Machine control and operation, image processing, measured value recording, and SCADA solutions are the key components of an efficient production facility. The complexity of the individual applications, however, continues to increase. Powerful industrial PCs provide assistance by integrating a number of tasks on one platform, reducing the number of interfaces and optimising the interaction between the automation components. The benefits of this are enjoyed by both plant operators and machine builders.
The impressive feature of modern production is its efficiency, despite greater flexibility. An increasing variety of versions and shorter product life cycles represent an enormous challenge for production, because the overriding objective is to guarantee the required quality while maintaining efficient production processes. The real-time recording and processing of production data forms the basis for optimising the interaction between the three factors flexibility, quality, and efficiency. For this purpose, modern industrial PCs offer a powerful basis for use in a wide range of applications.
Early diagnosis and high availability of data for plant operators
In order to avoid unforeseen production downtimes due to system failures or unplanned maintenance work, diagnostic messages from plant components are necessary at an early stage. In particular when integrating several tasks on one industrial PC (IPC), any faults could soon result in production outages. For this reason, Siemens IPCs offer extensive diagnostic options – directly at the individual device, but also collectively bundled in the control center by means of its own diagnostic software. Using remote management software, system faults can be cleared and updates can be uploaded onto the Simatic IPCs, even without any manual intervention on site. In addition, the IPCs must ensure maximum availability of the recorded measured values. Only in this way can a consistent tracking of the process data be guaranteed for individual products or batches.
Fig.1: High-end IPCs.
High degree of long-term availability for machine builders
An additional demand by machine builders regarding the use of industrial PCs is their assured long-term availability. This is because changes to the components and the design of the IPCs can result in the need for expensive adaptations to the engineering and design. Long-term compatibility of the installation, interfaces and software is therefore crucial for a future-proof machine concept.
Latest generation of IPCs
Powerful hardware is called for in order to cope with these requirements and the growing complexity of the processing tasks. The processor is the core of every IPC. The latest 4th generation multicore processors from Intel are now available and offer significantly enhanced computing and graphics performance. The new high-end Simatic IPCs from Siemens benefit from this performance boost, being among the first IPCs on the market to be based on this generation of processors. In addition, the significance of USB 3.0 as an attractive high-performance interface for image processing is continually increasing. Modern IPCs must therefore offer the latest interfaces in order to represent solutions with a secure future. But it is equally important that they guarantee the opportunity for subsequent expansion and connection of different legacy systems.
Quality and reliability for continuous operation
One critical aspect for the use of IPCs in the production environment is the quality and reliability of the systems. Failures, and the associated machine downtimes, must be avoided at all costs, even when the IPCs are subjected to high mechanical, thermal and electromagnetic stresses. The Simatic high-end IPCs are therefore designed for robust use and continue to function perfectly even when subjected to vibrations of 1 g and temperatures of up to 55°C. As industrial production also makes special demands regarding continuous operation, the IPCs and their components are designed to operate 24 hours a day. To ensure the quality and reliability of each IPC, each individual one is subjected to a rigorous 36-hour run-in test following manufacture at the Siemens factory in Karlsruhe, Germany. The IPCs are built to order and configured according to the customer-specific requirements. This permits a maximum degree of scalability for the customer and thus maximum flexibility during configuration.
Apart from the factors already mentioned, the long-term availability of the IPCs is a decisive criterion for the creation of future-proof machine concepts, because the machine builders require a high degree of component continuity for a successful implementation of their machine design. For this reason, Siemens specifies an availability period of six years for its high-end IPCs, followed by a further five year period for support and service. This avoids the need for costly or unplanned redesign or re-certification.
Fig. 2: IPC end-of-line.
Three designs with a common basis and specific strengths
Automation solutions are as versatile as their applications. Therefore, in addition to the generally applicable requirement profiles for modern IPCs already described, specific criteria are also taken into consideration by three design formats – Box, Panel and Rack PCs. Even the Simatic IPCs 6x7D and 8x7D share a common platform, in order to offer system advantages such as performance, expandability and reliability to the user, regardless of the design. Furthermore, the individual designs feature impressive specific strengths.
Box PCs for maximum robustness and compactness
The Box PCs 627D and 827D offer the most robust design and a great deal of flexibility when it comes to installation. Together with their compact dimensions, these enable space-saving solutions to be implemented directly at the machine. Nevertheless, the option of integrating numerous tasks and components is retained with as many as five PCI(e) slots. In addition, an optional RAID1 hard disk system offers very reliable data storage. For complex automation tasks that demand high computing performance and data availability under tough environmental conditions, therefore, the Box PCs are the perfect choice. Together with a remote HMI Panel, they create a distributed operating concept for the machine.
Fig. 3: Box and panel PCs provide robustness and visualisation with powerful processors.
Panel PCs for visualisation and operation directly at the machine
For applications that require not only the machine control and further data processing tasks, but also the plant visualization and operation to run on one device, the powerful Panel PCs are the ideal solution. These are based, as in the case of the Simatic IPC677D, on the hardware of the corresponding Box PCs. This means that the advantages of the Box PC, such as its high performance and robustness, can be combined with the benefits of a HD-resolution display for the visualisation. Alongside conventional single-touch devices, models are also available with glass fronts and capacitive multi-touch monitors. The requirement for the parallel processing of several tasks on one Panel PC creates a high-performance equipment specification. The IPC677D, therefore, can likewise rely on the support of the latest 4th generation Intel processors. With scalable CPUs right up to the Intel-Xeon E3, it is probably the most powerful Panel PC currently on the market.
Rack PCs for maximum availability of data and system
For applications defined by particularly high volumes of data for processing, Rack PCs provide the ideal platform. This design is characterised by enormous computing power and expandability for the connection of large numbers of measurement points, such as industrial cameras or measurement systems. In these applications, the guarantee of high data availability is critical, as a loss of data could result in production standstills or faulty products and consequential liability problems. Redundant hard disk arrays such as RAID1 or RAID5 are therefore considered as standard equipment in this IPC category. The IPC847D, however, offers an innovative option for further increasing data availability. An additional “hot-spare” drive automatically integrates itself into the drive array if a hard disk in the RAID system becomes defective, thereby eliminating the need for a service call. In this way, the maximum availability of data can be guaranteed at all times. A redundant power supply and the design of all components and the overall system for 24/7 operation make this IPC the ideal partner for critical and computing-intensive tasks in the industrial environment.
Fig.4: Rack PCs provide maximum data and system availability for demanding automation tasks.
High performance and functionality for future-proof machine concepts and production plants
Modern IPCs, are characterised by extremely high and scalable performance for the integration of different tasks. Current interfaces and expansion options help in designing the production plant for a secure future – independently of the central or distributed operating concept. A high level of data availability through redundant hard disk systems offers an additional protection against production outages due to data loss. In addition, however, robustness and reliability are also decisive criteria for the selection of the IPC. Comprehensive quality checks by the manufacturer of the individual components, as well as the system as a whole, are absolutely essential in this respect. The long-term availability of the IPC is extremely important, particularly for the machine builder, in order to maintain a high security of investment for their machine concept.
Contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Corporate Communications, Tel 011 652-2412, keshin.govender@siemens.com
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