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Vol. 68 Number 2
®
FEBRUARY 2021
ANSWERS 19 | Evolution of control systems with artificial intelligence 22 | AI: PC-based control boosts sterile sampling bag production 55 | AI application
19
COVER: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE applications for the Microsoft Bonsai Brain include dynamic and highly variable systems, competing optimization goals or strategies and unknown starting or system conditions, among others. Image courtesy: Wood
INSIGHTS 8 | Technology Update: Direct drive vs. geared rotary servomotor: A quantification of design advantage: Part 3
28 | Modernize legacy distributed control systems for a competitive edge 29 | How cybersecurity is affecting control and automation 31 | Growing ICS vulnerabilities mandate prioritization
Vunerabilities by attack vector Physical Adjacent 5.75%
Local 22.47%
12 | Technology Update: Lessons learned for new approaches in machine control
34 | What OSHA can teach us about cybersecurity
14 | Technology Update: PLC users can access cloud services without programming
36 | How robotics engineers are taking on COVID-19
NEWS
16 | Disinfection robot developed to help stop COVID-19 spread, More collaborative robots; Headlines online 18 | Think Again: OT, IT collaboration helps IIoT
p.22
25 | Evolving control systems are key to improved performance
Network 70.14%
p.31
ONLINE | For all links to all posts at www.controleng.com during January 2021, see p. 6.
INSIDE MACHINES
M1 | Reducing COVID-19 worker risks with robots
CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 68, No. 2, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, Monthly, except in November, by CFE Media, 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 2021 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, 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, 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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February 2021
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FEBRUARY 2021
®
INNOVATIONS NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS
43 | ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS:
Spotlight on innovation. Best automation, control and instrumentation products in 21 categories See more New Products for Engineers at www.controleng.com/NPE.
BACK TO BASICS
54 | Automation design advice:
Automation product design, system integration and application advice follows from some of the 2021 Engineers’ Choice winners.
Control Engineering eBook series: SCADA & HMI eBook Winter Edition Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and humanmachine interfaces (HMIs) are a mainstay for engineers and allow them to better perform their tasks in a variety of industries. Featured articles include using HMIs as edge devices, doing more with HMI/SCADA software and more. Learn more and register to download: www.controleng.com/ebooks
NEWSLETTER: System Integration • Team time at AriZona Beverage Co. • How to acquire trained talent through new learning opportunities • Implementing secure remote access and MES • Advice for a manufacturing pandemic response plan • How system integrators can help reduce maintenance costs. 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 live Q&A sessions! https://cfeedu.cfemedia.com/learning-paths/ cfe-media-technology-virtual-training-week NEW: Virtual Training Week: Spring 2021
Global System Integrator Report Supplement to December Control Engineering and Plant Engineering Advice from automation and control system integrators with System Integrator of the Year for 2021, System Integrator Giants and more. www.controleng.com/GSIR
Control Engineering digital edition The tablet and digital editions provide links to additional article images and text online and links to other related, useful resources. www.controleng.com/magazine
controleng.com provides new, relevant automation, controls, and instrumentation content daily, access to databases for new products and system integrators, and online training.
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Online ®
Below are the articles posted in January 2021, in case you missed something. In the digital edition, at www.controleng.com/magazine, links are live!
Using IIoT for a more energy-efficient pump environment, https://www.controleng.com/articles/using-iiot-for-a-more-energy-efficient-pump-environment/ Top 5 Control Engineering Articles Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, https://www.controleng.com/articles/top-5-control-engineering-articles-dec-28-to-jan-3/ Machine-learning model boosts search for superhard materials, https://www.controleng.com/articles/machine-learning-model-boosts-search-for-superhard-materials/ Control Engineering hot topics, December 2020, https://www.controleng.com/articles/control-engineering-hot-topics-december-2020/ PLCs power industrial data integration, https://www.controleng.com/articles/plcs-power-industrial-data-integration/ Industrial automation unites the best of OT and IT, https://www.controleng.com/articles/industrial-automation-unites-the-best-of-ot-and-it/ Manufacturing digital transformation may start with consulting, https://www.controleng.com/articles/manufacturing-digital-transformation-may-start-with-consulting/ How robots help additive manufacturers add precision, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-robots-help-additive-manufacturers-add-precision/ Hot topics in Control Engineering for 2020, https://www.controleng.com/articles/hot-topics-in-control-engineering-for-2020/ Four ways to ensure production resiliency in food processing, https://www.controleng.com/articles/four-ways-to-ensure-production-resiliency-in-food-processing/ How digital twins can help process simulations, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-digital-twins-can-help-process-simulations/ Predicting robot movement, collective behavior, https://www.controleng.com/articles/predicting-robot-movement-collective-behavior/ Top 5 Control Engineering Articles Jan. 4-10, https://www.controleng.com/articles/top-5-control-engineering-articles-jan-4-10/ How advanced digital twin technology narrows the industrial skills gap, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-advanced-digital-twin-technology-narrows-the-industrial-skills-gap/ What OEMs look for in a robot supplier, https://www.controleng.com/articles/what-oems-look-for-in-a-robot-supplier/ Method developed to find toxic chemicals in drinking water, https://www.controleng.com/articles/method-developed-to-find-toxic-chemicals-in-drinking-water/ Safer, fast-charging aqueous battery developed, https://www.controleng.com/articles/safer-fast-charging-aqueous-battery-developed/ Metallic nanoparticles could find use in electronics, optics, https://www.controleng.com/articles/metallic-nanoparticles-could-find-use-in-electronics-optics/ Funding announced for advanced manufacturing projects, https://www.controleng.com/articles/funding-announced-for-advanced-manufacturing-projects/ How AI can help food manufacturers improve maintenance, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-ai-can-help-food-manufacturers-improve-maintenance/ Robot displays empathy to a partner robot, https://www.controleng.com/articles/robot-displays-empathy-to-a-partner-robot/ Top 5 Control Engineering Articles Jan. 11-17, 2021, https://www.controleng.com/articles/top-5-control-engineering-articles-jan-11-17-2021/ How wastewater surveillance can track COVID-19 infections, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-wastewater-surveillance-can-track-covid-19-infections/ What to know about industrial Ethernet versus office Ethernet, https://www.controleng.com/articles/what-to-know-about-industrial-ethernet-versus-office-ethernet/ Direct drive vs. geared rotary servomotor: A quantification of design advantage: Part 2, https://www.controleng.com/articles/direct-drive-vs-geared-rotary-servomotor-a-quantification-of-design-advantage-part-2/ Grant awarded to investigate acoustic graphene properties, https://www.controleng.com/articles/grant-awarded-to-investigate-acoustic-graphene-properties/ TSN helping pharmaceutical manufacturers improve operations, https://www.controleng.com/articles/tsn-helping-pharmaceutical-manufacturers-improve-operations/ Vertical pump efficiency and reliability, https://www.controleng.com/articles/vertical-pump-efficiency-and-reliability/ Designing customized robot brains for critical applications, https://www.controleng.com/articles/designing-customized-robot-brains-for-critical-applications/ Collaborative robot market predicted to surge, https://www.controleng.com/articles/collaborative-robot-market-predicted-to-surge/ Turbulence model developed to help aircraft capable of handling extreme scenarios, https://www.controleng.com/articles/turbulence-model-developed-to-help-aircraft-capable-of-handling-extreme-scenarios/ Digitalization crucial for food manufacturing processes, https://www.controleng.com/articles/digitalization-crucial-for-food-manufacturing-processes/ Wireless technology benefits for manufacturing, https://www.controleng.com/articles/wireless-technology-benefits-for-manufacturing/ How artificial intelligence will change work, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-work/ Top 5 Control Engineering Articles Jan. 18-24, 2021, https://www.controleng.com/articles/top-5-control-engineering-articles-jan-18-24-2021/ Optical sensor used for greenhouse gas detection, https://www.controleng.com/articles/optical-sensor-used-for-greenhouse-gas-detection/ Free PLC programming software for education, https://www.controleng.com/articles/free-plc-programming-software-for-education/ Disinfection robot developed to halt COVID-19 spread, https://www.controleng.com/articles/disinfection-robot-developed-to-halt-covid-19-spread/ OT, IT collaboration helps IIoT, https://www.controleng.com/articles/ot-it-collaboration-helps-iiot/ Machine-learning system adapts on the job, https://www.controleng.com/articles/machine-learning-system-adapts-on-the-job/ Mobile safety standard for robots published, https://www.controleng.com/articles/mobile-safety-standard-for-robots-published/ More questions answered on IIoT cloud to edge, https://www.controleng.com/articles/more-questions-answered-on-iiot-cloud-to-edge/ How to choose between managed and unmanaged switches, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-to-choose-between-managed-and-unmanaged-switches/ Boosting productivity with automation, https://www.controleng.com/articles/boosting-productivity-with-automation/ Understanding ATEX and IECEx schemes, https://www.controleng.com/articles/understanding-atex-and-iecex-schemes/ How leaders develop individual employees and workplace culture, https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-leaders-develop-individual-employees-and-workplace-culture/ Non-automotive robotic orders surpass automotive orders in 2020, https://www.controleng.com/articles/non-automotive-robotic-orders-surpass-automotive-orders-in-2020/
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input #5 at www.controleng.com/information
INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: DIRECT-DRIVE MOTORS Dakota Miller and Bryan Knight, Yaskawa America Inc.
Direct-drive vs. geared rotary servomotor: A quantification of design advantage: Part 3 Direct-drive servomotors are becoming more common as range and availability expands for use in many machine and motor applications.
I Figure 1: This mechanical design is best used in space-constrained situations. All figures courtesy: Yaskawa America Inc.
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n the world of industrial automation, directdrive motors and gear servomotors are frequently quoted against one another for similar applications. This overlap often causes confusion about which motor type is best suited for a particular axis. As direct-drive servomotors become more common, with a wider range of sizes and features, direct-drive servomotors are finding homes in more applications.
boxes or timing belts are used to convert the excess speed capacity into usable torque and to reduce the reflected inertia to improve tuning. Instead, the direct-drive design uses a much higher pole count within the motor and windings optimized to provide high torque at lower speeds, similar to the torques and speeds exhibited by a highly-geared servomotor. Since the gearbox is eliminated, backlash is eliminated and efficiency is improved.
Attributes: direct-drive servomotors
Reflected inertia, motor inertia
A direct-drive servomotor is designed to accommodate the load mounted directly to the rotating flange of the motor. To accomplish this, the motors are designed with large, high-capacity bearings designed to carry the load without using additional support or bearings. Directly coupling the load to the motor also eliminates the backlash and torsional flex that can negatively impact the performance of a traditional rotary servomotor and gearbox combination. This simplified mechanical design, seen in Figure 1, lends itself to space-constrained situations such as robotic arms or a 4th or 5th axis on a computer numerical control (CNC) or additive manufacturing machine, where the space savings can reduce overall size and mass, improving system performance and reducing cost. Most rotary servomotors are capable of much higher speeds than most applications require, but they often lack sufficient torque. As a result, gear-
February 2021
control engineering
Matching the reflected inertia to the motor’s inertia is important in increasing the frequency response of the system. A poorly-matched system cannot be tuned for optimal performance and may, in extreme cases, oscillate or become unstable. While a gearbox reduces the reflected inertia in a geared rotary servomotor system by the square of the gear ratio, directdrive servomotors must handle the full inertial load without mechanical assistance. Direct-drive servomotors use a two-pronged approach for improving frequency response: increased rotor inertia, and high mechanical stiffness. The high mass and large diameter of the rotor provide sufficient inertia to damp disturbances at the load, reducing settling times, and improving system performance. On the other hand, the high mechanical stiffness associated with coupling the load to the rotor flange reduces the potential for stored energy, which can lead to oscillations and instability upon release.
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INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: DIRECT-DRIVE MOTORS
Figure 2: The hollow bore is critical because peripheral cables on the robot arm are passed through the center of the motor to reduce cable strain.
Figure 3: Inner rotor motors have lower rotor inertia and outer rotor motors have higher rotor inertia.
Settling, load disturbances
When properly sized, a direct-drive servomotor can offer better tuning performance with faster settling and increased resistance to load disturbances than a comparable geared servomotor. This reduction in backlash, high torque, and excellent inertia handling are reasons direct-drive motors have become commonplace in indexing table applications, where the rapid and repeatable movement of a large load is critical. The large rotor and bearings provide another benefit as well; shifting the mass outward opens up the center of the motor, leaving a large hollow bore. This hollow bore that gives the direct-drive motor its signaKEYWORDS: direct-drive motors, ture shape can be used to pass through servomotors cables and plumbing to equipment Direct-drive servomotors located at the load. The hollow bore are smaller than geared rotary is critically important in many robotservomotors and can be used in ic applications, where peripheral cables more applications. on the arm are passed through the cenWhen properly sized, a direct-drive ter of the motor to reduce cable strain. servomotor can offer better tuning
M More INSIGHTS
performance with faster settling and increased resistance than a geared rotary servomotors. Direct-drive servomotors come in three types: coreless, iron core with an inner rotor and inner core with an outer rotor.
ONLINE Read this article online at www.controleng.com for links to parts 1 and 2 of this series.
CONSIDER THIS What applications on your plant floor would benefit from direct-drive servomotors?
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Three basic design types
Three basic designs of direct-drive motors are: coreless with an inner rotor, iron core with an inner rotor and iron core with an outer rotor. Each offers an inherent advantage towards common industrial automation applications. The first distinguishing feature among these motor types is rotor type: inner rotor or an outer rotor; this refers to whether or not the rotor is inside the stator or outside of the stator. Outer
control engineering
rotor motors are well-suited for applications with high load inertia, as the larger radius of the outer rotor increases the rotor inertia. On the other hand, inner rotor motors have lower rotor inertia, and are best suited to applications with low load inertia and where high acceleration is required. The other common difference is whether or not the motor uses an iron core in the stator windings. The iron core is used to concentrate the magnetic flux from the stator windings and align it with the magnets in the rotor. The coreless direct-drive motor design foregoes the iron core, which reduces the magnetic efficiency, but also eliminates the cogging forces caused by the magnets passing by the iron core. The coreless design is used in semiconductor and coating equipment applications where the load inertia is typically small and the smoothest motion is required. While the iron-core motors are not quite as smooth, the difference is minimal, and the iron-core design offers the benefit of improved torque density. Direct-drive servomotors offer similar torque and speed characteristics to geared servomotors; however, the direct-drive motor’s design advantages make it the clear choice for many applications. Industrial automation applications such as semiconductor handling and machine tools benefit from the small size and low mechanical complexity of the direct-drive motor, whereas end-of-arm robot and additive manufacturing applications often take advantage of the direct-drive servo’s hollow bore for routing of cables and pneumatics. Furthermore, the exceptional inertia handling of a direct-drive motor excels at moving large inertial loads, such as those seen on an indexing table, improving performance and return on investment (ROI) versus an equivalent gear motor. Direct-drive servomotors can be applied nearly anywhere a geared rotary servomotor is used, and the added direct-drive servomotor benefits of smaller size, higher efficiency, improved tuning performance and easy integration may provide design advantages. ce Bryan Knight is product marketing manager, Yaskawa America; Dakota Miller is automation product specialist, Yaskawa America. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com
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INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Allen Tubbs, Bosch Rexroth Corp.
New machine control approaches
Digital assets create better customer experience, with open-automation advances, separating software from hardware, using open-source designs and easier to implement, flexible automation.
H
ow is rewinding videotape related to industrial machine control? Consider the role hardware plays versus software. The machine has a controller (a piece of hardware) that controls the entire process. To recover from a hardware failure, an exact replacement is required to replace that controller. To get the hardware replacement, the customer must wait for a shipment or use valuable resources to keep an exact duplicate on hand, a duplicate that is only useful if it is needed in the future. Then, there is a multiplication factor according to the number of different controllers in any given facility. Sidelined assets are called “shelfware,” a paid-for, but unused, component of automation or other plant assets. That’s not a desirable solution.
