at a low price. “We work with positioning controllers that we’ve designed ourselves,” said Marcus Grasser. The TPU functionality gives us access to the panel’s “nervous system”. It allows us to implement fast processes like event counting without requiring expensive high-performance PLCs or special counter gauges.” Economical and powerful During the price/performance comparison, the PP41 impressed the management at palamides because it was able to handle demands above and beyond those of standard tasks. Marcus Gasser named a few concrete examples. “Unlike By using a delta 700, the personell required to operate a seaming machine is reduced - from previously two or three - to a single person. other PLCs in the same price segment, the solutions from B&R offered special functions in addition to standard functions like integrated analog and digital I/O points. These include PPM outputs or period measurement functions.” This makes it possible, for example, to easily and cost-effectively integrate fans that require a PPM signal for speed control. “At B&R, you can rest assured that there is no down time when it comes to development; they are always moving forward.” only a few simple operator commands are necessary for this; the rest of the system sets itself up automatically wherever possible. “This reduces the time spent waiting for a service technician as well as the ensuing costs for a specialist,” said Marcus Grasser happily. The B&R approach to using a memory card for saving controller and visualization programs is also another economic aspect mentioned by the head of the electrical design department. “If the software needs to be updated, the machine operator can do it directly on-site by simply exchanging the memory card.” The engineers at palamides have made it so www.palamides.de Powerful and user-friendly - machines from palamides are both. “We are convinced that we can continue to implement this philosophy with B&R technology well into the future,” said Arnd Riewe optimistically.__ Stefano Palamides is happy with the very efficient solution for his delivery machines. 06/2007 27 “Automatic janitor” Wielsbeke, 70 km west of Brussels, is home to Belgium’s first fully-automatic cultural community center and outdoor sport center. It is operated using the new building management system from Syx Automations, which is fully equipped with B&R technology. When the Wielsbeke soccer team or music club wants to train or practice, they no longer have to call the janitor just to open the locker rooms or practice halls, turn on the heat or switch on the lights. Club members can independently access the rooms, specially reserved for their activities, using a non-transferable badge and a one-time security code for a specific amount of time. If an event is canceled, then the doors will not open. All this thanks to the building management system from Syx Automations, fully based on control technology from B&R. Facility management Wielsbeke provides extensive recreational infrastructure for its nearly 9,000 residents. They host three sports halls, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a youth center, an outdoor sports center (soccer, tennis and baseball) as well as a recently opened cultural community center. Currently, the cultural center and the outdoor sport center are already using the new building management system. Within the next three years, all of the above mentioned buildings/rooms will be connected to the new system. 28 06/2007 The auditoriums in the cultural community center are rented to Wielsbeke clubs for theatrical performances, music and speech lessons. The building management system performs different functions depending on the individual building’s function. The cultural center’s access security, lighting, heating and ventilation are controlled by the system. In addition, the shower water for the outdoor sports center is pre-heated by the system. To prevent Legionella organisms from growing, the sanitary lines are automatically rinsed with water at a temperature of 70°C every 7 days for at least 5 minutes. The boiler is also heated automatically. Even the light intensity, desired temperature, and data required for the heating are defined according to the user and type of event. On-site changes made to the parameters can be made easily via the B&R Power Panel. Reservation system The Windows-based reservation system is a .NET application that contains the software package ReCreateX developed by Syx Automations. With user-friendliness, security and stability in mind, the decision was made to run the database, the backbone of this building management system, on an SQL server. When a new building is connected in Wielsbeke, a new SQL server will be added. The SQL servers for the different localities constantly exchange data with one another. If, for whatever reason, the connection between the central reservation system and a specific building is temporarily lost, the last 1,000 reservations/activities are still stored in the Power Panel memory at this specific location. That means that the building can continue to operate fully-autonomously despite a power or computer failure. At the present, the cultural community center has three panels. Among other things, an operator can use these panels to control the theater hall during a performance. If the lights must be adjusted during a theatrical performance, the operator can adjust the settings right from his/her workstation. In addition to remote operation for access security, heating, ventilation and lighting, remote system maintenance and management is also possible.