PROFINEWS 77
Help us understand what PROFINET means to you and your markets through our on-line survey. It'll only take ten minutes and you could influence PROFINET's direction in the future! You could also win an iPod Nano, an iPod Shuffle or a free copy of Manfred Popp's excellent book 'Industrial Communication with PROFINET'!
The dot marking system MARKER3000 made by ADT of Germany has been sold for years to the automotive industry with a PROFIBUS interface. But things are changing and most of the well known car manufacturers in Europe are switching to PROFINET.
This posed some challenges for ADT since MAKER3000 is a sophisticated device sold in small numbers - maybe 20 per year. A new bus interface would take about half a year of development and an investment of perhaps $40,000 including certification. Fortunately, Hilscher provided a handy alternative with its netLINK PROXY module.
netLINK PROXY is a device that turns any PROFIBUS slave into a PROFINET device in minutes. Like an ordinary fieldbus plug it is mounted directly on the slave’s PROFIBUS interface. The output is an RJ45 port for PROFINET.
“We are very happy to have netLINK PROXY as an interim solution," said Johann Krutsch CEO of ADT
. "It tides over the period required for our PROFINET development and, to be honest, with a price of just $150 it was hard to give our own PROFINET development a ‘go’ at all. To PROXY or not to PROXY was really the question”. 
HILSCHER
Paula Doyle writes: "Greetings from the UAE! Interest in the PROFIBUS Association Middle East is growing and we have been getting great feedback from the region. A recent visit to one of the largest global Oil and Gas exhibitions, ADIPEC, showed the importance of PROBUS in this market with many vendors showcasing PROFIBUS products on their stands. Plans are going ahead to formally launch the organization in the near future and there are certified training sessions planned in Dubai for December, March and May. We plan to establish regional Competence Centers that can cover our large geographical area and I'm pleased to announce that we have three strong candidates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia & Lebanon. As always - if you would like further information, or would like to share some wisdom, please get in touch at 
middle.east(at)profibus(dot)com"
The 2011 PI Conference is to be hosted by PNO on February 15-16 at ZKM in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Conference will be dedicated to 'Automation and Energy Efficiency' and a full program has now been published covering technology sessions, panel discussions and the real world experiences of end users.
Specific topics include PROFINET in factory and process automation, PROFIenergy, drives with PROFIBUS and PROFINET, life cycle management with PROFIBUS PA, functional safety with PROFIsafe, sensor/actuator communication with IO-Link, wireless communications, and device integration and system engineering.
There will be a mini-exhibition running alongside the event and a series of live demos. The keynote speaker will be Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former German Federal Minister for the Environment. All sessions will be in German. For more information, and to download the program, please VISIT THIS PAGE.
Turck has developed new PROFINET fieldbus gateways for its BL67 I/O-system in accordance with the guidelines of AIDA (the Automation Initiative of German automobile manufacturers). These are mainly intended for use in automobile bodyshell work and support both AIDA-RJ45 copper and SCRJ-optical fiber connections. They can be expanded easily and were developed in cooperation with Parker Hannifin. TURCK
The PROFIBUS Association South East Asia has successfully conducted a series of roadshows in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. During these roadshows, the Association began a strong partnership with the Meralco Foundation of the Philippines – a non-profit association of instrumentation and control engineers. The roadshows were supported by members Endress and Hauser, Softing, VEGA, TURCK, Siemens, Procentec, Masstron and VIPA, and attracted a total of 1,000 attendees! The seminars discussed PROFIBUS and PROFINET and included a microfair to show off each member's capabilities. SOUTH EAST ASIA
In November 2010, the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) adopted both PROFINET IO and PROFIdrive as Chinese national standards (PROFINET IO: GB/Z 25105.1–.3-2010 and PROFIdrive: GB/Z 25740.1–.2-2010).
The occasion was honored by an official ceremony at the offices of the Minister in Beijing in the presence of more than 50 high-ranking representatives. Experts have already begun preparing PROFINET IO, PROFIsafe and PROFIdrive for full GB/T Standard status. PROFIsafe is already GB/Z.
PROFIBUS achieved GB/T status in 2006 and is currently experiencing unprecedented growth in China. Rapid growth for PROFINET is now expected. Our picture shows PI Chairman Jörg Freitag speaking at the Standards meeting.
The 'PROFINET for Process Automation' application profile has been published, enabling PROFINET to be targeted at both manufacturing and process environments - just like PROFIBUS.
Four key aspects of Process Automation are incorporated: the integration of existing fieldbuses; configuration in run; time synchronization and time stamping; scalable redundancy.
With immediate effect manufacturers can implement these functions into PROFINET devices for process automation, smoothing the way for cost-optimized solutions and better investment protection.
The mechanisms underlying the profile have been included in Specification V2.3. This new PROFINET specification also includes functions for high performance applications.
PI members can download the specification HERE.
Non-members contact info(at)profibus(dot)com for a quote.
Work on the PROFIenergy test specification and the definition of test system functionality for certification has been completed. A range of products from different manufacturers is already available and the first ones have already passed the certification tests.
