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Our BRX PLCs have a multitude of impressive features (too long to list) but here are a few highlights: • Serial/Ethernet comm ports included on most models (with support for Modbus RTU/TCP, ASCII, EtherNet/IP, MQTT and HTTP) • Built-in discrete, analog and high-speed I/O with advanced motion control • Internal RAM and microSD data logging • Free PLC programming software with over 200 easy-to-use instructions, integrated video help, and a convenient simulator

Order Today, Ships Fast! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2020 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

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the #1 value in automation

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The GS20 and GS20X drives take the best features of our popular GS2 series drives, add Sensorless Vector and Field Oriented Control, expanded built-in I/O, and include an integrated PLC with optional Ethernet communications. If that isn’t enough, the GS20X models come with a NEMA 4X enclosure so you can install them in a wash-down location. You’ll have a hard time believing that a drive this feature-rich costs as little as it does!

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• Broad size offering from 1/4 to 30 hp (GS20) • NEMA 4X models available up to 10hp (GS20X) • Input voltages available: 120VAC, 230VAC, 460VAC and 575VAC • Built-in PLC supports up to 2K steps • Built-in USB port for fast & easy programming • 100kA Short Circuit Current Rating • Built-in Dynamic Braking – optional resistors • PID Controller – including sleep and wake • GS2 mode duplicates exact parameter configuration of existing GS2 drives (GS20 only) • Two year replacement warranty • UL/CE listed

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Order Today, Ships Fast! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2020 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

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the #1 value in automation

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If you’re short on engineers, we can provide a complete package, including project planning, software, components, commissioning, and worldwide support.

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seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537 input #3 at www.controleng.com/information

Vol. 67 Number 11

®

NOVEMBER 2020

ANSWERS 20 | Cloud: SCADA, HMI, MES projects produce results, recognition

20, 26

COVER: AriZona Beverages’ new plant will produce more than 60 million cases per year, integrating data from five automation stack layers, using Inductive Automation Ignition Software, which can be enhanced with cloud capabilities. Courtesy: Inductive Automation

INSIGHTS

26 | Cloud: How integrators can help IIoT applications ONLINE: Cloud efficiency platform developed for databases 32 | Drive train with AI, machine learning delivered to refinery

6 | Product Exclusive: HMI-PLC-IO device

34 | How to match drives to the motor

8 | International: Edge computing, artificial intelligence power automation innovation

35 | Six ways to improve cybersecurity: Barriers vs. resiliency

10 | International: Redefining the boundaries of industrial automation 12 | Technology Update: Global challenge increase smart construction innovation 14 | Technology Update: Collaborative robot optimization with AI, for safer manufacturing during COVID-19 NEWS

16 | Heated face mask traps, filters coronavirus; Robot sales rise; Headlines online 18 | Think again about measurements, logic, actions

p.26

WEBCAST Dec. 3 - Cybersecurity: What you need to know www.controleng.com/webcasts 37 | Maintenance automation: create a new recipe for data integration 44 | Process instrumentation tips and tricks

p.37

INSIDE MACHINES

P1 | Changes in store for advanced process control

CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 67, No. 11, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media and Technology, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2020 by CFE Media and Technology, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media and Technology, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630/571-4070. E-mail: ctle@omeda.com. Postmaster: send address changes to CONTROL ENGINEERING, PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Email: ctle@omeda.com. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $165/yr; Canada/Mexico, $200/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); International air delivery $350/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30 US and $35 foreign. Please address all subscription mail to CONTROL ENGINEERING, PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Printed in the USA. CFE Media and Technology, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

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NOVEMBER 2020

®

INNOVATIONS NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

45 | Industrial communication cable connector, Safety light curtains, Digital native CNC See more New Products for Engineers at www.controleng.com/NPE

Review finalists and VOTE NOW! www.controleng.com/articles/2021-engineers-choice-finalists-vote-now.

BACK TO BASICS

46 | IIoT’s growing impact on ICS cybersecurity The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is affecting industrial control system (OT/ICS) cybersecurity.

NEWSLETTER: Process Instrumentation & Sensors • Evaluating IoT wireless protocols for industrial applications • Process sensors, wireless transmitters, help pump diagnostics • 2021 Engineers’ Choice Finalists: Vote now!

• Control Engineering subscribers at work • Exploring the benefits of AI and machine learning Keep up with emerging trends: subscribe. www.controleng.com/newsletters.

CFE EDU: Virtual Training Week On-Demand Did you miss the live event? You can still attend CFE Media and Technology’s Virtual Training Week on-demand to receive training on a variety of the latest industry trends. Register and receive full access to exclusive content offered by industry experts with Q&A sessions! https://cfeedu.cfemedia.com/learning-paths/cfe-mediatechnology-virtual-training-week

Control Engineering eBook series: Robotics eBook Fall Edition Robotics are one of the fastestgrowing industries and their impact can be felt on many manufacturing floors. There’s more to the robot, however, than what you see on the plant floor.

This eBook includes articles on robots fighting COVID-19, DCL logistics, and more.

Learn more and register to download at www.controleng.com/ebooks.

Oil & Gas Engineering helps maximize uptime and increase productivity through the use of industry best practices and new innovations, increase efficiency from the wellhead to the refinery by implementing automation and monitoring strategies, and maintain and improve safety for workers and the work environment.

Read the digital edition at www.oilandgaseng.com.

controleng.com provides new, relevant automation, controls, and instrumentation content daily, access to databases for new products and system integrators, and online training.

www.controleng.com

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November 2020

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INSIGHTS

PRODUCT EXCLUSIVE

Advanced HMI, modular PLC I/O connections, HMI and PLC functions combined to lower cost, decrease programming time.

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he EZTouchPLC from EZAutomation is a highly advanced human-machine interface and modular programmable logic controller in one unit. It combines functionality of multiple products (such as an EZTouch HMI and EZPLC or other industry HMIs and PLCs) in one unit at a fraction of cost of separate units, with flexibility in configuring input and output (I/O) connections. The 7-in.

EZ3TouchPLC Jr. model is said to be the first and only HMI with fully modular PLC I/O. In this integrated solution, the PLC is essentially free.

No other PLC has the same horsepower and sp e cif ic at ions , with patented on-

line HMI editing and a no-downtime HMI editing function. The HMI and PLC features are common to all models and use the same programming software for the integrated unit, with screens 4- to 15-in.

Software is easy enough that anyone can learn and design a complex screen in less than 10 minutes, without a training course. PLC drag-and-drop programming software has advanced functionalities including proportional-integral-derivative (PID), math, high-speed counters, pulse-width modulation (PWM), function blocks and others. Thirty-two plug-in I/O modules are mix-n-match and each has optical isolation, an LED indicator, 8- or 12-bit analog I/O, in a rugged, 2x2x1-in. package. It is made in America. See the product in a 360 view via the link below. ce EZAutomation www.ezautomation.net/HMI-PLC-All-in-One Input #205 at www.controleng.com/information

Simplify Machine IP Integration

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IP Routers Learn more at www.ccontrols.com/machine input #5 at www.controleng.com/information

The Open Road to Autonomy The road to industrial autonomy is open and variable, offering myriad choices for operational excellence.

Whether your company is at the start of its journey or well on its way, Yokogawa enables smooth transition from industrial automation to industrial autonomy — IA2IA. Key to that transition is OpreX, our evolving suite of solutions and products comprising control, measurement, execution, and lifecycle that will help customers optimize everything from business management to operations.

Yokogawa. Advancing your IA2IA.

yokogawa.com/oprex/

input #6 at www.controleng.com/information

The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.

INSIGHTS INTERNATIONAL

Stone Shi, Control Engineering China

Edge computing, artificial intelligence, automation innovation Edge computing can help engineers lower costs and develop new applications, such as shop-floor data analysis and quality prediction. Artificial intelligence (AI) improves efficiency and accuracy.

E

Stone Shi is executive editor-in-chief, Control Engineering China. Courtesy: Control Engineering China

dge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are helping to advance industrial computing and machine learning to increase factory floor applications. Since the rapid growth of industrial automation technologies in the 1970s and the development of computer technology, new technologies continue to advance the capabilities of the programmable logic controller (PLC), programmable automation controller (PAC), industrial PC (IPC), distributed control system (DCS) and process control system (PCS).

In the 21st century, some may wonder if automation technology has reached a development “ceiling?”

With the rise of edge computing and AI, however, automation technology seems to have found its future direction for development. More automation manufacturers have joined the product development and the practical application of edge computing and AI technologies. What changes can edge computing and AI bring to automation?

Edge computing, cloud help

Industrial edge computing brings the advantages of the cloud to the field level. In the past, before there was edge computing, the cost of developing and maintaining related applications at the factory floor level was very high. Edge comKEYWORDS: Industrial puting platforms allows engineers to develop edge computing, artificial lower-cost, newer applications such as shopintelligence floor data analysis and quality prediction.

Industrial edge computing Edge computing also bridges the gap between and artificial intelligence (AI) contribute to automation traditional operational technology (OT) and innovation and effectiveness. information technology (IT) and integrate the Automation vendors include advantages for both.

M More INSIGHTS

edge computing and AI among recent offerings.

CONSIDER THIS How can AI and edge computing help your industrial applications?

ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more resources. www. controleng.com/magazine www.controleng.com/ international

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AI advances machine optimization

What benefits does AI provide for industrial automation? At the factory level, operations efficiency and accuracy can be improved through AI applications, making execution simpler and more efficient. In the past, people wrote control logic programs based on their understanding of mechanical and physical rules. Limits increase with increased complexities. If machine learning (ML) and deep learning methods are introduced, hidden trends

control engineering

can be analyzed and optimal responses can be calculated automatically.

Edge computing and AI applications can produce the outstanding value of “two swords.” AI models need to be iterated and upgraded continuously, and edge computing can support distribution and iteration.

Industrial edge computing has formed very good data collection capability; collected data also can be provided to AI. AI inside edge computing can ensure a lot of data is deduced locally, reducing sensitive data leaks.

Through the back-end development mechanism, AI applications can be distributed with the help of highlevel development frameworks. With AI’s and edge computing’s support for each other, 1+1>2.

Automation industry AI, ML examples

In the past two years, many automation products support edge computing. Advantech is currently pushing the edge computing controller, which performs traditional logic control and motion control and independently runs a desktop operating system (OS). High-level language programming, processing audio and video and run-time application programs can be implemented on the IPC and be connected to the cloud. Siemens released the WinCC Unified HMI in April; the human-machine interface (HMI) can run applications and do edge computing.

In AI automation applications, more products are emerging. In 2019, Rockwell Automation released the AI module LogixAI of ControlLogix controller, to realize AI on PLC. This year, Siemens released a neural process unit to enable AI for the S7-1500 controller, which can analyze and deduce relevant data at field level based on neural network. On the latest TwinCAT3 platform from Beckhoff Automation, the TF380x machine learning inference engine and TF381x neural network inference engine are integrated. Various machine learning models, such as Matlab from MathWorks and TensorFlow opensource software from Google Brain Team can be imported into the controller for AI analysis. ce

Stone Shi is executive editor-in-chief, Control Engineering China. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

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* All product names, and registered trademarks are the property of their respective manufacturers or legal holders. EZAutomation disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks or names of others.

EZ is Better!

INSIGHTS INTERNATIONAL George Walker, Novotek U.K.

Redefining the boundaries of industrial automation Production challenges do not wait on IT developments and automation technology advances enable data access and use from almost anywhere.

M

odern automation systems go devices and create queries to access and transform beyond the confines of the physi- data into actionable information for operations. cal machines on the factory floor. Drag-and-drop design allows for simple placement According to Deloitte Insights, and configuration of visualization components on smart factories can operate with- the display, then dragging the query or data source in the factory and connect to a global network of onto the component quickly enables the data similar production systems, connections. and even to the digital supply Using connected systems network. allows information sharing One, seamless MES Though factories may be with frontline workers, prodistributed rather than cenviding them with knowlestablishes a digital tralized, modern industrial edge of what is happening. operations software provides Responsive design allows foundation for continuous a centralized environment to application building to make rapidly build industrial appliinformation readily available improvement. cations. This can support on PC displays, tablets, and engineers, managers and staff mobile phones – allowing throughout an industrial business to improve plant access to information and insights into operations operations and act upon information inde- from anywhere anytime. A single, seamless MES for pendent of factory location. process, discrete and mixed manufacturing enviTeams at all levels of an organization can ronments establishes a digital foundation for conmake better decisions based on real-time tinuous improvement.

KEYWORDS: industrial and historical plant-wide application data, automation, data including historian software, manufacturing New normal: Automation management execution systems (MESs) and third-party for social distancing Modern industrial The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the data. Users can monitor, control, enter data operations software provides a centralized environment and perform analyses. Historian software is need for solutions that support social distancing, to rapidly build industrial often embedded or used in conjunction with remote operations and supply chain issues have applications. standard distributed control systems (DCSs) completely upended plants and factories.

Better industrial automation This requires deploying MES, human-machine and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), with on real-time and past to provide enhanced data capture, validation, interface/supervisory control and data acquisiplant-wide application data can improve decisions. tion (HMI/SCADA), historian and analytics solucompression and aggregation capabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic With historian software, users may ana- tions capable of visualizing operations, analyzing has accelerated the need for lyze data in context from industrial oper- data and optimizing production and providing the automation and improved ations software. Industrial operations information in real time to the appropriate personsocial distancing. software delivers aggregation and visualiza- nel regardless of their location so they can respond ONLINE tion of automation data across plant-wide without any detriment to performance. Automation Read more stories operations. This provides a visualization has truly extended beyond the factory floor, and the from Control Engineering toolkit with simple connectors to common data can improve operations at every level. ce international partners at data types, to blend and present information www.controleng.com/ in a way that allows for the different needs George Walker is managing director of Novotek U.K. international. and Ireland. This article originally appeared on Conof team members to see it.

CONSIDER THIS Role-based permissions may be granted trol Engineering Europe’s website. Edited by Chris How can industrial at the page level. Plant operators may define Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE automation improve your data sources and entities for connected Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. operations?

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www.controleng.com

| AT11-18USA |

The distributed servo system with One Cable Automation: AMP8000

www.beckhoff.us/amp8000 Eliminate and shrink control cabinets while expanding dynamic motion control: The AMP8000 Distributed Servo Drive System from Beckhoff integrates a servo drive directly into a servomotor.

A unique benefit of the AMP8000 series is that servomotor power ratings* and installation sizes remain virtually unchanged. Proven One-Cable Automation in the EtherCAT P standard delivers real time communication and industrial power on one cable, and an innovative IP65-rated supply module powers multiple motors in the field. As such, the AMP8000 minimizes space requirements, installation effort, material costs and motion system footprint in a big way. sizes remain almost identical to standard AM8000 servomotors from Beckhoff no changes in existing machine designs required same high power ratings as before despite drive integration* TwinSAFE drive safety technology built into every servomotor *Compared with a combination of servo drive and servomotor

input #8 at www.controleng.com/information

INSIGHTS

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Marc Grosskopf, TÜV SÜD

Global challenge, smart design A cloud dashboard communicates project analytical insights to stakeholders; 3D modeling and machine learning platform help the building information management (BIM) model (digital twin).