__ The technology in detail: www.syx.be Control technology In addition to an SQL server, each building also has one or more Power Panel 220 units or an X20 CPU from B&R. The reservation system forwards all of the required information over a VPN connection to a central Power Panel in the respective building. The Power Panel controls various X20 I/O modules. Depending on the size of the building, one or more systems must be connected via an Ethernet TCP/IP connection for visualization purposes. Both the Power Panel on the control cabinet (top) as well as the remote station in a different building can be used to control all functions comfortably and concisely. X20 and X67 Systems in the control cabinet of the cultural community center. Boiler and control cabinet in the facility room of the community center. Pumps and heat exchangers in the facility room of the sports hall. 06/2007 29 Autoprint Autoprint Machinery Manufacturer Private Limited is an established printing machine manufacturer in India. Their machines range from small offset printing machines, to form printing machines as well as high quality label printing machines and lamination machines. The story of Autoprint is one of visionary thinking coupled with the will to innovate. They originally started as a small letter press unit and since then have transformed into a machin manufacturer that offer the most innovative technologies. In the beginning, Autoprint produced cost-effective sheet printing machines. Today they produce mainly high end label printing, offset and post printing machines. Reliability and competitiveness play a central role in Autprint’s corporate philosophy. Thanks to the continuous technological evolution, the company has successfully set itself apart from their competitors. Trouble-free machines define the company’s success, especially for customers in remote areas of the subcontinent. This has resulted in establishing an installation base of 5500 machines in just 13 years. want to compromise on the speed and accuracy of the new controller solution. These demands couldn’t be met by the customer-specific micro-controller solutions. Their search led Autoprint to B&R. Right from the stage of machine development, which had to be completed in a very short time, B&R proved to be a reliable partner. When developing the form printing machine PTP 7000, a solution was found within a frame of only two months. The machine is capable of The high quality standard of the machines was acknowledged with the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award in 2003. A partnership for new achievements Due to the fast expansion and focus on core competence areas, Autoprint started looking for a strong and reliable automation partner. Autoprint’s expectations regarding precision, speed, repeatability and quality were very high. They did not 30 06/2007 Autoprint received the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award for the outstanding quality of it’s printing machines in 2003. handling any size of form, from 4” to 19” in width and 8” to 13” in length, without changing the cylinders. Efficient programming environment The particular strength of B&R Automation Studio has played a decisive role in this success. The combination of a powerful programming languages like C and the easy operation of Automation Studio have greatly reduced the software creation effort. The fact that a compact sys- tem like the Power Panel PP15 - which combines real-time control and visualization - and the ACOPOS servo drives offer a complete solution accelerated the project significantly. On top of that, the commissioning time was reduced dramatically. The cost-efficiency of this solution is therefore self-evident. “We appreciate the commitment of the B&R technicians during commissioning, thereby making the project a success for Autoprint. The customer acceptance of the new system is very good. The support we receive from B&R India is excellent.” The machine is now in series production, and the sales figures show that the customers in the Indian market are very satisfied.__ www.autoprint.net K. Suresh Technical Director Autoprint On-site mobility Ergonomic, light and extremely impactresistant. These qualities define the six new handheld operating devices in the MP40 and MP50 lines of the B&R Mobile Panel, which has seen great success since it hit the market in 2001. The new devices enable safe and simple on-site operation and monitoring with a maximum range of functionalities. The main differences within the various series include display size and the types of operating elements. Depending on the application, operating elements might include a joystick, handwheel, override potentiometer, key switch, or illuminated button. The MP40 and MP50 Mobile Panel devices are available with a 3.8” QVGA LCD b/w display or a 6.5” VGA TFT color display. Safety For safety, an E-stop button is integrated via an additional connection box, which enables connecting and disconnecting during operation without loss of the safety function. Two integrated three-step enable switches, ergonomically optimal for left or right-handed operators, provide the highest degree of safety even during setup. the controller and open SCADA systems. The double-walled panels with IP65 protection have integrated interfaces such as USB and Ethernet 10/100. Integration Performance The processors are based on an Intel PXA 270 CPU with 128 MB flash memory and 256 MB DRAM. The Windows CE operating system offers a flexible foundation for a wide range of applications types, such as mobile thin clients, direct connections to The new series fits seamlessly into the B&R system environment. The panels are configured easily using Visual Components. The X20 CPU provides a compact and scalable control platform that unites all functions.