Dr. Peter Wenzel, Executive Director of PI Germany, handed out the first two PROFIenergy certificates at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2010. Shown right are Uwe-Armin Ruttkamp (left, for ET200S and Development Kits DK-ERTEC 200 PN IO and DK-ERTEC 400 PN IO) and Detlev Knauer (for M200D) receiving their Certificates.
PROFIenergy allows equipment to be switched off easily across the network during pauses in production, thereby avoiding energy wastage. Energy consumption can also be monitored, providing the basis for active energy management strategies.
The PI booth at SPS/IPC/DRIVES featured a PROFIenergy 'pilot plant' with live demonstrations of operating principles and user benefits. PROFIenergy-enabled devices were also on show.
Click above to find out why PROFINET is the best featured, most powerful Industrial Ethernet available.
During September and October 2010, RPA Brazil organized a series of seminars about PROFIBUS
/PROFINET for users, integrators and engineering companies. The goal was to present the fundamentals and principles of PROFIBUS such as interoperability and highlight that PROFINET is a leading protocol for implementing Industrial Ethernet that can help bring IT standards to the plant floor. There were three events - held in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Curitiba - with an average of 70 attendees. One aim was to present technological resources and development tools for PROFINET. The events were conducted by the RPA Directors and an expert in PROFINET from Germany. BRAZIL
In industry a large number of 4-20mA transmitters are compatible with the HART protocol and in some cases these devices are connected to the control system via a PROFIBUS networked remote I/O stations.
A remote I/O can diagnose whether the 4-20mA HART signal is within its limits - i.e. locate a wire break - however it does not in itself allow any real connectivity to the device. In the absence of a HART multiplexer, these devices are only configurable using a handheld communicator or a HART modem. Unlike PROFIBUS PA instruments that can be viewed in multidrop mode, this necessitates connecting to each device separately in order to set the desired parameters. The result is that the user must go into the field to do a job that can otherwise be undertaken from the control room.
The problem can be resolved however if the HART bypass capability of the remote I/O station such as STAHL IS1 is utilized. This is a commonly unused capability of HART devices connected to remote I/O stations. Gateways such as Endress+Hauser's Fieldgate FXA720 in combination with Fieldcare from E+H facilitate such a process and can be connected to the internet allowing communication with the HART devices over PROFIBUS network from any location in the world. For fuller details of this technique please email info(at)profibus(dot)ie
With PROFIBUS, the use of manufacturer-specific description files means that users have to replace a process field device with an identical one. The recent introduction of PROFIBUS PA Device Profile 3.02 changes all this as a new field device can now automatically assume the device version of an older device without any interruption to the process. The replacement device thus presents itself to the control system as its predecessor, even though it may be 10 years more advanced.
This brings some valuable benefits. During a subsequent planned shutdown, the new functionality can be integrated by updating the description file. The same applies to the integration of an EDD or a DTM during a device replacement. It is also possible with Device Profile 3.02 for a new device to assume the functionality of several predecessor versions.
Device Profile 3.02 has recently undergone tests at BIS Prozesstechnik in Frankfurt, where one of the world's largest multi-vendor fieldbus test installations (see right) is installed. The laboratory is also a test center for EMC and actuator technology (SIL, CE, TA-Luft), a PI Competence Center (PICC) for PROFIBUS, and a Fieldbus Foundation Center of Excellence.
In the Profile 3.02 tests, two scenarios were considered: first, the replacement of an existing device while the process was running and, second, the display of status signals according to NE 107. Two field devices – a Samson actuator and an Endress+Hauser head transmitter – were tested in combination with five different control systems from Siemens, ABB, and Schneider. Three types of segment coupler were also included in the tests.
To start, a PA device assembly was configured and commissioned for each control system. Each was then replaced with a newer version. The cyclic transfer of measured values and the status of the measured value were monitored. The tests also included the mapping of specific diagnostic information onto four standardized categories according to NAMUR Recommendation 107. Different error scenarios were simulated. All tests were successfully passed.
Profile 3.02 can also handle faster uploading of parameters for optimizing transmission times. Different quantities of data must be transferred depending on the phase in the life cycle of a field device. Thus, a portion of the parameters must be adapted during commissioning, another portion during subsequent maintenance activities, and a large portion during device replacement. Depending on the functionality of the device, it is not unusual to deal with 300 parameters. The new PA Profile 3.02 optimizes the transfer by grouping parameters. This allows the transfer times to be reduced many times over (5- to 10-fold, depending on the data quantity). These functions are not yet available in devices so further testing will be carried out later.
PI is undertaking a worldwide survey about PROFINET. We want to know what you think about it. Are you using it yet? How do you rate its efficiency? It will take you no more than 5 minutes to answer a few key questions on-line here, and in that time you could help us improve the relevance of PROFINET to your needs. (link to come here).
The special capabilities needed by PROFINET to make it fully acceptable to the process industries are being specified now by PI Working Groups and nearing review. They should be released early in 2011. PROFINET supplements PROFIBUS in hazardous environments by providing a high-speed, high-bandwidth backbone for PROFIBUS PA (and other networks) while providing immediate connectivity for drives and discrete IO. The specialist process automation requirements being addressed are: Proxies, 'Configuration in Run' (CiR), Time Sync / Time Stamping and Scalable Redundancy. PI North America member GE is participating in the Working Groups to help develop these capabilities.