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nce recognized as slow to adapt to technology, construction design is an industry on the fast track [with smart technologies and instrumentation, analytics, building information management systems, digital twins and other innovations used in manufacturing and process facilities]. The construction business model and old-school legacy network were in-part responsible for the lag. Economic pressure for more costefficient building processes and ecoKEYWORDS: Smart construction, friendly operations spurred innovation. building information To improve processes across conmanagement (BIM), 3D modeling struction-related industries, TÜV SÜD Industrial Internet Consortium’s became a principal partner in the Indussmart construction challenge trial Internet Consortium’s global Smart Improve construction with data uploaded to a cloud environment Construction Challenge in 2019. The and processed automatically through challenge invites design and implea 3D artificial intelligence platform for mentation organizations to compete on intelligent analytics on KPIs, risks. challenges with customer requirements Use 3D modeling technology, and advance real-world validation of machine learning to provide a visual comparison to the BIM model. smart construction applications and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), by CONSIDER THIS enabling new smart sensor technoloAre you using digital twins, gies, trust systems, decentralized data analytics, and 3D modeling to reduce costs and improve safety? exchanges, and other information technology (IT) innovations.

ONLINE By connecting start-ups with major If reading from the digital edition, industry organizations, the challenge click on the headline for more. intended to enable implementation of Learn more at Industrial Internet Consortium’s IoT Challenges. next-generation smart construction digwww.csemag.com/commissioning ital ecosystems. Tech partner organi-

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Challenge use cases

The smart construction challenge from Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) has three use cases. Learn more at www.iiconsortium.org/pdf/ Smart-Construction-Challenge-Overview.pdf. Courtesy: IIC

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zations included Autodesk Forge, Bosch, Here 360, Ottobock, and Qtum. Construction partners included global companies Liebherr and Züblin. In the challenge, building information modeling (BIM) is used for planning, construction and operations, providing a digital representation of the building’s physical and functional characteristics.

Participants developed technologies and systems to address specific smart construction use cases while operating under a set of assumptions. TÜV SÜD, Liebherr and Züblin provided the requirements and use case definitions; participants tested concepts and provided real-world data and feedback. Three use cases (graphic) cover construction assurance, track and trace and smart worker equipment.

Certification, planning, operations

After months of competition and collaboration, the construction partners named Contilio, a developer of 3D Artificial Intelligence analytics as the winner. On Feb. 19, on stage at Bosch Connected World in Berlin, Contilio was awarded €25,000 and a live proof of concept at the TÜV SÜD International Business Park in Singapore. In the project, Contilio used 3D computer vision and deep learning to provide intelligent insights from 3D data and photos captured from a construction site. This data was uploaded to a cloud environment and processed automatically through a 3D artificial intelligence (AI) platform into intelligent analytics on construction progress, installation quality and predictive key performance indicators (KPIs) on risks and issues.

Analytics can be accessed through a cloud dashboard that communicates the insights to key construction employees and other stakeholders. The implementation used 3D modeling technology combined with a machine learning platform to provide a visual comparison to the underlying BIM model. The project significantly reduced time in evaluation and planning phases, along with preventive maintenance capabilities. It saved construction costs and lowered worker risk to improve safety. ce

Marc Grosskopf is the business unit manager - building testing and inspection for the real estate and infrastructure division of TÜV SÜD, an Industrial Internet Consortium member, a CFE Media and Technology content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

Scan QR code to vote now!

©2020 Siemens Industry, Inc.

reImagine automation together with Siemens Our latest products and solutions, including WinCC Unified, TIA Portal and our Drive Controller help engineers and manufacturers reimagine how efficient and innovative automation can be. This year, some of these products are nominated once again for the Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Awards. The awards highlight some of the best new control, instrumentation, and automation products as chosen

by Control Engineering‘s readers. We are so excited to be nominated and we really believe our solutions lead to greater productivity, more flexible manufacturing, and better maintenance practices. Your vote counts and voting is open! Cast it for Siemens today!

input #9 at www.controleng.com/information

usa.siemens.com/industry-awards

INSIGHTS

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: AI, ROBOTICS, SAFETY Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering

Collaborative robot optimization Collaborative robots use artificial intelligence (AI) to increase usefulness in dynamically changing workspaces. Cobot factory applications can create more space between workers.

A

rtificial intelligence (AI) advancements have enabled collaborative robots (cobots) to precisely execute tasks in dynamically changing workspaces, enabling operations to run more smoothly, efficiently and productively. In addition, cobots are being deployed to lower risk, ease programming and cost-effectively deploy automation to increase worker distancing. Return on investment (ROI) for cobot implementation often is less than one year, according to Universal Robots, a collaborative robot manufacturer.

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KEYWORDS: Collaborative

robots, AI, COVID-19 Artificial intelligence (AI) is adding to productivity of collaborative robotic implementations.

Collaborative robots decrease risk by increasing distance among workers on the factory floor.

Use of collaborative robots can have return on investment (ROI) under one year.

CONSIDER THIS How could a collaborative robot add efficiency?

ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline. www.controleng.com/robotics

Using AI to improve efficiency

AI-powered cobots can increase production, decrease costs, and shorten cycle times in high-tech manufacturing environments.

AI leverages billions of hours of iterative machine-learned practices to intelligently direct cobots in manufacturing, production and engineering.

Tim DeGrasse, channel development manager, Universal Robots, said artificial intelligence can decrease return on investment in collaborative robot applications and deployed more easily with use of open interfaces. AI also increases collaborative robot production, decreases cost and shortens cycle times (which can increase throughput).

DeGrasse gave video examples of how AI helps collaborative robot efficiency in man-

An Oct. 22 Control Engineering webcast from Universal Robots covered “Leveraging AI to Maximize Collaborative Robot Efficiency” with a video case studies and a question and answer session. See www.controleng.com/webcasts/past. Courtesy: Universal Robots

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ufacturing in an Oct. 22 webcast “Leveraging AI to Maximize Collaborative Robot Efficiency.”

Examples: cobot worker distancing

Collaborative robots can be used to add distance between workers without significant assembly line redesigns, in turn decreasing risk of COVID-19 exposure, said Joe Campbell, head of U.S. marketing, Universal Robots, in a Sept. 23 webcast, “How cobots can be leveraged in the COVID-19 age.”

Collaborative robots, seen as faster and easier to implement than conventional robotics, include benefits such as rapid payback; Campbell cited eight examples with return on investment (ROI) less than a year. Because collaborative robots are easy to implement and lower cost than traditional robots and more easily redeployed as needed, they’re being added to manufacturing application to increase worker distancing on the factory floor. Cobots also help with round-the-clock shiftwork to meet tighter delivery schedules.

All Axis Machining, a 20-person contract machine shop and fabricator, was turning away orders because of COVID-19 reduced capacity. With fewer people in the shop, productivity increased, including addition of a lights-out third shift. Pandemic-related collaborative robot benefits.

DCL Logistics, an order fulfillment company, increased business 30% in 60 days as online business exploded with the pandemic. The company avoided increasing risk to existing employees by avoiding the usual practice of hiring temporary workers. Labor content on each order decreased by half by using collaborative robots.

Homtex, a home textile manufacturer, decided in April to add disposable face masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), to its offering, creating a $5 million investment and 80-120 jobs in Cullman, Ala., an area struggling to hire. Investments include 5 kg and 10 kg payload Universal Robots to help with end-of-line case packing and palletizing, on the way to making 350-million masks per year.

The webcast has four more examples of how collaborative robots helping manufacturers increase productivity and decrease risk. ce

Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

UNWANTED INVENTORY TAKING UP VALUABLE SPACE?

Sell us your unwanted industrial automation product.

Radwell.com - 800.884.5500 - sellto@radwell.com input #10 at www.controleng.com/information

INSIGHTS

See more COVID-19 coverage: www.controleng.com/manufacturer-health-wellness

NEWS

Face mask traps, heats, filters virus A team of researchers from MIT is working on creating a mask that inactivates viruses using heat. The researchers aim to build masks that incorporate a heated copper mesh. As the person wearing the mask breathes in and out, air flows repeatedly across the mesh, and any viral particles in the air are slowed and inactivated by the mesh and high temperatures. Such a mask could be useful for health care professionals, the researchers say, as well as members of the public in situations where social distancing would be difficult to achieve, such as a crowded bus. The researchers have begun building prototypes and hope to begin testing them soon.

“This is a completely new mask concept in that it doesn’t primarily block the virus. It actually lets the virus go through the mask, but slows and inactivates it,” said Michael Strano, professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

Inactivating viruses

The team set out to design a mask that would kill viruses using heat. They decided to use copper mesh as the heating and capture element, and performed some mathematical modeling to determine the optimal temperature range they

would need to achieve to kill coronaviruses flowing inward or outward from natural breathing.

“The vast majority of masks today function by filtration, filtering particles by size or electric charge,” said Samuel Faucher, a graduate student. “This mask relies on a different mechanism and works predominantly by thermal inactivation.”

Researchers calculated how rapidly coronaviruses degrade at different temperatures and trapping conditions: a temperature of about 90 °C could achieve between a thousandfold and millionfold reduction in viral particles, depending on mask size. That temperature can be achieved by running an electrical current across a 0.1-millimeter thick copper mesh or thermoelectric heater. Prototypes have a 9-volt battery, enough to heat the mask for a few hours and to cool the air before it is inhaled.

The researchers were able to enhance the efficiency of virus deactivation by taking advantage of the breath to create a type of reactor known as a reverse-flow reactor.

As the person wearing the mask breathes in and out, the air flow continually reverses, allowing any viruses in the mask to pass over the mesh many times and making it more likely that they will be deactivated.

Robot sales rise due to increased automation, COVID-19 pandemic

S

ales value of professional service robots increased by 32% to 11.2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide (2018-2019) according to a report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The COVID-19 pandemic will further boost the market. Market value of logistics robots sold or leased was up 110% to $1.9 billion. Most logistics turnover was generated with robots for indoor use. Autonomous mobile robots have initially been used in warehouses but with digitalization of production, they are in smart factories. Strong turnover growth of 40% or more per year seems possible. IFR President Milton Guerry said, “Assuming 24 hour operation, the investment in service robots for logistics may be repaid within 2‐3 years and often quicker. Given a 15 year lifetime, operating costs are around 5% of the annual investment. Highly developed systems often provide operational availability in the 98% plus range.” Trending robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business models lower the hurdle for customers to automate with robots. The benefit is not to invest in hardware, so the companies have no fixed capital, no fixed costs and no need for robot operators.

- Edited from an IFR press release by CFE Media.

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Purified air flows out of vents on both sides of the mask. Copper mesh is covered by neoprene material to prevent the outside of the mask from becoming too hot.

“Achieving the temperature for virus inactivation while thermally insulating the person’s face and ensuring acceptably cool air inhalation made for an interesting heat transfer challenge, which we resolved with neoprene insulation and regenerative heating,” Buongiorno said.

N95 respirators, surgical masks, and cloth masks are effective and should be used during the pandemic as directed, Strano said. A potential advantage of heated masks is that because they kill the virus, they don’t need to be decontaminated or thrown away after use. A patent on the design is filed. ce Anne Trafton, MIT News Office. Edited

by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

Headlines online Top 5 Control Engineering articles Oct. 19-25, 2020 Articles about heated face masks designed to inactivate coronaviruses, evaluating IoT wireless protocols, cybersecurity, human and artificial intelligence.

Developing a great sequence of operations: Additional answers Applications, repairs and risk reduction, failure modes, retrofits, documentation and project scope are among additional information provided for developing a critical power sequence of operation.

Using SCADA software as a tool for Industry 4.0 integration The role of SCADA software in smart factories and hardware-independent software is essential for making the transition to Industry 4.0.

Slotless versus slotted brushless DC motors Brushless DC motors are the technology of choice for applications operating at higher speeds. However, two different motor architectures can present a selection conundrum. www.controleng.com

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A world with a pandemic can benefit from cybersecurity, remote connections, digital twins and additional training.

Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager 630-571-4070, x2227, MHoske@CFEMedia.com Jack Smith, Content Manager 630-571-4070, x2230, JSmith@CFEMedia.com

uring pandemic 2020, the profession of control engineering has included more remote work achieved with greater cybersecurity, more simulation applications, digital twins and digitalization, training and challenging perceptions based on old data. This monthly page aims to challenge those interested in control engineering to think again. We all should consider how science and engineering matter.

efficiency opportunity that would traditionally be missed.

Kevin Parker, Senior Contributing Editor, IIoT, OGE 630-571-4070, x2228, KParker@CFEMedia.com

Digitalization, digital twins

Amanda Pelliccione, Director of Research 978-302-3463, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

D

Those offering and using automation in machine tools increasingly face similar challenges and both can benefit through greater digitalization and use of digital twins. These were among the messages at Siemens Machine Tool Days 2020. The first session, for machine tool users AND machine tool Cybersecurity, access builders, acknowledged digitaWhen the pandemic hit, lization benefits apply to both most existing projects conaudiences. Traditional automatinue and most new projects tion industry thinking can divide had some delay, but things are machine builders from machine ramping up in 2021, especially users. A common explanation in the area of automation secuamong technology sellers is you rity, with policies, procedures don’t need to know how the Mark T. Hoske, and solutions as it related to Content Manager watch works to tell time. A comautomation hardware, software mon frustration among techand networking, according to nology users: Vendors create Anil Gosine, global program manager at unnecessary barriers inside “black-box” MG Strategy+, an automation consultant offerings to lock users into their technoloand CFE Media and Technology content gies (by making things non-interoperable). partner. Additional cybersecurity allows It’s more complex than that. Other new levels of remote access by vendors, influences on the way to higher productivsupport and services, he suggested. ity, remote diagnostics, more digitalization and digital twin benefits include intellecAutomation, analytics tual property protection, differentiation More automation, fewer people doing among competitors and a large legacy base. mundane work, greater use of data Traditional customers are often unwilling analytics are among the rising trends, to adapt/change—those are the ones with according to Matt Ruth, president of often-permanent signs out front saying: Avanceon, a system integrator. Ruth, “CNC programmer/operator wanted.” In who previously discussed 10 ways man- the age of Industry 4.0 and Industrial Interufacturers can advance COVID-19 com- net of Things (IIoT), more success is likely petitive preparedness, said as complexity, when technology vendors adopt their cusmarket pressures and interdependencies tomers’ needs as their own. in automation increase, there’s a need to analyze data to unlock the operational Online training The pandemic has created more need for online education, said Frank Lamb, Automation Primer and Control Engineering editorial board member. Lamb’s in-person programmable logic controlOctober’s call to action included: ler (PLC) programming classes have - Picture engineering inspiration switched to web-based training.