__ 06/2007 31 Thailand: Saving lives with GPRS technology On December 26, 2004, a tsunami triggered by a maritime earthquake in the Indian Ocean resulted in extreme devastation. While this catastrophe could be labeled a once-in-a-lifetime event, mudslides are an omnipresent threat that claims lives every year. In May 2006, more than 100 people were killed by a mudslide that was the direct result of continuous deforestation and heavy rainfalls of up to 330 l/m². Getting a handle on mudslides would be easy in theory: simply plant more trees. This is unfortunately a very long-term approach to this problem, and erosion of the ground where trees are not present has a very negative immediate effect. At present, Thailand’s government is concentrating on being able to evacuate the population out of danger zones. An early warning system is supposed to ensure enough time for this evacuation. Thailand’s efforts can be traced back to 2005, when the “Forestry Research Database Center” at the Kasetsart University in Bangkok was directed to set up an early warning system. Requirements for the early warning system The initial prototype radioed predictive data such as the amount of precipitation, ground humidity, air temperature, and air humidity to a central observation post. The antenna towers used for the radio connection were extremely expensive, however. To reduce costs, there was an early switch to GPRS- (General Packet Radio Service) and satellite-based communication. One of the most important demands on the local stations is being able to provide 32 06/2007 data if communication is lost. Up to 7 days of recorded data must be able to be sent to the central headquarters once communication has been reestablished. An onsite text display with function keys allows data to be retrieved there as well. Choosing B&R After the first GPRS prototype from a local manufacturer failed to meet requirements, it became clear that the only solution possible was a professional system that used tested software and extremely reliable hardware. Because they had offered a very adaptable GPRS solution that had proven itself in similar projects, Industrial Technology Supply was selected to handle the telemetry of the system. A Power Panel PP15 device from B&R was chosen as the hardware. The advantages are obvious: ■Integrated controller, HMI, and I/O substantially simplify on-site installations. ■Integrated analog inputs - configurable for both KTY10-6 and PT1000 sensor types - minimize costs and installation times. Industrial Technology Supply Co., Ltd. (ITS) ■Modern programming languages make it possible to implement projects easily and efficiently. How it works When the PP15 is in “online mode”, the values measured by the sensors are provided to the Modbus slave handling the communication in real time. The SCADA server in the control center polls the data via GPRS or satellite every 15 minutes (more often during heavy rains). The PP15 device is used to cyclically monitor the status of the modem and switches to “offline mode” automatically if the network fails. When the PP15 is in “offline mode”, the measured data is time-stamped and stored to flash memory every 15 minutes. Once communication is reestablished, it switches to “recovery mode” automatically. When the PP15 is in “recovery mode”, the large blocks of data in flash memory are sent to the control center. Once all data has been transferred successfully, the PP15 switches back to “online mode”. The SCADA server In the control center, all of the data is collected in an MS SQL database and evaluated using mathematical models. The following measures are taken depending on the risk of a potential mudslide: ■First warning level: Exercise caution ■Second warning level: Prepare for evacuation ■Third warning level: Evacuate to secure zones These early warning systems are also being used to help mitigate the effects of flooding from Thailand’s rivers and to monitor water pipes in Bangkok. These effective measures are used as the basis for protecting the population. “We are proud to be able to make a positive contribution to Thailand and are very happy about the results we’ve seen so far,” said Karl-Heinz Pierz, Managing Director at I.T.S. “Even when a mudslide buried one of the stations, to everyone’s surprise the PP15 was still able to transmit data. This is real proof of its high quality.”__ ITS is managed by Karl-Heinz Pierz, employs 15 people and makes a seven figure Euro annual turnover. The company possesses extensive industry knowledge in industrial branches that are particularly important for Thailand such as foodstuffs, animal feed, as well as the chemical, textile, paper, glass, steel, oil, gas, furniture and agriculture industries. Over time, changing over from old to new controller systems has become the main area of expertise for the company. With a wealth of experience in migrating systems, ITS is in a position to handle replacements of extremely large and complex systems. With a staff of well-trained engineers, as well as B&R sales and support, ITS offers high quality system integration and excellent support. Industrial GPRS monitoring and controller systems are the current focus of the company’s automation department. Intelligent stations with B&R controllers and GPRS modems communicate with a central operating station based on the Modbus protocol. The big advantage to conventional radio systems is the very low installation costs because GPRS is based on existing GSM networks with very low monthly fees. Water distribution, flood forecast, pipeline monitoring and tank level monitoring are some of the main applications. www.plc-scada.net A measuring station of the early warning system. 