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
available here for free download.
A new White Paper from HMS gives a quick overview of PROFINET and points out what needs to be taken into account for a successful migration from PROFIBUS to PROFINET. It shows the main differences between the two and points out their common ground. It also gives a basic overview of the key functions and features of PROFINET without getting lost in bits and bytes. The White Paper is available in English here.
As the fourth biggest passenger-car seller in China, Chery Automobile China, is enjoying great success. It is upgrading its transfer press line and increasing throughput by adopting state-of-the-art safety systems. PROFINET with integrated PROFIsafe is being used for automating the feeders between the individual press stages, based on Siemens SIMATIC safety products. PROFINET IRT is employed to enable virtual real-time communication within the system and to synchronize the feeders within one millisecond. CBE 20 communication processors with integrated ERTEC chips ensure that the SINAMICS converters respond equally quickly. PROFIsafe meets the strict European safety requirements of SIL 3 (Safety Integrity Level 3). The PROFINET bus architecture is open and can be enhanced at any time. No separate bus structures or cable systems are required for the safety-specific functions or for the drive synchronization. Thanks to the uniform bus structure of the system controller, drives and peripheral systems, Chery is able to reap considerable savings. The whole system runs on a single platform, resulting in significant cost reductions for engineering, commissioning, maintenance and ongoing production. It has helped Chery increase throughput by 15% compared with manual systems. SIEMENS
The engineering company IVG in Germany is offering training and inspection classes for PROFIBUS. The aim is to enable participants to detect PROFIBUS failures by using the correct test procedures and methods. Rules and useful details for an EMC-suitable PROFIBUS installation are also provided.
The next training class will be held December 14th – 16th 2010 (3 days) and, after that, on February 21st to 25th, 2011 (5 days). IVG
The Genoa Fieldbus Competence Centre (GFCC) is a new PI Competence Centre
(PICC) in Italy. GFCC is based in Genoa and is a spin-off from Genoa University. It has been founded by
Alberto Sibono
. In charge are Prof. Paolo Pinceti and Dr.Ing. Micaela Caserza Magro of Genoa University.
GFCC operates in the fieldbus and industrial automation sector, providing high added-value services ranging from audit and certified training to the on-site diagnosis of industrial networks. Some of its activities are oriented towards research, as its academic origins suggest.
GFCC is a PI Competence Centre for PROFIBUS, PROFIBUS PA and PROFINET and is staffed by three Certified PROFINET Engineers, three Certified PROFIBUS Engineers and one Certified PROFIBUS PA Engineer having more than 20 years of experience in fieldbus communications. GFCC can operate in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages.
The Swedish PROFIBUS/PROFINET Group is now preparing for the Scanautomatic Fair in Gothenburg 26-28 October. With help from PI Chairman Joerg Freitag the aim is to show Scandinavian industry how PROFIenergy can save money and the environment! With seminars and a product display in a large booth the Group expects visitors to attend from Norway and Denmark too, thanks to the short distance between Gothenburg, Oslo and Copenhagen. SWEDEN
60 people attended PROFIBUS and PROFINET workshops in Paris and Lyon recently. Members of the French Association presented the latest innovations offered by PROFIBUS & PROFINET in terms of interchangeability of instruments, the PROFIBUS PA 3.02 profile, energy savings with PROFIenergy, isochronism using PROFINET IRT and safety with PROFIsafe. Q&A sessions allowed participants to leave with a good understanding of these topics. Participants in Paris also visited a PROFIBUS installation at GDF SUEZ (where the event took place). PowerPoint presentations are available at FRANCE. If you want to be informed of future exhibitions and workshops please email: france(at)profibus(dot)com
Xavier Cardeña of Logitek writes: "At last Spain has its own PI Association! On December 2nd the official inaugural meeting took place in Castelldefels (near Barcelona) with the foundation members. The Association will actively promote the usage of PROFINET, PROFIBUS and IO-Link in the Spanish market, as well as collaborating in education and training. One of the goals is to grow the number of members in the short term and become a leading reference for industrial communication systems in the Spanish market. Spanish users of PROFIBUS, PROFINET and IO LINK are happy to see us established in our country, as these are by far the technologies most installed in the market. They feel that the Association will help in the protection of their investments." Founding members of the Spanish PI Association include: ABB, Comercial Electrica , DAP, Dicomat (Wago) , Endress+Hauser, Harting, Logitek, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Siemens, SMC.
"It's the fastest way to support PROFIenergy" is the claim made by HMS with the release of an embedded Anybus-CompactCom communication module for PROFINET with PROFIenergy embedded. It could also be the quickest - and the lowest cost - way to implement PROFIenergy too since a PROFIenergy profile server is incorporated into firmware free of charge! The server handles PROFIenergy use cases 1–3.
CompactCom modules are equipped with a fast 2-port switch which allows PROFINET line topologies to be built without the need for external switches. HMS INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS
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.
BALLUFF
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.
SOFTING
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.
ENDRESS + HAUSER.