- Write 2021 articles Think again about what you know - Review the finalists, vote for the best and rethink how you’re using new inforEngineers’ Choice products through mation ce.

December.

M More INSIGHTS

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Emily Guenther, Director of Interactive Media 630-571-4070, x2229, eguenther@CFEMedia.com

Chris Vavra, Associate Editor CVavra@CFEMedia.com

Contributing Content Specialists Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia ekaterina.kosareva@fsmedia.ru Agata Abramczyk, Control Engineering Poland agata.abramczyk@trademedia.pl Lukáš Smelík, Control Engineering Czech Republic lukas.smelik@trademedia.cz Aileen Jin, Control Engineering China aileenjin@cechina.cn

Editorial Advisory Board

www.controleng.com/EAB Doug Bell, president, InterConnecting Automation, www.interconnectingautomation.com David Bishop, president and a founder Matrix Technologies, www.matrixti.com Daniel E. Capano, senior project manager, Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects, www.gannettfleming.com Frank Lamb, founder and owner Automation Consulting LLC, www.automationllc.com Joe Martin, president and founder Martin Control Systems, www.martincsi.com Rick Pierro, president and co-founder Superior Controls, www.superiorcontrols.com Mark Voigtmann, partner, automation practice lead Faegre Baker Daniels, www.FaegreBD.com

CFE Media and Technology Contributor Guidelines Overview Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media stands for, and what CFE Media is all about – engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome content submissions for all interested parties in engineering. We will use those materials online, on our website, in print and in newsletters to keep engineers informed about the products, solutions and industry trends. www.controleng.com/contribute explains how to submit press releases, products, images and graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white papers, and other media. * Content should focus on helping engineers solve problems. Articles that are commercial or are critical of other products or organizations will be rejected.

(Technology discussions and comparative tables may be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor corroborates information with sources cited.) * If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines, expect to see it first on our Websites. Content for our e-newsletters comes from content already available on our Websites. All content for print also will be online.

All content that appears in our print magazines will appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print if more content from that article is available online. * Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print magazines are at least two months in advance of the publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature articles with the appropriate content manager prior to submission.

Learn more at: www.controleng.com/contribute

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ANSWERS

COVER: CLOUD APPLICATIONS Jim Meyers, Inductive Automation

SCADA, HMI, MES projects produce results, recognition System integration case studies from several industries show lower costs and greater efficiency in projects using supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), human-machine interface (HMI) and manufacturing execution systems (MES). These won awards and can add functionality with cloud connections.

S

upervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), human-machine interface (HMI) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) projects that brought significant improvements for organizations were highlighted with Inductive Automation’s 2020 Firebrand Awards. Six winning projects in a variety of industries used Inductive Automation’s Ignition industrial application platform. The projects included large organizations such as Toronto Pearson International Airport, AriZona Beverages, and Waste Management. Most projects were implemented by system integrators. Following is a brief overview of each SCADA, HMI and/or MES project.

Three ways to add cloud functionality SOFTWARE CAN reside in a cloud server, locally, or in combination. Some local software can add functionality with a cloud connection. Three examples follow about how automation software can interact with cloud capabilities.

1. Cloud-based servers: Placing an Ignition Server from Inductive Automation in the cloud requires little extra effort and can provide a more flexible setup than a standard server.

Cloud providers can be Amazon EC2, Windows Azure, or Rackspace for a hosted Ignition Server.

2. Tags for SCADA software: Cloud services, such as those provided by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, can leverage SCADA software tag data, securely, to enhance operations.

3. Information sharing: A free online repository of cloud templates, hosted by Inductive Automation, provides a location to share automation software templates publicly or privately. Using templates from others can help advance a project more quickly.

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Brock Solutions/Toronto Pearson International Airport SCADA

Brock replaced seven SCADA systems with one for the airport’s baggage handling system. Toronto Pearson is Canada’s busiest airport and served more than 50 million passengers in 2019. Its ambitious Baggage 2025 program aims for improvements throughout the process. It will have an early baggage storage system that’s the first of its kind in North America.

With the SCADA software’s unlimited licensing model, the system has more than 280,000 tags. It’s connected to 128 programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which is done with seven redundant gateways. Each part of the system was brought online in parallel with existing ones, so it could be tested thoroughly without affecting operations. The system also provides more efficiency and greater datasharing with partners.

“The airport is reimagining its baggage handling systems,” said Mark Holbrook, SmartSuite business manager for Brock Solutions. “The new system is much better, because it has one look and feel and is the perfect platform for future expansion.”

Jose Salamo, associate director of baggage system capacity and infrastructure at Greater Toronto Airports Authority, agreed. “We’re finally here, working in one large control room with the suite of software applications,” he said. “It’s been a massive step forward in efficiency for baggage services here.”

Vertech/AriZona Beverages SCADA/MES

Vertech provided a SCADA/MES system in a large greenfield plant for AriZona. The plant has six production lines and will produce more than 60 million cases of beverages per year. Six distinct SCADA and/or MES projects were created, including ISA-88 batch control, screens for mobile phones, and dashboards. AriZona has complete visibility of its business and production processes, www.controleng.com

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ANSWERS

COVER: CLOUD APPLICATIONS

COVER image: AriZona Beverages’ new plant will produce more than 60 million cases per year, integrating data from five automation stack layers, using Inductive Automation Ignition Software. Images courtesy: Inductive Automation

including overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), downtime tracking, detailed production scheduling, and SAP (ERP)/MES interfacing for process orders, batch recipe management, and finished goods reporting.

“This solution grabs information across all five layers of the automation stack,” said Paul Warning, solutions architect at Vertech. “It helps us create a data-centric process, and the data is just as valuable as the products themselves. The data Batch information will help AriZona increase efficiencies and idenis just one of the tify areas to improve.” many items conReal-time data also helps with just-in-time nected to AriZona’s (JIT) batching. “It’s very important for us to be ERP system. Six able to integrate MES with SAP,” said Alex Hunt, distinct SCADA quality manager for AriZona. “It ensures that all and/or MES projthe material that gets purchased and used to make ects were created, a batch is accounted for in SAP. And from a qualincluding ISA-88 ity point of view, for traceability, we know what batch control, ingredients went into every batch.” screens for mobile phones, and dashWaste Management (WM) SCADA boards using InducWM is North America’s leading provider of tive Automation integrated environmental solutions, with 260 Ignition software. active landfills and more than 20 million custom-

ers. WM’s goal was to leverage a SCADA system to improve daily operations, better serve the communities it operates in, take care of the environment and improve the quality of life for landfill employees. WM achieved these goals at its landfill in West Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — and is rolling the SCADA solution out to its other landfills.

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Attractive screens are accessed via desktop computers, laptops, tablets and phones. Dashboards and maps aid the understanding of data, and weather information is integrated into the solution. Automated reporting also speeds things up for WM, and compliance data is shown in near-real time.

“This platform is allowing our operations team to better manage the environmental protection equipment on the site,” said Dennis Siegel, senior automation manager at WM. “It’s also allowing our team to adjust to changing conditions on the ground in real time. It’s allowing us to use data science and data analytics to re-shape the way we think about our landfills.”

Flexware Innovation/ Veoneer SCADA/MES

Flexware implemented a SCADA/MES system at a production facility for Veoneer, a leading global supplier to the automotive industry. Veoneer makes advanced safety systems for vehicles. The SCADA/ MES system provides much more data for Veoneer, and handles product traceability, inventory management, production-run management, and more.

Flexware built a completely configurable solution that Veoneer can administer entirely from the client without backend modifications. It gives Veoneer the ability to quickly make changes itself — something it didn’t have before.

Veoneer has seen measurable improvement on production, downtime, traceability, and more. Costs have decreased thanks to a better understanding of www.controleng.com

input #14 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

COVER: CLOUD APPLICATIONS

Veoneer’s new SCADA/MES system allows the company to quickly make changes to the system. Costs have decreased thanks to a better understanding of what’s happening on production lines with Inductive Automation Ignition software.

Veoneer has seen improvements in production, downtime, traceability, data analysis, and other metrics, by using Inductive Automation Ignition software.

what’s happening on production lines. Improvements have been made in analyses of data, failure, quality, and other metrics.

“The new system is a lot more fluid; it’s very flexible,” said Jason Eckenrode, industrial engineer for Veoneer. “It’s a lot more complex. The old system did a few things, and it did them well. This new system does a lot of things, and it does them well. It just does a really good job of doing a lot of new things that we didn’t have access to before.”

M More ANSWERS

KEYWORDS: Supervisory

control and data acquisition, human-machine interface, manufacturing execution systems Observe integration of multiple manufacturing or plant systems in an easy to adapt automation platform.

Learn how diverse industries can use an automation platform for SCADA, HMI and MES Count metrics available when multiple systems are integrated.

CONSIDER THIS Is your automation piecemeal and not integrated? What benefits are you missing?

ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more details and images. www.controleng.com/magazine

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The Integration Group of Americas (TIGA)/WaterBridge SCADA

TIGA created a SCADA system for WaterBridge, a water-management company serving the oil & gas industry.

TIGA’s solution included greater mobility, edge computing, and MQTT for 65 saltwater disposal facilities. “We’ve seen a significant reduction in our operational costs using this software platform,” said Charles Lame, technical field services director for WaterBridge. “We believe we’re saving about $500,000 a year. We also believe our improvements in reliability and runtime will give us even more savings.”

The system improves WaterBridge’s operations, mitigates risk and reduces the need for travel to remote sites.

WaterBridge had previously subscribed to a third-party SCADA system. The sys-

control engineering

tem has been a big improvement. Real-time data has helped with leak detection, and also with the ability to manage the system as a whole. Maps, alarm data, and other information are easily accessible on mobile phones.

Controtek Solutions/Manila Water Company SCADA

Controtek connected 93 sites to a central SCADA system for Manila Water in the Philippines. The company provides water and wastewater services for more than six million people. The system provides remote data gathering, operations monitoring, and enterprise integration. The solution makes extensive use of maps and data-rich dashboards.

There had been no centralized monitoring of plant status and performance before the installation.

Manual calculations also were needed for operations analysis and reporting. Manila Water had difficulty coordinating the manual acquisition of information from different plants. With the system, Manila Water has web-based access to data via desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. It also has better, automated alarm monitoring and reporting.

“With the maps, viewers are able to see a summary of what’s happening at all sites just by looking at one screen,” said Albert Bartolome, lead software engineer at Controtek. “An overview screen provides general information for all the stations. By clicking on the map pin, a popup window opens and displays more information about that station. And with the software’s templates, we’re able to make our lives easier, and our development faster.” ce

Jim Meyers is communications manager at Inductive Automation; Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

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ANSWERS

CLOUD, SYSTEM INTEGRATORS, II O T Maryam Afshar and Brian Gallogly, Quantum Automation

Help for IIoT applications End users may find IIoT devices and connectivity technology to be intimidating.

A system integrator can minimize risks and costs with proven methods.

B

Figure 1: This cloud-based IIoT platform works in conjunction with several commercial off-the-shelf technologies to deliver proven connectivity solutions. Images courtesy: Quantum Automation

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y now, many commercial and industrial end users are well aware of Internet of Things (IoT) concepts, at least in general terms. They know smart devices and sensors can communicate with each other, the internet, and mobile devices. Many are interested in taking advantage of the easy and inexpensive data access promised by the IoT, but they don’t know where to start. Or, even if they have some good ideas, they are reluctant to dedicate personnel to the task with other pressing business priorities.

Many good reasons causer trepidation. For example, common consumer-grade IoT gadgets may be fine for home entertainment systems, but most lack the robustness needed for business-grade users. Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices are available and offer improved reliability when they’re properly selected and implemented.

IIoT networking, software, services

IIoT projects encompass a range of field-located hardware devices, networking, software, communication protocols, cloud services, user devices and more. Just because any one device or software application claims to be IIoT-capable or -ready does not mean it will be plug-and-play.

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Some automation hardware, software and service providers have embraced the uncertainty, researched the options, and developed proven means and methods for delivering robust IIoT solutions to end users. Multi-discipline knowledge of industrial automation hardware, electrical design, networking, software programming, and cloud systems are applied to create useful and reliable ways of deploying IIoT applications. End users can engage an IIoT solutions provider – either directly or via a system integrator (SI) – to create an economical and effective IIoT installation, sometimes by filling out a spreadsheet.

Why IIoT? Remote data access

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) machine builders and manufacturing/processing companies already have a lot to do when designing and operating equipment and systems to operate productively.

Best performance is achieved when the machines and equipment can be monitored, optimized, and diagnosed. Even more efficiency is gained when users can remotely adjust operational system parameters. All these tasks require remote access to the system data.

However, machines may be widely deployed throughout a facility, and at multiple locations worldwide. Operational processes may rely on many remote systems, such as pumping stations, renewable power generation sites, or tank farms.

Getting data from distributed or remote sites has often proved problematic. Establishing remote connections has been possible, but has required expensive engineering and installation efforts, including radio or networking infrastructure. Cellular communications improved things somewhat, but it could become expensive depending on the data quantity. While connectivity in place problems could be detected, it was often necessary for employees to travel to site to perform additional diagnostics. This introduced delays, costs, and risks.

IIoT implementations use hardware devices, software applications, and networking options to overcome these challenges by making it easy and cost-effective to achieve remote connectivity, data monitoring, and adjustment, but only if the end user can specify, design, integrate, install, and maintain the right combination of technologies.

Some good news for potential IIoT adopters is www.controleng.com

input #16 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

CLOUD, SYSTEM INTEGRATORS, II O T • Edge computing: A device to gather and preprocess the data • Communications: To transmit the data via a wired or wireless local network, internet connection, or cellular connection • Cloud computing: To aggregate, log, and support visualization of the data • Built-in and custom modules: For measuring, calculating, and analyzing data to provide insights necessary for informed user decisions • Mobile/web accessibility: For users to view the resulting dashboards, access data, and make adjustments.

much of the technology has progressed to a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) level. Many sensors and field devices have sufficient built-in computing power. Wireless networking and cellular options are fast and reliable. Internet connectivity is ubiquitous, and there are many cloud computing choices.

Everyone has a smart mobile device.

The bad news is that many OEMs and end users are staffed to build and operate products and processes, but most don’t have a specialist – let alone multiple specialists – experienced with IIoT technologies such as digital component selection, software configuration, local area networking, internet/mobile networking, and more. Even if they did have this staff, such a team might spend a good amount of time experimenting to develop a solution.

Many end users find that engaging an experienced multi-disciplined solutions provider is the best way to cost-effectively implement an IIoT solution and avoid ugly KEYWORDS: IIoT, Industrial Internet challenges.

