Cee 17 04

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries April 2017

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Open control platform – providing the basis for an open, flexible, and future-proof controller generation

Never ignore your instruments Field Device Integration (FDI) – built to last Remote services improve drive maintenance planning

hall 9, Booth F 40

the intelligent production of tomorrow Phoenix Contact – your partner for Industrie 4.0 „With our experience in machine building and automation, we are ideally placed to turn the digitalization of our world into the intelligent production of tomorrow.“ Roland Bent, CTO Phoenix Contact

For additional information call +49 52 35 3-00 or visit phoenixcontact.com

COM21-16.000.L1 © PhOenix COntaCt 2017

CONTENTS

Change is almost here...

Editor Suzanne Gill suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk Sales Manager Nichola Munn nichola.munn@imlgroup.co.uk Production Sara Clover sara.clover@imlgroup.co.uk Business Development Manager Iain McLean iain.mclean@imlgroup.co.uk Dan Jago David May Colin Halliday

Group Publisher Production Manager Studio Designer

Did I just leave it too late, or is Hannover Messe going to be exceptionally busy this year? Booking a hotel for exhibition week turned out to be even more problematic than usual and in the end I had to accept the help of a ‘disruptive’ new solution - AirBnB - which came up with some interesting options.

This issue contains a preview of the annual Hannover Messe event which this year is promising us over 500 Industry 4.0 applications, self learning robots and advanced technology solutions. (pg 26).

that IoT technologies will be used as serious business tools by 2021. (pg 4) So, it looks like change is no longer on the horizon. It’s almost here! We need to look it in the eye and make it work for us. Those that don’t risk getting left behind. If I hadn’t agreed to consider something different I would not be attending Hannover Messe this year and would miss the latest technology stories. What might you miss if you don’t embrace change?

Suzanne Gill - Editor suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk

This issue also includes the findings of a report on the use of IoT technologies which predicts that they will be the trigger for the next wave of digital transformation and

INDUSTRY REPORT

ASSET MANAGEMENT

4

22 Increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept by a drives manufacturer is offering advantages for its customers.

A report predicts that the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will used as serious business tools by 2021.

EDITOR’S CHOICE 6

Wired HART functionality for vibrating fork level detector; IP-rated housing makes industrial cameras more versatile.

24 Combining RFID technology and enterprise asset management software can offer an effective way to manage assets.

HANNOVER MESSE PREVIEW 26 Hannover Messe 2017 will run from 24 to 28 April, and will include Industry 4.0 applications, self-learning robots with near-human touch sensitivity, and advanced technology solutions.

MOBILE DEVICES 10 Optimising graphics for mobile devices.

TEST & MEASUREMENT

FINAL WORD

14 We look at the dangers of ignoring what your instruments are telling you.

30 Jan-Henrik Svensson, CEO of Beamex, talks about the changing role for calibration in the factories of the future.

16 Considering feedback sensing for position and speed control applications.

FDI TECHNOLOGY 20 Control Engineering Europe gets up to date on the latest developments for FDI, which aims to harmonise EDDL device integration languages.

4 Control Engineering Europe is a controlled circulation journal published six times per year by IML Group plc under license from CFE Media LLC. Copyright in the contents of Control Engineering Europe is the property of the publisher.

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Control Engineering Europe

Control Engineering (USA) Frank Bartos, Mark Hoske, Renee Robbins, Vance VanDoren, Peter Welander Circulation Tel: +44 (0)1732 359990 Email: subscription@imlgroup.co.uk Completed print or on line registration forms will be considered for free supply of printed issues, web site access and on line services.

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Paid subscriptions for non-qualifying applicants are available for £113 (U.K.), £145 (Europe), £204 (rest of world); single copies £19.

April 2017

3

INDUSTRY REPORTS

IoT set to trigger enterprise

digital transformation From the results of a global survey – the IoT 2020 Business Report – Schneider Electric has predicted that the Internet of Things (IoT) will trigger the next wave of enterprise digital transformation.