This software package enables PROFIBUS and PROFINET networks to be monitored with one solution. The concept is comprised of a web-based software tool and a network access point which is available for fixed installation or for mobile use. Intuitive handling, protocol-independent diagnosis functionalities and uniform views make using the package really simple. An automatic alert allows short reaction times in case of failures. Diagnosis information is available directly or can be integrated into higher-level applications via OPC. The package will be presented at SPS/IPC/DRIVES in November. TREBING + HIMSTEDT
Servomex’s new SERVOPRO MultiExact multi gas analyzer includes optional PROFIBUS communications. The MultiExact offers two simultaneous measurements for O2 Purity, O2 Control, O2 Trace, CO2 Trace and N2O Trace from one analyzer, making it the ideal single-unit solution for air separation plants and it's suitable for a range of operations including process control and product purity measurement. SERVOMEX
Renesas Electronics has announced first samples of its new industrial Ethernet physical layer chip (PHY, part number µPD60620) meeting industrial Ethernet requirements. The first device is a dual PHY in a LQFP80 package, featuring low system latency and jitter. It also has enhanced link control which can be used in robotics especially. The new PHY is compatible with PROFINET and is available as an IP for custom specific designs. Starter kits are available now and mass production is planned for FY2011 Q1. RENESAS
On 12. March 2010 the first ever PROFIBUS Product Developer Workshop took place in Shenzen, in the south of China. The event was organized by profichip China one day after the SPS Industrial Automation Fair in Guangzhou. In the one day sessions over 30 engineers were trained how to start developing a PROFIBUS product. Main topics were: the software and hardware structure of an integrated PROFIBUS interface, the differences between DP-V0, DP-V1 and DP-V2 protocols, PROFIBUS ASIC's from profichip GmbH, the RS485 physical interface design, and PROFIBUS tools. PROFICHIP
profichip GmbH from Germany has received an award for its proficonn chip – the smallest PROFIBUS DP Interface module worldwide. The award was the Innovation Prize 2010 in the hardware category of the prestigious ‘Initiative Mittelstand’ awards presented at the recent CEBIT fair.
proficonn interface modules enable easy and immediate hardware integration of a PROFIBUS DP slave interface. The module contains the PROFIBUS protocol and the complete RS485 interface including DC/DC transducer, dc decoupling and RS485 driver.
PROFICHIP
The online Product Guide of PROFIBUS and PROFINET products has been revised to improve usability. By reducing the selection criteria, products can be found much more easily. For vendors product data can also be entered faster. In addition the presentation of certified products has been improved, to facilitate identification. The Product Guide is a free and well-proven benefit for members and users. The Guide is kept fully up to date by vendor members themselves.
PRODUCT GUIDE
A completely new marketing brochure for PROFIenergy has been published, along with four other updated brochures covering PROFINET, PROFIBUS PA, PROFIdrive and PROFIsafe. All comply with the latest corporate design of PI and are available for download in pdf format
FROM HERE
Attempts to establish Regional PI Association (RPA) in the key Middle East area have not so far proved fruitful ... but that’s all about to change! Paula Doyle from Ireland has recently taken up a new job in Dubai with Siemens and part of her mission is to set up an official RPA (Regional PI Association) as soon as possible. Paula is from Limerick in Ireland, where she gained her PhD. For the past four years she’s been in Scandinavia developing new control products for ABB. Her position with Siemens in Dubai is firmly centred on PROFIBUS and will allow her to focus her marketing skills on helping PI expand in the Middle East, a key area that deserves more support from the PI community. Her presence at the 23rd PI Meeting in Rome (see full report left) gave her the chance to meet current RPA Chairmen and to find out 'how they did it'. We’ll keep you informed of Paula’s progress.
Among the many presentations given on the PI booth was one about FDI technology. PI is actively working as part of the FDI Cooperation to help develop FDI, which will lead to a big reduction in the costs of maintaining plant assets. It enables both FDT- and EDDL-based host systems to manage field devices using a single engineering package, so it will make different engineering solutions for different devices obsolete
. It also provides a scalable alternative in applications ranging from simple configuration to the complex management of sophisticated field devices.
PROFINEWS is published by PI, a global community supporting technological excellence in industrial automation. It represents PROFIBUS, PROFINET and IO-Link and actively collaborates with other leading automation groups such as ECT, HART, FDI, FF, OPC and WCT.
www.profibus.com or www.profinet.com
IO-Link Technology Days are being organized by MSC Gleichmann Schweiz, HMT microelectronic and MESCO Engineering in September and December. An overview of the IO-Link Consortium will be presented along with hardware and software elements of IO-Link and the testing requirements for conformity. Component manufacturers will present products for developing IO-Link devices.