Figure 2: A cloud-hosted application like the QuantumCloudServer (QCS) IIoT connects with data sources, often using MQTT, and serves dashboards on browsers and mobile devices to optimize operations.

M More ANSWERS

of Things, message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has reached the point where it is easy to find commercially-available solutions for plant-floor operations.

They’re not always easy to implement, though, and a system integrator can help with the process.

Technology has improved to where remote monitoring solutions can be developed in hours rather than weeks.

ONLINE See additional stories about system integration at www.controleng.com. www.controleng.com/ Global-SI-Database

CONSIDER THIS What are your biggest challenges and concerns for implementing IIoT in a facility?

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Building an IIoT Solution

Because end users operate in a variety of industries using a wide range of platforms, there are countless technical variations possible.

Any IIoT solutions provider must be in a position to survey the landscape of technologies and use cases to determine the best approaches.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), municipalities, manufacturing/processing plants and SIs can benefit from an IIoT solution that includes remote monitoring and the following Figure 1 elements: • Application data sources: Typically instruments or smart systems in the field

control engineering

Crafting an IIoT solution begins at the industrial “edge” where the data is sourced in the field.

Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all answer, there are a few edge computing options to provide sufficient configuration or programming capability for gathering and pre-processing data: • Programmable logic controllers (PLCs): Primarily used for automation • Human-machine interfaces (HMIs): Primarily used for visualization • Edge gateways: Primarily used for data handling and computing.

The next step is enabling data transmission to higher-level systems. The edge computing hardware must have an internet connection or mobile cellular data connection. Also, due to the remote nature of these connections, any communication method must accommodate outages, while minimizing bandwidth usage to reduce costs.

Communication protocols such as OPC Unified Architecture (UA) and HTTP are possible, but for this service the message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol is ideal. MQTT is a publish/ subscribe (pub/sub) protocol, where edge-sourced data is only published to a server when it is changed or on a defined interval. Any clients can subscribe to the server to get the latest data when it becomes available. Also, MQTT communications are initiated at the edge using outbound messages, which generally means IT does not need to get involved with firewall configuration. Depending on the PLC or HMI’s make and model, the device might include native, but limited, MQTT pub/sub capability. An edge gateway also can provide this link with more features.

The MQTT broker can be hosted on an onpremises server, but the more common and flexible method is locating it on a cloud-hosted server, such as those offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

With these COTS elements in place, the next step requires developing software which processes the incoming MQTT data and delivers visualization www.controleng.com

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ANSWERS

CLOUD, SYSTEM INTEGRATORS, II O T dashboards to end user browsers and mobile devices. It should offer enough computing capability so users can analyze the data to create key performance indicators (KPIs) and other calculations supporting improved operations using preventive and predictive methods. The IIoT application needs to be flexible to satisfy client applications, easy for an end user to use and maintain.

The best option for addressing these requirements is for a solutions provider to create a configurable cloud-hosted platform and offer it as software as a service (SaaS). End users may choose to access and configure the software themselves, but most will probably retain an SI’s services. for this work (Figure 2).

Another crucial aspect of any network or cloud solution is cybersecurity. SIs often will enhance the built-in features of the selected components and services to provide the following protection methods: Figure 3: StandardField device cybersecurity protection ized field hardware • Each field device is identified with a unique ID designs can accomand password and connects using a WebSocket modate or incorover SSL (WSS) tunnel porate smart field • One-way encryption using SSL/TLS certificadevices like PLCs tion and encryption is the default, with two-way and include the necx.509 certification available. essary edge processing and wireInfrastructure cybersecurity protection less connectivity.

• All servers and brokers are hosted on USA-

based AWS Cloud or AWS GovCloud, with dedicated server and portal deployment available • Server infrastructure is based on horizontal scalable/repairable microservice clusters to provide uninterruptible service • Application is designed and maintained by a NIST and GovCloud certified and registered development team • Internal audits are performed regularly • Infrastructure updates and patches are applied as needed • Platform can be audited by any third party • Activities are monitored 24/7 to look for breaches or attacks, and disaster recovery and security recovery procedures and policies are in place to guide action as necessary.

Front-end cybersecurity protection • Data transactions between servers and user interfaces are secured by SSL/TLS encryption, with all certifications and encryption keys renewed/replaced every 60 days (most websites do this only every 360 days)

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• User sessions are secured with complex passwords, and all logins and activities are traced in compliance with NIST protocols • A granular access control list (ACL) ensures each user can access exactly as many or as few resources as specified.

Anyone evaluating an IIoT solution should ensure the preceding cybersecurity elements and best practices are in place.

Pulling it all together

Although this is based on many elements, it can be tailored to any given end user application. This is where many end users may want to partner with an experienced SI to achieve the desired results.

To help streamline the process, a system integrator can provide a spreadsheet or other application where the end user can list the input/output points of interest and some supporting information. With this in hand, the SI can suggest one or more edge computing hardware configurations.

Once the concept is approved, the integrator can design remote panels, specify edge computing and networking elements, configure and program the edge hardware, network the information to a cloud-based MQTT server, deploy and configure the cloud application, and establish user accounts and dashboards.Once the field hardware is installed, the system integrator can have a working IIoT remote monitoring solution up and running in hours.

IIoT in action

One machine shop operates nearly 100 punch presses and computer numerical control (CNC) machines, each capable of supplying important data, which can be logged and analyzed to provide performance and preventive maintenance information. To monitor and collect this data, the SI designed and installed a remote terminal unit (RTU) panel at each machine. Each RTU used a PLC to monitor hardwired or serial data, transmitting it to another PLC acting as a supervisory data concentrator (Figure 3).

This supervisory PLC, in turn, was integrated with the cloud-based IIoT solution for logging data to a database, serving up dashboards with real time data, making data downloads available, and executing analytics rules to provide preventive maintenance reports. Using this available information, the end user was able to increase machine availability, saving time and money. ce

Maryam Afshar is a product manager and Brian Gallogly is president at Quantum Automation. Edited

by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

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input #18 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

MOTORS & DRIVES Siemens Industry Inc.

Drive train with AI, machine learning delivered to refinery A drive train with artificial intelligence and machine learning helps Deer Park Refinery located in Houston, one of the nation’s largest refineries.

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drive train with artificial intelligence and machine learning is helping at the Deer Park Refinery located in Houston, Texas, which is co-owned by Shell Oil and PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned oil company. The drive train, consisting of a 15,250 hp motor and a water-cooled, medium-voltage drive, incorporates analytical hardware and software.

Deer Park Refinery is one of the nation’s largest refineries with a 2,300-acre facility and the ability to process 340,000 barrels of oil per day. Shell Oil estimates 20% of its total production costs are from maintenance of motor driven rotating equipment.

The refinery needed a solution that would ensure maximum reliability and availability and limit costly disruptions in production. “The solution was not the lowest cost one, but disruptions caused by failure can cost far more, as in millions,“ said Brad Shepherd, Siemens account manager for Shell in a press release.

Additional analytics integration in medium-voltage drives provide new performance and health monitoring of motors and the assets without installing sensors on rotating assets. The add-on technology gathers electrical waveform readings from the equipment and then builds a dataset that represents how the motor and its load (compressor, pump, fan, KEYWORDS: motors and drives, etc.) should perform. Machine-learning processing of the data happens in the AI and ML cloud and any anomalies or changes in A drive train, which includes artificial intelligence and machine the equipment’s behavior issues an early learning, was delivered to a warning of any developing problems.

Houston-based refinery.

These notifications allow operators to A remote monitoring system plan and schedule maintenance on failing fitted to the pump’s electrical equipment before the failure occurs. supply correctly identified a “The future of variable speed drives mechanical problem. are to not only power the world’s motors ONLINE but to continuously monitor industrial See additional case studies at equipment performance and health, colwww.controleng.com. lect data and provide useful information CONSIDER THIS to manufacturers to reduce costs,“ said What benefits could other Scott Conner, general manager, Siemens industrial applications get from Medium Voltage Drives. medium-voltage drive train A bench trial of the technology was caranalytical technology?

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Shell Oil and PEMEX PROJECT SUMMARY: - Siemens Large Drive Applications delivered a drive train with a 15,250 hp Simotics motor and a Sinamics Perfect Harmony GH180 water cooled, medium-voltage drive, the first to incorporate Veros Foresight hardware and software from Veros Systems (Austin, Texas) with Sidrive IQ drive-train analytics.

- Veros technology gathers electrical waveform readings from the equipment and builds a dataset that represents how the motor and load should perform.

- Bench trial of the Veros remote monitoring system fitted to the pump’s electrical supply soon alarmed excess sand without precalibration.

- Siemens and Veros engineered a drive-train to maximize reliability and availability and limit costly disruptions in refinery production.

ried out at Texas A&M University. The trial involved running a pump on a test bed and then introducing sand into the fluid flow – actually quite large amounts of sand, enough to induce erosion issues and affect the integrity of the pump very rapidly.

A remote monitoring system fitted to the pump’s electrical supply soon detected sand without precalibration and issued a warning alarm of a mechanical problem, as opposed to an electrical one, with a confidence level of 80%. Over a few days, the system updated the warning and indicated the problem was becoming more critical; and the level of confidence in the warning also rose to 90%. In stark contrast, a competitive system from a leading electrical-engineering company also based on electrical signal analysis failed to detect any changes in the condition of the pump or its operation as the sand was introduced. ce Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

input #19 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS

DRIVE SELECTION

Joshua Jagnanan, Toshiba International Corp.

How to match motors, drives

Size a variable-speed drive (VSD) for the application, and ask if a general-purpose drive will do or if more embedded intelligence is needed.

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ize the drive appropriately for an application. Ask if a general-purpose drive will suffice, or if a drive with more embedded intelligence would fit the application?

Set-up and troubleshooting advances will help too. When specifying an adjustable speed drive (ASD) – also known as a variable-frequency drive (VFD), variable-speed drive (VSD), and/or inverter – first look at the application of the motor with which the ASD is to be used. Constant torque applications, such as conveyors, lifting equipment, compressors, or crushers, among others, usually specify a severe-duty or heavy-duty drive. In variable torque applications, which include centrifugal fans and pumps, a normal duty drive will suffice.

Severe duty drives often have a current overload rating of 150% for two minutes KEYWORDS: Motor-drive and can run continuously at 115% curmatching, ASD, VFD, VSD rent. Drives with a heavy-duty rating have Size drives for the motor. a current overload of 150% for one minute Users must confirm the motor and can run at 100% current continuousfull load amps rating and ensure ly. Normal duty drives are robust enough it is less than or equal to the for fans and pumps, with a current overdrive’s full load amps rating. load rating of 120% for one minute, and Consider the drive and motor application. they can run at 100% current continuously.

After matching a drive’s duty with CONSIDER THIS its motor application, one must always Who needs a tutorial on motorconfirm the motor full load amps ratdrive sizing, matching and selection? ing and ensure it is less than or equal to the drive’s full load amps rating. Drives ONLINE are current-rated devices and should be www.controleng.com/ sized by the full load amperage and voltvirtual-training-week

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Figure: Constant torque applications include conveyors, compressors and hoists. Variable torque applications include pumps and fans.

Courtesy: Toshiba International Corp.

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age rating, not by horsepower. It is recommended to not use the motor’s service factor when sizing the drive full load amps with the motor nameplate.

In today’s market, general-purpose drives will include both a heavy and normal duty rating in a single-drive unit. For example, a single drive will be rated 20 hp, heavy duty, with 150% overload, and also rated 25 hp, normal duty, with 120% overload. Therefore, it will contain two full load amp ratings. An example would be a 460-V drive with a nameplate reading “20HP HD/25HP ND” and “31.7A HD/39.2A ND.” Drive programming allows users to specify whether the drive is in normal or heavy-duty mode, choosing its amp and overload rating.

ASD, industrial networks

As the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control systems have become more advanced, ASDs have followed. These same general-purpose drives will often include built-in communication protocols, such as EtherNet/IP (from ODVA), Modbus TCP, and/or Modbus RTU from Modbus Organization Inc., as more specifications require them. Most drive manufacturers also offer add-on option cards for many additional communication protocols like Profibus from PI North America or DeviceNet (ODVA).

Drives with EtherNet/IP capabilities also will offer embedded web servers and will be able use ASD software on a laptop or tablet. This allows for simpler commissioning and real-time data monitoring.

Once a drive is chosen and ready to be installed, the best practice is to prepare before commissioning by knowing how the drive will be controlled beforehand. This saves a lot of programming time. Most drives require a method of starting and stopping.

Common methods include starting and stopping via the keypad, the terminal strip with digital inputs, or communication networks, like EtherNet/IP. In addition, they require a speed control method, also usually set via the keypad, terminal strip with analog or digital inputs, or communications such as Modbus TCP. Matching the drive with the motor’s application and knowing the control methods will lead to a more efficiently run drive-motor system. ce

Joshua Jagnanan is senior application engineer, low voltage adjustable speed drives, with the motors and drives division of Toshiba International Corp. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

ANSWERS

OT AUTOMATION: CYBERSECURITY Amir Sobol and Yaron Pass, L&T Technology Services

Six ways to improve cybersecurity: Barriers vs. resiliency Overcome three OT/IT cybersecurity barriers and move towards cyber-resiliency in three cybersecurity steps.

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ot long ago, operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) were demarcated as separate functional areas. Digital transformation initiatives, however, are fast blurring the lines between them. As an increasing number of businesses deploy IIoT devices such as sensors, smart energy management systems and remote temperature monitors to optimize productivity and improve efficiency, the cybersecurity risks facing the OT environment continues to grow.

Cybersecurity threats increase to OT networks

Over the last decade, malware encryptions such as NotPetya, Stuxnet, Aurora, and Havex have exposed the vulnerabilities of organizations to cyber threats stemming from breaches in OT networks.

The bad news is the threats are still prevalent.

According to a survey conducted by Ponemon Institute and Tenable, 90% of IT security decisionmakers admitted their organizations suffered at least

one cyber-attack in the past two years. Another 66% were hit at least two times within the same period.

Cybersecurity stance in the OT applications

While IT cybersecurity has historically been concerned about data integrity, availability and confidentiality, things are slightly different in OT environments. Here, the priorities often revolve around reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS) of mission-critical systems such as industrial control systems (ICS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and distributed control systems (DCS). OT systems clearly represent distinctive cybersecurity challenges that are beyond the scope of traditional cybersecurity measures.

The impact of threats associated with OT failure or malfunction needs no elaboration.

It is for this reason that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are striving to improve OT safety, reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness/ efficiency (OEE) by leveraging enterprise IT and Three measures for a cybersecurity plan and three barriers for cybersecurity implementation are shown. Courtesy: L&T Technology Services (LTTS)

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ANSWERS

OT AUTOMATION: CYBERSECURITY the internet. While this convergence has the potential to help organizations build a resilient stance against cyber threats, it also presents a series of risks if not managed properly.