Digital innovation, better experience
“Be Kind, Rewind” was the polite suggestion labeled on the door, on the wall, on the tape and on the movie case at the Blockbuster video store (the signs were always friendlier than the glare of the store attendant if the VHS tape wasn’t completely rewound). It was not just technology that scripted the end to VHS. A better customer experience spelled the video store’s doom. Netflix came to the market and told customers to forget about late fees, rewinding tapes and leaving home to rent a movie. A new business focused on the customer experience and started using technology to make it better. Netflix created a from-home digital store, making it more convenient for customers to rent a video. They moved from hardware (plastic VHS tapes and DVD disks) to fully digital, online content. By eliminating Technology suppliers are embracing open-source automation. For example, the recently introduced Bosch Rexroth ctrlX Automation platform follows open automation principles. Based on a Linux operating system, the Bosch Rexroth ctrlX Core control system is designed as an open industrial automation platform, allowing customers the maximum freedom to apply or adapt their control systems in whatever direction they see fit. Courtesy: Bosch Rexroth
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hardware as a requirement to watch a movie, the customer experience was vastly improved while product availability simultaneously increased. Netflix customers can watch the newest or the oldest movie, instantly.
Make better use of automation assets
The idea of shelf-ware, unused assets for automation application always has been a problem because of the specialized nature of machine control. Machine control requires real-time processors, specialized communication hardware and a proprietary operating system software that often needed to be configured and designed for specific processors. All this added up to proprietary hardware and software that came in one package. Or, in the case of some automation suppliers’ PLC offerings today, more than 160 hardware types. While maintaining a fleet of control hardware is expensive for an end user, it is much more expensive for the supplier as well. Additional costs are incurred in hardware development and maintenance, certification costs for UL and CE ratings, documentation development, lifecycle management and more. Obsolescence is a problem as well since the spare asset is aging too. Technology upgrades along the way are not possible with this model.
Industrial control evolves: Relevance
Netflix disrupted the norm in movie distribution, and the initial steps were not easy or obvious. Netflix paid attention to the customer experience, eventually developing into the industry’s leading streaming content service with more than 180 million subscribers today. Old models reach the limit of usefulness and new ones must be developed to reach new levels of efficiency and value. Some software technology changes, already popular on the IT side of software, are beginning to work their way into OT software. The concept of “write once, run anywhere” was developed by Sun Microsystems in the ‘90s, and this represented a step change in creating hardware-independent software. The idea is that code should run on a PC, mobile and embedded devices or a server with minimal, if any, change being necessary. This step of freeing software from hardware opens the door to standardizing the hardware to simply have the processor and memory requirements necessary to run the software. Once this has become the case, the price of the hardware comes down drastically and www.controleng.com
availability greatly increases. Containerized software is making hardware/software separation easier from a software perspective as well. It is no longer necessary to run a proprietary operating system to make a control system work. Containers hold application code and all the dependencies needed to run without requiring separate installations of supporting software. This starts to break software into manageable chunks and allows developers to focus on building their value instead of duplicating efforts to put system support code around it. Developers can leave the operating system to the operating system experts and instead use container systems like Docker, Kubernetes and Linux Containers to deploy the software relevant to them alone.
Open-source software lowers costs
Open-source software (OSS) is helping developers put together complex applications without the grassroots effort to develop from scratch. To borrow the Java concept, OSS could be described as “write once, use everywhere.” One OSS benefit is the code is written once and maintained by a large group of developers. An example would be the open-source message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) broker, Mosquitto. It allows developers to use the MQTT broker functionality without the heavy lifting of developing a unique broker for the application. It is easy to see the savings in engineering time and the freedom for
development teams to focus on their value streams.
Streaming industrial control?
The collective benefit of these three software innovations is the value of the industrial controller is moving from the physical hardware to digital content. The Blockbuster model of branch stores is giving way to the Netflix model of focusing on digital value streams. By not tying the value of the controller to specific hardware, the value of the industrial control is freed from the physical container. It is not necessary to leave valuable assets on the shelf, waiting to be used. Containerized software puts distance between the value of the system and the necessity of proprietary hardware. Direct interaction with the operating system and complex entanglement with hardware systems are not necessary anymore. This brings more options to the table while simultaneously reducing cost. OSS plays a similar role to containerized software but is more related to focus. OSS removes the redundancy inherent in proprietary systems, allowing for concentration on value streams. More focus on the value stream and less focus on redundant support features reduces the overall cost and enhances the quality of the end product. ce
Allen Tubbs is a product manager for Bosch Rexroth’s automation and electrification business unit. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.
M More INSIGHTS KEYWORDS: Open-source
industrial automation, open-source software Digital innovation, better customer experience Better use of automation assets, separating hardware and software Open-source industrial automation advances.
CONSIDER THIS Are you implementing open-source industrial automation to lower development costs and advance ease of use and flexibility?
ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more about open automation. www.controleng.com/ magazine
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INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
Cloud services, no programming Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), machine builders and others can access a no-code Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) cloud platform via a PLC, providing easy-to-use data analysis tools, other functionality for bottom-line improvements.
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achine builders can raise design efficiency by using cloud-based Industrial Internet of Things software capabilities, building secure and scalable dashboards for customers. By using cloud-based capabilities from a machine builder’s supplier for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and human-machine interface (HMI), input-output (I/O) devices, variable frequency drives (VFDs) and motors, machine builders can quickly access, in under 30 minutes, data analysis tools to speed commissioning with no-coding software.
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PLC data harvesting, dashboard
M INSIGHTS KEYWORDS: IIoT, cloud
analytics Cloud service enables easy PLC data harvesting, dashboard displays. PLC data can be used for machine analytics. Machine performance KPIs can be used for comparative fleet analytics with rich cybersecurity features.
CONSIDER THIS If you haven’t added IIoT cloud-based functionality yet, would a no-programming software as a service (SaaS) help?
ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more resources. www.controleng.com/ magazine See related New Products for Engineers product categories at www.controleng.com/NPE More information is available from Unitronics about UniCloud.
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PLC application data can be harvested, analyzed and leveraged to increase efficiency, troubleshoot problems and implement preventive maintenance. These can reduce management overhead, leaving more time to expand business operations. Available capabilities in such software include multi-lingual dashboards by using drag-and-drop tools, without programming. Dashboards can be customized with branding with logo and colors in line with the machine builder’s brands. Users can create and assign roles and personalized dashboards as needed. Those with appropriate security clearance can access, monitor and trouble-shoot machines. Operational machine data can be managed for performance-related analysis.
PLC data for machine analytics
By using integrate IIoT capabilities in cloud services, key machine data from the PLC can harvested. Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be determined with centralized and aggregated data. Such data can be used to monitor and improve process reliability, reduce operational and maintenance costs, predict failures, minimize unplanned slowdowns and shutdowns and generate revenue. Machine builders can use information to locate sales
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As of its Feb. 1, 2021, introduction, Unitronics UniStream PLC Cloud Series is said to be the only PLC with embedded built-in cloud without monthly subscription fee or any additional purchase of hardware and software. Just connect and go. Courtesy: Unitronics
opportunities for complementary products, consumables and services. By using built-in cloud infrastructure, interfaces and functionality, it’s easier to setup and commission a system using a simple drag and drop interface; with a software as a service (SaaS), there’s no need to install software components, database management services or hardware. Wizards in software can help customize data displays, and the cloud software integrates with PLCs.
Comparative analytics, cybersecurity
When a machine builder uses data from many machines, comparative data can be used to improve designs, improve maintenance and help customers more effectively. They can look at KPIs over time, at one site, many sites, regionally or globally. During the pandemic, intelligence about machine performance can maximize remote troubleshooting and limit travel to the most-essential events, minimize risk. With increased connectivity needs, machine builders seek to minimize cybersecurity risk. Using a cloud-based architecture with multilayered security at its backbone can use such tools as: • Encrypted data at REST and in Transit • Encrypted REST APIs over TLS • MQTT X.509 certificate authentication • Protected with strict WAF rules against common attack patterns such as SQL injections, cross-side scripting, and other attacks • AWS resources audited via CloudTail • Anti-virus and application security with rolebased authentication, password policy • 24/7 monitoring via a human operations center. ce
Edited from a Unitronics UniCloud press release by Control Engineering, CFE Media and technology. www.controleng.com
Take your performance to the edge with advanced automation and control Emerson’s PACSystems™ portfolio of industrial automation controls enhance your operations and leverage data from the control room to the machine edge for improved productivity and efficiency. Our programmable logic controllers, including our industrial edge controller, combined with Emerson’s cutting edge Movicon NExT™ IIoT software and other HMI/SCADA solutions, brings you advanced analytics to solve your big data challenges. Visit www.emerson.com/PACSystems to learn more. Reach out to us directly at ContactUs@Emerson.com
input #9 at www.controleng.com/information The Emerson logo is a trademark and service mark of Emerson Electric Co. ©2020 Emerson Electric Co.
INSIGHTS
NEWS
Machine learning, machine vision: Robot helps stop COVID-19 spread For robots on wheels, narrower, shal- to perform this task,” Nguyen said. lower spaces, like between desks in a LASER-D has been tested around camclassroom or on stairwells, wheels can be pus. While LASER-D is not yet autonolimiting. LASER-D (Legged Agile Smart mous, increased autonomy and increased Efficient Robot for Disinfection) is a four- distance between the human operator and legged robot created by a team of USC the robot are long-term development goals. researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Said master’s student Abhinav PanEngineering. LASERdey, “Like a human, SEE VIDEO ONLINE D (Legged Agile the system should be Smart Efficient Robot able to identify what Just two images were for Disinfection ) a has to be disinfectused for training, instead of four-legged robot ed, whether or not created by a team of the disinfection took using 50,000 images. USC researchers at place properly durthe USC Viterbi School of Engineering. ing the first round, and whether or not the The robot combines locomotive agility and robot should move on or perform a second chemical disinfection to fight COVID-19, round of disinfection.” These are targets of among other applications. a future version. “This is the first time we’ve combined With LASER-D’s ability to move while a legged robot with the disinfection task,” spraying, the team believes it could be usesaid Quan Nguyen, an assistant professor ful in different areas, including agriculture. of aerospace and mechanical engineering. “A robot like LASER-D could perform This can be challenging, because we need very localized agricultural tasks like preto maintain mobility while positioning for cision pesticide dispensing or precision disinfection. LASER-D conserves energy irrigation,” said SK Gupta, Smith Internaby walking and positioning its body simul- tional Professor of Mechanical Engineertaneously. Thus, we can just use the robot ing and Computer Science. orientation to control the spraying of disCleaning applications that focus less infectant, instead of attaching an extra arm on disinfection and more on aesthetics
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Collaborative robot market surge
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nteract Analysis’ report on the collaborative robot market indicates there is optimism with significant growth predicted over the next decade after a rough 2019 and 2020. As is the case with many industries, COVID-19 has severely affected the short– and medium-term outlook for the collaborative robot sector. In 2020 the market saw negative growth for the first time -11.3% in revenue terms, and -5.7% in shipment terms. Factory and warehouse closures slowed down demand; and customers became more cautious about investment, leading to delays or even cancellations of orders. Interact Analysis’s research indicates there will be a V-shaped rebound for the industry which will result in growth of nearly 20% in 2021, surpassing 2019 market size. Thereafter, there will be an annual growth rate of the order of 15 to 20% leading to 2028. The forecast has been lowered compared to the equivalent 2019 report. Ccompetition from small articulated and SCARA robots in industrial settings, and the slower than expected increase in collaborative robot installations in non-industrial applications. – Edited from an Interact Analysis press release by CFE Media and Technology.
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such as cleaning shopping malls and cluttered office spaces —could also be potential applications, Gupta noted. LASER-D is an ambitious platform, aimed at achieving an autonomous option that can replicate human tasks that are repetitive, tedious and dangerous, and that also require precision. Crucial in this process is LASER-D’s vision system. The vision system, Pandey said, is based on machine learning. Traditionally, it would’ve required a lot of data to train their machine – 50,000 images or so, he said. But they had limited data. “We trained the machine on a pair of images instead,” Pandey said. “One image was of the surface prior to disinfection and the second image was of the surface postdisinfection.” This increased accuracy. The vision system helps the human operator review what the robot is seeing and allows the operator to weigh in during the process, versus only at the end. ce Avni Shah, USC Viterbi. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.
Headlines online Top 5 Control Engineering articles Jan. 18-24, 2021 Most-viewed articles include stories on wastewater surveillance tracking, COVID19 infections, using IIoT for a more energyefficient pump environment, VFD parameter changes and digital twin technology. Wireless technology benefits for manufacturing When using wireless technology in manufacturing, users need to be aware of standards and potential challenges. How artificial intelligence will change work MIT researchers discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) will change the nature of work. Optical sensor used for greenhouse gas detection from satellite Hugo www.controleng.com
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THINK AGAIN: RESEARCH
OT, IT collaboration helps IIoT Recent research shows more operational and information technology collaboration; 40% are spending more to do it. See advice.
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perational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) personnel are collaborating more, according to a CFE Media and Technology survey discussed in a Jan. 27 webcast, “Marketing to Engineers: Engineer-Vendor Interaction, Virtual Events, and IT/OT Collaboration.” See M2E events. Respondents numbered 202 for an error of +/- 6.9% at 95% confidence level. The survey asked how the relationship between the OT function and the IT function has evolved in recent years. Respondents could check all that applied, and 55% said it’s become more collaborative; 39% OT better understands the priorities of IT; 34% IT better understands the priorities of 24/7 production environment, and only 23% have established hybrid IT/OT departments that have helped with the relationship. In your facility, what system is considered the single voice of truth? 38% said control systems; the next four answers were 15% or less: manufacturing executions systems (MES), enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems, enterprise asset management (EAM) systems or “We don’t have one.” What are the primary goals of your facility’s IT/OT integration efforts? 63% said increase productivity. The next three answers all were 50% or less: Optimize production processes, increase equipment reliability and increase product quality. To reach your company’s goals relat-
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If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more more IT/OT advice. www.controleng.com/magazine More research: www.controleng.com/research
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ed to IT/OT integration, do you expect budget increases to cover additional use of third-party services of, for example, system integrators or contractors? Four in 10 said yes; undecided/we’re considering and “No” were about 3 in 10 each. How do you feel about where your organization is on your IT and OT collaboration journey? 42% said they were ahead of competitors. About one in four said they were losing ground to competitors and an equal number said IT/OT collaboration provides no competitive advantage.
IT/OT collaboration advice
Respondents also were given the chance to give advice to others starting their IT/OT journeys. Below, think again, about IT/OT collaboration advice: 1. Be realistic when collecting data and take the right decision before concluding the outcome. 2. Communication is key, and both groups MUST cooperate and understand that each must compromise. 3. Getting help from outside third parties that understand both IT and OT systems made a huge difference in our journey. Hiring contractors with this blend of knowledge to conduct security training events (both in person and remote) for our IT and OT staff greatly helped to build consensus and removed the previous cultural differences. Training and awareness has made the largest difference within our organization. 4. Have the talk. Most companies (I was an integrator previously) dread the divide and never get down to actually talking about it. In my experience, it seemed more complicated than it actually was. 5. I have seen better results splitting IT into enterprise and factory automation departments. ce
Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.
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ANSWERS
COVER: AI FOR CONTROL SYSTEMS Kence Anderson, Microsoft; Winston Jenks, Wood; Prabu Parthasarathy, PhD, Wood
Evolution of control systems with artificial intelligence Can artificial intelligence (AI) prove to be the next evolution of control systems? See three AI controller characteristics and three applications.