06/2007 33 The fast-changing technology of the automation industry offers machine manufacturers great potential for producing more efficient and productive machines. We can all agree that the implementation of cutting-edge technology is necessary to keep one step ahead of the competition. In order to stay up-to-date with current technology, it is necessary for all engineers to continue their education on a regular basis. Here in the United States, B&R is expanding the customer base at a rapid rate. Our technical training plays a vital role. We assist them in the process of rethinking their methodology in order to upgrade their hardware and to utilize a more powerful programming language. The main objective of B&R training is to bring all participants to a level of knowledge where they can create or modify B&R systems for their company. This gives our customers the advantage of having B&R knowledge in-house. In 2006, over 270 trainees attended B&R USA’s training classes. This represented a large increase over our 2005 attendance. For 2007, we have expanded our training schedule to include additional visualization and motion classes. B&R USA is therefore teaching 40 weeks of training courses for our customers in 2007. 34 06/2007 Individual courses for technicians, made by technicians B&R USA’s training courses offer customers with diverse backgrounds an opportunity to learn B&R products and technology. End-users, partners, and OEM representatives come together in class to study B&R software and hardware. In order to accommodate the needs of its diverse audience B&R USA offers four standard courses with different subjects: ■ the Service Workshop for technicians and troubleshooters ■ the Control Training course for programmers and operators ■ the Visualization course for HMI designers ■ the standard Motion course Customers’ backgrounds range in experience from electrical/mechanical technicians to ladder logic and high-level language programmers. It is important to bring everyone to a similar skill level. The aim of B&R courses is to fill in the knowledge gaps, and teach each participant the skills they are missing. As another option to standard courses, B&R USA organizes special customized training courses, allowing for an optimized learning experience. Custom courses can be on-site or at the B&R headquarters in Atlanta, GA. Hands-On training Hands-on training is an essential part of B&R USA’s training classes. Our training room is therefore equipped with demo hardware stations utilizing state-of-theart PLCs, digital and analog I/O, drives, and motors, in order for trainees to simulate conditions in the field. A learning process in a lab environment, not during factory production, meaning without the “I enjoy the interaction with my students: they always look at things with a fresh perspective. Training is a valuable tool for product improvement, and a time when broader questions and ideas can be discussed.” Laura Randell Automation Trainer B&R Atlanta risk posed by operating errors. The additional hands-on training of our curricula gives trainees direct access to actively running B&R products, so that real-time effects can be studied as well. With this method, trainees can see the effects of their changes immediately, and practice with hardware which is not running a critical process. As engineers test these new products, they pass on their knowledge to trainers, and trainers pass on that knowledge to a larger audience of trainees. For trainees, this information flow is critical, in order to understand how new products can be applied to and improve existing processes. Additionally, our courses also include a Workshop day, which allows trainees to focus on issues that are important to them. During this time, they can ask questions, address issues they are currently facing in their company as well as set up hardware demos modeling their machines and hardware to learn pertinent information about their application. Documentation Keeping up with new trends in automation Besides teaching the theoretical basics B&R USA’s training courses also assure that trainees understand where technology is heading. Examples include B&R’s real-time, deterministic communication Protocol Ethernet POWERLINK as well as new trends in safety technology. When training participants leave our office they not only go home with an increased level of technical knowledge but we also supply them with comprehensive training manuals (TMs), a demo CD of Automation Studio, and a current B&R product catalog. The training manuals are suitable for self-study, and contain more information than is covered during class. This allows each student to explore topics more fully when they return to their company. With Automation Studio, they can continue to create additional code as well as use the online help for further independent study. Finally, the product catalog helps every participant to become more familiar with B&R’s extensive palette of automation products and solutions. The trainer In 2006 Laura Randell accepted the challenging position as full-time automation trainer with B&R Industrial Automation in Atlanta, GA. Laura began her career in the automation industry by working as an intern in college at the University of Minnesota - Minneapolis. She worked for a large food manufacturer, writing PLC ladder logic for food processing and refrigeration applications, and designing electrical panel layouts. After graduation, she continued in automation with a PLC integrator, working extensively with HMI designs, data collection, and database design. As a trainer, she was able to utilize her knowledge of servo motion theory, system sizing, product selection, and high-level language programming, including motion profile applications.