Overcoming three OT/IT cybersecurity barriers

As business leaders focus more on integrating OT and IT infrastructures, there are three main cybersecurity barriers they must consider:

1. Continuity of operations running on legacy technologies

2. Different security stance of IT and OT teams

3. Lack of security expertise in the OT environment.

Besides this, the distribution of responsibility and the lack of skill and tools also are something organizations need to take into account. According to an online survey conducted by security firm NTT Security, the skills gap is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses trying to mitigate OT security threats. What’s even worse is the majority of IT decision-makers are confused about whom is responsible for being at the helm of OT security.

Towards cyber-resiliency: Three cybersecurity steps

Plugging in security loopholes and improving an organization’s overall stance towards OT cybersecurity requires the implementation of a joint IT/OT cybersecurity strategy. While it’s difficult to KEYWORDS: Industrial achieve this right away because of cybersecurity, IT/OT convergence the boundaries between IT and OT, Cybersecurity threats are increasing. it is essential for enterprises to figOvercome IT/OT barriers to ure out a combat plan while bringaugment cybersecurity. ing the right technologies in place.

Identify vulnerabilities set roles, Since IT/OT convergence is not an redefine processes. industry-specific phenomenon, the CONSIDER THIS cybersecurity strategy will vary from Have you moved past legacy industry to industry. Every organisystems as a way to lower zation, however, must take certain cybersecurity risk? measures to lay the foundation for a ONLINE larger and more specific cybersecuriIf reading from the digital edition, ty plan. They are:

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click on the headline for more resources. www.controleng.com/magazine See also, Four tips on cybersecurity risk assessments. www.controleng.com/ networking-and-security/ cybersecurity/

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1. Identifying threats and vul-

nerabilities: The effectiveness of a cybersecurity plan rests on how exhaustively IT/OT risks been identified. Since these two independent environments have different technol-

control engineering

ogy stacks, separate vulnerability analyses for IT and OT will never yield the correct picture. Organizations need to facilitate seamless knowledge-sharing between the two groups for a better understanding of each other’s domains. In this regard, cross-training IT and OT teams on each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities is essential to pinpoint the scope of threat in the converged environment.

2. Setting clear roles and responsibilities: IT and OT staff members have traditionally had different roles. As the two landscapes merge, the confusion and uncertainties surrounding each members’ responsibilities in the new environments can culminate into a threat in itself. Defining the roles and responsibilities of the staff members at the nascent stage of IT/OT convergence is crucial for a smooth transition as well as setting a solid foundation for the cybersecurity strategy. IT/OT security must be recognized as a single practice and led by someone who understands IT and OT equally well.

3. Redefining the processes: The reasons mentioned in the previous point also necessitate redefining of the processes. In the converged landscape, since IT will be leveraged to make optimum use of OT, the data supplied by the latter can be a boon or a bane depending upon the processes in place.

Without the right or clearly defined processes, the risk of data theft will loom continuously. However, the same data can help pave the way for improving the overall IT/OT cybersecurity strategy.

Real-time data analytics and the subsequent ability of informed decision making is an IT-enabled advantage organizations will no longer ignore with respect to their OT environment. IT/OT convergence will increase as organizations across industries realize the potential and scope of IT-enabled OT optimization. The security challenges that will occur as a result of this can only be mitigated if IT and OT teams work collaboratively and complementarily.

The OT landscape focuses on zero failure due to the risks that an equipment malfunction/breakdown may pose to humans, property, and the natural environment. The onus will mostly be on the IT providers to think beyond data security and make RAMS of OT systems an integral part of the development and testing model. ce Amir Sobol is site leader Israel and head of LTTS Security Center of Excellence (CoE), Israel, and Yaron Pass is head of Engineering and Security CoE, LTTS. L&T Technology Services is a CFE Media and Technology content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

ANSWERS

OT AUTOMATION: ASSET MAINTENANCE Brian Harrison, CRL, Fluke Reliability

Maintenance automation: Data integration, a new recipe To get top ROI for digitalizing asset maintenance, consider a modern version of the automation pyramid using ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration.

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rocess manufacturing has reaped automation’s benefits for decades. Under the guidance of ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration from International Society of Automation, organizations looking to adopt automation standards-based best practices. As new technologies emerge, there are more ways to apply the automation standard.

Under Industry 4.0, digitalization has spawned countless new manufacturing technologies and systems, in departments and industries far outside process manufacturing. These include: • Service-oriented architecture (SOA). It is considered crucial for the success of complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and has many advantages for integration, extensibility, agility, and reusability.

• Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This technology is no longer a buzzword; it is changing how we monitor and interact with critical equipment, such as smart sensors.

• Wi-Fi and digital networks. These are becoming a primary alternative for industrial connectivity, with 5G wireless networks commonly discussed as a promising technology to enable ubiquitous and scalable connectivity to the shop floor for industrial wireless communications.

• Big Data, edge computing, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, application program interfaces (APIs) and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR). These have moved from concept to pilot and will be ready soon for broader adoption.

ple, has gone from a “want” to a “need” – something essential to be effective in the near term and competitive over the long run. As of late summer 2020, some 82% of maintenance organizations were considering how to effectively add or increase digitalization technologies, according to Fluke Reliability research. Meanwhile, more than 35% have experienced at least a quarter drop in production, with only 15% operating KEYWORDS: process as “normal.” manufacturing, automation Many of these companies understand pyramid, maintenance how automation could deliver a valuable automation step change in their day-to-day operaThe ISA-95 automation pyramid tions. Many previous IIoT pilots have was originally designed to help process manufacturers. failed to live up to expectations. SomeThe pyramid can be adjusted for times this was due to system conflicts, the Industrial Internet of Things technology limitations, or, more often, (IIoT) and help other manufacturers. gaps in communication and change A maintenance automation management. strategy should increase the team’s Today’s manufacturing environment ability to rely on condition-based maintenance (CBM). is leaner than usual. Planners seek to optimize initiatives to their fullest extent ONLINE so when people are working on-site, See more about optimizing work is prioritized and executed based equipment lifecycles, ROI and augmenting the field technician. on how it fits into the big picture.

To do this effectively, teams need more CONSIDER THIS than tribal knowledge or ad hoc standard What benefits could your company operating procedures. They need a better derive from the maintenance automation pyramid? framework for successful digitalization.

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Figure 1: The ISA-95 automation pyramid. Images courtesy: Fluke Reliability

Moving technological growth forward was challenging enough, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The disruption from COVID-19 is fueling urgency among plant managers for system improvements previously viewed as “future considerations.”

Remotely monitoring asset condition, for examwww.controleng.com

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ANSWERS

OT AUTOMATION: ASSET MAINTENANCE ISA-95 and the automation pyramid have provided a critical framework for automating the interface

among five levels of enterprise and control systems: 1. Physical production processes 2. Sensors 3. Monitoring and supervision 4. Manufacturing operations management 5. Business planning and logistics.

ISA-95 was developed because the differences across industries, systems, departments and objectives made it challenging to communicate and collaborate.

Businesses suffered in the absence of a common language. Now in its 35th year, ISA-95 continues to be revalidated and incorporated into more technologies.

Many of these technologies and programs continue to focus on process manufacturing.

Automation system integration Figure 2: The maintenance automation pyramid, adjusted from the original ISA-95 version.

Proven systems-integration thinking is needed now outside of process manufacturing. By extending the ISA-95 framework to other industries, many

Manufacturing automation pyramid levels Reference Figure 2, above.

Level 1: The process • This layer includes the physical assets, the maintenance and reliability teams (M&R) that care for them, and the machine operators.

• Some assets are wired or wirelessly connected, while others operate out of visual management.

Level 2: Field-level tools and sensors • Equipment-level tools and sensors provide manual as well as automated readings; not all data from un-connected measurement devices is currently saved or tracked, and not all sensor data is in a useful format.

• Wireless sensors applied to legacy machines are bringing a more significant percentage of assets into electronic view.

Level 3: Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) • While most manufacturers employ SCADA/programmable logic controller (PLC) systems, less than 30% can use this information for asset management.

• Early artificial intelligence (AI) studies of SCADA data lakes are finding applicable health indicator data for triggering work orders, creating the potential for meaningful real-time, early-detection work orders.

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• Integrating level-3 SCADA data into the maintenance automation/enterprise asset management (EAM) framework improves overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and mean time to repair (MTTR). It also reduces downtime and supplements skills shortages by helping automate work order creation and prioritization.

Level 4: Enterprise asset management (EAM) • The EAM or computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is the M&R system of record.

• Integrating the EAM with the maintenance automation framework supports shifting work from calendar- to condition-based PMs, prioritizing work based on actual asset status.

• Tying meaningful data to the asset management system equates to a step-change in the quantity and quality of data informing daily decisions.

Level 5: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) • Integrating layers 1 through 4 into the company’s primary business layer feeds accurate M&R data into the overall financial accounting and reporting system. It increases the visibility of M&R contributions to the company’s bottom line and empowers data-driven decision making at the plant management level.

• Key metrics include total cost of ownership for assets and cost comparisons between planned versus condition-based work. www.controleng.com

can achieve the same benefits from yield improvements to cost reductions.

Automation thinkers often use a pyramid to show the interaction between levels. The automation pyramid in Figure 2 is updated to include the IIoT at the physical layer. What if the automation pyramid was adjusted to reflect the levels or layers found in manufacturing operations in nonprocess industries? It might look something like Figure 2. The pyramid’s layers help identify the data points from various subroutines useful to aspects of the overall system. Reconfiguring the pyramid to support maintenance and reliability operations (MRO) adds a “process” layer at the bottom. It adjusts the other levels to reflect maintenance interactions with the larger plant and organizational architecture.

With the proper framework to support internal collaboration and integration, digitalization could better help pull operations through times of tight resources.

But, just like in 1995 process manufacturing, ROI must be a central consideration from the beginning. For the pyramid to be useful, it has to help maintenance leaders identify where connected systems will have the most significant positive impact at their facilities.

the machine – potentially adjusting how often specific parameters are checked, contributing to fewer unplanned failures, and extending an asset’s overall lifespan.

In the long term, a maintenance automation strategy should increase the team’s ability to rely on condition-based maintenance and decrease the number of calendar-based PMs, saving labor and parts cost

to safety. It can be a difficult transition.

Clear communication, change management and partnership are essential. ce Brian Harrison, CRL, is industry lead for IIoT at Fluke Reliability. Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

Applying the framework

In most facilities, the more connected maintenance and operations teams become, the more benefits their actions generate. Consider the process of troubleshooting a particular asset. Technicians may take a variety of measurements to get to the root cause of an issue, but they use those measurements only at that moment. If this data can be preserved in the asset’s health history, it contributes to the broader maintenance strategy for

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ANSWERS

INSIDE PROCESS

Allen Kern, P.E., APC Performance LLC

Changes in store for advanced process control Closed-loop multivariable control brings greater timeliness and consistency, fewer alarms and constraint violations and more effective process optimization.

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ultivariable model-predictive constraint control and real-time optimization, better known as MPC technology, has had a very good run. It has dominated advanced process control (APC) for several decades, to the exclusion of most other types of APC activity. Operating companies have invested tens of millions of dollars in MPC (hundreds of millions or billions collectively) and earned millions of dollars in return.

Multivariable controls changes needed

The attractive promise of closed-loop multivariable control and real-time optimization has meant users have stood by their commitments to MPC for decades, even though its high costs, fragile performance, and complex ownership demands have persisted, rather than improving over time.

The conventional MPC technology ownership paradigm increasingly KEYWORDS: Advanced process is considered unsustainable. MPC has control (APC), model-based proven too expensive and unwieldy to multivariable control (MPC) form the centerpiece of a multivariLEARNING OBJECTIVES able control core competency, which Discover why changes are the manufacturing industry needs. needed in multivariable controls.

Accumulated experience now suggests Learn why automatic changes in the industry’s multivariable multivariable control is better

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than manual multivariable control.

Understand the need for multivariable competency for better process automation.

CONSIDER THIS Is your software improving or decreasing process efficiency?

control paradigm may hold more promise than continued efforts to fix and overcome conventional MPC’s challenges.

Multivariable control is fundamental

MPC technology can be said to comprise three parts: model-based control, real-time optimization and multivariable control. For APC purposes, multivariable control is the essential piece (noting that optimization, though not necessarily real-time optimization, is always part of multivariable control – see sidebar). Model-based control and real-time optimization are part of the way MPC technology solves the multivariable control problem, but experience has revealed there are other simpler ways to solve multivariable control that don’t require these elaborate methods.

MPC has often been shrouded in complexity. A simple way to view multivariable control is it automates the single-loop controller adjustments (setpoint and output changes) that otherwise are left to the operating team to manually implement. When operators make controller adjustments in the course of a day – of which there are often many – that’s manual multivariable control. When APC is applied to better coordinate and automate those adjustments for groups of related controllers, that’s automatic (or closed-loop) multivariable control. Like single-loop control, closed loop multivariable control brings the inherent benefits of greater timeliness and consistency, fewer alarms and constraint violations, and more effective process optimization. In many applications, this can earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars annually.

When operating teams carry out manual

ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more resources. www.controleng.com/ magazine “Feedforward: Not as popular as expected, again”

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Figure 1: Business layer production planning is the natural home of process optimization.

At the control network layer, optimization has been in conflict with mission criteria principles in terms of reliability and cybersecurity and is likely to disappear from the control network layer. Images courtesy: APC Performance LLC control engineering

www.controleng.com

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ANSWERS

INSIDE PROCESS

‘

multivariable control, they do it without the aid of detailed process models and real-time optimizers. This shows how automatic multivariable control also can be solved without detailed models and real-time optimizers by automating proven methods that have always been manually employed by operating teams. (See later Figure 1 explanation.)

of locally-available inputs. The vast majority of data inputs needed for meaningful process optimization reside throughout other process units, the business network, and the enterprise. In modern plants, the business production planning function is the natural locus of process optimization, not the control networks (Figure 1). Industry has also seen that only limited amounts of data, in the form of updated limits or targets, actually need to flow from the business layer down to the control network, which is accommodated by modern tools and connectivity.

The resources, complexity and maintenance to run massive model-based control and real-time optimization at the control network layer has largely proven incompatible with the mission criteria of industrial automation networks. In the control network layer, compact deterministic algorithms with minimal inherent maintenance and support needs are the desired characteristics for automation reliability, network reliability, and cybersecurity objectives. Deploying complex model-based control and optimization solvers with high ongoing maintenance and support burdens into the control network conflicts with these principles.

successful on a multivariable basis. Meanwhile, it adds yet another layer of ownership cost and complexity to MPC.

paradigm based on industry’s lengthy experience.