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ontrol systems have continuously evolved over decades, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are helping advance the next generation of some control systems. The proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller can be interpreted as a layering of capabilities: the proportional term points toward the signal, the integral term homes in on the setpoint and the derivative term can minimize overshoot. Although the controls ecosystem may present a complex web of interrelated technologies, it can also be simplified by viewing it as ever-evolving branches of a family tree. Each control system technology offers its own characteristics not available in prior technologies. For example, feed forward improves PID control by predicting controller output, and then uses the predictions to separate disturbance errors from noise occurrences. Model predictive control (MPC) adds further capabilities to this by layering predictions of future control action results and controlling multiple correlated inputs and outputs. The latest evolution of control strategies is the adoption of AI technologies to develop industrial controls. One of the latest advancements in this area is the application of reinforcement learning-based controls.
Three characteristics of AI-based controllers
AI-based controllers (that is, deep reinforcement learning-based, or DRL-based, controllers) offer unique and appealing characteristics, such as: 1. Learning: DRL-based controllers learn by methodically and continuously practicing – what we know as machine teaching. Hence, these controllers can discover nuances and exceptions that are not easily captured in expert systems, and may be difficult to control when using fixed-gain controllers. The DRL engine can be exposed to a wide variety of process states by the simulator. Many of these states would never be encountered in the real world, as the AI engine (brain) may try to operate the plant much too close or beyond to the operational limits of a physical facility. In this case, these
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excursions (which would likely cause a process trip) are experiences for the brain to learn what behaviors to avoid. When this is done often enough, the brain learns what not to do. In addition, the DRL engine can learn from many simulations all at once. Instead of feeding the brain data from one plant, it can learn from hundreds of simulations, each proceeding faster than what is seen in normal real-time to provide the training experience conducive for optimal learning. 2. Delayed gratification: DRL-based controllers can learn to recognize sub-optimal behavior in the short term, which enables the optimization of gains in the long term. According to Sigmund Freud, and even Aristotle back in 300 B.C., humans know this behavior as “delayed gratification.” When AI behaves this way, it can push past tricky local minima to more optimal solutions. 3. Non-traditional input data: DRL-based controllers manage the intake and are able to evaluate sensor information that automated systems cannot. As an example, an AI-based controller can consider visual information about product quality or an equipment’s status. It also takes into consideration control engineering
COVER: Applications for the Microsoft Bonsai Brain include dynamic and highly variable systems, competing optimization goals or strategies and unknown starting or system conditions, among others. Images courtesy: Wood
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COVER: AI FOR CONTROL SYSTEMS in training AI engines to effectively control industrial processes. To achieve this, simulators need to be able to run in a distributed fashion across multiple CPUs and potentially in the “cloud.” Multiple instances of the simulations are needed to either exercise, train or assess potential new AI algorithms in parallel execution. Once this is achieved, operator trainer systems that have been developed using tag-based simulators can be used for training DRLbased AI engines.
Design and training of the brain Tracking energy parameters in a dashboard can help visualize optimization goals.
categorical machine alerts and warnings when taking control actions. AI-based controllers can even use sound signals and vibration sensor inputs to determine how to make process decisions, similar to sounds human operators are subject to. The ability to process visual information, such as the size of a flare, differentiates and reveals DRL-based controllers’ capabilities.
Enabling DRL-based control systems
Four steps are involved in delivering a DRL-based controls to a process facility: 1) Preparation of a companion simulation model for the brain 2) Design and training of the brain 3) Assessment of the trained brain; and 4) Deployment. Enabling DRL-based controllers requires a simulation or “digital twin” environment to practice and learn how decisions are made. The advantage of this method is the brain can learn both what is considered “good” as well as what is “bad” for the system, to achieve stated goals. Given that the real environment has variabilities – far more than what are usually represented – within a process simulation model and the amount of simulation required to train the brain over the state space of operation, reduced order models that maintain fundamental principles of physics offer the best method of training the brain. These models offer a way to develop complex process simulations and are faster during run-time, both of which allow a more efficient way to develop the brain. Tag-based process simulators are known for a simple design, ease of use and ability to adapt to a wide range of simulation needs, which fit the requirements of a simulation model required to train DRL-based brains. In this modern age, when panels of lights and switches have been relegated to the back corner of the staging floor, tag-based simulators have become much more significant in making the job of an automation engineer less cumbersome. Using simulation to test a system on a factory acceptance test (FAT) prior to going to the field has been the “bread and butter” of process simulation software for decades – well before the advent of modern lingo, like “digital twin.” The same simulators can be used
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Designing the brain based on the process targeted to be controlled is crucial in developing a successful DRL-based, optimal control solution. The brain can consist of not only AI concepts, but can also include heuristic, programmed logic, and wellknown rules. When the information from a subject matter expert (SME) is properly gleaned, the ability to implement a brain using that information is key to the success of a project. Using subject matter expertise to construct insightful training scenarios is crucial to developing a robust AI-based control system. Before a DRL engine can be trained with a model, a human must decide what elements of the model will be exposed as the process state to the brain. The process state is generally a collection of measured values available to the automation system. Levels, temperatures, setpoints, etc., are all typical examples. Exposing too little of the process state will not allow the brain to learn from enough data. With a state that is too large, the number of internal hyperparameters can quickly grow. This prevents the brain from learning as quickly as possible, since a portion of its effort is wasted to figure out what parts of the process state are less important. A similar situation occurs with data that flows from the brain to the process. The human must decide which actions it will allow the brain to manipulate, which determines the effort required to control the most desirable state of the process. Usually, the decision about what to include in the actions available to the brain is easier to determine, as there are only so many control valves or other mechanisms available to control the process. The decisions about the size of the process state and action space boil down to which simulation tags should be included in each of the state and action structures. In a tag-based simulator, states and actions are defined. Selecting the tags from a list and clicking a button can add them to the state or action structure used by the brain.
Defining state and action spaces
Inkling is a language developed for use in training DRL agents to express the training paradigm in a compact, expressive and easy-to-understand syntax. Tag-based simulators can be programmed to automatically generate the Inkling code defining the state and action structures for the brain. www.controleng.com
Once the state and action structures have been defined, the goals of the training need to be defined to the brain. Typical requirements to train the brain are constructs, such as: goal, penalty, the lesson plan, and scenarios. In this example, about 40 lines of code needed to be created by the user to enable an AI brain to be trained using a simulation. The Inkling code generated describes two important things to the nascent AI brain – what to do, and how to do it. Specifically, this code has been generated to control the level in a tank through use of the upstream flow control and the downstream block valves. The “goal” statement describes the desired results of the brain’s actions, and in this case the actual level should be close to the setpoint level. Choosing the appropriate lessons and scenarios matched to a goal are the results of proper collaboration between the brain designer and the SME without overflowing the tank. The “lesson” and “scenario” statements tell the brain how to learn that goal. In this case, the scenario directs the brain to start each training episode with a random, yet constrained level and setpoint.
Creating code to create an AI brain
Effective training of the brain requires a very large state-space of operation to be explored. Cloud technologies allow for simulators to be containerized and run in a massively parallel environment. However, when desiring successful results, testing ideas to train the brain need to be run through the simulator locally first to “iron out” the bugs. Once the user is satisfied, the simulator can be containerized and run in the cloud. Typical brain training sessions can be anywhere between 300,000 and 1,000,000 training iterations. Training progress of a brain can be shown easily on screen, such as with a simple tank demo. Cloud resources can manage to train a simulator requiring half of a million iterations in less than one hour. A graph can demonstrate progress of brain training as a function of the number of iterations. The “Goal Satisfaction” parameter is a moving average of training episodes, resulting in the total number of goals being met. Typically, one requires a goal satisfaction value that reaches 100% to achieve effective control from the brain for all scenarios it has practiced on.
Assessment of trained brain
After a brain is trained, it needs to be tested to assess its viability. During this phase, the brain is run against the model to judge its behavior. However, this time the scenarios should be varied in the simulation – performing tests on the brain with situations it may not have encountered during the original rounds of testing. For instance, if a value is controlled by a combination of three valves, what happens if one valve is now unavailable? Can the brain do something reasonable if one of the valves is stuck, or out for
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Artificial intelligence technology can extend to any complex problem that can be modeled using simulations, such as controlling intermittent production upsets in topsides equipment in upstream oil and gas sector and refinery/chemical plant performance optimization and control.
maintenance? This is where simulator models developed for operator trainer systems or control system testing can be adapted. As one would do with control system testing, the AI controller needs to be put through a rigorous formal testing procedure. A simulator with an automated test plan can significantly reduce the effort required to assess the “trained” brain.
Deployment of the brain
Once the brain has passed the assessment test, it can be deployed. While there are many modes of deployment, the unique advantage of using tag-based simulators used for testing control systems is they can be used as the middleware to integrate the brain with the control system. With a large assortment of available drivers for various control systems, integration into a customer-specific site is much easier than using a custom solution. Additionally, from a software KEYWORDS: Artificial intelligence, control systems, VP Link, Bonsai, maintenance perspective, minimizing the simulation, reinforcement number of custom deployments is always learning appreciated.
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Artificial intelligence use cases
DRL-based brains have been designed for over 100 use cases and have been deployed spanning a wide variety of industries and vertical markets. Read examples with this article online. ce
Kence Anderson is the principal program manager, Autonomous Systems, with Microsoft. Winston Jenks is a technical director for Applied Intelligence with Wood, and Prabu Parthasarathy, PhD is the vice president of Applied Intelligence with Wood, a system integrator and CFE Media and Technology content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.
Characteristics of AI-based controllers include learning, delayed gratification and non-traditional input data. The AI controller needs its brain trained. AI controller use cases include energy optimization, quality control and chemical processing.
CONSIDER THIS Will you be giving your next control system the tools it needs to learn how to serve its applications better?
ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for use cases, details, figures, and images. www.controleng.com/magazine See related New Products for Engineers at www.controleng.com/NPE
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CASE STUDY: PC-BASED CONTROL, AI James Figy, Beckhoff Automation
PC-based control boosts sterile sampling bag production Labplas redesigns custom production machines with EtherCAT, robotics and AI for quality control, ensuring ROI of less than one year on all upgrades, for 15 to 35% machine productivity increases. Artificial intelligence (AI) helps.
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ttention to quality standards and flexibility in production are crucial for the aseptic sampling industry. After all, the sampling bags must carry sampling sponges, food items, pharmaceuticals or organic matter of all sizes for testing in labs and protect against contamination to ensure consumer safety. Labplas designs, builds and implements leadingedge technologies at its Montreal-area production facility. A tailor-made machine line creates custom products ranging from 3- to 33-in.-wide bags in various material types with few changeovers, rather than only standard sizes of sampling bags and kits. “We continuously improve our systems through automation to achieve even higher throughput for a larger number of products while maintaining our agility,” said Benoit Brouillette, general manager for Labplas.
Based in Sainte-Julie, Quebec, the company serves customers in the food, agriculture, environmental, veterinary and pharmaceuticals industries, among others, through a network of independent distributors in roughly 55 countries. Products include sterile sampling bags, testing wand kits, bags for the food industry and environmentallyfriendly biodegradable bags. The company added a microbiology lab in recent years for research and development and to ensure product quality and conformance for reliable sampling, though its main technological advances have been in automation and controls. The MM machine line series has gone through many iterations between the first machine commissioned two decades ago and the company’s 24 production lines today. During a recent redesign of several MM lines, the engineering department implemented additional robotics and GigE cameras to improve throughput and repeatability, and they are in the process of deploying artificial intelligence (AI) for greater quality control, according to Christian Fontaine, Labplas R&D department manager. The key for Labplas in any upgrade is carefully considering the control platform down to the component level. “To remain versatile enough to produce custom products, the MM lines have to sustain a high level of complexity. If you can’t trust every part of your machine, it’s impossible to trust the end results,” Fontaine said.
Sampling reliable, open technologies
The MM machine lines at Labplas rely on many automation and controls solutions from Beckhoff. Images courtesy: Beckhoff
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The engineering team prioritized system openness, which is necessary to increase data acquisition and to integrate third-party components and software in real-time. For example, Labplas wanted to upgrade its assembly technology to form sampling bags and insert the sampling accessories, such as sponges, cloths, spoons or scissors with a robot arm. Previously, operators manually inserted sponges and placed kits in the finished open-top www.controleng.com
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Additional robotics and GigE cameras improve throughput and repeatability; artificial intelligence (AI) will improve greater quality control.
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bags. To achieve the design upgrade of the MM line, Labplas considered different form-fill-seal partnerships and designed a way of integrating this equipment with a six-axis robot. All components needed to work together in realtime without cross-vendor communication issues, while collecting and storing data on company servers or dedicated computing hardware for reporting and process improvement. In addition, the MM redesign was expected to serve as a model for future improvements plantwide to increase throughput and make it easier for operators and maintenance personnel to move from one line to another, Brouillette said: “Our goal is to develop a standardized system in which the automation equipment and machinery will be as fixed as possible, even if we have very versatile lines with machines capable of producing over 1,000 different product types.” Because traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from a previous vendor could not support the robotic requirements, much less AI, Labplas began to seek new partnerships in 2015. The engineering team identified PC-based controls as the best approach. Automation and control technologies, along with value-added services became components for processes and machines.
Robotics and software boost production
New machine designs included multiple PCbased control solutions, motion control hardware and universal automation software with kinematics. Labplas used robots across 15 lines, and the pick-and-place robots and other motion axes are fitted with servomotors controlled by EtherCAT servo drives. The high-performance synchronous servomotors provide very low rotor inertia and a very high overload capacity for dynamic applications. They connect to the drives using a one-cable design, which reduces wiring by combining power and feedback. The servo drives feature fast control algorithms with minimum current control, speed control and position control of 62.5 μs. “The servo drives must deliver incredible precision and acceleration for the servomotors, especially for the delta robots,” Fontaine said. An integrated functional safety drive card with
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Using TwinCAT Kinematic Transformation software with Codian pickand-place robots, along with other upgrades, made insertion of sampling implements six times faster.
built-in safe torque off (STO) and safe stop 1 (SS1) functionality also was used, with the option to add safety I/O hardware with programming via the standard automation software. Beyond safety, this automation software serves as a universal software platform for the MM production lines’ PLC, motion control and other requirements. The software’s kinematic transformation supplements enable the design and commissioning of various robot types, including delta pick-and-place robots. “With kinematic transformation, high-precision movement is possible even at high speeds and accelerations due to integrated dynamic pre-control,” and the automation software suite makes it possible to control the robots and machine line in real time, said, Ted Sarazin, regional sales manager for Beckhoff Automation. control engineering
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CASE STUDY: PC-BASED CONTROL, AI
Beckhoff AM8000 Servo Drives provide outstanding responsiveness for the Codian robots.
“The software supports programming in numerous languages simultaneously, including everything from IEC 61131-3 with object-oriented extensions to C languages, so we can use the appropriate one for each application,” Fontaine said. Free trial opportunities help define design needs and lower risk prior to purchase.
Thinking outside the bag for industrial hardware
To boost flexibility and repeatability, the MM machine lines rely on a number of other control solutions. Engineers and operators interact with the MM machines via built-in widescreen panels, which provide multi-touch display hardware with an IP65 rating on the outward-facing side. One-cable design combined power, USB 3.0 signal and DVI signal for control panels up to 100 m away from the KEYWORDS: PC-based control, PC-based machine controller. robotics, plant floor upgrade A DIN-rail-mounted embedded PC Labplas upgraded their is the main machine controller for the operations by going with advanced MM lines. This PC-based PC-based control to help better manage their operations. controller featured a dual-core proImplementing open, PC-based cessor to automate the production of solutions, helped each line sampling products with the universal achieve a return on investment automation software. (ROI) in less than a year. “These industrial-grade PCs control Labplas boosted quality all automated equipment, including the assurance and throughput servo drives, sensors and so forth on the across all sampling bag sizes, achieving an average productivity MM machine lines,” Fontaine said. “On gain of 25%. the MM9 iteration, for example, the small embedded controller has to delivONLINE er the processing power needed to drive See more photos online. our complex machine with seven axes For more information visit: of motion along with one five-axis and www.labplas.com two three-axis Delta robots, and still CONSIDER THIS have available CPU bandwidth for qualWhat benefits could your plant ity monitoring and potential self-healgain from an upgrade that uses ing software.” PC-based control?