B

ased on the recent global IoT survey of 3,000 business leaders in 12 countries, in addition to Schneider Electric’s knowledge of IoT solutions and feedback from its customers and partners, the company is predicting that large organisations will be using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies as a serious business tool by 2020.

The following predictions serve as a guide for what we can expect as the market evolves:

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April 2017

• The next wave of digital transformation: IoT will trigger the next wave of enterprise digital transformation, unifying the worlds of operational technology (OT) and IT and fueling a mobile and digitally enabled workforce. As more companies expand and deepen their digitisation programmes enterprise-wide, IoT will increasingly take centre stage. This new wave of transformation will be enabled by more affordable ‘connected’ sensors, embedded intelligence and

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will control faster and more ubiquitous communications networks, cloud infrastructure, and advanced dataanalytics capabilities • Insightful data: IoT will translate previously untapped data into insights that enable enterprises to take the customer experience to the next level. When thinking about the value proposition of IoT, most businesses point to efficiency and cost savings as the key benefits. Yet access to data – including previously untapped data – and the ability to translate it into actionable insights, the hallmark of IoT, will deliver greater customer-service transformation and new opportunities to build brand/ service loyalty and satisfaction • Premise-to-cloud confidence: The IoT will promote an open, interoperable

Control Engineering Europe

INDUSTRY REPORTS and hybrid computing approach, and will foster industry and government collaboration on global architecture standards that address cybersecurity concerns. While cloud-based IoT solutions will grow in popularity, no single computing architecture will monopolise their delivery. IoT instead will flourish across systems, both at the edge and on premise, as part of private cloud or public cloud offerings. Making IoT available across heterogeneous computing environments will help end users adopt IoT solutions in the way that best suits their security and missioncritical needs while also offering entities with legacy technology infrastructures a logical and manageable path forward, allowing them to transform over time.

• Innovations that leapfrog existing infrastructure: IoT will function as a source of innovation, business model disruption and economic growth for businesses, governments and emerging economies. Businesses will deliver new IoT-enabled services; new business models will emerge; and, in particular emerging economies will have a significant opportunity to quickly leverage IoT without the constraint of legacy infrastructure, essentially leapfrogging old ways. McKinsey forecasts that 40% of the worldwide market for IoT solutions will be generated by developing countries.

• A better planet: IoT solutions will be leveraged to address major societal and environmental issues. IoT will help countries and their economies respond to the biggest challenges facing our planet, including global warming, water scarcity and pollution. Survey respondents identified improved resource utilisation as the number one benefit of IoT to society as a whole. Along with the initiatives to curtail greenhouse gas emissions in accord with the breakthrough COP21 climate agreement.

The key global survey findings that informed the predictions revealed that 75% of businesses are optimistic about the opportunities the IoT presents this year, including: Control Engineering Europe

Opening up the world of predictive maintenance to SMEs ALM-enabled Smart Maintenance (ALMeS) is a new innovation activity launched by EIT Digital’s Digital Industry Action Line with the goal of developing a cost-effective solution based on the collection and analysis of real-time data from machines.

Today, maintenance of factory machinery is performed mainly at fixed intervals, or on a run-to-failure basis. Real-time data from machines, that could help predict when it’s time for a check-up, is not usually available, as heavy sensorisation of the equipment is too costly for most SMEs. The creation of Add-on, Low cost, Multi-purpose (ALM) modules for measuring real-time parameters such as vibrations, energy consumption and temperature will allow factory managers to quickly and simply optimise machinery performance and reduce costs – switching from established patterns to the more effective method of predictive maintenance.

Importantly, the change won’t require big investment: ALMeS innovative sensors are based on standard fibre optics, low-cost microcontrollers and machinelearning software. By introducing predictive maintenance methods in their plants, manufacturers could reduce maintenance costs by 25%-35%, eliminate more than 70% of breakdowns and boost a 25% increase in productivity, according to figures provided by EIT Digital.