The updated paradigm has already been emerging by industry consensus, though commercially available off-the-shelf products as yet remain limited.

Many aspects of the conventional MPC paradigm are fundamental to multivariable control and will carry forward into the new paradigm, such as the concepts of manipulated variables (MVs), controlled variables (CVs), the matrix, limits and targets. At the same time, other aspects of MPC the industry has been accustomed to, such as plant tests, detailed models and real-time optimization, may disappear from APC going forward based on an updated assessment of their net pros and cons.

A central aspect of multivariable control is it becomes an industry core-competency, which is desperately needed, because industry can now see multivariable control is a core aspect of almost every process operation (ask any operator). This means multivariable control is as fundamental to successful process operation as good single-loop control.

Multivariable control must evolve into a corecompetency to move process automation to the next level. This is in the best interests of all APC and process operation stakeholders. ce

Multivariable control must The expendables: Model-based evolve into control, real-time optimization a core-comNot only are model-based control and realtime optimization dispensable to the central objecpetency to tive of multivariable control, but experience and move process insights suggest they may be undesirable aspects of the control network layer going forward. automation to Model-based control has been a huge source the next level. of costs and maintenance. It was originally anticipated that a plant step test, though expensive and This is in the intrusive, would be a one-time event. As experience that models are actually short-lived, best interests accumulated the need for performance monitoring, model mainof all APC and tenance, and periodic retesting arose.

MPC technology today is pursuing continuprocess opous online adaptive modeling, but this overlooks eration stake- the lesson industry has already learned from sin- MPC is a core-competency Figure 2 compares key aspects of the conventional gle-loop auto-tuning – if auto-tuning was not successful on a single-loop basis, it is not likely to be MPC paradigm and an updated multivariable control holders.

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Local control network optimization

Real-time optimization has been another persistent source of MPC ownership challenges, so the valueadded proposition of deploying real-time optimization at the control network layer warrants new scrutiny.

Optimization within the control network layer is localized at best, encompassing a small handful

Conventional MPC paradigm

Updated multivariable control paradigm

MPC is solved using relatively elaborate methods – detailed process models and real-time optimizers – leading to high cost and fragile performance.

Multivariable control is solved by automating the relatively simple and robust methods that have always been used by operating teams manually.

Multivariable control is highly specialized, necessitating special budgets, planning and resources.

Multivariable control is a core-competency, falling within normal operating budgets, schedules, and control engineering resources.

Benefits are large, but frequently fragile, especially in absence of continuous maintenance and support.

Multivariable control brings the same inherent benefits as single-loop control – timeliness and consistency, fewer alarms, greater optimization.

Real-time optimization resides in the control network, which may be inappropriate for automation reliability, network reliability, and cybersecurity purposes.

Optimization results, to the extent real-time or periodic updates are necessary, are leveraged from the business layer solution.

Applications are typically limited to “large matrix” applications, in order to meet the high cost threshold of MPC technology.

Multivariable control is more affordable, agile and scalable, making it available for industry’s many “small matrix” applications, too.

Figure 2: Attribute table of model-based multivariable control versus updated multivariable control suggests why changes are needed.

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Allan Kern, P.E., is owner, APC Performance LLC. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technnology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

What is “real-time” optimization? mined in “real time” by optimization solver programs OPTIMIZATION – though not necessarily real-time deployed within the control layer in conjunction with optimization – is always a part of multivariable conmultivariable control – this is known as real-time optitrol. Multivariable control is a two-dimensional multimization within traditional model-based multivariable loop control strategy that does not aim for a single control technology (MPC). operating point. Instead, Control layer (that is it aims to keep process Real-time optimization conflicts “real time”) optimization operations within a twomade sense in the 1980s, dimensional operating with control network mission criwhen optimization tools window, bounded by proteria; deterministic algorithms and in the business layer were cess constraint limits. Mulminimum maintenance are imporless automated and contivariable control also uses nectivity between the remaining MV availabiltant principles for network reliabillayers was almost nonity (also known as remainity and cybersecurity. existent. Today, control ing degrees of freedom) layer optimization cannot to pursue optimization tarbegin to compare with business layer optimization in gets to the extent possible within the window. terms of globality of inputs, sophistication of tools, The vast majority of optimization target and conand appropriate optimization time scales. Experistraint limit values are entered into the multivariable controller by operators and engineers, just like single- ence also has shown real-time optimization to be in conflict with control network mission criteria because loop controller setpoints and limits. Where approprideterministic algorithms and minimum maintenance ate, some target and limit values may be periodically updated from the business layer optimization solution are important principles for network reliability and cybersecurity purposes.

(Figure 1). Target and limit values also may be deter-

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CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE 30-DAY TRIAL 888-600-3247 WWW.LOADCONTROLS.COM input #22 at www.controleng.com/information

INNOVATIONS

MEASUREMENTS

Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering

Process instrumentation tips and tricks Advances in process instrumentation extend beyond sensor accuracy.

Computing, algorithms and networking capabilities add functionality.

A

dvances in process instrumentation extend beyond sensor accuracy. Computing, algorithms and networking capabilities have added functionality.

Learn these tips and tricks.

Level instrumentation

Trends in process level instrumentation include: Proportional Level Detector and Control Unit from Automation Products Inc.’s Dynatrol Division is designed to control liquid levels in pilot plants, processing, small vessels, or anywhere it is necessary to obtain proportional level control over a precise range. The small vessel proportional level detector CL-10GP works with varying power frequency and can activate electro-pneumatic transducers, valve positioners, indicators, controllers or other dc current devices.

Wireless Bluetooth: Liquiphant FTL51B and FTL41 Point Level Instruments from Endress+Hauser has Industry 4.0 and IIoT capabilities such as access via wireless Bluetooth technology, automatic proof tests and verification, and easy commissioning via a mobile device. In addition, operational KEYWORDS: Temperature, clarity is provided by a high-visibility LED. pressure, level, flow

M More ANSWERS

instrumentation Product innovations process instrumentation more effective.

Greater software and wireless capabilities add functionalities.

CONSIDER THIS What opportunities are you overlooking because you’ve specified the same instrumentation again?

ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more resources. www.controleng.com/magazine www.controleng.com/NPE www.controleng.com/ process-manufacturing/ sensors-actuators/

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Pressure instrumentation

Trends include: Make changes to instruments without a factory visit: Gas Select 6.0 Firmware for Mass Flow Meters and Controllers from Alicat Scientific improves user control and data speed, includes a library of up to 130 preloaded gases, referenced to NIST REFPROP 9 and drives the flexible user interface for controlling instrument operation. Version 6.0 has user-selectable engineering units that can be changed in the field such as units of pressure, temperature, volume, standard volume or mass. Flow instruments can be realigned to correlate with other calculations in the process stream, or even control engineering

repurposed for new applications. Setpoint input is now accepted either at the local panel or through the serial port, without first switching the input source.

Very fast response time, M12 quick disconnect: SPTD25 Series Pressure Transmitters from AutomationDirect has an all-stainless steel thin film sensing element and is engineered to meet many industrial, commercial, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) pressure measurement applications. The sensing element has very fast response time and can be used to sense any compatible media and provides high accuracy over a wide compensated temperature range.

Remote safety handling saves commissioning time: Sitrans P320/P420 Pressure Transmitter from Siemens has user-friendly features including an advanced display, showing the device’s measurements and status. It has a large LCD with clear text and icons, four-button menu navigation and a quick-start wizard. The instruments’ remote safety handling via software saves commissioning time: rather than manually configuring each individual device across a facility, operators can program transmitters from the control room. Maintenance costs decrease with testing up every 15 years rather than every two.

Temperature instrumentation

Trends include: Enhanced alarm functionality in software, wireless temperature and humidity monitoring of electrical enclosures: Delta T Alert from Iriss is a wireless, self-contained temperature-monitoring system with sensors that attach to electrical enclosures. The units monitor the delta between the internal and external enclosure temperatures. The data is wirelessly transmitted for analysis, trending and also can remotely alarm support teams with the details and location of the temperature alarm. www.controleng.com

Advanced PID temperature control: Temperature Control Panel - Single phase, 120 V ac, 15 A, 1,800 W from Shift Controls feature advanced proportional-integral-derivative (PID) temperature control with industry leading safety, construction quality, and control system integration. Power is controlled by a zero-cross SSR for precise temperature control.

Flow instrumentation (flowmeters)

Trends include: Slurries, pastes, pulp stock and non-uniform solids: Foxboro MagPlus from Schneider Electric are magnetic flowmeters are designed to fit a wide range of applications and industries, including water, slurries, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. The meters are a reliable flow measurement with field-proven stability to maximize the availability of flow measurement. The IMT25 is a magnetic flow transmitter with a pulse dc technique for standard application in the water and wastewater industry and other process industries.

The IMT96 magnetic flow transmitter uses the eXPulse coil excitation method for the most difficult applications such as slurries, pastes, pulp stock and

non-uniform solids. The flowmeters use two-wire, loop powered technology.

Install under pressure: New Hot Tap Digital Flowmeter from Exair eliminates the need to isolate and remove pressure from the pipe it is being installed upon. It has two valves that the probes pass through and a muffler that collects chips from the drilling process. The digital display shows the exact amount of compressed air being used, making it easy to identify costly leaks or inefficient air products. No cutting, welding, adjustments or calibration are ever required. Available on 2-. to 8-in. flowmeters.

Adaptive sensor technology: FCI ST80 Series Thermal Mass Flow Meter from Fluid Components International has an innovative hybrid sensor drive. This measuring technique combines constant power (CP) and constant temperature (CT) thermal dispersion sensing technologies in one instrument. Complementing this new measurement drive technique are a choice of four flow sensor element designs to further ensure best installed performance, including FCI’s new wet gas solution. ce

INNOVATIONS

NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

See more New Products for Engineers. www.controleng.com/NPE

PE

Tiny industrial communication cable connector The T1 Industrial can accomplish communication across the common industrial Ethernet protocols (EtherNet/IP, Profinet, EtherCAT, and others) with a single twisted pair of wires instead of four or eight wires. This connector uses power-over-data-line (PoDL) technology to bring communication, voltage, and amperage needed to power the device. With this connector, the number of connections on the device is reduced, eliminating the need for an external power supply, and the devices on the plant floor that traditionally communicate over Fieldbus protocols can join the same IP-based network as the other devices. This enables peer-to-peer communication, open-loop feedback of all devices, and smart functionality from the main control room to the device.

Harting Inc., www.harting.com

Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information

Safety light curtains

Digital native CNC

AutomationDirect, www.automationdirect.com

Siemens Industry Inc., www.siemens.com

AutomationDirect’s Safegate Type 4 access control barrier safety light curtains provide protection in a wide range of industrial applications requiring integration of the muting functions. The muting function temporarily disables the safety function when a workpiece or conveying palette passes through the detection area. The safety curtains have two access control (body protection) hardware or software configuration options. Sender/receiver or active/passive pair versions are available with 24V dc input, 300 or 400mm resolution and 0 to 8m or 0 to 12m operating distances. Software configurable (SMPO) models are available.

Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information

www.controleng.com

Siemens’ Sinumerik One is a digital native computer numerical control (CNC) for highly productive machine tools with seamless interaction of virtual sphere and real world. The CNC system maximizes machine tool productivity of machine tools through programmable logic controller (PLC) and CNC performance.

System productivity increases in the double-digit percentage range, depending on the machine. Innovative software functions tap the potential of the latest processor technologies and enable the parallelization of various processing functions without performance loss.

Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information

control engineeering

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INNOVATIONS

BACK TO BASICS: ICS CYBERSECURITY Greg Hale, ISSSource

IIoT’s growing impact on ICS cybersecurity The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will have the strongest impact on operational technology/industrial control system (OT/ICS) cybersecurity.

D

igitalization of industrial infrastructure is underway, and 55% of organizations said the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will have the strongest impact on operational technology/industrial control system (OT/ICS) cybersecurity, according to a report by ARC Advisory Group and Kaspersky.

When asked which digital technologies do respondents expect to impact traditional automation technology, topping the list at 55% were cloud and edge computing and OT components being connected to the Internet. The reason why cloud and edge computing are often mentioned is probably psychological, said the report. While cloud computing has already proven its reliability in other application areas, the industry currently still has security concerns about using cloud data or applications.

Among organizations, 20% have prioritized IoTrelated incidents, but effective solutions against IoT threats are not yet widespread, according to the report conducted by ARC Advisory Group for Kaspersky.

Industrial organizations continue to implement digitalization and Industry 4.0 standards. Even despite the market slowdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization is still being adopted. At the same time, the growing number of digitalization projects, such as industrial IoT, raises awareKEYWORDS: industrial control ness of the associated risks. systems, cybersecurity, operational technology One-in-five companies said The Industrial Internet of Things attacks on Industrial Internet of (IIoT) will have the strongest impact Things (IIoT) are among the main on operational technology/industrial cybersecurity concerns, bypassing control system (OT/ICS) cybersecurity. such serious threats as data breaches Industrial organizations continue to (15%) or attacks on the supply chain implement digitalization and Industry (15%). Addressing them requires 4.0 standards. security professionals’ involvement.

Consider protection at the start of IIoT implementation with dedicated In 2020, 44% of enterprises surveyed security solutions. said IT security personnel are working to protect digitalized OT systems.

ONLINE The report also showed not all See additional stories from ISSSource at www.controleng.com. organizations may feel ready to face threats to IoT. Only 19% of compaCONSIDER THIS nies have implemented active netWhat challenges is your company work and traffic monitoring, and 14% facing with ICS cybersecurity?

M More INNOVATIONS

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have introduced network anomaly detection as these solutions allow security teams to track anomalies or malicious activity in IoT systems.

“While industrial enterprises will only increase the implementation of connected devices and smart systems, they should strive for the same efficiency level when it comes to protection,” said Grigory Sizov, head of KasperskyOS business unit. “To achieve this, protection should be built-in when a project is initiated, and for some companies, it should be done today. IIoT components must be secure at their core to eliminate the possibility of an attack on them. Along with traffic protection and other technologies, this makes the entire system secure by design and this means it becomes immune to cyber-risks.”

To ensure IIoT systems are used effectively and safely, organizations should: • Consider protection at the start of IIoT implementation by using dedicated security solutions.

• Assess the status of a device’s security before its implementation. Preferences should be given to devices that have cybersecurity certificates and products from those manufacturers that pay more attention to information security.

• Conduct regular security audits and provide the security team for IoT systems with up-todate threat intelligence.

• Establish procedures for obtaining information on relevant vulnerabilities in software and applications, and available updates to ensure proper and timely responses to incidents.