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The embedded PCs also provide installation and processing power for third-party software that runs in a Microsoft Windows environment. This includes the customized Laplas AI implementation for quality control. “We are deploying AI tools on the bag lines mainly to detect and handle defects autonomously on product and predict quality by monitoring equipment condition with data from the motors, sensors and cameras,” Brouillette said. “This would be impossible without significant computing power.” Further increasing system openness, EtherCAT provides real-time networking and I/O solutions for the MM machine line. Fontaine explained DINrail-mounted I/O terminals connect to the embedded PCs and are distributed to connect with sensors, valves, terminal cards, solid-state relays (SSRs) and other devices on the MM machines: “With one Ethernet cable, the EtherCAT protocol allows us to transfer information between the components at a higher speed than the controller cycle time, including the safety functionality,” he said.
Unsealing future productivity, flexibility
By implementing open, PC-based solutions, each upgraded Labplas line achieved a return on investment (ROI) in less than one year. They also increased the flexibility of the MM machines to produce more sizes with fewer changeovers and enabled the use of AI and robotics to complete processes quickly and at the highest quality. “By performing quality control with AI directly on the machine, the operator can focus on the supply and packaging of products rather than the quality control. This also allows us to implement predictive maintenance, addressing any equipment and process issues before they halt production,” Brouillette said. Beyond increasing quality assurance, Labplas also boosted throughput across all sampling bag sizes, achieving an average productivity gain of 25% on redesigned MM machines. “As the bag sizes become wider, the gains in efficiency diminish slightly,” he said. “Therefore, we gained on average 15% productivity for bags wider than 10 inches and up to 35% for our smaller formats.” In addition, the insertion of sampling kits on the MM8 is now six times faster through the addition of robots and the other upgrades implemented. Fontaine and his team designed, built and implemented the machines with robotics in-house, with training and technical assistance from applications and support engineers. ce
James Figy, senior content specialist, Beckhoff Automation LLC. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com
ANSWERS
CONTROL SYSTEMS Sean Sims, Emerson
Evolving control systems are key to improved performance Flexible computing, contextual data and modular architectures will change the face of control systems and improve overall plant performance, helping to lower risk from retirements.
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rganizations invest in control systems intending that the control systems will operate as intended for many years. However, the pace of change for control systems is accelerating, and the next decade will bring tremendous evolution. Understanding these changes is critical for organizations seeking to secure the best operational performance and return on control system investments. For decades, the control system was constrained by physical hardware: hardwired input/output (I/O) layouts, connected controllers and structured architectures including dedicated networks and server configurations. Now, the lower cost of processing power and sensing, the evolution of network and wireless infrastructure, and distributed architectures (including the cloud) are unlocking new opportunities in control systems. Additionally, emerging standards for plug-and-produce, such as advanced physical layer (APL) and modular type package (MTP) interfaces, will drive significant changes in the way plants design and use control systems over the next decade. Even with the changing times and technologies, the equation for success remains the same: choose a reliable, easy-to-engineer control system while providing access to new technologies for improving operations performance.
Control system flexibility mitigates retirement risks
Over the last decade, industry has watched expert personnel reach retirement and has taken steps to mitigate the impact of this loss of expertise. This trend has been exacerbated by recent COVID-19 operating conditions, causing a number of industries to limit on-site personnel. At the same time, an abundance of new sensing technologies and high-bandwidth transmission options have plants collecting more data than ever, with organizations wanting to extract more value from the data to drive business performance
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Figure 1: Critical control system data will be visible across the enterprise, enabling small teams to provide support for multiple geographically distant locations. All figures courtesy: Emerson
and differentiation. This includes more flexible product delivery capabilities, optimizing quality and throughput consistency, and driving a higher level of operational safety and environmental compliance. In response, many organizations will extend control architectures into a more distributed geographic infrastructure, enabling small, centralized teams of experts to provide support across a fleet (Figure 1). These internal experts can be supplemented by experts from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vendors by granting them secure access to relevant aspects of this infrastructure. One of the elements of this distributed architecture is the cloud, private, public, or hybrid. Shifting non-core control components of the architecture to the cloud over time makes it easier for organizations to efficiently operate and make better decisions. Cloud users extract more value from data by control engineering
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CONTROL SYSTEMS engaging with expertise from all over the world, whether in their enterprises and/or across many service providers. Moreover, centralizing data in the cloud provides the advantage of lower lifecycle costs and reduced maintenance, as well as eliminating data silos.
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State-based control combines operator-initiated state transitions with automated control logic, enabling operators to help processes
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achieve optimum operations.
The move to centralized operations will require a shift in control system strategy, even if actual core control is not moving from the plant floor. The tools experts rely on – system configuration, device monitoring, alarm management, real time data and event historians, digital twins, patch management systems and more – are all elements of a control system. Many of these tools do not impact day-today controls, but they have been tied to the control system, which is tied to a physical location in the plant. Going forward, it will make more sense to host these components in the cloud. Centralized data and cloud architectures also will make it easier to deploy new technologies at short notice. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations used cloud hosting to deploy applications for one-way, secure mobile access to control system data (Figure 2).
As social distancing restrictions limited the number of personnel in the plant, organizations maintained business continuity by enabling regular monitoring of system reliability, even when key contributors were outside the facility. Control system projects also stayed on schedule by using cloud-based engineering capabilities. The same benefits can be leveraged in other situations where staffing is unexpectedly limited, such as during an extreme weather event, or an all-hands-ondeck issue at a facility.
Increased computing power enables more advanced control
While it makes sense for some data to move to the cloud for enterprise-level performance-based analytics, other essential data is needed closer to field devices and assets to improve operations and control on the plant floor. Control clusters with high computing power and edge analytics capability will make this shift possible. This type of edge computing is flexible and adaptable, providing variable control to different parts of the operation to enable modular manufacturing with plug-and-produce technology. The distributed control system continues to orchestrate control across the plant by leveraging a combination of edge computers and control clusters. In a control cluster, banks of computing power are located in different places across the architecture. Plant personnel can allocate control to any part of the cluster on demand. This provides flexibility for adding software, or for performing upgrades or maintenance. Operators and technicians also can move control to a different part of a cluster while working on part of the infrastructure, ensuring process control continues, even as the plant makes changes to the control philosophy or operational design.
Ease of integration expands efficiency gains
Figure 2: Centralizing data makes it easier for organizations to deploy one-way, secure mobile access to control system data, enabling plant personnel to maintain visibility from anywhere.
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The key to success is to find platforms enabling adoption of new technologies, while minimizing the expense of integration and engineering. The most advanced controllers can operate as standalone controllers and have the capability to natively integrate into a larger control system, enabling organizations to evolve the control architecture and its capabilities, along with processes and product. Industry leaders also are reducing effort for modular manufacturing implementations with new auto-configuration technologies. MTP technology – developed by the User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries (NAMUR) – leverages existing technologies to build an interface to integrate disparate systems in a formulated way, simplifying design of modular systems. www.controleng.com
MTP standardizes interoperability between production modules and the control system, allowing plants to mix and match components. The control system will continue to play a vital role in controlling and optimizing these disparate, but more integrated modular systems, and leveraging these integration efficiency standards is a key element for driving the best outcome.
APL, advanced control and digital twins augment operations performance
The control system has historically been used for regulatory control. In recent years, trends have shifted to provide operators with a broader span of control outside of the core operation of the plant. Control systems now encompass a great deal more analytics and decision support to help operators make better decisions across a wider area of responsibility. Technologies such as APL enable a cost-effective interface to field devices. APL connects I/O to field devices via Ethernet, creating a much faster communication stack. In addition, APL harmonizes the physical layer by deploying one standard physical layer to which multiple protocols can be applied, creating more consistency in how control systems physically interface with field devices. The ability to see a wider subset of data than was traditionally available will need to be supported with technology to help operators, engineers, and technicians make sense of the data. One key technology expected to see widely expanded use in the next few years is state-based control (SBC). SBC combines operator-initiated state transitions with automated control logic, enabling operators to help processes achieve optimum operations in any desired state. With SBC, automation technology drives equipment and units based on the current operational state. Operators act as process managers—intervening in the process only when prompted at critical points. SBC also maximizes the investment in the control system by capturing knowledge in the form of operating discipline users can leverage. It offers reduced training costs, and it drives enhanced safety and operability through the uses of safe states in units, and via communication among units to optimize the response to plant upset scenarios. Operators will focus more on the bigger picture of processes, monitoring key process indicators and making critical decisions to maintain and improve performance, availability, and quality. Tools such as digital twin simulations – exact virtual replicas of the plant environment – will play a key role in helping operators make the best decisions when a process trends the wrong way (Figure 3). Instead of making a decision, implementing it, and hoping it was the right choice, operators will
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Figure 3: Life sciences organizations are leading the way with advanced technologies such as digital twin simulation, which lets operators run tests on a virtual environment to see how planned changes will resonate before implementing them in the real world.
instead use simulations to test key decisions in an offline environment. For example, an operator in a plant may notice a process parameter is trending the wrong way. The operator, using a digital twin tries a new scheme, only to discover it runs too close to the trip limit. Wanting to avoid this scenario, the operator instead tests alternatives using the digital twin and discovers a way to safely bring process parameters back in line. The operator is guided to the correct decision without having to test anything on live processes and equipment. The digital twin will be available on-premise and in the cloud and will be a standard part of most projects.
Practical value remains the priority The modern control system and cloud computing will provide ways to centralize and contextualize data, enabling small groups of skilled personnel to cover wider geographic areas, while providing superior service. To get the best value from these new solutions, organizations need pre-engineered and easy to deploy automation platforms to help them evolve as market and business conditions change. The control system will always be the brain behind plant operations, but for organizations embracing the upcoming changes, it will also become an enabler for operational success across the enterprise. ce
Sean Sims is the vice president for Emerson’s DeltaV platform. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media & Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.
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KEYWORDS: Control systems, digital twins, edge computing Control system technology improvements can make plant operations faster and safer. Recent workplace changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced operators to make their control systems more flexible. Advances in edge computing, digital twins and computing power let control systems make more decisions. ONLINE See additional stories about control systems at www.controleng.com.
CONSIDER THIS What control system changes are you hoping will occur in the plant?
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FUTURE DCS
Travis Giebler and Hayden Serio, Maverick Technologies
Modernize your legacy DCS Expired distributed control systems cannot compete with a new system.
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or many industrial facilities, time is running out to digitally transform and update or migrate legacy distributed control systems (DCSs). Shelf life on once stalwart DCSs is expiring. Status quo is no longer an option as manufacturers risk losing operational control of their processes. They face increased component failure, which leads to downtime and lost production. Add the lack of available resources to maintain or repair older equipment and the potential for safety and environmental risks increase. To stay competitive, manufacturers need to reevaluate existing operations and leverage the new technology in a modern-day process control system infrastructure. A DCS upgrade or migration is daunting, but change is inevitable to keep pace with ever-evolving technology and consumer demands. New technologies deliver the promise of greater interconnectivity and system visibility across the enterprise. The ease of system access and the ability for personnel to capture data helps improve operational efficiency and performance. Consider the features and functions of a new and improved DCS.
Open DCS communication
A modern DCS ensures open communication to smart field devices, subsystems, and higher-level enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execuKEYWORDS: Distributed control tion systems (MESs), making real-time system, process control data accessible across the enterprise as it system comes directly from the system controlExpired DCSs lead to lead to ling the facility. component failure. Diagnostic information about – and New process control systems calibration of – the facility’s instruments is bring open communications, easier integration and faster often now available from a DCS workstaresponses. tion without the need for third-party asset New process control systems management systems or communicators also bring analytics, advanced (HART). This feature can result in a large controls, virtualization and cost savings for manufacturers in implesimulation for next-generation engineers. mentation and maintenance.
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CONSIDER THIS What new process control system advantages are you missing?
ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more details on each feature. www.controleng.com/magazine
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Abnormal situation response
The modern DCS has many more capabilities from human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and graphics techniques, where only the most critical information is provided. Operators can more effectively facilitate, identify, and respond to abnormal situations. Rather than hav-
control engineering
ing to understand and navigate multiple menus required in legacy systems, modern high-performance HMIs call attention to a problem before it escalates, allowing operators to jump to where they need to be as process problems arise. Some DCSs have tools to automatically generate visualization of logic for faster problem resolution.
DCS alarm management, DCS analytics
Many of today’s DCSs have built-in or add-on alarm management and analysis packages. These systems help suppress alarm floods or nuisance alarms and let personnel measure the health of an alarm management system to identify top bad-actor alarms, frequency of alarms, etc. A modern system requires little setup beyond activating the feature.
DCS advanced controls
Many DCSs today have various forms of multivariable, advanced control built directly into them. This allows manufacturers to do smallscale advanced process control with the DCS they already have rather than requiring a separate and expensive model predictive control platform.
DCS virtualization, simulation
Nearly all DCSs today can be run on virtual servers, which results in better reliability, portability and disaster recovery. Live migration of virtual machines will move the facility’s servers to a new physical host in the case of catastrophic hardware failure without noticeable impact to operations. Simulation tools and software help personnel gain hands-on, practical training in a controlled environment, mitigating safety risks.
DCS for the next-generation engineer
Young engineers can relate to a more integrated, modern environment where they can learn cuttingedge software and applications (such as augmented- and virtual reality-based simulation tools, mobile applications, cloud and edge computing, smart manufacturing tools and the latest digital thread/twin technologies) to help them advance in their careers. ce
Travis Giebler is a technology team manager, and Hayden Serio is a technology leader, at at Maverick Technologies, a CFE Media and Technologies Content Partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com
ANSWERS
ICS CYBERSECURITY Max Wandera, Eaton
How cybersecurity is affecting control and automation Engineers working with industrial cybersecurity need to understand the increased risks as automation becomes interconnected. Build industrial systems that will operate securely throughout the lifecycle.
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he Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), connected devices and the vast amounts of generated data create industrial opportunities, but it also increases cybersecurity risks. This shift challenges engineers to follow robust cybersecurity practices to design and build systems that will operate securely throughout the lifecycle. A discussion with Max Wandera, the director of Eaton’s Product Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, provided best practices for control engineers working on industrial cybersecurity.
What are the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing the control and automation industries?
Key trends impacting cybersecurity are increasing digitalization and the current lack of global, universally accepted standards for cybersecurity. Creating trusted environments is a must, and I believe cybersecurity is a must-have for product development, much like safety and quality. Cybersecurity threats must be taken seriously and met proactively with a system-wide defensive approach. Analysts at Grand View Research Inc. estimate nearly $950 billion will be spent on the deployment of IIoT solutions globally by 2025. As organizations expand their digital footprint, it is imperative to protect the availability, integrity and confidentiality of connected systems. Creating cybersecure environments is complicated without a global conformance assessment. Today, countries throughout the world develop their own requirements. This conformity gap makes it difficult for manufacturers to determine the standards to which they should build and comply, particularly as products are manufactured and sold around the world. Further, control systems and electrical infrastructure typically consist of technologies from different suppliers. Where should the element of trust begin and end if there is no global conformity assessment scheme to ensure integrated components lack vulnerabilities?
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Having a common set of verified product requirements at a global level, is an important starting point. On cybersecurity, Eaton has worked with UL, the International Technical Commission (IEC), the International Society of Automation (ISA) Global Cybersecurity Alliance and other partners inside and outside of the electrical industry to drive development of a global conformance assessment for power management technologies.
