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09/02/2008
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Tom Shelley reports on the latest steps forward in integrated motor drive and control systems
Although Rockwell has been offering Ethernet capabilities for its integrated drive and automation systems since 2004, the company is taking a step forward with its recent announcement of a full portfolio of industrial Ethernet managed switches, jointly developed and co-branded with Cisco.
According to Peter Vorley, business leader, integrated architecture, at Rockwell Automation, use of Ethernet means the company can move vast amounts of data round the whole network. “Most of our customers tell us they want to go to a single network standard, if they can,” he says.
The new switch can be configured using Allen-Bradley RSLogix 5000 programming software. It automatically generates Logix tags for integrated diagnostics, and include FactoryTalk View faceplates for status monitoring and alarming. The switch also comprises a removable compact flash card for one step device replacement and default configurations. This builds on a capability and concepts that have been available for Rockwell’s drives and controllers for some time.
Vorley explains that all drive data is stored in PLCs. If a drive fails, it is only necessary to change the drive.
“We have been doing automatic drive replacement for DeviceNet for several years, but this is now available with Ethernet I/P,” he says.
As a result, changing a typical PowerFlex drive takes only the time required to physically swap the drive and power it up, as the PLC will download the set-up automatically. Also, by using Premier Drive Integration, a new drive can be programmed in around three and a half minutes, according to Vorley, while programming an additional drive takes seven minutes. “We believe that having motion and safety integrated in the same CPU to be a unique feature,” he says.
What happens, though, if the CPU in the controller should then fail? “Our Factory Talk Asset Centre manages the whole plant,” he responds. “It backs up all the software and backs it up again, if anyone makes any changes. If a CPU fails, we swap the processor and the Asset Centre downloads all the data. Or you can swap the flash memory from the processor, which takes less than a minute.”
Fixed managed switches will integrate setup and diagnostic information into Logix, using the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) over Ethernet I/P. They will have four or eight copper ports, with an option for an optical fibre uplink to higher level networks. These will be available for shipment in early 2008, says Vorley.
Unmanaged switches, with four to eight ports – planned to be available in the same time frame – are said to be easy to apply, because they do not require any configuration. Products will also be available for IP67 rated on-machine applications. Meanwhile, the modular managed switches with removable flash cards, which will have six to 26 ports for copper and optical fibre, will be available for shipment mid-2008. Switches for linear and ring topologies, embedded in programmable automation controllers, distributed I/O and drives, will be made openly available to third parties, also around the middle of this year.
These capabilities build on a number of steps forward, still not available from many suppliers, including integrated condition monitoring and integrated safety, available since 2003 and 2005 respectively.
Pointers
* Already offering motor drives that form parts of highly integrated automated factory architectures, Rockwell has now developed a range of Ethernet switches, in conjunction with Cisco, to extend this capability
* Swapping a drive takes about three and a half minutes. Data is held in controllers, but, should this be lost, it can quickly be downloaded from a central database that is constantly backed up
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Author
Tom Shelley
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