• Implement cybersecurity solutions designed to analyze network traffic and detect anomalies and prevent IoT network attacks, then integrate the analysis into the enterprise network security system. ce Gregory Hale is editor and founder of Industrial Safety and Security Service (ISSSource.com), a CFE Media content partner. This article originally appeared on ISSSource’s website. Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com

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CaSe Study University of Virginia maintenance team relies on ABB to keep campus running Challenge:

Keeping university buildings running smoothly during regular times is no small feat, much less during an unforeseen campus shutdown as when the COVID19 pandemic closed the University of Virginia in spring 2020.

Solution: The maintenance team responsible for the McCormick zone of campus relied on more than 65 ABB Ability™ Smart Sensors for mechanical products to keep their critical environments stable and operational.

Solution: Knowing when there was a problem, without physically being there, allowed the team to operate safely during unprecedented times and to better manage time and budget, while ensuring all the labs are stable and occupants comfortable.

Summary:

The team ensures that buildings maintain comfortable temperatures and that each research laboratory has a stable environment for controlled experiments. Past maintenance practices required nearly daily work on air handling equipment where some of the fan assembly is built inside the box, making it impossible to access while running. It’s difficult to hear or get vibration and temperature readings without shutting down the unit and compromising the building environments.

The team learned about the ABB Ability Smart Sensors for mechanical products, a monitoring solution that provides an overall health indication of equipment. The sensor gives warnings on decreasing health status, and the ability to monitor equipment remotely means maintenance teams can check their equipment without actually being on-site.The team started installing several on bearings in 2019. When proved successful by alerting the maintenance team to problems, they added sensors to bearings on critical HVAC units across the facility.

As sensors were added, the team encountered warnings on equipment that they weren’t aware needed maintenance. After each correction, the team added a sensor to compare to conditions prior to repair. The absence of warnings and nearly perfect vibration levels proved that repairs had been done properly.

Based on sensor data, the team now knows what needs attention each day, rather than relying on a prescribed maintenance schedule.

Images are representative of the HVAC application but are not from the University of Virginia.

baldor.abb.com 479.646.4711 input #23 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study New Stadium Fire Suppression Control System

Challenge:

Develop a custom engineered fire suppression system for a new indoor football stadium.

Regulations require protection against fire hazards which could occur during monster truck rallies or other events that may have flammable material on the stadium floor area.

Solution: Akron Brass StreamMaster II Electric Fire Monitors (water cannons) with Style 5177 nozzles (1250 gpm) capable of being controlled remotely and Acromag XT1121-000 Ethernet remote I/O with 16 discrete I/O and i2o peer-to-peer technology.

ReSult: The system was installed and commissioned ahead of schedule satisfying the stadium owners.

After performing actual operation and distance tests, a state fire marshal approved the system.

SummaRy:

The solution uses 4 remote controlled water cannons mounted above the first level of seating at the 20-yard lines on both sides of the field.

When activated the water stream from each monitor must travel 275 ft. to center of the field and be controlled remotely. An operator control panel (OCP) with an operator console is located in the stadium security room. The operator would control the direction of each monitor and open/close each water valve.

The system includes four monitors together with four custom electric motor control panels (MCP). The operator console, with four joy sticks and switches, is wired to the OCP. Inside the OCP are four Acromag XT1121-000 Ethernet remote I/O modules that receive discrete inputs from the operator console. Communications between the security room and monitors utilizes a high-speed fiber optic network.

Each monitor is controlled by a joy stick with four settings, up, down, left and right. Plus, rotary switches for water valve open/close, fog and stream. One XT1121-000 module in the OCP sends commands to another XT1121-000 module located in the field MCP. The technology between the two Acromag XT modules is i2o, a peer-to-peer Ethernet communication.

The field XT1121-000 module has outputs that match the inputs to control the monitor. This i2o pair is repeated for all four monitors.

Read more: www.acromag.com/blog/casestudy/

sales@acromag.com • 877-295-7057 www.acromag.com input #24 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study ProMach XACT-FIL Uses PC-Based Control to Quadruple Weight Measurements While Reducing Machine Footprint 30% Challenge:

ProMach Filling Systems needed to design the XACT-FIL machine with higher weight measurement capabilities, a smaller footprint and fewer surfaces to clean. This included minimizing cables and boosting processing power.

Solution: ProMach engineers implemented the fully integrated Beckhoff platform, including PC-based automation, EtherCAT I/O and motion control solutions.

ReSult: The Beckhoff solutions created an extremely fast and versatile weight-filling machine, with non-contact filling, geared for the demanding packaging marketplace. The XACT-FIL reduced its required part count by 25% and overall machine footprint by 30%. EtherCAT roughly quadrupled the number of weight measurements per second, increasing from 1,200 to 5,000.

SummaRy:

ProMach Filling Systems launched the XACT-FIL™ machine line to provide high-accuracy weight filling. Designed by ProMach’s Wisconsin-based Federal product brand, XACT-FIL machines fill and cap various containers and support many liquid goods, from food to chemicals. Scales throughout the machine measure the container’s weight thousands of times per second, providing a fill-weight accuracy of plus or minus half a percent – or better. The advanced capabilities required ProMach engineers to adopt automation and control technologies capable of supporting such high speeds without drastically expanding machine footprint or making cleaning more difficult.

To accomplish these goals, the ProMach engineering team implemented modular and compact solutions from Beckhoff Automaiton. The XACT-FIL runs on a CX5140 Embedded PC that uses TwinCAT 3 automation software as a universal programming and real-time environment. The EtherCAT industrial Ethernet system provides the fast communication needed for high weight measurements. EtherCAT I/O Terminals in IP20 and IP67 formats reduced space and cabling requirements.

Suited to demanding environments, a stainless steel CP3918 multi-touch Control Panel from Beckhoff provides optimal operator interface. Similarly, stainless steel AM8841 Servomotors, controlled by AX5000 series Servo Drives, provide dynamic motion control for the feed screw, filling turret and capper.

Beyond saving space, One-Cable Technology (OCT) for motors and other components reduces the number of surfaces in need of regular cleanings.

See the full case study: pc-control.net/pdf/032019/solutions/pcc_0319_promach_e.pdf

beckhoff.usa@beckhoff.com • 1-877-TwinCAT www.beckhoffautomation.com input #25 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study CIMON Automation Provides Accessible Monitoring and Control for Water Purification and Storage System Challenge:

WBUD operates 32 pump and tank stations spanning multiple counties. All sites require automation, with access to comprehensive device management—both locally and remotely—across an expansive area.

Solution: Each site received a programmable logic controller (PLC) and human-machine interface (HMI) for automation and control. A radio network connects all sites to a central supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, providing long-distance operation and data monitoring.

ReSult: The SCADA program allows real-time and historical data from all sites to be accessed from any location. Schedules and programs can be updated remotely, removing the need for time-consuming and expensive on-site visits.

SummaRy:

With funding from the Tennessee Valley Authority, Watt Bar Utility District (WBUD) needed to streamline automation of its 32 tank and pump stations. System integrator Quality Controls LLC decided to use PLC, HMI, and SCADA products from CIMON to automate these facilities.

At each location, a CIMON Xpanel HMI lets users manage on-site pumps and tanks. Different screens allow engineers to view status and alarms, as well as diagnose and test pumps during maintenance.

A CIMON PLC takes in data from sensors and outputs electrical signals to the pumps. A program automatically switches between different modes of operation, allowing for schedule-based or level-based control. The PLC also acts as a bridge between devices by storing, receiving, and sending data. When a malfunction occurs, the PLC sends a warning signal to both the SCADA program and the local HMI. Radio transmitters were integrated into the network to overcome the immense cost and communication difficulties of laying wire through mountainous terrain. Data values are sent to a central location, then processed by the UltimateAccess SCADA application. User requests are then sent back over the radio to the corresponding PLC, which performs the desired action.

The combined usage of PLC, HMI, and SCADA technologies from CIMON will allow WBUD to more effectively manage its pump and tank stations.

CIMON Inc. Toll FREE: +1-800-300-9916 • Tel: +1-702-820-1060 sales@cimoninc.com • www.cimon.com input #26 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Flexible Hydraulic/Electric Motion Control Brings Demanding Die/Mold Cart Design to Completion Challenge:

A vehicle parts manufacturer needed a mold cart capable of lifting 70,000 lbs. while maintaining four-wheel drive, an extremely precise four-cylinder lifting system, and four-wheel Ackerman steering, allowing the cart to turn on a dime as well as “crab walk” sideways under load.

Solution: Green Valley Manufacturing and distribution partner John Henry Foster teamed to implement the mold cart’s motion control system, which relied on Delta Computer Systems’ RMC200 hydraulic/electric motion controller.

ReSult: Thanks to Delta’s easy software tools and highly configurable controller, Green Valley completed its mold cart project with full steering flexibility, even under maximum load.

SummaRy: A passenger vehicle parts manufacturer required a specialized cart able to hydraulically lift and carry up to 70,000pound forming dies through tight manufacturing floor spaces.

This required independent steering in each wheel, with Delta’s RMC200, complete with maneuverability determined by complex curves involving wheel power supply, CPU, and I/O modules. angles, wheel rotational speed, and speed throttling based on steering angles. Additionally, the cart’s lifting system required continuous, microsecond-speed pressure detection across four corner cylinders able to lift and lower uniformly to within 0.05” variance.

Green Valley Manufacturing partnered with distributor John Henry Foster to tackle this tough design. They selected Delta Computing Systems’ RMC200 as the best, most adaptable motion controller for the job. The RMC200 offered both electric servo and hydraulic motion control with support for up to 32 control axes. The cart project used four hydraulic axes for steering and four axes of electric control for wheel speed. Moreover, each lift cylinder needed its own separate control to dynamically adjust for off-center loads. Most controller brands would use separate controllers for the hydraulic and electronic domains. Delta’s RMC200 handled all motion axes from a single controller, improving design simplicity and efficiency while lowering cost.

Thanks to Delta’s Windows-based RMCTools software, which dramatically simplified solving the cart’s motion curve challenges, the Green Valley team completed installation and configuration in a single day.

Green Valley’s completed mold cart, ready for client delivery.

technicalsales@deltamotion.com 360-254-8688 www.deltamotion.com input #27 at www.controleng.com/information

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Motion Control

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CaSe Study Banner Engineering Partners with Kautex Textron for COVID-19 Safe Work Solutions Challenge:

With an entrenched pandemic, employers are reviewing all common spaces through a new lens, such as shared workstations, bathrooms, and breakrooms. Most states have issued occupancy guidelines, employers also found employees required visible safety measures to return to work productively without concern.

Solution: Partnering with Banner Engineering, Kautex Textron implemented a solution capable of monitoring all entrances and exits, as well as alert employees when occupancy capacity has been reached and when areas are safe to enter.

ReSult: As a result of the new Occupancy Monitoring System, Kautex Textron successfully provided their employees with a safer working environment and peace of mind.

SummaRy: Banner’s Occupancy Monitoring System automates counting and notifications using Q45 paired sensors. The sensors detect individuals entering and exiting common spaces. Installed quickly, with no alterations to infrastructure, the system provides notification if traffic meets or exceeds a programmed maximum capacity.

Banner’s DXM wireless controller collects, logs the data from each sensor, and communicates status updates to a Banner Direct Select operator interface. Employee/customer lights trigger based on set occupancy limits.

Aggregated data uploads to Banner’s Cloud Data Services platform automatically providing visualization and analysis tools. Using this platform, customers can track behavior at locations, monitor and compare behaviors across multiple locations, compare customer traffic to sales, and make data-driven decisions about employee scheduling.

Vince Vlaminck, Director EHS Global at Kautex Textron, said, “As we, along with other industries, battle against COVID-19 and work to provide our employees a safe return to work, we’ve partnered with Banner Engineering to bring Industry 4.0 solutions to social distancing and regular disinfection processes. The results bring a level of professionalism and increased visual management—and support a message to our employees that we are committed to your safety and willing to invest accordingly.”

Banner Engineering has partnered with Digi-Key Electronics to stock several versions of their new Occupancy Solutions Kits. Please visit Digi-Key Electronics to learn more today. sales@digikey.com 1-800-344-4539 www.digikey.com input #28 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Extending intervals between SIL proof tests

Challenge:

More and more SIF circuits (safety circuits with a defined SIL level) are being installed in plants, increasing maintenance and testing. Time windows for carrying out proof tests are becoming shorter, while the number of maintenance staff remains the same.

Solution: To compensate for the increased effort, safe and reliable measuring instruments are required. The FTL51 has a Bluetooth interface in conjunction with Heartbeat Technology. This technology makes it possible to verify the level switch while the process is running.

ReSult: Shorter intervals in which the devices are inactive reduce the downtime of the entire plant. At the same time, the probability of systematic errors is significantly reduced because the measuring device is removed from the process less frequently.

SummaRy:

CABB AG in Switzerland attaches great importance to plant safety. That is why it has decided on a new model of the proven tuning fork level switch from Endress+Hauser. Operated in homogeneous redundancy, the new Liquiphant ensures reliable point level detection in a SIL3 safety loop.

The Liquiphant FTL51 supports CABB AG’s new testing strategy for proof tests, which requires a comprehensive SIL proof test to be carried out with almost 100% proof test coverage (PTC) every three years. In addition, a test with a lower PTC value is carried out every year without removal.

This is triggered directly from the device using the proof test button.

Additionally, unusual frequency changes are detected via Heartbeat Technology and the SmartBlue App. This enables targeted planning of device replacement before a plant revision.

“Due to the safety concept of the new Liquiphant FTL51 we can extend the test intervals for the comprehensive SIL proof test. With Heartbeat Technology we verify the measuring instrument without process interruption. This saves a lot of time and resources.”

— Michael Lemke, expert for functional safety, CABB AG

To read the entire case study visit https://eh.digital/3ntOPzy Endress+Hauser USA 888-ENDRESS • Info.us.sc@endress.com • www.us.endress.com input #29 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Standardized FDT IIoT Ecosystem Empowers Innovative Business Models Challenge:

Digital transformation enhancements brings challenges to automation development, including real-time data access, end-to-end security and multi-vendor integration/interoperability. End users want to mobilize real-time remote operations and expand secure access to device/network data to increase productivity and improve security.

Solution: The FDT 3.0 standard is focused on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, enabling a standardized IIoT Ecosystem that empowers innovative business models, including customizable Server, Desktop and Device DTM solutions, while supporting a data-centric, cross-platform IIoT platform ReSult:

Automation manufacturers and end users benefit from innovative business models supported by a completely open, interoperable and standardized IIoT platform.

SummaRy:

Recognized as an essential technology for the new era of automation— providing built-in mobility, native OPC UA integration, robust security, and platform independence—the FDT 3.0 IIoT Ecosystem empowers IIoT and Industry 4.0 solutions for both Greenfield and Brownfield applications.

The FDT IIoT Ecosystem development environment simplifies the journey to innovative solutions that support standardized sensorto-cloud data integration. With this approach, system and device suppliers can take a wellestablished standard and create customizable, data-centric, cross-platform FDT IIoT Server and device DTM solutions. The scalability, secure remote access and data-rich environment FDT 3.0 provides drives the realization of next generation automation solutions from which customers will benefit today.