How can engineers ensure critical systems and processes are built on a secure foundation?
Security of a network or system is only as strong as its weakest link. Engineers need to make sure they are applying secure-by-design principles throughout their development lifecycle. They need to make sure they have the right training, technology and process in place to drive cybersecurity requirements throughout the product lifecycle.
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Which cybersecurity codes and standards are important for engineers?
There are process, product and lab certifications, and achieving accreditations is essential to building trusted environments. The IEC adopted the 62443 series of standards, which is a framework to address the cybersecurity of industrial control systems (ICSs). These standards provide requirements for all of the principal roles across the system lifecycle – from product design and development through integration, installation, operation and support. IEC also added 624434-2 to improve the security of products. UL also created its 2900 Standard for Software Cybersecurity for NetworkConnectable Products (UL 2900). These guidelines include processes to test
KEYWORDS: Industrial cybersecurity, industrial automation Cybersecurity global standards from IEC, ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance and UL help lower risk Cybersecurity education and training CONSIDER THIS What have you done lately to lower cybersecurity risk?
ONLINE If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline for more resources. www.controleng.com/magazine www.controleng.com/ networking-and-security/ cybersecurity/ www.controleng.com/webcasts/ cybersecurity-what-you-needto-know/
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ICS CYBERSECURITY devices for security vulnerabilities, software weaknesses and malware. This standard confirms the device manufacturer meets the guidelines for: • Risk management processes • Evaluation and testing for the presence of vulnerabilities, software weaknesses and malware • Requirements for security risk controls in the architecture and product design. Eaton recommends managing cybersecurity risks through a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) with protocols in place for threat modeling, requirements analysis, implementation, verification and ongoing maintenance to manage risks throughout the product lifecycle. In October 2020, Eaton became the first company to have its product development processes certified by the IEC and UL. Eaton recently joined the International Society of Automation (ISA) Global Cybersecurity Alliance as a founding member to advance advocacy for a global cybersecurity standard and industry collaboration. Courtesy: Eaton
IEC and UL certification of product development processes mean that customers can be confident that products and solutions they buy from us meet the same level of standards recommended by two key standards organizations across the globe. UL provides a data acceptance program for manufacturers, which certifies testing laboratories with the global capability to test products with intelligence or embedded logic to key aspects of its 2900 standard. Products tested in these specialized labs are compliant with the industry’s highest cybersecurity requirements before they’re installed in critical systems. We introduced the first research and testing facility approved to participate in UL’s Cybersecurity Client Lab Validation program in Pittsburgh and later added a second Eaton lab to join the program in Pune, India. Beyond product certifications, I recommend engineers consult with manufacturers that embed security throughout the product development process, the secure development lifecycle (SDL). SDL was created in response to an increase in virus and malware outbreaks after year 2000. This approach to product development places cybersecurity front and center from inception to deployment and lifecycle maintenance. SDL can help manufacturers stay ahead of cybercriminals by managing cyber-
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security risks throughout the lifecycle of a product or solution.
What is the importance unifying cybersecurity requirements for connected devices and systems?
A connected world needs trusted environments. Advancing digitalization while building trust ensures the highest level of defense against emerging cybersecurity threats. As more industries deploy IIoT devices, the security and safety of systems providing essential operations become more important and more difficult to manage. These complexities are due, in part, to a lack of a global, universally accepted cybersecurity standard and conformance assessment scheme designed to validate connected products. A multitude of different standards and regulations created by various organizations, countries and regional alliances across the globe. All of these standards and regulations address the urgent need to secure our connected world, however they also create the potential for confusion and possibility of weak links in critical infrastructure ecosystems. The time to drive a singular conformance assessment is now, and we’re working with leaders across the industry to do just that. The International Society of Automation (ISA) Global Cybersecurity Alliance and its members advance advocacy for a global cybersecurity standard and industry collaboration.
How can engineers learn more about designing and maintaining securely connected systems?
Cybersecurity perspectives is a virtual global forum to help advance trusted digital environments. This online learning platform assembles experts, partners and customers from around the world to discuss hard-won lessons, best practices and industry standards to support a more secure tomorrow. On-demand educational sessions include keynote insights from industry leaders and expert-led panel discussions on security trends. ce
Max Wandera is director, Product Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Eaton; Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. www.controleng.com
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CYBERSECURITY
Isaac Guevara, Grantek, and Chen Fradkin, Claroty
Growing ICS vulnerabilities mandate prioritization Use vulnerability management at the convergence of information and operational technologies to lower risk to industrial control systems.
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t’s no secret information technology (IT) infrastructure and operational technology (OT) networks are converging, creating conditions that require industrial control systems (ICS) to become part of an overall cybersecurity program. It will be incumbent upon business leaders and decision makers to understand this collision and how to best extend core security controls, governance processes, and the technology stack to cover OT as well as it does IT. One foundational place to begin is vulnerability management. The disappearing landscape of air-gapped critical OT systems, where these systems are sheltered from internet connectivity, demonstrates this approach isn’t conducive to 21st-century business. Connectivity is oxygen for businesses, including industrial control systems and the processes they manage. While this is a positive, the tradeoff is the potential attack surface available to threat actors, both profit-driven cybercriminals and state actors, gets larger. Therefore, organizations must prioritize vulnerability management in order to strategically lessen their overall exposure, in addition to other security best practices such as network segmentation and the security of remote connections to OT networks. The first step is understanding the vulnerability landscape as it relates to OT and identify noteworthy trends in order to best prioritize patching and updating vulnerable systems.
Cybersecurity management system
The ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards provides a methodology for an organization to establish an OT security program. [ISA is the International Society of Automation. IEC stands for International Electrotechnical Commission.] The cybersecurity management system (CSMS) overviews the elements required for an organization to evaluate its current risks, how to address them, and keep its CSMS updated. Organizations often try to dive headfirst into the specifics of their ICS systems, trying to extrapolate every detail.
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While larger organizations sometimes have personnel to implement such a resource intensive methodology, most organizations struggle to deal with the expanding attack surface, which requires a risk assessment methodology that prioritizes remediating the highest risks. The CSMS provides this methodology by focusing organizations to build a risk analysis founded on business rationale and risk identification that considers not only financial loss but also health, safety, environmental, and any other consequences if the ICS environment was impacted by a cybersecurity attack. In August 2020, Claroty published a review of industrial control system vulnerabilities publicly disclosed during the first half of 2020. The vulnerabilities identified were reported to the Industrial Control System Cybersecurity Emergency KEYWORDS: Industrial control Response Team (ICS-CERT) or pubsystem (ICS) cybersecurity lished by the National Vulnerability ICS cybersecurity threats are Database (NVD). increasing The report revealed more than 70% Industrial networked devices, engineering workstation, of the 365 vulnerabilities affecting ICS remote sites may be sources of products sold by more than 50 vendors cybersecurity vulnerabilities. were remotely exploitable. This puts Standards and best practices, industrial equipment in the crosshairs consistently applied, can of an exponentially larger set of potendecrease cybersecurity risk. tial attackers, ones already adept at tarCONSIDER THIS geting internet-facing IT infrastructure. Are multiple experts Vulnerable ICS devices exposed online assessing and addressing ICS threaten the safety and reliability of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in your organization? industrial processes and could be attractive to hackers because of lax patching ONLINE and inadequate software or firmware If reading from the digital mechanisms available to devices. edition, click on the headline for
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Remote areas behind in software patches
Since many devices are operating remotely in difficult-to-reach locations, or where downtime may not be an option, a large number of them may be several patching cycles behind where they should be.
more resources www.controleng.com/magazine www.controleng.com/ networking-and-security/ cybersecurity/ ISA/IEC62443 series of cybersecurity standards: www.isa.org/standards-andpublications/isa-standards/ isa-standards-committees/isa99
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CYBERSECURITY
Engineering workstations: 58% of vulnerabilities
Vunerabilities by attack vector Physical Adjacent 5.75%
Local 22.47%
Network 70.14%
Industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity threats are increasing. A cybersecurity management system (CSMS) overviews the elements required for an organization to evaluate its current risks, how to address them and keep its CSMS updated. Claroty research shows 70% of cybersecurity vulnerabilities derive from the network. Courtesy: Claroty
Shodan, a search engine for internet-connected devices, has a specific search engine for ICS devices and has unveiled a staggering number of devices publicly available around the globe. Numbers as of Nov. 23, 2020, indicate roughly 4,000 EtherNet/ IP devices and more than 13,000 Modbus devices are internet connected. These devices, which are inherently insecure, along with research showing the remote exploitability of most vulnerabilities, give a good indication of the risk landscape many organizations face today.
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After establishing a cybersecurity management system, high-risk areas can then be detailed, starting with a full asset
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inventory and organizing assets into zones.
Organizations should also understand what product types are most vulnerable. The Claroty report said engineering workstations (EWS) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) make up the majority of vulnerabilities uncovered and disclosed during the first half of 2020. This is problematic because these product types play such crucial roles in industrial operations and therefore, as connectivity grows, also may appeal to attackers scanning for vulnerabilities.
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EWS applications – accounting for 58% of reported vulnerabilities found by Claroty researchers – should be prioritized in any OT, or converged IT/OT, environment because of their connectivity to the IT network, as well as their access to the shop floor and devices such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that control physical processes within OT networks. An adversary capable of accessing an EWS gains a network foothold, critical in many modern advanced attacks where lateral movement and process manipulation or interruption via denial-of-service attacks or ransomware, for example, is the endgame. Remote code execution attacks are a severe threat to OT networks, and account for a large number of the high-severity ICS vulnerabilities published by the NVD and ICS-CERT. Remote code execution attacks, combined with denial-of-service attacks, account for more than 80% of the vulnerability impacts possible if any of the flaws discovered were exploited. It’s also important to note how these vulnerabilities impact critical infrastructure sectors. Energy, critical manufacturing, and water and wastewater infrastructures were the most impacted by vulnerabilities listed in ICS-CERT advisories during the first six months of 2020; the water and wastewater sector alone experienced a 122% increase in vulnerabilities acknowledged by ICS-CERT; critical manufacturing and energy also were up 87.3 and 58.9%, respectively.
ICS vulnerabilities are up 10% in first half of 2020
Unfortunately, the number of ICS vulnerabilities disclosed during the first half of 2020 is trending in the wrong direction, up by 10% overall compared to the first half of 2019. Claroty researchers point out, however, this isn’t necessarily an indication of increased attacker activity targeting ICS devices and OT networks. Instead, it could be an indication of more scrutiny on these devices by legitimate researchers and heightened awareness of the risks posed by these flaws should they be attacked. Progress in cybersecurity standards and practices give a roadmap for securing their industrial infrastructure. Once an organization has established a CSMS and has performed a risk analysis, a high-level risk assessment can be performed to understand the impacts to the organization. High-risk areas can then be detailed, starting with a full asset inventory and organizing assets into zones. Zones are a logical or physical grouping of assets requiring the same security requirements and conduit a logical grouping of communication devices providing security over its channel. It should be noted asset inventories are often underestimated endeavors and, if performed manwww.controleng.com
ually, become labor intensive and get outdated quickly. It’s recommended that passive scanning tools designed for ICS environments be leveraged to minimize error, manual labor, and inventory maintenance, enabling the much-needed personnel to focus on higher-value efforts. Once the asset inventory is completed, a vulnerability assessment must be performed, allowing organizations to start identifying and prioritizing risk.
Cybersecurity: Security levels 0-4
The ISA/IEC 62443 series defines a set of security levels (SL) ranging from 0 to 4 defined as follows. SL 0 – No specific requirement or security protection necessary, SL 1 – Protection against casual or coincidental violation, SL 2 – Protection against intentional violation using simple means with low resources, generic skills and low motivation SL 3 – Protection against intentional violation using sophisticated means with moderate resources, IACS specific skills and moderate motivation, and SL 4 – Protection against intentional violation using sophisticated means with extended resources, IACS specific skills and high motivation.
Cybersecurity foundational requirements, 1-7
Each zone should be assigned a Target SL (SLT) in which the Achieved SL (SL-A) and Capability SL (SL-C) – an output of the risk assessment – can be compared for each zone to understand the required compensating countermeasures. To ensure methods of reaching the SL-T are clear, the series contains seven foundational requirements (FR) which are FR 1 –Identification and authentication control (IAC), FR 2 – Use control (UC), FR 3 – System integrity (SI), FR 4 – Data confidentiality (DC), FR 5 – Restricted data flow (RDF), FR 6 – Timely response to events (TRE), and FR 7 – Resource availability (RA).
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ICS-CERT advisories during the first six months of 2020: –Water and wastewater sector: 122% increase in vulnerabilities –Critical manufacturing: 87.3% increase in vulnerabilities –Energy: 58.9% increase in vulnerabilities Leveraging the ISA/IEC62443-3-3 standard, an organization is able to understand the full spectrum of compensating countermeasures and controls required for them to meet their SL-T. ISA has more about the ISA/IEC62443 series of cybersecurity standards at www.isa.org/isa99.
Respond to increased cybersecurity threats
Research indicates threats to the OT landscape are not slowing down. Threat actors have every reason, whether it be for monetary gain or state sponsored government efforts, to attack the ICS environment, which has never been more connected than now. It is critical an organization follow a standard such as the ISA/IEC62443 series CSMS which defines a program that understands risk based on business rationale and mitigates risk in a prioritized fashion. The standard provides welldefined foundational requirements every organization should have. It also allows flexibility based on the SL assigned. Organizations also should follow a number of critical best practices to secure internet-facing ICS devices, primarily to ensure patch levels are current to stem the threat posed by software and firmware vulnerabilities. Devices should also be password-protected, and granular controls should be in place governing who can access devices. Remote access connections should be monitored and secured by technologies appropriate to OT networks rather than an IT-friendly virtual private network (VPN). Organizations should also inventory available assets, segment networks, monitor for threats, and periodically review and update vulnerability management and risk management practices. Establishing a strong ICS cybersecurity posture is not simple, but it is possible with standard frameworks and toolsets. ce
Isaac Guevara is ICS network design specialist at Grantek, and Chen Fradkin is security researcher at Claroty; Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com. control engineering
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INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY John Livingston, Verve Industrial
What OSHA can teach us about cybersecurity Many of the lessons and changes applied to manufacturing after the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 can be applied to the growing challenge manufacturers face with industrial cybersecurity. Three keys to improving cybersecurity are highlighted.
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hat does OSHA teach us about industrial cybersecurity? Clearly, high cybersecurity risk could increase risk of industrial accidents, but OSHA’s model can help in other ways. Prior to 1970, worker safety in industrial settings was considered a secondary concern. Executives managed safety on an exception basis. Few organizations tracked employee injuries and even fewer measured or managed lost time due to safety incidents. Business lobbies argued manufacturing environments were safe, incidents were rare and impossible to eliminate without impacting industrial innovation. Companies managed “performance” metrics such as cycle time, throughput, cogs, etc., but executives downplayed safety for several reasons, which may sound familiar to people involved in industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity.
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Hackers have managed to inflict damage on several industrial companies, but the public
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announcements are still few and far between.
• Deaths were seen as affecting an inconsiderable portion of the total population of workers. In most cases, it was due to employee error rather than environmental factors. Most companies hadn’t been impacted by a serious incident. • The economic impact of worker injuries or sickness was small. Few plants had been shut down by safety incidents, and the cost of healthcare didn’t fall on the company. • There was no way to measure safety incidents in any consistent way. When they occurred, no one truly knew what to report or even wanted to report it.
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• There was no way to track the contributions to greater safety risks. The only measures were “outcome”-based – i.e., detecting an incident after it happened. Most organizations could not track or manage the leading indicators of risk.