PI North America has completed its 2010 training program and is now looking forward to 2011. "Two countries, twenty cities, and thousands educated – those were the one-day training class statistics for 2010 ... not to mention thousands of air miles for the personnel involved", said Carl Henning (pictured right at SPS/IPC/DRIVES in Nuremberg in November). The following cities have been tentatively scheduled as venues for 2011: Huntsville
, Chicago, Indianapolis, Richmond, Houston, Philadelphia/New Jersey, Raleigh, Spokane, Denver, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, San Diego, Rochester NY, Pittsburgh, Houston, Boston, Greenville SC, Vancouver, Toronto. Certified Network Engineer classes have been scheduled for 2011 and are listed here. Carl blogged extensively from SPS/IPC/DRIVES with numerous news stories, pictures and film clips relevant to the PI world. Find PROFIblog here. Or visit PI NORTH AMERICA
PROFIBUS UK’s Competence Centre at MMU has released its 2011 Training Schedule covering Certified PROFIBUS and PROFINET Engineer and Installer, Commissioning and Maintenance, System Design, Product Development, Wireless, CoDeSys, Basic and Certified OpenPLC and Certified AS-Interface courses held across the year. The schedule and registration form can be downloaded HERE. The latest opportunity to get fully PROFIBUS-trained and Certified was at MMU's Certified PROFIBUS Training week from 6-10th December. Following a new format designed to help candidates reach their fullest potential in just a week, the schedule covers the Certified PROFIBUS Installer course, the Commissioning & Maintenance module and the Certified PROFIBUS Engineer Course. Day 3 focuses on system design, for which the Installer module is a prerequisite. Each course can be taken individually or as part of the full set, depending on the candidates' existing qualifications and ability. This will be the last opportunity to take a scheduled Certified PROFIBUS Engineer course before next March. To register please download the Registration Form and return it to admin(at)uk.profibus(dot)com, or contact Ann in Admin on tel: +44 207 193 8018. UK
UL Group, which hosts the Indian PI Competence Center (PICC) and is a lead member of the Indian PROFIBUS, PROFINET Association (IPA) held a series of technology seminars and training sessions over the past three months in Pune. Courses covered ‘PROFIBUS Basics’ and ‘PROFIBUS Maintenance & Troubleshooting’. The plan is to extend these throughout the country. The sourses are devised and conducted by the PICC team and attended by end-users, OEM’s , System Integrators, designers and maintenance personnel. Courses start with a pre-evaluation of the participants - to better understand their level of knowledge - and concludes with a post-evaluation which indicates the enhancement of their knowledge. According to feedback, by attending the course participants have become confident PROFIBUS engineers. profibus(at)ulepl(dot)com
The China PROFIBUS and PROFINET Association (CPA) participated in the China International Industry Fair 2010 (CIIF) held in November in Shanghai. Two newly-built multi-vendor PROFIBUS and PROFINET Demo Walls were exhibited to show the open and interoperable characteristics of both technologies. Before the fair, CPA Secretariat collected successful application cases and new product information from member companies, and published them as the first issue of CPA member newsletter 'PI-China News' (shown below). 
This, and technical flyers in Chinese for PROFIBUS, PROFINET, PROFIsafe, PROFIdrive and PROFIenergy were distributed during the fair. The CPA Board Member companies, Siemens, ABB, Phoenix Contact and E+H, all had experts at the fair to answer questions from visitors. The booth received nearly one thousand visitors. CPA also held a media conference at which Mr. Jörg Freitag, PI Chairman gave a presentation on PROFIBUS and PROFINET development and prospects, and provided market figures. More than 20 media representatives attended this conference. Mr. Wang Haibin, the Chairman of CPA and Senior Vice President of Siemens China, emphasized that the goal of CPA was to strengthen the understanding and promotion of PROFIBUS and PROFINET and to promote and support the development of PROFIBUS and PROFINET products by Chinese companies. Prof. Ouyang Jinsong, Vice Chairman of CPA, President of the Instrumentation Technology & Economy Institute, P. R. China (ITEI) and General Secretary of the China Technical Committee on Industrial Process Measurement & Control (SAC/TC124), analyzed the importance of and the reasons why PI technologies have been transformed into Chinese GB/T and GB/Z Standards. Representatives from Chongqing Sichuan Instrument Complexco (SIC) and Shanghai Automation Instrumentation Co. (SAIC), explained the significance of the foundation of CPA for them.
CHINA
To support the rapid worldwide dissemination of its unique point-to-point connection solution for smart actuators and sensors, the IO-Link consortium has created a new infrastructure. Accordingly, IO-Link is now part of Technical Committee (TC6) within PI and is also represented on the Advisory Board.
Working Groups (WGs) in the areas of technology, marketing, network integration, and profiles make up the infrastructure for further technical development and efficient dissemination of IO-Link technology. A new Steering Committee (SC) has been formed, to include representatives of all IO-Link interest groups (master manufacturers, device manufacturers, system providers, service providers, and chip manufacturers).
Perhaps the biggest change is the elimination of the membership entrance fee of EUR 10,000. Membership in a Regional PI Association and acknowledgement of the IO-Link System of Rules now provides access to the specifications, participation in WGs, and use of the "IO-Link" logo.
IO-Link enables quick and easy expansion or simplification of PROFIBUS and PROFINET networks. An IO-Link expansion module attaches directly to the network as a node, allowing up to four intelligent sensors to be connected. This cuts costs by up to 40% claims Balluff because one expander and 4 discrete sensor hubs can replace 5 discrete PROFIBUS modules. Further, up to 76 sensors per node are possible. BALLUFF
India ran a series of workshops in December for engineers from the cement and electronics industries. About 55 people attended. The event was a great success says Dileep from UL.
PI has abolished the certification fees for PROFINET products for PI member companies, now that the certification process has been fully developed. Certification nows covers the entire functionality of PROFINET, extending from IO devices with RT functionality and IRT functionality to IO controllers.