Customers using the new solution – which is scheduled for market launch by the end of 2017 – will be able to recoup the one-time fee for system implementation, plus the yearly evolutionary maintenance fee to be paid to ALMeS partners, with the savings made during the first year of usage. www.eitdigital.eu

• Improved customer experience: Sixty-three percent of organisations plan to use the IoT to analyse customer behaviour in 2016, with faster problem resolution, better customer service and customer satisfaction ranking among the top five potential business benefits.

• Cost savings in automation: Building and industrial automation represent the highest potential annual cost savings (63% and 62%, respectively).

Results showed automation technologies will be the future of the IoT, with nearly half (42%) of respondents indicating that they plan to implement IoT-enabled building automation systems within the next two years.

• Mobile delivers the value of IoT: Two out of three organisations (67%) plan to implement the IoT via mobile applications in 2016. Even further, onethird of respondents (32%) plan to start using the IoT in mobile applications in as little as six months, citing potential

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cost savings of up to 59% as a major driver in implementation.

• 81 percent of respondents feel that knowledge gathered from the data and/ or information generated by the IoT is being shared effectively throughout the organisation.

• 41 percent of respondents anticipate cybersecurity threats related to the IoT as being a critical challenge for their business.

“We’re past the point of questioning whether IoT will deliver value.

Businesses now need to make informed decisions to position themselves to maximise IoT’s value in their organisation,” said Dr. Prith Banerjee, chief technology officer at Schneider Electric. “The Internet of Things has been at the top of the hype curve for some time, but the findings of this survey demonstrate that IoT technologies can and will continue to drive real business value across industries and geographies.”

April 2017

5

EDITOR’S CHOICE

IP-rated housing makes industrial cameras more versatile Industrial cameras need to be able to work in a number of different environments and some applications require special protection classes for the cameras.

Important for the selection of a suitable camera case are the environmental conditions, concerning splash water, dust and particles, as well as temperature and vibrations. When a system is used in a rough, industrial environment, it has to fulfill other requirements than when it is used in the clean room. For certain environments an extreme vibration and shakeproof solution is important. Other applications might require a high temperature resistance.

The EyeProtect housing, from EVT,

Wired HART functionality for vibrating fork level detector Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance are increasingly important within the process industries, while helping increase safety and efficiency of both plant and workers is paramount.

The new Rosemount 2140 is believed to be the World’s first wired HART vibrating fork level detector for applications including overfill prevention, high and low level alarms, and pump protection.

Providing level detection for liquids as well as sediments, the Rosemount 2140 incorporates smart diagnostics that continuously monitor electronic and mechanical device health, and a fully integrated remote proof-testing capability. The detector is certified to IEC 61508 (SIL 2) making it suitable for safety-critical applications.

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April 2017

offers all-round protection for industrial cameras and allows them to achieve the desired protection class and type. The protection class (class I to III) is important because it specifies the protection against contact. The protection type (IP

XX) specifies the protection against the infiltration of particulate material and liquids.

EyeProtect provides up to IP67 which means it is dust-proof and protects the camera if it gets submerged in water. The housing is available in three different diameters (available inner diameters from 29 mm up to 85 mm). Its length can be adjusted. The minimum size is 100mm and it can be extended in steps of 25mm which gives enough space to house a variety of cameras.

It is also possible to select between M12 connectors and a PG cable gland for the connection between the camera inside and the connectors on the back of the housing, where it gets the power and network connection.

Wireless telemetry system extends into hazardous areas Mantracourt has launched an intrinsically safe version of its T24 wireless telemetry sensor system. The X24 range is ATEX and IECEx approved for Zones 1 & 2. It was developed to meet demand from existing users of the T24 system.

Alongside its ATEX/IECEx status, a key feature is its modularity. The X24 system comprises three products that are certified for use in hazardous areas – the X24-HD handheld display unit, X24-ACMI-SA cased transmitter and X24-SAe OEM transmitter. Currently, they operate with strain bridge inputs and gather and transmit data from force, weight, torque and pressure sensors. Being fully compatible with Mantracourt’s T24 system, the data is transmitted to T24 receivers within the safe zone. This compatibility also means that the X24 system can be retrofitted, so it is possible to extend an existing T24 wireless network into hazardous areas, reducing installation costs and providing

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quick setup.