OSHA changes manufacturing, worker safety
In the late 1960s, the manufacturing industry began to change. The watershed moment in the United States was the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1970. Now, 50 years later, safety is merely expected, and organizations measure and report on safety from the individual plant and facility levels all the way up to corporate metrics. The United States National Security Council estimates deaths due to workplace injuries is one-third of what it was in the 1960s. So what changed? Why did industrial organizations from the United States to emerging markets measure and manage safety more closely? • Government and private sector regulation forced a reckoning as local, state and national leaders responded to the pressure from unions and employees to protect workers. OSHA allowed the federal government to set standards and penalize companies for poor safety practices – not just for those who had incidents. Insurance companies were on the hook for workers’ compensation claims and instituted audits to ensure organizations followed best practices on leading indicators of injuries that may correlate to insurance claims. • Organizations measured all events including smaller incidents that were previously ignored. This data on reportable incidents, which was publicly disclosed in anonymized data, allowed organizations to put true costs to the reality of hidden workplace injuries or sickness. • Finally, companies found a way not just to www.controleng.com
track the outcome (i.e., injured workers), but also the “input” that could be managed to reduce the number of safety-related incidents. Tracking and managing these leading indicators allowed management to discover what enabled risks. In addition, OSHA and other government agencies around the world funded research on what leads to an increase in risks. Facilities and plants reported on their compliance with standards such as safety lanes for traffic in a plant, the use of hardhats, etc. This began a cultural shift which included it in training and implemented regular safety messages prior to group meetings.
Three manufacturing lessons for cybersecurity from OSHA
This begs the question: Is the OSHA model relevant for cybersecurity? Can our experience of dramatically improving industrial safety through OSHA inform how to address industrial cybersecurity? The answer is yes. We can apply many of the same principles and approaches to addressing cybersecurity today as we did 50 years ago in safety. That said, manufacturers should not expect immediate results or quick fixes. There are three keys to achieving similar improvements in cybersecurity as in safety:
1. Change requires recognition of the impact of cyber-related events on safety, production, and potential external organizations. Today, a general refrain sounds like, “Well, hackers haven’t impacted my operations” or “I’m too small, too insignificant, too something to be a target for an attack.” Hackers have managed to inflict damage on several industrial companies, but the public announcements are still few and far between. This is very similar to the safety situation 50 years ago. Incidents were rarely reported and there was little research on actual rates. Today, this is the issue in ICS security. While some may discount reports on the number of ICS incidents, we don’t know the answer without transparent reporting. Will this require government action as with OSHA? Perhaps. Research indicates that corporations make cybersecurity investment decisions based on cost-benefit modeling (see Loeb et al. “Increasing Cybersecurity Investments in Private Firms” 2015). Corporations invest based on their analyses of potential risk and impact. The research by Loeb et al also indicates that amount is less than optimal based on “option theory” and negative externalities (i.e., impact on other companies or individuals) that are not included. These cost-benefit trade-offs cannot succeed without transparent incident reporting and the negative impact from reporting creates disincentives. Uncovering the real extent of the threat and its impact to the economy requires similar government intervention to bring the information out of the shadows. www.controleng.com
2. Incident cybersecurity reporting, however, is not enough. Just as in safety, the real impact does not come with just reporting major incidents – e.g., ransomware or a malware infiltration, etc. Progress requires measuring and reporting on the inputs. In cybersecurity, this includes data on vulnerability status, patch status, insecure ports and services, misconfigured devices, and user and account insecurities. These are the “inputs” that increase the risk of attack. Safety in manufacturing only improved once the root causes started to be measured. One can think of an unpatched criti-
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leading indicators of cyber incidents. cal vulnerability similar to yellow lines not being painted to ensure safe operations or employees not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), etc. They are the contributors to incidents. Just like in safety, organizations struggle to measure these critical inputs.
3. Delivering meaningful cybersecurity improvement comes when these inputs are not just measured, but managed, as well. It is not enough to measure the key inputs to cyber risk such as vulnerabilities, etc. To achieve impact, they must apply targeted remediation to reduce those risks – and report on those changes in risk inputs on a regular basis. Just as in safety where organizations employ scorecards to track the “leading indicators” of injury, ICS organizations must track cyber measures as they move from red to green. There’s too much focus on incident or anomaly detection in ICS cybersecurity today. This is like measuring safety events after they occur. Real progress occurs when companies use tools that provide deep visibility of 360-degree cyber risks, but also have the capability to manage those risks to demonstrate improvement in the “leading indicators” of cyber incidents. Success in stopping ICS security incidents is feasible, but requires a focus on measuring, managing, and reporting on the input metrics rather than privately acknowledging cybersecurity incidents after it’s too late. ce John Livingston, CEO, Verve Industrial. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. control engineering
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KEYWORDS: industrial
cybersecurity, OSHA, cybersecurity best practices The OSHA Act and the formation of OSHA in 1970 forced manufacturers to report on safety incidents and accidents. Industrial cybersecurity needs a similar level of accountability to show how incidents affect manufacturing as a whole. The emphasis needs to be on preventing attacks before they happen instead of after the fact.
ONLINE Read additional stories about cybersecurity at www.controleng.com. www.controleng.com/ networking-and-security/ cybersecurity/
CONSIDER THIS Does industrial control system cybersecurity bring challenges integrated with industrial safety?
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COVID-19 AND ROBOTICS California Institute of Technology
How robotics engineers are taking on COVID-19 Methods used to help robots walk and autonomous cars drive can help epidemiologists predict COVID-19’s spread.
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hen the COVID-19 pandemic observations, drive corresponding actions. lockdowns brought an abrupt For example, an autonomous vehicle might spot halt to their research this spring, an obstacle in the road ahead and then alter its robotics engineers at Caltech course or brake to a halt. In a similar way, the epiand the University of Michigan demiological “control system” models developed by took tools originally created to help robots to walk the team observe human interventions for COVIDand autonomous cars to drive safely and applied 19 mitigation, and utilize these observations to prethem to the development of dict how they will impact the an epidemiological methodolspread of the disease, as quanogy that accounts for human A new methodology treats tified by future numbers of interventions. infected, hospitalized, and “I was sitting at home in deceased persons. the epidemiological models March, like most of the rest “This is a paradigm shift of the country, watching this compared to traditional epias control systems. happen around me and wondemiological models,” Orosz dering how I could help,” said said. “By utilizing the U.S. Aaron Ames, who runs Caltech’s Advanced Mobil- COVID-19 data from March through May and ity (AMBER) Lab. assuming that states would reopen too quickly, which Digging into the epidemiological models that were they did, we were able to predict the infection wave being used to model the progression of pandemics, during the summer to high accuracy.” Ames realized that they typically view the progresThe ability to predict the evolution of the current sion of infection as something whose dynamics prog- pandemic based upon observed human intervenress autonomously (without the ability to tions, or the lack thereof, enables an important result: modify their evolution), as opposed to a the ability to suggest future interventions so as to set system whose behavior can be influenced limits for the number of infections, hospitalizations, KEYWORDS: COVID-19, by human actions. Yet human actions – and deaths. That is, corrective measures that ensure robotics things like physical distancing, shutting safety can be suggested through the framework origResearchers developed a down indoor dining, and mandating one- inally invented for robots and autonomous vehicles model for COVID-19 based on way traffic in buildings – can and do shape (where safety is a top priority). human behavior. the progression of COVID-19. Just as corrective action can be taken so that the Control systems generalize what should happen in a Ames joined efforts with his col- car avoids hitting an obstacle, corrective action could dynamic system by allowing league Gábor Orosz, associate professor theoretically be taken in the COVID-19 pandemic to the behavior of that system to in mechanical engineering at the Univer- limit the outbreak – provided people adhere to the change based on inputs. sity of Michigan, postdoctoral researcher safety protocols being prescribed. The model, while useful, is still Tamás Molnár and Caltech graduate stuThe team hopes this effort provides a first step to dependent on safety protocols being followed by people. dent Andrew Singletary. They constructed connecting roboticists and control theorists with epia new methodology that treats the epide- demiologists in the fight against COVID-19. “This is ONLINE miological models as control systems, in the greatest health challenge to face our society in a See additional stories about which various human interventions are generation at least. We all need to pitch in and help COVID-19 and robotics at www.controleng.com. included as “inputs” into the system. in any way we can,” Ames said. ce Control systems generalize what should CONSIDER THIS happen in a dynamic system by allow- - Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, What steps are you taking to ing the behavior of that system to change Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, prevent the COVID-19 spread at your workplace? based on inputs. Those inputs, based on cvavra@cfemedia.com.
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ANSWERS
COVID-19 AND ROBOTS Tanya M. Anandan, RIA
Reducing COVID-19 worker risks with robots Focusing on COVID-19 risks in the workplace has shed new light on the benefits of automation and robots and their benefits on the plant floor.
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s factories come back on-line and essential businesses that never went off-line continue facing daily challenges of operating amidst a global pandemic, attention falls on the health and safety of workers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists distance between workers and contact with contaminated surfaces as distinct factors that impact workers’ risk for exposure to the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. Focusing on COVID-19 risks in the workplace has shed new light on automation’s benefits–especially robots. They are immune to biological viruses; in fact, they kill them. Robots have already proved their mettle as mobilized germ zappers decontaminating hospitals and airports, robot temperature screeners and food delivery bots for quarantined people.
Social distancing, collaborative robots
Collaborative robots, or cobots, for short, are able to safely operate within close proximity to humans. Often used to augment human workers or assume their tasks so the humans can move to more valueadded and fulfilling work, collaborative robots have a reputation for raising the human condition. In the Lone Star State, it’s collaborative robots vs. COVID, as Universal Robots comes to the aid of a small machine shop. All Axis Machining, a metal fabricator in Dallas, Texas, already had a small team of collaborative robots on the shop floor performing an array of tasks, including machine tending, sanding, deburring, and wire EDM. Automating with collaborative robots a couple of years ago increased their spindle run time from 8 to 20 hours a day. “Now we have just a few people in the shop, and the cobots’ better productivity results in lower operating costs and more manufacturing hours available,” said All Axis owner and CEO Gary Kuzmin. “It’s the best thing I ever did.” In the midst of the pandemic, All Axis added two more UR collaborative robots to keep their tools at maximum capacity and help socially distance the shop’s manual labor. They also added a
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weekend shift to disperse staff density. They now have eight collaborative robots running 24/7 across three shifts. The third shift is completely lights-out. “Cobots allow us to keep employees socially distanced in a way they feel comfortable,” Kuzmin said. “We now have more robots working and minimal crew taking care of non-robot actions. This shift in operations was all driven by COVID and with the help of the cobots, it’s working out very well for us.” Staggering or interspersing collaborative robots on a production line helps their human coworkers socially distance, in effect thwarting the potential for virus spread. Assembly lines, kitting lines, any situation where workers are typically shoulder-toshoulder or face-to-face along the production line will benefit from increased productivity as well as enhanced worker safety through social distancing.
Machine tending collaborative robot helps a machine shop stay productive while social distancing workers during potential infectious disease outbreaks. Courtesy: Universal Robots/RIA
Robotic palletizing
As people opt to live, work and play from home during the pandemic, e-commerce is booming. Manufacturers and distribution centers are racing to meet demand. Those looking to boost production and loosen worker congestion on warehouse floors and loading docks are driving the heightened interest in robotic palletizing and depalletizing. control engineeering
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COVID-19 AND ROBOTS Rent a robot
Systems integrator RobotWorx in Marion, Ohio, is also filling orders for palletizing systems. Operations manager Tom Fischer said orders are coming in from companies that had been thinking about automating and decided now is the time. Others are dipping their toes in with RobotWorx rental program.
Robotic bin picking
In addition to social distancing, personal hygiene and wearing cloth face coverings, it’s important to minimize workers’ exposure to surfaces that can become contaminated with the virus. This means reducing touchpoints. Goods-to-robot systems are ready to lend a hand. These advanced technologies use swarms of robotic shuttles to autonomously deliver goods to robotic arms for picking.
Mobile robots
Robot pickers are at an inflection point. Already on the rise, adoption of autonomous mobile robots is expected to surge even higher. Mobile robots like those from Fetch Robotics and Vecna Robotics promote social distancing by delivering parts to assembly lines, transporting work-in-process (WIP), and managing material handling in ware-
houses. Fetch Robotics also has launched autonomous disinfecting robots designed to disinfect up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. InVia Robotics, a provider of mobile robot fleet systems, has added social distancing to its software tools. The new features keep workers at a safe distance from each other and notify both warehouse workers and management if distance is breached.
Remote monitoring, service support
Next-gen technologies are garnering renewed attention during the pandemic. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud robotics, Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) – the smart factory is looking smarter. Robot manufacturers and integrators use these innovative technologies to help customers keep their robotic automation working properly, even if their human caretakers must work remotely. Preventive maintenance is critical to limit equipment breakdowns, increase performance and efficiency, maximize service life, and safeguard workers from faulty, potentially hazardous equipment.
Robotic palletizing system features a track-mounted robot for servicing multiple conveyor lines and promoting social distancing among manual labor. Courtesy: Midwest Engineered Systems/RIA
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COVID-19 AND ROBOTS Today’s IIoT technologies put remote monitoring for preventive and predictive maintenance in the palm of your hand.
Meatpacking robots
Goods-to-robot bin picking system reduces labor costs, increases throughput and minimizes human touchpoints, a potential for infectious disease spread. Courtesy: Bastian Solutions/RIA
One business sector all too familiar with the impact of the novel coronavirus is the meat processing industry. Meat and poultry packing workers often quarter, debone and sort cuts of beef, lamb, pork and chicken while working virtually shoulder-to-shoulder on assembly lines. COVID-19 outbreaks have forced temporary shutdowns of meat processing plants in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia and across Europe. ce
Tanya M. Anandan is contributing editor for the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and Robotics Online. RIA is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to improving the regional, national, and global competitiveness of the North American manufacturing and service sectors through robotics and related automation. This article originally appeared on the RIA website. The RIA is a part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, web content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.
Robots process raw lamb on the meatpacking line, saving human operators from harsh working conditions and potential risks associated with refrigerated, tightly compacted working spaces. Courtesy: Scott Automation/RIA
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KEYWORDS: COVID-19, robotics, supply chain management Robotics are getting a larger role in manufacturing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer touchpoints, improved remote monitoring and IIoT advances make robots more helpful. Robots also help make manufacturing future-proof. ONLINE See more details with this article online at www.controleng.com and www.robotics.org.
CONSIDER THIS Are robots filling your manufacturing gaps?
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2021
ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
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Spotlight on Innovation Best automation, control and instrumentation products in 21 categories.
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he 34th annual Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Awards shines a light on 21 categories of control, instrumentation and automation products, revealing the best of those introduced in 2020 as chosen by the Control Engineering print and digital audience. Review the winners and honorable mentions here to see if these innovative hardware and software products can help resolve some of your most pressing problems. Also, join us in congratulating these technological innovators. Let them know you learned about their solutions in Control Engineering, and tell them what problems you need to resolve next. Their continuous improvement ensures that manufacturers, machine builders and automation system integrators can achieve the levels of agility, efficiency and effectiveness necessary to compete – and win – in today’s global economy. A total of 88 finalists from 44 companies were listed on the ballot for evaluation. Automation professionals from
Control Engineering’s subscriber lists – all of whom are responsible for or influence technology purchases, or have hands-on day-to-day interaction with the technologies in each category – then voted to identify the products they felt were the most exceptional based on technological advancement, service to the industry and market impact. The result is a short list of Engineers’ Choice Awards winners and honorable mentions in 21 categories. A total of 1 grand winner, 21 winners and 21 honorable mentions were named for 2021. Control Engineering staff extends appreciation to all who nominated products and took the time to vote. Find more product innovations in the New Products for Engineers Database at www.controleng.com/NPE. Amanda Pelliccione is the project manager of events and awards programs for Control Engineering, CFE Media, apelliccione@cfemedia.com.