__ The training room at B&R Atlanta is the ideal environment for hand-on, extensive training. 06/2007 35 Proprietary control systems, which make a process operator dependant on a single manufacturer, are becoming increasingly obsolete. For the eastern German natural gas provider VNG, flexibility was a deciding factor when selecting their new system, in order to lay the groundwork for later migration. Use of a Linux based process control system resulted in considerable cost reduction, especially in engineering. A total of 14 APROL systems are already being successfully operated at VNG. Natural gas supply under control 36 06/2007 Natural gas is an extremely popular source of energy When it comes to emissions, natural gas - which consists mainly of methane - stands head and shoulders above other fossil fuels such as coal and oil. No wonder, then, that its usage as a primary energy source is increasing steadily, already having passed the 20 percent mark. Verbundnetz Gas AG (VNG) imports grid gas from Russia, Norway, and other countries and distributes it to regional and local natural gas suppliers, power plants, and large industrial organizations. In addition to transfer stations and treatment plants, VNG also operates underground storage units that serve as a buffer against fluctuating demand. With a capacity of around 2.1 billion m³, these can cover up to 50 percent of the VNG's demand in winter. The underground storage units are manmade caverns, created by solution mining in salt-rich rock, several hundred meters underground. The gas is pressurized with compressors and fed into the caverns under pressure. This type of variablecapacity storage has advantages over above-ground containers, such as high discharge rates and minimal ground space requirements. Automated plants and process control systems were gradually modernized After a comprehensive modernization project, all of VNG's above-ground operations have been completely reconstructed and modernized for more than a decade. The high degree of automation ensures safe and efficient operation of the storage facilities. Process control has played the decisive role in this. "Our goal is to keep all of our natural gas related services competitive by keeping our operating costs down," explains Dr. Jörg Hartan, head of automation and electrical engineering. Cost-efficient, reliable, and ready for the future - these are the qualities needed from a process control system. And the automation experts in Leipzig do not want to commit to proprietary technology - they wanted a flexible system that is compatible with programmable logic controllers from various manufacturers. What is more, they wanted a widely scalable system, which could automate both the smaller systems and the gigantic storage systems with as many as 20,000 I/O points. Back then, they decided on the Unix based control system APROL E. "The deciding factor was the flexibility with respect to the control hardware," reports Hartan. The price was also an important aspect of the decision. On top of that was the fact that the integrated SCADA functions contained their own database, as standard, with which the process data are written. By 1997, all of VNG's locations had been equipped with the new control system. Hartan explains, "Until that point we had somehow managed to keep the technology alive that we had been using since before reunification." An important factor in the selection of a system was the use of standard components. Proprietary hardware should be avoided wherever possible. The latest modernization project is focused on the underground storage unit in Buchholz, near Potsdam. Here, a current APROL version control level is being implemented with a server for runtime, engineering, and operation. This system also includes an engineering station and five operator stations. Four controllers and ten probe controllers (B&R System 2005) are in operation at the process level. Profibus serves as the process bus, although other locations make use of Ethernet or a redundant H1 bus. Strategy for migration to current APROL version Cancellation of the APROL E generation, which had proven itself on the market for over 10 years, made it necessary to put together a migration strategy to the new APROL. "The cancellation means that this version will no longer be sold, though the service is still guaranteed for years. We also guarantee at least 10 years of extended supply for previously delivered industrial PCs, since these products are in operation throughout the automation industry and must be kept compatible despite changing chipsets," emphasizes Stefan Lau, B&R Process Control Sales Manager. And so VNG must develop a migration strategy. "To satisfy our duties as a supplier, we must develop a migration plan that can be phased in without