Once in the safe zone, users of the system have access to the complete T24 product range. This includes the base stations and T24 Toolkit and visualisation software.

The free data logging and visualisation software allows users to log up to 100 channels and build visual displays.

Alarms can be set that can indicate under and over range and can alert users to loss in communication, low battery and error reports. A built in web server provides a summary view page to other computers, tablets and smart phones.

Control Engineering Europe

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COVER STORY

The open world of

AUTOMATION Frank Walde talks us through a new open control platform that forms the basis for a flexible, and future-proof controller generation.

I

n recent years, automation technology has undergone rapid change. Examples of this include the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0 or the constantly growing threat posed by unauthorised access attempts and malware. What does all this mean for manufacturers and users? And what opportunities could arise from such technological developments? The new PLCnext Technology for the up-andcoming controllers from Phoenix Contact provides practical answers.

Like its customers, Phoenix Contact as a traditional manufacturer and a driving force for innovation in automation technology, is constantly trying to determine which future trends are really relevant and which solutions the current and future market will expect.

It is important to identify the individual aspects of new technological trends and to then determine their impact on the daily work of developers and the needs of users.

In order to identify the key characteristics of a modern control architecture, the specialists at Phoenix Contact have examined the requirements of both long-term users and sales partners. One thing that these target groups are concerned

Figure 1: PLCnext Technology offers a platform for numerous solutions.

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April 2017

about is how they can bring solutions to market faster than their competitors.

They also want to be able to offer an ever-increasing number of product versions with minimal effort and to meet the IT security needs of as many different applications as possible. Can the challenges of the forward-looking Industry 4.0 project be met? In any case, the relevant approaches will contribute to successful business operations.

Hardware-independent platform In order to meet these requirements, PLCnext Technology will be redeveloped from scratch. For all of these activities, the focus is on users. It became clear at an early stage that openness and consistency were important features.

Through the use of Linux as the operating system, PLCnext Technology can use a standard basis on virtually all hardware architectures. Linux is not only absolutely real-time capable, it also offers Phoenix Contact - and therefore its customers - quick participation in the latest developments of the Linux community. However, it is only one operating system and so does not yet meet the needs of all existing and future challenges.

With PLCnext Technology, Phoenix Contact is now offering a hardwareindependent platform which uses Linux and makes it easy to benefit from the advantages of this system. At the same time it offers all the stability and functions expected of a modern control concept. Unlike other solutions, with PLCnext Technology the developer no longer has to worry about which PLC will actually later be used. At the end of the project, the developer simply selects a controller with PLCnext Technology in the relevant performance class. This means that the application can be scaled flexibly and complete solutions can be reassembled repeatedly (Figure 1).

Any language The basis of PLCnext Technology is an intelligent layer between the application program and operating system, which all system components use to exchange data synchronously and in real time, and which also provides easy access to system services such as Ethernet sockets. Due to their open interfaces, the user can use the intermediate layer to integrate and install their own programs (Apps) without problems and to communicate with all other system components and the operating system. This is true regardless of whether the programs are created conventionally in IEC 611313, in high-level language â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such as C# or C/C++ - or via Matlab Simulink.

The developer decides on the most suitable software tool for the relevant application or can even combine various tools. While an IEC 61131-3 programmer can use the new PC Worx Engineer software or generate and upload models directly in Matlab Simulink, a high-level language programmer can choose

Figure 2: The platform fits the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programming tool.

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Control Engineering Europe

COVER STORY between Visual Studio and Eclipse.

This means that every employee is developing in their preferred tool, which eliminates any costs for training in other programming tools (Figure 2).

So PLCnext Technology can be used to create all the specified programs. They can be executed both in cyclic and in event-based tasks. Multi-core systems are also supported. Stringent real-time requirements with minimal jitter can also be met. This means that developers can create solution modules and then freely reuse them, which leads to shorter development times and modular system concepts.