At the core of FDT’s 3.0’s digital transformation pathway is the new FDT Server, which natively integrates an OPC UA Server for enterprise-wide data access and a web server mobilizing remote operations. This innovative solution transforms asset management practices and business system integration for both automation suppliers and end users in the process, hybrid and discrete manufacturing markets.

The enhanced developer toolkits available with FDT 3.0 reduce the burden of R&D work and save time and money when migrating existing FDT solutions or bringing new products to market. The toolkits are essential to improving quality and interoperability for the industrial installed base. Automation suppliers can obtain these tools directly from FDT Group and access the necessary licenses and standards for development initiatives.

Download the full white paper on empowering innovative business models with FDT 3.0 at www.fdtgroup.org/innovation. info@fdtgroup.org • www.fdtgroup.org input #30 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study From Edge to Cloud in Record Time — Latest Technologies Help with Tight Schedule Challenge:

ARB Midstream, with help from system integrator Industrial Networking Solutions (INS), had the daunting task of building a complete SCADA system for an oil pipeline with 37 sites in six months, along with other project requirements.

Solution: A software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) was used to connect networks over large distances. INS also delivered a cloud-hosted SCADA solution with management, visibility, control, reporting, edge computing, MQTT, and store-and-forward capabilities.

ReSult: The project was completed within its tight schedule, and INS believes the architecture sets a standard for future SCADA projects in the industrial space.

SummaRy:

How about this for a daunting task? In six months, build a complete SCADA system for an oil pipeline with 37 sites — while also doing hardware upgrades, creating a new network, and building a control room. It was a big challenge for Denver-based oil & gas solution provider ARB Midstream, but with help from system integrator Industrial Networking Solutions (INS) and the right blend of technologies, the project was successful despite the tight schedule.

The application uses best-in-class vendors, including Ignition by Inductive Automation® for HMI/SCADA, Cradlepoint for cellular communications and software-defined networking, Moxa industrial computers, Cirrus Link Solutions for MQTT, Ignition Edge, and Amazon Web Services for cloud-hosted services with redundancy.

ARB’s screens use high-performance graphics, and Ignition templates helped speed up development. With Ignition’s unlimited licensing, there were no extra costs for increasing the number of tags, users, or devices. That was a big factor in ARB choosing Ignition — along with the many features within it.

ARB now has a secure, robust, and reliable system that will allow the company to acquire and easily integrate more assets in the future. “With all these technologies, we were able to make the deadline,” said Jerod Blocker of ARB Midstream. “It seems to me, the technology capabilities of Ignition are limitless.”

Read the full case study: https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/casestudy/arb

info@inductiveautomation.com • 1-800-266-7798 inductiveautomation.com input #31 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study American Metal Processing saves thousands with Opto 22’s edge programmable industrial controllers (EPICs) Challenge:

With no in-house controls expertise, the nation’s largest rotary heat treating facility was up against the clock to upgrade the aging control systems of multiple furnace lines before they failed completely.

Solution: With Opto 22’s groov EPIC edge controller and free online training, AMP took on the task of not only redesigning its process controls but modernizing them by integrating operations, process monitoring, and lot tracking.

ReSult: With edge-oriented control, AMP saved thousands over traditional PLC control and proprietary data logging packages, creating a system that streamlined operations, improved data integrity and traceability, and gave them a foundation for continuing process optimization.

SummaRy:

American Metal Processing specializes in rotary heat treatment for deep case carburizing, carbonitriding, and neutral hardening processes and is the largest commercial provider in America. But with control system components experiencing regular failures, others approaching end-of-life, and no automation staff on site, “We knew we were on borrowed time,” says Grant Pinkos, president of AMP. Given the scope of its controls upgrade—including computerized weighing, burner control, drive control, and needed improvements around materials tracking for its Tier 1 and 2 automotive customers—AMP knew it would require a custom solution. It identified Opto 22 as a potential vendor, and because of its value, versatility, and free online training and pre-sales support, felt confident in choosing the groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller as the pathway to a homegrown solution that could meet its requirements.

In just a few months, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions, AMP had a design that was ready to deploy when one of its existing PLCs finally died.

The ever-expanding system includes: • A unified operator interface incorporating IP camera feeds, process trends, and work order entry and look-up • End-to-end alarm management complete with internal logging, light beacons, and dynamically generated audio announcements • Integrated recipe management, lot tracking, and data logging that reduce operator error and drive process improvement Download the complete case study: https://info.opto22.com/amp-case-study-offer info@opto22.com • 800-321-OPTO • www.opto22.com input #32 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Radwell International, Arlington, TX - Overcoming automation obstacles during COVID-19 with the Swisslog AutoStore addition.

Challenge:

When a global pandemic struck, Radwell faced a difficult decision – should they move forward with the installation of their next automated inventory system or put the project on hold?

Solution: Radwell responded by implementing new processes and protocols to protect employees while continuing to serve customers. They knew that Swisslog’s AutoStore system would simplify the process of maintaining social distancing while continuing to support customers.

ReSult: The pandemic brought out the creativity, resiliency and resourcefulness and showed the importance of having a clearly defined strategy. Together, the companies overcame difficult circumstances and implemented automation to grow Radwell’s business through the pandemic and beyond.

SummaRy:

Radwell was so pleased with the successful AutoStore implementation in its New Jersey distribution center, the company decided to again work with Swisslog and designed their newest regional automated distribution system in their Arlington Texas Branch.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Radwell was deemed an essential business since production lines in a range of essential businesses, from food and beverage to sanitization to defense, rely on Radwell parts and equipment to keep lines running. The company even saw a spike in orders as customers in select industries ramped up production to meet demand for essential goods.

Radwell responded by implementing new processes and protocols to protect employees while continuing to serve customers. In terms of the AutoStore project, Radwell faced a crossroads. The company was concerned that travel and other restrictions limited access to the expertise and resources Radwell had originally planned to bring in throughout the implementation.

However, they also knew that Swisslog’s AutoStore system would simplify the process of maintaining social distancing while continuing to support customers.

The deployment was completed very close to the original deadline and allowed Radwell to implement the automation needed to save space, increase productivity and encourage social distancing in the new facility.

sales@radwell.com • 800.332.4336 www.radwell.com input #33 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study American Airlines reduces energy consumption by nearly 40% at Los Angeles airport (LAX) using MOVIGEAR® from SEW-EURODRIVE Challenge:

The new LAX baggage handling system required high starting torque and high efficiency. The old system contained oversized asynchronous motors that created excess heat and noise.

Reducing energy consumption to comply with California energy standards was very important.

Solution: Around 450 mechatronic drives consisting of MOVIGEAR® and DRC permanent magnet IE4 motors were used as the centerpiece, since they are compact and highly efficient.

ReSult: The new drives create less noise, radically decrease energy consumption, and fit into the tight space required for a checked baggage inspection area. Furthermore, the system requires fewer unique spares to reduce inventory.

SummaRy:

Terminal 4 in the LAX airport needed a thorough upgrade to the baggage handling system for both American Airlines and TSA operations. Complying with strict California energy standards and reducing the load on the existing power station were both high priorities.

The existing system used typical asynchronous motors that were oversized to handle large starting torque requirements.

Unfortunately, that means they operated well below their ideal efficiency after the load started. Their high starting current plus low efficiency created excess heat that required extra cooling.

Thus, the goal was to increase efficiency, which would provide a double benefit by reducing operating costs and cooling costs.

Through the combined efforts by CAGE, Inc. consultants and SEW-EURODRIVE, the goal became reality. Nearly 450 MOVIGEAR® mechatronic drives and DRC motors were used in the new outbound installation. Both drives contain a permanent magnet motor with an IE4 efficiency rating. Their unique design delivers high starting torque while halving the full-load amps, requiring less incoming power.

TSA employees appreciate that the new drives create less noise and radiate less heat due to their advanced electronics and their ultra-high efficiency during operation. By reducing incoming power, excess heat, and extra cooling, the new system reduced energy consumption by nearly 40%. A new inbound system is currently being constructed with the same technology.

mktg@seweurodrive.com • 864-439-7537 www.movigear.com input #34 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Dogfish Head Craft Brewery reduces downtime and product loss with Stratus Edge Computing Challenge:

Dogfish Head, an international craft beer brewer, faced a range of downtime issues – from minor failures to complete facility shutdown – due to its aging manufacturing automation system.

The unsupported system also opened the door to cybersecurity risks.

Solution: The Dogfish Head process automation team required an Edge Computing solution to provide continuous availability of its new ProLeiT manufacturing system which provided MES functionality and recipe control.

ReSult: Dogfish Head replaced six legacy servers with a single Stratus ftServer platform offering virtualization for application efficiency, and migrated onto brewmaxx, a sector-specific PLC. ftServer provided hot-swappable, customer-replaceable units for 99.999% uptime.

SummaRy:

Located in Milton, Delaware, Dogfish Head produces 262,000 barrels of beer annually. The company’s automation system for its hop dosing process had become obsolete and resulted in increasing downtime issues – from minor failures to complete facility shutdowns – as well as cybersecurity concerns. The outdated system also made it difficult to implement new equipment.

Liz Stairs, Process Improvement Specialist, Dogfish Head said: “If we were down for a period of time and we were brewing, we can lose a whole batch of beer and that could be a lot of money.”

A new ProLeiT system was installed to replace the legacy system, and the team set out to find an Edge Computing platform that could provide 99.999% uptime. The team selected Stratus ftServer over competitors because of its focus on failure prevention, rather than failure recovery.

Using Stratus ftServer, the team drastically reduced the overall hardware footprint for the facility replacing six legacy servers with a single Stratus ftServer offering virtualization.

Dogfish Head also reduced downtime associated with implementation of new technology through its hot-swappable customer-replaceable units, making shutdown before switching a thing of the past.

“With the solution that ProLeiT and Stratus have provided, we’re no longer limited by our automation system, we’re able to grow and the sky’s the limit” concluded Liz.

Laurie.johnson@stratus.com • 978-461-7000 • www.stratus.com input #35 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Employing Air Purification in the Battle Against COVID-19

Challenge:

GreenTech, with the help of CASPR Medik, has produced an air purification system for hospitals and medical centers that has demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to COVID-19.

GreenTech had planned for 6,000 purifiers to be manufactured throughout the year, but due to the virus, that process needed to be expedited. There weren’t enough parts to manufacture so much product in such little time.

Solution: GreenTech called on WAGO to produce and ship picoMAX® pluggable PCB connectors to ensure a high quality connection

ReSult: In under two weeks, WAGO produced and shipped the parts for the first 6,000 purifiers.

SummaRy: Medical facilities are taking precautions at every turn to stop the spread of COVID-19. GreenTech’s proprietary photocatalytic based air purification technology continuously sanitizes and purifies the room as people come in and out. “It’s a slower process,” Johnston says, “but much more effective because it works continuously.”

With the outbreak of COVID-19, Johnston says that orders from medical facilities all across the world have been pouring in.

GreenTech had planned for 6,000 purifiers to be manufactured throughout the year, but due to the virus, a plan for another 10,000 was put in motion. However, there was just one issue: there weren’t enough parts to facilitate the manufacture of so much product in a short amount of time. One component was a part that connects the ballast (power module) to the UV light output. From the beginning, GreenTech had been using WAGO’s picoMAX® pluggable PCB connector (item no. 20911372) to ensure a high-quality connection.

WAGO Regional Sales Manager Mitch McFarland said it was a team effort and realized emphasizing the importance of the product and the parts needed really helped. “Communication was key,” said McFarland, “we needed the support of WAGO US and we also needed to work with WAGO Germany to get this done.” Understanding the gravity of the situation, FedEx expedited shipping from Germany to GreenTech and got them to their Johnson City, Tennessee manufacturing plant within a couple of days.

Click here for more on picoMAX®.

262-255-6222 • info.us@wago.com www.wago.us input #36 at www.controleng.com/information

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CaSe Study Securing Large Control Systems from Cyberthreats

Challenge:

When a control system cybersecurity audit uncovered gaps, the end user requested a vulnerability assessment and defense-in-depth implementation across a total of 242 systems throughout North America.

Solution: Yokogawa services included centralized Windows updating, centralized AV updating, domain configuration, whitelisting and other measures, while ensuring that the system continued to operate without interruptions during the project.

ReSult: In light of the aggressive timeline, the team deployed agile project execution, which removes dependencies from multiple activities so they could take place simultaneously. The complete implementation was performed on schedule over a period of only five months.

SummaRy:

A global leader in the manufacture of nitrogen fertilizers with operations throughout North America uses Yokogawa’s CENTUM VP distributed control system (DCS) for process operations.

Once the cybersecurity project was underway, the primary challenge was for the Yokogawa and end user co-innovation project team to move very quickly from the design phase to implementation. The end user’s management set an aggressive timeline.

The large number of machines presented a further challenge.

As the primary objective, the end user wished to centrally manage all end points, including antivirus (AV) updating and Windows updating from the corporate office. In addition, the company planned to transition away from a standalone, work group architecture to one using domain management.

In the original architecture, a dedicated, centralized Windows update server, centralized AV server and domain operated in each facility. Deploying an additional, centralized Windows update and AV server with this configuration enables the end user to manage all the patch activities centrally. The company additionally planned to use this system to generate reports on each facility.

Yokogawa and the end user formed a core team that was responsible for standardizing and finalizing the design.

In addition, individual site leads for both companies worked together beginning with remote verification of the solution through complete, site-wide implementation.

800-888-6400 www.yokogawa.com/us input #37 at www.controleng.com/information

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EZAutomation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1, 9 . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . .www .EZAutomation .net

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RADWELL INTERNATIONAL, INC . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . .www .Radwell .com SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc . . . . . . . . . 2, C4 . . . . . . 3, 39 . . . . . .www .seweurodrive .com Siemens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . .www .siemens .com/industry-awards Stratus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . .www .stratus .com Unitronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . .www .unitronicsPLC .com Valmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . .www .valmet .com/fieldservices Yaskawa America, Inc . . . . . . . . . . C3 . . . . . . . . 38 . . . . . . .www .yaskawa .com YOKOGAWA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . .www .yokogawa .com/oprex/

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Technology

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Let’s Get Connected Introducing the GA800 Variable Frequency Drive

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For more info: https://www.yaskawa.com/ga800-drive

input #38 at www.controleng.com/information

Overworked?

Tired of working nights and weekends on motion control projects? It’s time to contact an automation specialist at SEW-EURODRIVE to help solve your design challenges.

Using the latest innovation, we provide a complete package from start to finish including, project planning, design, software, components, commissioning, and worldwide support.

Go home . . . we got this!

seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537 input #39 at www.controleng.com/information