"Recently, at our PI meeting in Rome, I recognized the opportunity to reconsider aspects of our North American operations. As a result the PTO Board in North America has decided to change its name to 'PI North America'" - Michael Bryant, PI Deputy Chairman
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the third issue of our new email newsletter 'PROFINEWS'. I've been Executive Director of PTO in North America for more than 16 years and for almost all that time I've been Deputy Chairman of PI as well. I have contributed enthusiastically to the international outlook of PI and have taken pleasure in watching PI grow and mature. The new corporate identity is our latest innovation. Recently, at our PI meeting in Rome, I recognized the opportunity to reconsider aspects of our North American operations, too. As a result the PTO Board in North America has decided to change its name to 'PI North America', to align itself with that globalization process and reinforce the strength of our international presence. We announced the decision at our recent General Assembly Meeting, which also saw key presentations about the progress being made by PROFINET in North America. Two presentations stood out: Siemens described how automotive companies are 'Transitioning to PROFINET' while GE explained more about their decision to place PROFINET at the heart of their solutions portfolio. I am particularly excited by the GE news because it's clear that the company has been working hard behind the scenes following its announcement to support PROFINET some time ago. You can learn more about the GAM and those key presentations below - they signal some very positive developments for PROFINET in coming years.
Michael Bryant, PI Deputy Chairman |
www.pi-conference.com
A new web site dedicated to PROFINET has been launched by PI North America. Called 'All Things PROFINET', the site is designed as a single entry point for prospective users and developers of PROFINET products and systems.
In addition, Endress+Hauser’s Promass Coriolis mass flow meters are used to manage the blending of the final product. Prior to the installation of Promass, entrapped air in the blend was causing quality issues. However, Promass Coriolis mass flow meters are able to measure accurately and reliably even under difficult conditions such as these.
The Indian PROFIBUS, PROFINET Association (IPA) began a series of road shows called ‘PROFIBUS, PROFINET Day’ in June. The series was inaugurated by PI Chairman Joerg Freitag in Delhi, followed by events in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Mr Vishwanath was the Guest of Honor at Hyderabad, General Manager of the Control and Automation Division of ECIL (left, being honored by Dileep Miskin, center, of IPA). At Mumbai, Mr B R Mehta of Reliance was honored. The first edition of the IPA Newsletter has just been published. 
The Japanese PROFIBUS Organization (JPO) held its annual "PROFIBUS & PROFINET Day" in Tokyo in June. More than 200 visitors attended, 25% more than expected! PROFIBUS DP with Safety, PROFIBUS PA with asset management and PROFINET were presented, together with nine seminars on the latest product developments and application examples. 24 JPO member companies and 2 Associations supported the event. 
After the enforced virtual (on-line) meeting of 2009, more than 60 delegates from PI member companies gathered in Scottsdale in August, for two days of technology discussions and networking. Day 1 focused on PI and PROFINET, with the announcement that PTO's name is to be changed to PI North America being top of the agenda, along with the launch of the 'All Things PROFINET' web site (see stories above).
Connie Chick then unveiled more details of GE Intelligent Platform's support for PROFINET. GE has been working to integrate PROFINET across its products, systems and solutions and Chick explained the first reason that GE chose PROFINET is because it's an open protocol developed by global players, which means global presence is backed up by local knowledge. Better access to real time plant floor data is also enabled with PROFINET, she said, "taking the worry out of volume, latency and frequency." Reasons 3 and 4 are that easy installation allows deeper focus on customer needs, and the fact that PI is a forum for customer and vendor collaborations keeps ideas fresh and allows continuous improvement. PROFINET is being integrated into GE's PACSystems architecture now, and will be used with Proficy software and GE's hot standby redundancy systems.
www.profibus.com
This mini-sized diagnostic tool is for permanently monitoring PROFIBUS networks. It takes the form of a PROFIBUS plug and is directly energized by the bus. Data traffic is continuously monitored for typical communication errors as well as device-specific diagnostic messages. Errors are indicated by status LEDs and can be reported via an alarm contact to control systems. 
Emerson Process Management's Micro Motion F-Series compact Coriolis meters are now available with PROFIBUS DP and Smart Meter Verification, an easy-to-use configuration tool that delivers assurance of the structural and measurement integrity of the meter. These new capabilities are enabled by connectivity to the enhanced core processor and 2400S transmitter, both powered by Micro Motion next-generation MVDT (multi-variable digital) processing technology, which enables superior stability and meter performance. 
Balluff's PROFIBUS/Micropulse interface block enables up to four Micropulse linear position transducers to be connected on a single PROFIBUS node. The interface block also has four extra inputs for discrete or analog sensors. Up to 15 position magnets can be used on on each transducer with detailed diagnostic feedback over PROFIBUS. The interface combines discrete, analog, and linear positioning devices into one PROFIBUS node. 
Softing has a new unified PROFIBUS Diagnostic Suite, V2.02, which offers one-click PROFIBUS diagnostics with a clear, easy-to-understand display of network health. It can be downloaded 
This new I/O bus coupler for PROFINET serves as a link between the I/O level and Ethernet. It is designed to connect up to 62 or 16 functional units to the network via an SCRJ plug connector. The Ethernet and I/O-specific LEDs ensure quick commissioning and easy diagnostics. 
Endress+Hauser has a new UV sensor and Memograph transmitter with built-in PROFIBUS connectivity for the in-line measurement of UV absorption. A built-in reference channel and an optimized measuring filter permit extremely precise, linear and reproducible measurement. The Easycal sensor system and the precision optical path length adjustment tool allow liquid-free in-line calibration. Available are FM and ATEX approved lamp housings for hazardous area applications. 
Softing has a new evaluation kit for integrating PROFINET into devices. The hardware consists of a base board and an Altera Cyclone III FPGA module which provides huge flexibility. Various peripheral interfaces are available to test different integration possibilities. Today, the product supports PROFINET IO Device Conformance Class A and B. Support of Conformance Class C will be available next year. A PLC program for communicating with the Evaluation Kit, example programs and documentation are included. The protocol software is portable and can be used in other environments. 
Balluff BIS M series RFID systems now feature an IO-Link interface. Up to four read/write heads can be integrated into the control level "plug and play" using an IO-Link Master, with no additional managing unit. With a large variety of rugged data carrier types and read/write heads systems operate without contact and are wear-free. They are ideal wherever low data amounts are needed for traceability. Specially designed for harsh environments, the systems provide virtually unlimited read/write cycles for flexible, fast communication even over long distances. 
Prosoft's PROFIBUS DP Master V1 module communication module for the CompactLogix platform is now equipped with CIPconnect, a feature that allows a PC to connect via a 1769-L35E or L32E module. With CIPconnect, users are able to configure the PROFIBUS master module and network from a PC using the ProSoft Configuration Builder (PCB). Users are also able to view diagnostic information, upload files, and download files. 
PI has published a 'PROFIBUS Guideline for Planning'. It's the third of a three volume 'Installation Guide'. The first two volumes - 'Cabling and Assembly Guideline' and 'Commissioning Guideline' - have been available for sometime. The volumes cover PROFIBUS DP and PROFIBUS PA. In addition to providing support for the plant topology definition, the guideline covers the selection of cable types and plug connectors, the planning of copper and optical transmission lines, tips for estimating bus cycle times and information regarding shielding and grounding. There's also a template for planning and documenting plants. A pdf is