While the developer decides on the programming languages and the necessary tools, the controller must conform to the communication landscape and directives of the end customer or industry. It is, therefore, important for it to support key transmission standards and to be open for additional protocols. One relevant standard is OPC UA. Increasing numbers of industrial components exchange data flexibly and securely via this non-proprietary protocol and thus create intelligent and networked systems. PLCnext Technology therefore features an integrated OPC UA server as standard. In this context, the connection of all components to the intermediate layer is a particular advantage. In conjunction with integrated synchronous data loggers and the OPC UA server, a comprehensive data acquisition and signaling solution can be created in a few minutes without any programming.

In addition, PLCnext Technology works with proven PROFICLOUD services and also supports the integration of proprietary cloud solutions. This

Figure 3: IT security is fully integrated in PLCnext Technology.

Control Engineering Europe

represents a step toward preventive diagnostics and IoT. Conventional fieldbus systems – such as PROFIBUS, CAN, Modbus/RTU, and INTERBUS – as well as real-time Ethernet standards – such as PROFINET and Modbus/TCP – are, of course, also supported. PLCnext Technology is therefore consistently designed for the later integration of additional protocols so that users can respond flexibly to future developments.

Programming software bundles The success of a project will depend not only on the controller and its basic technology, but also on its optimal integration into development tools.

While developing PLCnext Technology, the team at Phoenix Contact, in addition to providing the best possible engineering support, has concentrated on ensuring that the developer can use their own methods when necessary.

As a result, all PLCnext Technology components are modular, and all important parts can be configured. This ensures that the user has full control of the system.

Thanks to the bundling of all functions, in most cases the new PC Worx Engineer software can be used for programming and configuration of the PLC. Its interface also focuses on the user and is therefore consistently designed for userfriendly operation. In addition to IEC 61131-3 programming, all functions – such as web visualisation, functional safety, and the modularity of PLCnext Technology – are included in this

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tool. Due to the central configuration, data can be shared for example with synchronous data loggers, the OPC UA server or the web visualisation with just a few clicks of the mouse. PC Worx Engineer also has integrated safety functions so that safety controllers can also be programmed directly.

Access security Now and in future, industry-specific requirements for IT security should be added to the existing functions. Network security and remote maintenance are undoubtedly important, but there is more to IT security than this.

Demands on modern systems include integrity, availability, and above all the confidentiality of all data (Figure 3). This is only possible with a deep integration of different mechanisms and procedures on all levels of PLCnext Technology, as well as the PC Worx Engineer development environment.

PLCnext Technology therefore offers security by design, so that security aspects can be implemented according to IEC 62443. IT security is, therefore, no longer an obstacle, but is the key to new project ideas based on PLCnext Technology.

With PLCnext Technology, Phoenix Contact meets the needs of developers and users in a simple manner. This makes it possible to shorten development times, minimise costs, and enables the people involved to focus on the project and their core tasks.

Author: Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Frank Walde, Competence Center Automationworx, Phoenix Contact Electronics GmbH. April 2017

9

MOBILE DEVICE TECHNOLOGY

Optimising graphics for mobile devices Scott Kortier examines best practices for interfacing mobile devices to automation systems through PC-based and embedded HMIs to provide the required access controls, security and viewing experience.

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ith Mobile devices increasingly being used to interface to industrial automation systems – usually for monitoring but sometimes for remote control. The HTML5 standard found in many modern embedded and PC-based HMIs minimises the development work needed to publish graphic screens from an HMI to mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Although it is easy to publish graphics, the user experience may suffer depending on the type and size of the mobile device display.

The small screen size of a mobile device can cause problems if simply reusing graphics created for embedded or PCbased HMI graphic screens (See figure 1).

Instead of simply making local HMI

screens available to mobile devices via a remote desktop connection – possibly causing excessive compressing, panning and expanding – some HMI suppliers use the HTML5 standard and related tools to create mobile device screens. Most mobile devices support this standard, allowing them to provide browser-based access to plant floor automation systems through the HMI without custom code.