Engineers’ Choice Awards Index: 1 Grand, 21 Winners, 21 Honorable Mentions 44 Performance 360, Symphony AzimaAI 44 Engineer-in-a-Box, Grantek 44 Simatic MTP1500 HMI Unified Comfort Panel, Siemens
47 Allen-Bradley ControlLogix EtherNet/IP, Rockwell Automation 47 Simatic IOT 2050, Siemens 47 PowerLogic ION9000, Schneider Electric
45 Simatic Field PG M6, Siemens
47 Pro 2 power supply, Wago Corp.
45 AMAX-5580, Advantech
48 Sitrans LR100, Siemens Industry
45 TIA Portal V16 Step 7 with Version Control Interface, Siemens
48 Plant PAx 5.0, Rockwell Automation
45 UniStream 10” Built-in multi-function PLC, Unitronics 46 GM-1000 rugged GPU, Cincoze Co. 46 Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix 5380, Rockwell Automation
48 Simatic ET 200eco PN, Siemens 48 TIA Selection Tool V2020.8, Siemens 49 TIA Portal Test Suite Advanced V16, Siemens 49 Seeq R22, Seeq Corp.
46 Simplified Motion Series electric drive, Festo
49 VTScada V12, Trihedral
46 Simatic Drive Controller, Siemens
49 Honorable Mentions
READ MORE ONLINE, including how to enter, at www.controleng.com/EngineersChoice.
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ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2021 Engineers’ Choice
GRAND AWARD
Cybersecurity
Hardware – HMI, Operator Interface, Thin-Client
Engineer-in-a-Box remote access device
Simatic MTP1500 HMI Unified Comfort Panel
Grantek
Performance 360
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he Grand Award – first introduced with the 2017 program – is bestowed upon the product that received the most overall votes in the 2021 program. This year’s Grand Award recipient is the Performance 360 process performance and optimization software from Symphony AzimaAI. Performance 360 combines process condition insights, performance metrics and process history in one management application. Using the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), carefully curated artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies, Performance 360 predicts how a process will perform and identify protential process distruptions, quality issues and trip conditions, with enough time to proactively avoid process trips, lost batches, decreased quality and lost revenue. Performance 360 templates are able to run processes online in weeks rather than months with large teams working on specific computations. The application continually adapts to the dynamics of the process using the AI engine.
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ngineer-in-a-Box connects cloud-hosted industrial development software directly to devices, when and where it’s needed, without sacrificing security. This remote access device leverages Moving Target Defense and SD-WAN technology to provide a secure cloud hosting environment, and a secure connection from the cloud servers to the device over the plant’s Wi-Fi or an LTE connection. When a user logs into the cloud environment, a virtual server is instantiated from a stored server image on demand with the development software pre-installed. The cloud server then can connect through the Engineerin-a-Box appliance to the device to be programmed. https://grantek.com Input 201 at www.controleng.com/information
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he Simatic MTP1500 HMI Unified Comfort Panel with capacitive multitouch display allows the installation of apps and easier scaling due to vectorbased visualization. This panel features improved hardware performance and higher system limits for significantly larger applications and rugged multitouch technology optimized for industrial environments. The MTP1500 is edge-enabled, which allows functional expansion by using apps and the processing and analysis of data at the machine. The proprietary operating system based on Simatic Industrial OS offers maximum security. Users can deactivate or uninstall unnecessary interfaces and system apps. Despite an open structure and expandability, the panel is highly secure.
https://symphonyazimaai.com
www.usa.siemens.com
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Hardware – Industrial PCs, CNCs
Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity – Edge Controller
Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity – Software
Machine & Embedded Control – PLCs
Simatic Field PG M6 industrial computer
AMAX-5580 embedded controller
TIA Portal V16 Step 7 with Version Control Interface
UniStream 10” Built-in multi-function PLC
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he Simatic Field PG M6 industrial computer is equipped for mobile use in harsh environments; shocks and vibrations, as well as electromagnetic interference in machine-oriented industrial environments, do not affect a user’s work. Communication with machines and plants is easy via Profibus and Profinet as well as via typical serial connections. Simatic memory cards can be deleted and programmed in the device. With pre-installed engineering software, the user is ready for fast and efficient configuration, commissioning, maintenance and servicing. The Simatic Field PG M6 is available with licenses for trial, TIA Portal or Combo pre-installed TIA Portal engineering software. www.usa.siemens.com Input 203 at www.controleng.com/information
Advantech
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he AMAX-5580 is a compact and powerful Control IPC with an Intel Core i7/i5/Celeron CPU. It is the ideal open control platform to be combined with AMAX-5000 Series EtherCAT Slice IO modules, and features flexible I/O expansion, real-time I/O control, network capability through various interfaces, and support dual-power input for a robust power system. It also has a built-in standard mini PCI express interface for wireless communication. The AMAX-5580 is ideal for data gateway, concentrator and data server applications; its seamless integration with I/O can save costs and fulfill a diverse range of automation projects.
Siemens
T
otally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V16 provides users with unrestricted access to a complete range of digitalized automation services, from digital planning and integrated engineering to transparent operation. Version 16 shortens time to market, for example by means of simulation tools, increases the productivity of a plant through additional diagnostics and energy management functions, and offers broader flexibility by connecting to the management level. The options benefit system integrators and machine builders as well as plant operators. TIA Portal is an ideal gateway to automation in the digital enterprise.
www.advantech.com
www.usa.siemens.com
Input 204 at www.controleng.com/information
Input 205 at www.controleng.com/information
Unitronics
T
he UniStream 10” Builtin multi-function PLC with an integrated, high quality HMI touch screen is available in a range of builtin I/O configurations. The highly compact hardware profile, PLC+HMI+I/Os built into a one unit, offers powerful control capabilities in a space-saving configuration. UniStream 10” main features include EtherNet/ IP, VNC, FTP, Web Server, Video + RTSP and SQL Client; backed by UniLogic programming software. Unitronics’ customers benefit from a broad range of PLCs. From micro-PLC + HMI devices for simple machine control, to complex controllers with advanced functions, a variety of onboard IOs and multiple communication options include support for Industry 4.0 and IIoT technologies. www.unitronicsplc.com Input 206 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com
control engineeering
February 2021
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ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Machine Vision, Code Readers, Discrete Sensors
Motion Control
Motion Control – Drives
Motion Control – Drives, Servo
GM-1000 rugged GPU computing platform
Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix 5380 SIL 3 controller
Simplified Motion Series electric drive
Simatic Drive Controller
Cincoze Co.
T
he GM-1000 is a rugged GPU computing platform supporting embedded MXM GPU expansion. It has all the features required for a compact, reliable and high-performance computing system for field applications in machine vision. The GM-1000 incorporates an Intel 9th/8th generation workstation-grade CPU and an MXM 3.1 Type A/B GPU module for machine learning, AI and high-end image processing. With a total power budget of up to 360W, the GPU computer operates reliably in field applications. The GM-1000 provides high-speed I/O including 4 x USB3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) and 2 x GbE LAN connections. www.cincoze.com Input 207 at www.controleng.com information
T
he Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix 5380 SIL 3 controller allows users to scale applications up to and including SIL 3/PLe performance with 1oo2 [one out of two, redundant] architecture. This flexible option to right-size a safety control system to an application based on its safety assessment helps reduce design and acquisition costs. The scalability benefits of the Compact GuardLogix 5380 controller also allows companies to create smarter, simpler and better-performing machines. The increased processing power in the controller can achieve faster reaction times and shorter safe distances. This can help create smaller machines, save valuable floor space and increase operator efficiencies. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 208 at www.controleng.com information
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Festo
Rockwell Automation
control engineering
T
he Simplified Motion Series electric drive is an ideal solution for all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) seeking an electric alternative for simple movement and positioning tasks. OEMs do not want the commissioning process for traditional electric drive systems that often can be quite complex. Users benefit from plug-and-work without the need for any software. Digital I/O and IO-Link are included with the Simplified Motion System actuator, which is the same type of control the OEM will be using for other motion on the machine, providing a unified architecture. www.festo.com/us Input 209 at www.controleng.com information
Siemens
T
he Simatic Drive Controller sets standards regarding the perfect integration of the Simatic S7-1500 controller and Sinamics S120 drive system. It integrates motion control, technology and PLC functionalities directly in the modular Sinamics S120 multi-axis drive system without requiring additional control cabinet space for the controller. The Simatic Drive Controller is suited for applications requiring a highly dynamic drive system of medium-sized to large axis quantity frameworks, a broad performance with wide motor range and requiring controlled infeed with regenerative feedback. Installation and wiring effort are reduced due to the integration of the controller and drive control unit in one device. www.usa.siemens.com Input 210 at www.controleng.com information
www.controleng.com
®
Network Integration – Ethernet Hardware, Switches
Network Integration – I/O Systems
Power – Energy, Power Protection
Power Supply, UPS
Allen-Bradley ControlLogix EtherNet/IP communication module
Simatic IOT 2050 gateway
PowerLogic ION9000 power quality meter
Pro 2 power supply
Siemens
Rockwell Automation
T
he Allen-Bradley ControlLogix EtherNet/ IP communication module with CIP Security helps reduce security risks and boost performance. The module leverages CIP Security, creating a more robust level of protection in control applications using three key capabilities to provide advanced protection – authentication, integrity and confidentiality – ensuring that information is exchanged between authenticated devices without interference or theft. The ControlLogix EtherNet/ IP communication module facilitates high-speed data transfer between ControlLogix 5580 controllers and devices on an EtherNet/IP network and connects Logix 5000 control systems to multiple EtherNet/IP network topologies. www.rockwellautomation.com
S
imatic IOT 2050 is a gateway based on the TI ARM processor family that links cloud, in-company IT and production. The Simatic IOT 2050 gateway is designed for industrial IT solutions for the acquisition, processing and transfer of data in the production environment. It can be used for connecting the production process to a cloud-based analysis of machine and production data, for example. The gateway features expandability and connectivity with 1x serial interface RS232/485, 2x USB graphics interface display ports plus mPCIe, Arduino shields and available protocol drivers as well as internal eMMc and micro SD card storage. www.usa.siemens.com Input 212 at www.controleng.com information
Wago Corp.
Schneider Electric
A
n EcoStruxure Power connected product, PowerLogic ION9000 is an advanced power quality meter. Third-party certified 0.1S accuracy, modular design, flexible ION programmability and advanced power quality analysis make it an ideal power meter for industrial or health care facilities, data centers and utility networks. The PowerLogic ION9000 meter provides custom substation automation, demand and load management applications; transient event capture with 200K s/c at 50 Hz, up to 10,000 V; quickly locate disturbances; predictive maintenance; breaker monitoring; and cost allocation. The power quality meter monitors ongoing operations like battery health and runtime variations, helps to detect and prevent power incidents.
T
he Pro 2 power supply includes six units ranging from 120 to 960 W and an energy conversion efficiency up to 96%. The power supply incorporates an interface allowing it to be tailored to any application requirement. The unit offers monitoring functions that provide continuous power supply data information and signal errors for application monitoring. It also has easy fieldbus connection with snap-on type communication modules with Wago’s high-performance TopBoost and PowerBoost capabilities, maximizing system uptime and lowering hardware costs. TopBoost produces 600% extra output current, enabling protection for up to 15 ms compared to conventional circuit breakers. www.wago.com/us Input 214 at www.controleng.com information
www.schneider-electric.com Input 213 at www.controleng.com information
Input 211 at www.controleng.com information
www.controleng.com
control engineeering
February 2021
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2021
ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Process Control – Process Sensors, Transmitters
Process Control Systems
Safety – Machine Safety
Software – Asset Management, Reporting
Sitrans LR100 compact radar transmitter
Plant PAx 5.0 distributed control system
Simatic ET 200eco PN F-DI 8 x 24 VDC fail-safe module
TIA Selection Tool V2020.8 device configuration software
Siemens Industry
T
he Sitrans LR100 is an 80-GHz compact radar transmitter with Bluetooth wireless technology. The transmitter features a narrow beam for flexible installations in existing vessel openings or non-intrusively through plastic vessels. Sitrans LR100 operates above application requirements with sizeable margin to accommodate signal killers such as condensation, turbulence, buildup or light fluffy solids. The custom microchip technology delivers extremely high sensitivity so that even the weakest of signals is detected. Bluetooth wireless technology allows easy and quick setup with the Sitrans mobile IQ App. A zero blanking zone allows measurement range right up to the sensor. https://usa.siemens.com/pi Input 215 at www.controleng.com information
Rockwell Automation
T
he Plant PAx 5.0 distributed control system (DCS) helps industrial producers positively impact the life cycle of their plant operations in dynamic conditions and markets. The system ensures plant-wide and scalable systems drive productivity, improve profitability and reduce overall risks for operations. The system’s capabilities help digitally transform operations by introducing process functionality native to the controller, improve the availability of system assets, drive compliance in regulated industries and increase the adoption of analytics at all levels of the enterprise. Intuitive workflows and the use of industry-leading cybersecurity standards helps teams design, deploy and support the automation infrastructure, which reduces timeto-market and helps realize profit at a faster rate.
Siemens
T
he Simatic ET 200eco PN is a compact block I/O with Profinet connection in IP 65/67 degree of protection for cabinet-free installation directly on the machine. With a fully-sealed zinc diecast housing, the ET 200eco PN is mechanically very rugged and resistant to vibrations, dust, oil or humidity. ET 200eco PN is a seamless supplement for applications with a high degree of protection in addition to the modular ET 200pro I/O family. With a high degree of protection, ruggedness and small dimensions, ET 200eco PN is well-suited for use at machine level, especially in machine building and automotive industries. www.usa.siemens.com Input 217 at www.controleng.com information
Siemens
T
he TIA Selection Tool V2020.8 assists users with quick and easy, errorfree device selection and configuration in automation projects. The TIA Selection Tool is available for download as a desktop version or a cloud variant. The software allows users to configure a complete project with just a few entries without a manual or special knowledge, import and export hardware configuration to TIA Portal or other systems, and visualize projects being configured. The smart selection wizard provides error-free configuration and ordering, configuration options can be tested and simulated in advance, and it features a library for archiving sample configurations. www.usa.siemens.com Input 218 at www.controleng.com information
www.rockwellautomation.com Input 216 at www.controleng.com information
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www.controleng.com
®
New Products for Engineers Get coverage in CFE Media websites, Software – Control Design
Software – Data Analytics
Software – HMI Software
newsletters and magazines through New Products for Engineers
TIA Portal Test Suite Advanced V16 programming software
Seeq R22 advanced analytics for process manufacturing Seeq Corp.
Siemens
T
o ensure a consistently high program quality, the TIA Portal Test Suite Advanced V16 offers users a style guide checker and an application test. The style guide checker ensures a unified programming style; rule sets with programming guidelines in the TIA Portal project can be defined and compliance regularly checked. The application test checks the correct processing of individual logic blocks or entire S7-1500 applications; test cases with function tests can be created in a TIA Portal project and subsequently executed and validated with the help of Simatic S7-PLCSIM Advanced V3.0. www.usa.siemens.com Input 219 at www.controleng.com information
VTScada V12 integrated HMI, SCADA platform Trihedral
(NPE), a CFE Technology database for new products appropriate for subscribers of
S
eeq R22 enables users to quickly investigate and share analyses from operations and manufacturing data sources to find insights and answer questions. Designed specifically for analyzing process data, Seeq R22 works across all verticals with time series data in historians or other storage platforms. The R22 release includes item-level permissions, significant processing speed increases, and additional collaborative features. The improved Scatterplot in Workbench allows conditional filtering and more display options to help users find relationships among signals more quickly. The NOAA Weather Service Connector feature integrates data from the National Weather Service API.