interrupting operation," explains Jörg Hartan. In addition, monitoring and some remote maintenance should be possible for the geographically dispersed network of locations from the headquarters in Leipzig, and this predominantly unmanned. "The database concept and the networking of control systems in our integrated network via a WAN therefore takes on great importance," says Hartan, defining one of the requirements of the migration. As always, cost is a limiting element. Hartan points out, "A major cost factor when it comes to control system projects is the engineering - the programming of the software." These facts spoke in favor implementing the successor system, the current APROL version. Just like its predecessor, this Linux based control system uses the preconfigured function blocks provided by the manufacturer. All system levels are centrally configured The VNG headquarters - Verbundnetz Gas AG in Leipzig. 06/2007 37 Dispatching and process control can be executed from a central control station. using the same engineering tool. The engineering license contains tested standard libraries, which the user can adapt to meet their own special needs. "Open source libraries" increase engineering efficiency Here, too, the manufacturer keeps with the open source concept of the operating system, because having system integrators and control system providers customize products to the user's special requests can often be very expensive. With APROL, the basic blocks can be modified to create user-specific function libraries. "The ability to utilize feedback from actual operation to create new functions allows us to continually optimize the system," observes Michaela Voigt, automation specialist at VNG. An additional characteristic of the operating system with the Penguin mascot is the seamless integration of internet technology such as TCP/IP. "Linux has very sophisticated, yet affordable, router technology," explains Lau, which he sees as a point in favor of the construction of distributed networks. Lau: "With a Linux based control system, we support excellent machine life cycle services such as update guarantees for several years." "The network enables us to have 100 percent of the on-site data in Leipzig as well - and that without any added engineering costs," clarifies Voigt. The control system provides integrated web services to display this data, which allows it to also be viewed with Windows systems. The centralized data storage reduces the construction and servicing costs. Sophis- 38 06/2007 ticated access protection with Audit Trail functions, which is also used in the strictly regulated pharmaceutical industry, provides the necessary security. The current APROL version still supports all connections to external systems. Using the manufacturer's own hardware, however, brings the added benefit of universal configuration of data communication, even on the controller. The Buchholz underground storage unit requires the highest possible availability At the underground storage unit in Buchholz, which is also important for supplying Berlin, availability becomes extremely important. Servers, buses and controllers are therefore designed to be redundant and provide a high degree of availability. To meet the strict safety requirements, an independent fail-safe system was installed parallel to the control system, which has as its heart a safety PLC from Hima. So that personnel is not required to be on site overnight or on weekends, the automation structure was set up to support remote operation. A central requirement for this was the database concept. Process data must be transferred separately from the actual system. Intuitive process control requires acceptance by the operating personnel The sophisticated access control - which is equipped with password, card readers, and biometric systems - provides the necessary access security. Audit Trail ensures that all important process control operations are recorded. This includes login actions, locking of alarms, manual operations carried out by the operator, and the resulting display change. "When working with distributed networks, these functions are becoming more and more important," explains Hartan. Last, but not least, the automation project in Buchholz owes its success to the acceptance of the operating personnel. Hartan emphasizes, "The system operators can manage the processes without additional knowledge of automation technology."__ www.vng.de Buon Latte italian: good milk Anybody who grew up on a farm knows the great taste of milk fresh from the cow. Milk dispenser machines provide 24-hour access to fresh milk without having to visit the farm, even near large city centers. Although this idea isn’t exactly new, the Baroncini brothers in Italy take it to the next level by their choice of automation components. The Baroncini brothers, who run a dairy farm near Ravenna, have proposed reallocating part of the milk share destined for large-scale retail to be sold directly. Fresh milk presents some additional preservation challenges, however; it must be kept at a temperature between 0 and 4°C to prevent bacterial and taste adulteration. separate, hygienic area. The amount of liquid to be dispensed is calculated by the amoint of coins inserted. Mr. Baroni continues, “The visualization allows us to offer users a device that is easy and simple to use.” It is vital to monitor the status of the dispenser machine, in order to offer high quality products in accordance with hygiene and sanitary rules at all times. Know-how for