Thanks to a large-scale PROFINET network the new Audi A1 manufacturing line at Brussels in Belgium is the newest and most modern Audi plant in Europe. 
Phoenix Contact has been able to make a major contribution - not only by supplying high-performance hardware but also powerful software and on-site training and support. So far Audi has invested EUR 300million, among other things in the conversion of the assembly lines and in particular the building of a new sheet-metal workshop with 450 robots.
The first A1 rolled off the production line in September 2009 and at the beginning of May 2010 Audi Brussels started mass production. By the end of 2010 some 50,000 will have left the Brussels plant. The production target for next year is 100,000 to 120,000. A start will shortly be made on the first adaptations to the plant for the five-door Audi A1.
Efficiency, cost-effectiveness, modular design and standardization are key words in Audi's production systems. All plants have to operate as far as possible in the same way and within plants all systems and workplaces have to be optimally geared to each other.
Brussels is modeled on Ingolstadt, in Germany, where the Audi A3, A4 and A5 are built. But it has been optimized down to the tiniest details and Audi claims to have a technological lead over most other car manufacturers as a result.
All PLCs, visualization systems, and even the electrical cabinets, are as uniform as possible throughout which makes building, operation and maintenance a great deal easier. Phoenix Contact PLCs, already used at Ingolstadt, were implemented and PROFINET was chosen as the bus system for communication between the robot lines and also for the transport systems.
Phoenix Contact also supplied industrial PCs, control panels, switches, I/O modules, leads, safety relays and terminal clamps. The powerful RFC 470, with standard PROFINET, Interbus and Ethernet 'on board' was chosen for control. Every RFC is located in a cabinet with a main control panel. There are also a large number of ancillary control panels that are connected to the RFC via PROFINET/Ethernet. The many decentralized motor drives are also driven via Interbus and PROFINET from the RFC. There are 102 control panels and more than 300 ancillary control panels in the sheet-metal workshop alone.
Phoenix Contact also supplied a large number of software components, including basic-function building blocks, which were used extensively by the contractors Imtech from Wommelgem (electrical equipment and programming), and VMA from Sint-Martens-Latem (welding line and transport system). Phoenix Contact created visual symbols for each building bock to ensure consistency, plus a wizard that automatically generates identical symbolism plant wide.
Certification
PI has decided to abolish certification fees for PROFINET devices developed by member companies.
Another Story
This is another news brief telling you what happens in PI
Comtrol has added TCP/IP to PROFINET IO connectivity to the Devicemaster UP line of Industrial Ethernet gateways. The device provides connectivity to both serial and Ethernet TCP/IP raw/ASCII devices and provides detailed diagnostics. It configures in minutes. Supported PLCS include ET-400, S7-400 and S7-300, the Omron CJ Series, and Bosch Rexroth IndraControl types. COMTROL
The latest Subcon-Plus-Profibus/90° family of connectors offers the option of insulation displacement technology, allowing PROFIBUS cables to be used with solid or flexible copper conductors and reducing assembly times significantly. The high-grade shielded connector housing permits excellent interference immunity even at maximum transmission rates. PHOENIX CONTACT
The AnyBus X-gateway is a configurable stand-alone module that allows plant-floor PROFIBUS devices to communicate with a Modbus-TCP network and vice versa. Typical applications are installations with mixed usage of Siemens and Schneider Electric, ABB or GE PLCs. The X-gateway is DIN rail mounted and functions as a server (slave) on the Modbus-TCP network and as a master on the PROFIBUS side. HMS INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS
The latest version of the PROFItrace troubleshooting & maintenance tool contains an OPC server, offering a standardized way to get data into other applications. Procentec says "the opportunities are vast!" For example, ProfiTrace tags can be displayed in a SCADA/HMI package, or linked to an SMS/email client; reports can be generated in Word/Excel. PROCENTEC
A new set of free Windows7 drivers is available for Softing PROFIBUS PC interface boards, including PCI Express, PCI, PC/104plus and USB types. These drivers support 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows7, Vista and XP. This allows 32 bit applications to run on 32 bit and 64 bit operating systems and native 64 bit programs to be built. SOFTING
Version 3.1 of ProfinetCommander, the PROFINET development and test tool that makes it easy to build a PROFINET network without PLC programming skills, now includes the option to display I/O data in hex, binary, or decimal, GSDML file parsing support for UNIX or Windows and added decoding of PROFINET port data change notification alarms. PIC
A new ERTEC200-based PNIO Starter Kit is available, offering an easy way to add PROFINET to automation devices. It includes all the hardware, software and debugging tools needed to setup a PROFINET IO device prototype, including an Evaluation Board, ERTEC200 samples, the PNIO Stack and real time examples in source code. SIEMENS
The Brad IO-Device protocol development kit version 2.2 for PROFINET enables OEMs to develop and market their own branded PROFINET IO devices easily. It supports conformance Class B and has already been integrated into customer systems and successfully certified. The stack was demonstrated at the recent SPS/IPC/Drives fair on an Apple iPad (pictured). A second demonstration showed the stack running PROFINET Isochronous Real Time (IRT). The stack has been successfully ported to the Intel x86, ARM 7/9, Motorola Power PC, Innovasic FIDO and other platforms and supports OSs such as Win32, VxWorks, QNX, Linux, eCos and ThreadX. MOLEX
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in devices such as compact IOs.“
PROFIenergy takes off: Phoenix Contact has also become one of the first companies to introduce PROFIenergy devices (see product story right). The goal, said Bibelhausen, is to make the company's entire PROFINET portfolio available in PROFIenergy-compliant versions.