D
eveloped for plant, telemetry or hosted systems of any size, the unique design of VTScada integrates all core SCADA components into one easy-to-use package. It replaces thirdparty add-ons with integrated features like enterprise historian, security, reporting, alarming, alarm notification, version control, and thin clients. This removes risk and stress from every stage of the software lifecycle; from pricing and licensing, to development and support. Since versions are never retired, VTScada applications can be scaled and updated indefinitely. VTScada 12 transforms how users connect to process data and put it to use across their organizations. www.vtscada.com Input 221 at www.controleng.com information
Control Engineering and other CFE Media supplements and publications: Applied Automation, IIoT for Engineers, Oil & Gas Engineering, Pure Power, Plant Engineering, and ConsultingSpecifying Engineer. The NPE database uses a detailed taxonomy to automatically feed new products to appropriate areas of our websites and newsletters, and it serves products for print and digital editions and awards programs.
www.seeq.com
PE
Input 220 at www.controleng.com information
See more New Products for Engineers. www.controleng.com/NPE
www.controleng.com
control engineeering
February 2021
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49
2021
ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Honorable Mentions Cybersecurity
Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity – Software
GPAidentify V2 asset monitoring and cybersecurity software GPA
FactoryTalk Linx Gateway V6.2 control design software Rockwell Automation
GPAidentify V2 provides dynamic reports and dashboards of hardware on a network, including software versions, patches and switch configurations, to monitor and troubleshoot the operational technology (OT) environment.
FactoryTalk Linx Gateway V6.2 software adds a classic OPC DA and OPC UA server interface to deliver information collected by FactoryTalk Linx from ControlLogix, CompactLogix and other Allen-Bradley controllers to external OPC clients.
www.global-business.net
www.rockwellautomation.com
Input 222 at www.controleng.com/information
Input 226 at www.controleng.com/information
Hardware – HMI, Operator Interface, Thin-Client
Machine & Embedded Control – PLCs
HMIS Multi-Legend Alarm Indicator EAO
ProductivityOpen Arduino-compatible controller AutomationDirect
The 8-mm modular and flexible HMIS Multi-Legend Alarm Indicator is designed for drivers’ cabs to simplify fault monitoring, contributing to increased safety in railway applications.
The open-source ProductivityOpen platform provides the features of a standard Arduino plus the added power and reliability of an industrial controller.
www.eao.com
www.automationdirect.com
Input 223 at www.controleng.com/information
Input 227 at www.controleng.com/information
Hardware – Industrial PCs, CNCs
Machine Vision, Code Readers, Discrete Sensors
Nuvo-7531 compact fanless computer Neousys Technology America
In-Sight D900 smart camera Cognex Corp.
Nuvo-7531 is a compact and powerful fanless embedded controller that is suitable for various industrial applications and features four GbE ports and four USB3.1 ports for multiple GbE and USB cameras.
The In-Sight D900 smart camera is powered by In-Sight ViDi software designed to run deep learning applications and help factory automation professionals solve challenging industrial OCR, assembly verification and random defect detection.
www.neousys-tech.com
https://cognex.com
Input 224 at www.controleng.com/information
Industrial Internet of Things Connectivity – Edge Controller
OSA Remote +Flow industrial control system Bedrock Automation
https://bedrockautomation.com Input 225 at www.controleng.com/information
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February 2021
Motion Control
EP7402 EtherCAT Box Beckhoff Automation
The OSA Remote +Flow industrial control system integrates Flow-Cal algorithms and PLC/ PAC/RTU functionality into powerful, secure control module that fits in the palm of the hand.
50
Input 228 at www.controleng.com/information
control engineering
The EP7402 EtherCAT Box offers optimal conveyor control through zero-pressure accumulation (ZPA) logic in its firmware, programming in the TwinCAT 3 engineering environment and high performance EtherCAT industrial Ethernet communication. www.beckhoffautomation.com Input 229 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com
®
Motion Control – Drives
Power – Energy, Power Protection
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000T mediumvoltage drive Rockwell Automation The PowerFlex 6000T medium-voltage drive works well in retrofit opportunities where the drive must fit into an existing space; synchronous transfer is used for controlled starting and speed control of multiple motors, with one drive.
Omnimate Power BUS connection system Weidmuller The Omnimate Power BUS system consists of two busbar connectors with spring contacts, enabling a fast, tool-free connection of individual modules in addition to the connection of the entire module network to the power supply. www.weidmuller.com Input 234 at www.controleng.com/information
www.rockwellautomation.com Input 230 at www.controleng.com/information
Motion Control – Drives, Servo
Power Supply, UPS
7960 Gen4 selectable voltage power supply Exair
Kinetix 5300 servo drive Rockwell Automation Well suited for small to medium machines, the Kinetix 5300 servo drive provides design flexibility in a streamlined offering to cover essential machine-building needs. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 231 at www.controleng.com/information
The 7960 Gen4 selectable voltage power supply features an electromagnetically shielded modular power supply cable that eases routing and connections; an integrated fuse on the primary protects against voltage spikes. www.exair.com Input 235 at www.controleng.com/information
Network Integration – Ethernet Hardware, Switches
Process Control – Process Sensors, Transmitters
FS-DSL Digital Sensor Link for Sitrans FST030 Siemens Industry
ET 200SP MultiFieldbus Interface Module IM155-6MF HF Siemens
The FS-DSL Digital Sensor Link for Sitrans FST030 accompanies a transmitter and one or more pairs of FSS200 clamp-on sensors individually clamped onto the pipe for each measurement.
The ET 200SP MultiFieldbus Interface Module can communicate to different controllers via three fieldbus protocols: Profinet, EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP.
https://usa.siemens.com/pi
www.usa.siemens.com
Input 236 at www.controleng.com/information
Input 232 at www.controleng.com/information
Network Integration – I/O Systems
groov RIO intelligent, Ethernet-based I/O unit Opto 22 groov RIO offers a, compact, PoE-powered industrial package with web-based configuration, commissioning and flow logic software built in, plus support for multiple OT and IT protocols. www.opto22.com Input 233 at www.controleng.com/information
Process Control Systems
Experion PKS Highly Integrated Virtual Environment Honeywell Process Solutions The Experion PKS Highly Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE) uses Honeywell’s LEAP project execution principles, software and networking to unchain control applications from physical equipment, and controllers from physical I/O connections. www.honeywellprocess.com/en-US Input 237 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com
control engineeering
February 2021
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2021
ENGINEERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Honorable Mentions Safety – Machine Safety
Software – Asset Management, Reporting
Safety Light Curtain with Bluetooth interface Schmersal The Safety Light Curtain uses the Bluetooth Low Energy system for near-field data transmission, which provides secure data transmission up to 5 m; the data transmitted is accessible by the Schmersal SLC Assist App. www.schmersalusa.com Input 238 at www.controleng.com/information
How to enter the competition
G
et a head start on the 2022 Engineers’ Choice Awards program by listing your products in the New Products for Engineers database (www.controleng.com/NPE) and completing the entry form on the Awards Programs tab of your company’s vendor/manufacturer profile. All product nominations, including supporting materials and payment, are conveniently submitted through the database. Submit a new or significantly modified hardware, software or combination of the two introduced and available in North America from November 2020 through October 2021 for the 2022 awards. The product details provided should be factually convincing and clearly differentiate benefits in the voting criteria: technological advancement, service to the industry and market impact. (Hint: We observe that engineers often appreciate quantified benefits more than adjectives.) Typically, 85 to 120 products are nominated, with 3 to 10 products in each category. One winner from each subcategory is selected based on subscriber votes. For the 2021 awards, 94 products from 44 companies (or major divisions) were nominated in 21 categories, resulting in one Grand Award to one company (with the highest number of votes among all categories), 21 Engineers’ Choice Awards to 12 companies (highest number of votes in that category) and 21 Honorable Mentions to 16 companies (second highest number of votes in that category).
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control engineering
FactoryTalk AssetCentre V10 asset management software Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk AssetCentre V10 software provides users with a centralized tool for securing, managing, versioning, tracking and reporting automation-related asset information across an entire facility. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 239 at www.controleng.com/information
Software – Control Design
Studio 5000 V33 design environment Rockwell Automation The Studio 5000 V33 design environment combines elements of design into one standard framework that optimizes productivity and reduces time to commission, with focus on rapid design, re-use, collaboration and virtual design. www.rockwellautomation.com Input 240 at www.controleng.com/information
Software – Data Analytics
Movicon Pro.Lean 4.0 analytics software Progea North America Corp. Pro.Lean is a Movicon functional module that allows users to measure the overall efficiency values in real time by collecting and aggregating production process data from different sources at production level (PLC, HMI, SCADA). www.progea.com/?lang=en Input 241 at www.controleng.com/information
Software – HMI Software
Simatic WinCC Unified V16 visualization software Siemens Simatic WinCC Unified V16 visualization software is a scalable unified software platform based on native web technologies, from a single-user system to complex, distributed applications. www.usa.siemens.com Input 242 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com
input #15 at www.controleng.com/information
INNOVATIONS
BACK TO BASICS
Edited by Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
Automation implementation advice related to award-winning products Controls and automation advice follows on successful implementations.
E
xpert tips about automation, controls and instrumentation implementations follow from company with 2021 Engineers’ Choice Award recognition. Companies providing advice include: Bedrock Automation, Festo, Grantek, Schmersal, Seeq, Symphony AzimaAI and Trihedral.
Integrating flow, process control
Integrated flow and process control can significantly improve oil and gas operations. At a well pad, there may be the need to perform 25 and 75 simultaneous measurement calculations along with the execution of wellhead and facility controls. Each measurement, remote terminal unit (RTU) and programmable logic controller (PLC) traditionally has its own software package and communication protocol. It is a challenge to establish a connection among them and to pass their data through the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network. By choosing a device that supports IEC 61131, the user can program in a language most suitable for the application and users. Integrating measurement and control becomes even easier when the controller supports advanced, open and secure communication protocols such as OPC UA and message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT). With open standards comes the KEYWORDS: Automation need for providing robust, intrinsic implementation advice cybersecurity. Having software conIntegrate flow and process control; figurable input/output (I/O) points is consider low-cost and easy-to-use motion control. another benefit. Use secure, remote industrial access; -Tim Manning is OSA + safety light curtains can communicate Flow product manager, Bedrock wirelessly. Automation.
M More INNOVATIONS
Consider data analysis tips; artificial intelligence (AI) software; missioncritical control software.
CONSIDER THIS Ever had a good product installation go bad because of a poor implementation?
ONLINE Each section has more advice online, accessible from clicking on the digital edition headline at www.controleng.com/magazine. See more products at www.controleng.com/NPE.
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Electric motion
Motion controls that combine the simplicity of pneumatics with the benefits of electric automation are possible. Users commission two-position functionality via onboard push buttons without additional software. IO-Link control can be used for flexible, multiposition applications. Low-cost simple electric motion
control engineering
can be used in machines and applications where compressed air is not practical or desired. Ordering, inventory and replacement are streamlined as all of the components are integrated into one unit with a unique part number. Applying pneumatics knowledge to electric motion delivers an equivalent ease of use. Low-cost and easy-to-commission electric motion bring opportunities for creative new motion-control implementations. Digital I/O (DIO) and IO-Link controls extend options. With DIO control, two available positions are home and a configurable end point. IO-Link offers flexible positioning along the axis, like a traditional electromechanical axis. -Tim Sharkey is director of market management, Festo Electric Automation in North America.
Secure, remote industrial access
Cybersecurity threats – including ransomware attacks, espionage and data theft – continue to increase and pose challenges for manufacturing and industrial control system (ICS) and other networks. Manufacturers must continually evaluate and enhance network security to prevent malicious intrusion. The COVID-19 pandemic limits physical access to facilities, which puts further pressure on network security personnel, engineering and maintenance staff, and outside vendors to remotely keep the ICS systems running without sacrificing security. Implementing hardware, software, and services can provide stability during the uncertainty of COVID-19. A small industrial PC (DIN-rail mount form factor) with cellular connection capabilities can power up and connect to an Ethernet switch anywhere on an operational technology (OT) network. It can be disconnected when the issue is resolved. -Jacob Chapman is director of industrial IT and cybersecurity at Grantek.
Light curtain, wireless communications
A safety-rated light curtain with Bluetooth interface is designed to complement the needs and demands of the smart factory. Smart factories enable seamless remote data extraction from machine operations. This includes data such as run times, material management, and component-level details, such as safety light curtains and other www.controleng.com
Diagram shows how Grantek Engineerin-a-Box connects cloud-hosted industrial development software to devices, when and where it’s needed, without sacrificing security. It received 2021 Engineers’ Choice recognition in the Cybersecurity category. Courtesy: Grantek
devices related to safety functions. Status and alerts go to designated personnel once a light curtain has been actuated. The device also can count number of safety light curtain device uses to help preventive maintenance. For safety devices that allow programming, it is crucial to identify which program is active, when it was programmed and who performed the programming. -David Schucker is marketing coordinator, Schmersal USA.
Adapt data, leverage skills, innovate
Industry 4.0 initiatives include three critical aspects for success when moving from data to databased decision making: data, people and analytics. 1. Adapt data for analytics: Foremost is the data and ongoing access to it, in legacy systems and industrial applications, because the best laid strategies will be tweaked and improved in the course of Industry 4.0 initiatives. The ability to start an advanced analytics project with the data where it is, in silos and different systems and of various types, is critical. 2. Leverage employee data skills for analytics: Second, a consistent finding in successful Industry 4.0 projects is the recognition and leveraging of employees’ skills because these people best know the plants, processes, and procedures. 3. Integration: with access to the data and the right people, it’s time to bridge them and deliver innovation to those with the greatest abilities and needs. -Michael Risse is CMO and VP, Seeq Corp.
Artificial intelligence: mill optimization
Variability controlled with artificial intelligence (AI) software. A digital twin-based AI optimizer was deployed to run alongside advanced process controllers (APCs). Results include a 1% increase in mill production throughput with annual topline impact of $3-4 million for the mine. The digital twin model was based on recurrent neural networks with self-adaptive tuning mechanism with these objectives: 1) AI-based approach with a supervisory level of decision-making support
www.controleng.com
for APC. 2) Coordinated constraint management across the mill circuit to get the best out of mill controllers including APC. 3) Cognitive learningbased approach, factoring in operator and metallurgical engineer expertise and insights. 4) Continuous adaptation of AI-models to dynamically account for ore and process variations. Typical advisories from the digital twin optimizer would include mill ore feed, power, load, water additions and mill speeds. The trained digital model deployed online with live data ingestion capabilities from plant distributed control system (DCS), lab computer systems and asset management systems, continuously predict, and run optimizers to provide adjustments of the APC control parameters in real-time. This allowed the APC to adapt with changing conditions and enable the grinding mill to perform at higher throughput levels. The AI software installation caused no disruptions to existing operations. -Dominic Gallello is chief executive officer (CEO) at Symphony AzimaAI.
Mission-critical should be the mission
For many applications, the cost of failure is too high not to have mission-critical capabilities in supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Control systems fail for three main reasons. 1) Architecture related failures in control systems are caused by single points of failure, limited levels of redundancy, and virtual redundancy with a single point of failure. 2) Cyber attacks include distributed denial of service (DDoS), ransomware and lack understanding that bad guys already may be in. 3) Underestimated cost of data recovery because of manual data syncing, data loss, and procedure complexity. Five ways to build control system resiliency are system-wide redundancy, real-time system backup and bi-directional synchronization, integrated software platforms, application version control and fast response to vulnerabilities from the vendor. -Chris Little is media relations, Trihedral. ce control engineering
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Results of using AI software include a 1% increase in mill production throughput with annual topline impact of $3-4 million for
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the mine.
February 2021
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years in business