freshness Mr. Baroni emphasizes, “The Power Panel’s serial port is connected to a radio modem which sends text messages about errors, machine faults, product shortages, and reports to two selected mobile numbers. It is also possible to query the modem about the status of the machine and receive a text message containing the complete details.” The company GEM S.r.l. designs and builds control cabinets and electrical installations for the automation industry. GEM has helped to create an automatic dispenser that is safe, easy to use and that preserves the high quality of the product. Roberto Baroni, who is responsible for software at GEM, explains:”We evaluated the problems involved with manipulating and preserving a product like fresh milk. The solution is keeping it at the right temperature, controlling the liquid amount, maintaining a sterile and clean area to supply it, and creating an easy to use interface.” The automatic fresh milk distributor machines offer end consumers an innovative system, which allows producers to open up new market segments in a competitive field that is becoming larger and larger.__ “A system that combines PLC and visualization in one device is the perfect solution for our vending machine. As we were already familiar with the product, we immediately realized that a B&R Power Panel is the right choice. It provides a perfect synergy of control, visualization and onboard I/Os. Even an encoder for controlling the amount of liquid to pour is onboard”, explains Baroni. User-friendly operation After the customer pays for the desired amount, the supply of milk is run to a 06/2007 39 Where are you headed? automotion had a chance to sit down and speak with Peter Gucher, who, as General Manager, is responsible for international sales activies at B&R. We wanted to know about industries, where B&R sees potential growth as well as learn the best way to take advantage of those possibilities. 40 06/2007 automotion: Mr. Gucher, you have now been responsible for international sales at B&R for over 20 years. You’ve basically been there since the start. What has changed during this time? Gucher: Back then, the success of our company was dependent on a very small, extremely capable team. Today I lead an international team of over 500 engineers in our sales branches. They are doing a great job and amaze new customers with B&R solutions every day. Todays market environment no longer permits cookie-cutter solutions for machine and systems engineering, since the competition in the field of machine manufacturing is ever increasing. This means that in order to be successful internationally, inevitably the degree of automation will have to increase in order to relieve cost pressures and mounting competition in the machine and systems manufacturing market, as well as on the end customer side. automotion: Let’s get back to the present. During the last fiscal year, B&R once again recorded above average growth. What do you think is the reason for this continued success? Gucher: Last year was the most successful year ever in the history of B&R, with a more than 23% increase in revenue, meaning roughly €235 million. Furthermore, we were able to acquire more than 500 new series production customers in 2006, so we are looking very confidently at the revenue development in the next few years. In addition to our international sales network operating in 55 countries - which provides optimal proximity to our customers - it’s definitely the technical prowess of our products that enables integrated total solutions for machine manufacturers. automotion: How do you guarantee such a high degree of innovation? Gucher: Unlike many other companies that basically just perform assembling and brand labeling, we’ve developed all of our products in-house since the very beginning. This means that we’re the ones who get to pull the strings. Combined with our expert knowledge in all industries related to machine and systems manufacturing, we have been able to take current market trends into consideration at an early stage in our development processes. This results in the constant creation of new and pioneering products that further expand our innovative lead. automotion: From your point of view, what factors have contributed the most to success at B&R? Gucher: The enthusiasm of our employees and the broad conceptual know how regarding development and application have been continually built up and advanced from the company’s very beginning. This, coupled with a low labor turnover rate, creates a large potential for innovation, with our customers reaping the benefits. To date, competitors that haven’t been on the market this long are having a hard time attaining this high standard. automotion: What will be required of automation manufacturers in the future to make them a force on the world market? Gucher: As I mentioned briefly, I think it’s important to be able to promote your own developments so that you can be the one setting the trends. In other words, you’ve got to be one step ahead of the pack. It’s also necessary to offer open systems that provide comprehensive automation solutions that are not dependent on other companies. In fact, that’s the key right there. In the future, the importance of complete solutions will increase even more for automation users. Software tools and their associated conceptual possibilities will be the decisive distinguishing feature. able to overtake the traditional machine manufacturing markets in the future? With Automation Studio, B&R - as one of very