Siemens has also introduced a PROFIenergy-enabled ET200S (right). Ruttkamp said: "For I/O, there will be downloadable PROFIenergy modules, as with our PC-based solutions. PROFIenergy technology is an important part of our “green” portfolio which underlines our contribution to sustainable environmental protection and energy savings.”
As the Chinese "Year of the Tiger" was being celebrated in February, Phoenix Contact formally announced its new PROFINET chip - the TPS-1. Known as 'TIGER' it is a highly integrated single-chip ASIC for easy implementation in low end compact devices and drives. The chip supports existing PROFINET RT and IRT specifications.
Volker Bibelhausen, Director of the Automation Business Unit of Phoenix Contact Electronics said: "With the TIGER chip, even small and simple field devices can be connected to PROFINET cost-effectively."
Siemens collaborated with Phoenix Contact in the development of TIGER and Uwe Ruttkamp, Director Product and System Management SIMATIC, confirmed that: "We plan to use TPS-1
BMW and VW - two members of the AIDA grouping of automotive companies in Germany - have become the latest major automation users to join PI. End-user members of PI have the chance to actively influence the technological development of PROFINET and PROFIBUS and to bring their particular requirements into any new specification. One of the most recent examples of the co-operation between PI and AIDA is the PROFIenergy profile, which can dramatically reduce the energy consumption of automation systems and equipment. "End-users are one of the strongest driving forces for the development and use of a technology," said PI Chairman Jörg Freitag. "BMW and VW have always been major contributors to PI’s work and we are very happy to welcome them as members.”
A comprehensive offer of products and services is now available from a wide range of providers to aid with the design and development of PROFINET devices. As well as sophisticated SDKs, firmware based on Standard Ethernet interface, PROFINET ASICs, and ready-to-install modules can now be easily purchased to support fast and effective deployment of PROFINET devices. A brochure entitled “The Easy Way to PROFINET Technology" has been published and is now available for download HERE. This includes a full overview of all providers. With the release of the new TPS1 (TIGER ASIC) by Phoenix Contact, yet another PROFINET chip is now available to assist device implementers. TIGER has been designed especially for compact devices (e.g. compact IO modules or drives).
EtherCAT and Powerlink, which focus mainly on drive technology, were estimated to have market shares of 4% and 11% respectively (see graphic).
IMS Research forecasts PROFINET to grow the most between 2008 and 2013, with +8.7% (CAGR). It predicts EtherNet/IP will grow more slowly (by +7.1%) and Modbus TCP/IP will decline (by about -0.4%). IMS RESEARCH
In a new market study called “The World Market for Industrial Ethernet – 2009 Edition”, IMS Research in UK estimates that with a market share of 28% PROFINET is amongst the top most-used Industrial Ethernets worldwide. The study particularly notes that PROFINET offers an Industrial Ethernet solution for a comprehensive range of applications, including high-speed motion control. PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP/IP fill the top slots, accounting for 80% of the total market.http://www.imsresearch.com/index.php
Welcome to another PROFINEWS! This one has been produced following the SPS/IPC/DRIVES fair in Nuremberg, which 52,000 people attended. Nearly a quarter came from outside Germany so there's no doubt now that this Fair is becoming one of the most important automation events worldwide. For PI it was an opportunity to present the latest technology news, some of which you'll find below. One interesting announcement was that the latest PROFINET specification - V2.3 - has just been published, marking the moment when all current PROFINET developments are complete. V2.3 covers some fast IO issues and the latest PROFINET for Process Automation profile. It is stable and fully backwards-compatible with previous specifications of course. For the moment no more development work is in the pipeline ... though that's not to say that nothing more will be added in the future! After 20 years PROFIBUS is still being upgraded in response to changing market needs and I am sure the same will happen with PROFINET. But that's for another year! In the meantime, all of us at PI wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to meeting you again in 2011.
Michael Bryant, Deputy PI Chairman
Harting Fast Track switches favor PROFINET IO datagrams to enhance determinism. Now, thanks to Ha-VIS pre-Link, an innovative connection technology, today’s 4-pole M 12 d-coded connectors can easily and quickly be exchanged for 8-pole x-coded connectors, without requiring new data cable connections. “With Fast Track Switching and Ha-VIS preLink as PROFINET solutions we have advanced our vision of an Ethernet communication platform for all applications," says the Company. HARTING
The new
GHS 12G/8
Gigabit Modular Switch from Phoenix Contact allows 12 Gigabit ports to be installed on a mounting rail. It is therefore especially suitable for use in a powerful automation backbone and for connecting to the higher-level IT network. It supports all commonly used Gigabit and Fast Ethernet data transfer standards, standard IT protocols as well as PROFINET.
The modular concept allows expansion to 28 ports. Twisted pair and fiber options are available.
The switch includes diagnostic and configuration functions Important parameters can be read and set at the device using an operator console. S
upport for the energy management of automation systems via the PROFIenergy profile is incorporated
.
