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
[email protected]
Andreas Enzenbach
Marketing Manager
Design:
Lukas Maier
B&R Strasse 1
5142 Eggelsberg
Austria
[email protected]
Printing:
Oberndorfer Druckerei,
5110 Oberndorf
Austria
Published at:
B&R Strasse 1
5142 Eggelsberg
Austria
Free subscription
To subscribe to automotion, simply write to:
[email protected]
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
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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