few manufacturers, by the way - offers a single tool for solving all automation tasks in a highly efficient manner. Because the software expenses of users during development of automation solutions are constantly increasing, future decisions will be influenced even more strongly by the availability of powerful development tools. automotion: How is B&R positioned in these future markets, and how do you hope to accomplish this growth? automotion: How will market growth be generated in the future? Where will this take place? Gucher: Our growth is determined by many different factors. On the one hand, there is above average growth in the Asian, Eastern European and North American markets. In the traditional machine manufacturing markets, however, we expect increasing cut-throat competition. But we will be able to prevail thanks to our innovative solutions and technologies. Another factor determining growth has to do with machine manufacturing companies that are currently working with proprietary solutions; in the future, they will begin thinking more and more about make or buy options. Gucher: In the short term and medium term, there will definitely be a shift in markets, if only because of the sharply increasing demands in Asian countries. In the long term, however, I see today’s traditional markets coexisting with today’s prospects. Gucher: Once again, customer proximity is essential. We recognized this fact very early on and can now look back at over 15 years of experience in both the Chinese and Indian markets. We will continue to open many additional offices with highly-qualified, local personnel in order to take full advantage of the potential of this continent. In Asia we apply the same standards regarding quality and education of our employees as in Europe. This distinguishes us on the market in a very positive way. It’s our goal to play the leading role as a supplier of integrated solutions in all of these countries. automotion: Thank you very much for the interview.__ automotion: Everybody’s talking about Asia as the motor for growth in the future. Will these markets be 06/2007 41 Peter Gucher (right), General Manager B&R International, congratulates Walter Baumann, General Manager B&R Switzerland, on the company’s 20th anniversary. 20 years of customer service In early May, B&R Switzerland celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Over 100 technicians and engineers from all areas of machine manufacturing attended a symposium at the Carthusian monastery in Ittingen. The main emphasis of the yearly symposium was “machine simulation”. In the evening after a concert in the baroque church at the monastery, the event was fittingly celebrated with a ceremonious dinner. Europe. B&R recognized the importance of the Swiss market early and founded a subsidiary there only eight years into the company’s history. We congratulate and thank our longstanding business manager Walter Baumann and his team. Without their hard work and vision, this success would not have happened”, said Peter Gucher, the general manager of international sales at B&R, in his commemorative speech. “We’re very pleased about the anniversary of our Swiss subsidiary. It gives us the opportunity to look back on a 20-year success story in one of the most important machine manufacturing markets in Today, B&R Switzerland is the innovative and technological leader in the areas of plastics, textiles and printing machines. For process automation, B&R Switzerland shows continued growth in the ar- 42 06/2007 eas of environmental activities and civil infrastructure. Thanks to excellent products and a highly motivated automation team, B&R is continuing to expand its position as one of the leading automation suppliers for Swiss machine manufacturers.__ The celebration in the “Kartause Ittingen”, attracted many visitors to the historic monastery. 10th anniversary of B&R Czech Republic In May, B&R also celebrated a 10-year anniversary in the Czech Republic. The personal dedication of business manager Jahn Ohral and his team has made B&R a integral part of the machine and system manufacturing sector in the Czech Republic. Successful market development is evidenced by more than two hundred completed automation projects with over 3,000 series production machines, including large projects with up to 30,000 I/O points. Jan Ohral, General Manager B&R Czech Republic (left) and Wolfgang Perschl, B&R Sales Manager Eastern Europe, greet the guests at the celebration. B&R now has four offices in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in order to provide optimal service to customers there.__ The agenda included well-attended symposia (top) as well as a round trip on the Elbe river. fairPREVIEW ProPak Shanghai, CN 10th-12th July 2007 Hall 2, Booth G18 HI Industri Herning, DK 04th-07th September, 2007 Hall E, Booth 4280 GO / Ineltec Basel, CH 04th-07th September, 2007 Hall 2.2, Booth F80 ITMA Munich, DE 13th-20th September, 2007 Hall A2, Booth 506+511 EMO Hannover, DE 17th-22nd September, 2007 Hall 25, Booth B31 Tecniexpo Barcelona, ES 03rd-05th October, 2007 For more dates and info visit www.br-automation.com/events 06/2007 43 MM-E00721.532 © 2007 by B&R. All rights reserved. All trademarks included are the property of their respective company. Easy math! B&R‘s complete solution is based on an excellent range of integrated products for all areas of automation. It guarantees a substantial reduction in total costs and creates high investment security. Perfection in Automation www.br-automation.com