The new
GHS 12G/8
Gigabit Modular Switch from Phoenix Contact allows 12 Gigabit ports to be installed on a mounting rail. It is therefore especially suitable for use in a powerful automation backbone and for connecting to the higher-level IT network. It supports all commonly used Gigabit and Fast Ethernet data transfer standards, standard IT protocols as well as PROFINET.
The modular concept allows expansion to 28 ports. Twisted pair and fiber options are available.
The switch includes diagnostic and configuration functions Important parameters can be read and set at the device using an operator console. S
upport for the energy management of automation systems via the PROFIenergy profile is incorporated
.
Of those 31.4 million PROFIBUS devices, 5.4 million are now used in process automation so it's clear that PROFIBUS has assumed the dominant fieldbus role. The latest PA Profile V3.02 is expected to accelerate this since it contains a set of important asset management features specifically requested by end users.
In the Functional Safety market, PROFIsafe continues to lead as well. The 220,000 purchased PROFIsafe devices in 2009 equals the number purchased the previous year. The installed base of PROFIsafe now exceeds 850,000 devices.
NB: PROFINET market statistics are collected by an independent and fully neutral third party. Only end devices are included in the count; infrastructure devices are excluded.
Paula to set up Dubai office
Attempts to establish Regional PI Association (RPA) in the key Middle East area have not so far proved fruitful but that’s all about to change. Paula Doyle has recently joined Siemens in Dubai and is planning to set up a formal RPA there shortly. Paula is from Limerick in Ireland, where she gained a PhD. For the past four years she’s been in Scandinavia developing new control products for ABB. Her move to Dubai means she can now focus her marketing skills on helping PI expand in the Middle East. She told PROFINEWS that legal requirements in Dubai mean that some kind of PI Competence Centre (PICC) will have to be established first. Her attendance at the 23rd PI Meeting gave her the chance to meet many of the other RPA Chairmen and to see how they did it. We’ll keep you informed of Paula’s progress.
PI and its members were strongly represented at the recent Hannover Fair in April, with a new booth design reflecting the latest corporate design standards. Multi-vendor demonstrations, a host of new products and many educational seminars gave visitors a full insight into PI activities. Major topics included PROFINET, PROFIsafe, PROFIdrive, and of course the new PROFIenergy profile which promises to cut energy consumption dramatically.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy takes off
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
FDI workshop
At the Hannover Fair on April 20, 2010, experts discussed the latest development of FDI technology. The primary benefit of FDI is that end users with either an FDT- or an EDDL-based host will have a single source solution for managing field devices. Users will no longer need to manage disparate device descriptions, which will reduce the costs associated with maintaining assets in the field.
The FDI project will also provide a very scalable solution that users can deploy in applications ranging from simple configuration to complex management of the most sophisticated field device. This makes different solutions for different devices obsolete. An example of this is that FDI device packages for applications such as valve diagnostics will provide the same functionality regardless of the host system.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Thomas Tauchnitz, Sanofi Aventis. Participants were Kimikazu Takahashi (Yokogawa), Hartmut Wallraff (Invensys), Daniel Huber (ABB), Hans-Georg Kumpfmüller (Siemens) and Dr. Raimund Sommer (Endress+Hauser).
Welcome to our new PROFINEWS newsletter
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
PROFIenergy takes off
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
PROFIenergy starts to climb
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
6666666666666666Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.
Automation users try when they can to minimize energy consumption, responding to pressures to cut costs and comply with increasingly stringent ‘green’ obligations.
Methods range from switching off equipment manually to installing semi-automated shut-down systems. Both are usually crude, expensive and hard to manage. To maximize energy savings a single, standardized, approach supported by vendors and users industry-wide is required – hence the PROFIenergy Profile.
The idea for PROFIenergy came from AIDA, the Association of German Automotive Manufacturers, who asked PI to develop a way of intelligently managing the energy consumed by power-hungry equipment such as robot cells. If these Energy Consuming Units (ECUs) could be switched on and off in an open, consistent and managed way, they argued, substantial cost savings could be achieved.
The PROFIenergy Profile enables control devices (e.g. PLCs) to send signals such as Begin Pause and End Pause over PROFINET to each ECU, in accordance with production circumstances such as lunch breaks, holidays, random line stoppages and even maximum load conditions. On receipt of the PROFIenergy commands, software ‘agents’ in the ECU firmware initiate ‘sleep’ modes that are pre-defined by the equipment vendor.
PROFIenergy can operate either alongside existing automation processes on a single controller platform, or a separate, dedicated, energy management controller can be used. PROFIenergy is applicable to single devices such as actuators and remote IO, as well as sub-systems such as robot cells and paint lines.
PROFIenergy is thus an ‘enabling technology’ that allows intelligent energy management strategies to be deployed over existing PROFINET networks. Vendors support PROFIenergy by implementing the required functions in their devices or sub-systems, thereby making PROFIenergy available ‘on tap’. Actual energy savings depend on how end users choose to adapt PROFIenergy to their automation networks.
Early estimates by one automotive manufacturer suggest that savings of up to €60,000 per annum could be achieved for a robot cell through the use of PROFIenergy.