Using HMI software – such as InduSoft Web Studio runtime – mobile clients supporting the HTML5 standard are able to display HMI graphics. This enables existing mobile devices and platforms to be used because the runtime is not tied to a specific operating system platform.

This could even eliminate the need for at least some of the HMIs on the plant floor – if a compatible mobile device is already owned by the user – helping to

reduce the cost of installation.

When using HTML5 and a browser on a mobile device, the engineer and system integrator are also spared the frustration of downloading and maintaining separate apps for each platform. User impact, training and maintenance of such systems is reduced by conveying information and optional interaction via the HTML5 standard.

Security can be managed by the HMI application, the company’s IT department or both. This remotely managed authorisation makes mobile device authentication less of a security concern. If the mobile device uses a web browser supporting HTML5, it can become a thin client runtime to the HMI. The HMI server on the plant floor is the gatekeeper, limiting mobile device client access to machine and process data. The client will not be able to run code on the HMI server, and can only access data present in the HMI application display.

Design tips Depending on the specific size and type of mobile device, data displays are used for different amounts of time and for different purposes – so there are advantages to laying out the graphic screens differently for each device.

Figure 1: On smaller screens, such as this tablet, too much information clutters the display and makes it hard to use. (Image courtesy of InduSoft)

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Things to consider to create effective graphic and data displays include: • Consider specific use of data at a device • Present critical data at a glance • Limit amount of data per screen • Reduce required navigation among > p12 Control Engineering Europe

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MOBILE DEVICE TECHNOLOGY

Figure 2: A well-designed HMI screen on a tablet provides critical information and graphs, while limiting colours and unnecessary detail. (Image courtesy of InduSoft)

screens • Reduce graphic details • Use colour properly • Display alarms clearly • Streamline event notification • Minimise data entry fields Consider specific use of data at a device as mobile devices are likely to be used differently than the line supervisor’s PC when viewing HMI screens. A smartphone would provide a quick data check or alarm view. A laptop or tablet could allow users to drill down into the details via additional screens.

Critical data should be presented at a glance on the mobile device. It should take only seconds to view machine status, tank level or accumulator capacity, for example. Having important information quickly available to the operator is often the best use of a mobile device on the plant floor.

Limiting the amount of data per screen is also important. Too much data will overwhelm the operator. Some key process variables are important, but many others are not. Filtering data helps an operator see relevant machine or process data while eliminating non-critical information (Figure 2).

Only essential information needs to be displayed on each screen.

Design of the user display is part art and part science. Making the data

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easily visible, such as by using larger fonts on small mobile devices, is helpful.

Understanding user interaction and minimising navigation effort needed to get to the data are also important.

Limiting navigation

well, as does using colour or a flashing graphic to indicate a problem. Up to 10% of operators are colour blind, so a red and green indicator may not be detected.

Indicator text can be added to address this issue, such as displaying words like Off, On or Alarm. Changing symbols, for example from a circle to a triangle, is also helpful to make issues understood quickly.

Alarms should be clearly displayed using a consistent and well-developed alarm management system. This is critical if multiple maintenance staff or operators are remotely monitoring and acknowledging alarms. Alarms should be logged with comments to confirm that operators have acknowledged an alarm and that the necessary corrective action has been taken. A simple user interface should be provided for these tasks.

Streamlining event notification and logging captures machine and process events for easy review by mobile device users (Figure 3). When viewed remotely on mobile devices, events should keep the user current on machine status and system changes.

Data entry keystrokes should be minimised by automating entry where possible, or by using drop-down lists from which selections can be made. Entering large amounts of data is difficult with mobile devices and should be avoided.

Selecting an HMI supporting the HTML5 standard is just the start when using mobile devices on the plant floor. Effective graphic screen design for use on these mobile device is also necessary for users to view, understand and act on important information.

Required navigation among screens should be minimised. Navigation on mobile HMI devices is more difficult than on larger HMI displays. Some HMIs can detect if a mobile device is being used and will automatically adjust the screen. When detected, the display menu seen on large screens changes to three parallel lines called a hamburger icon, representing the menu.

When pressed, a drop down menu is displayed.

Mobile device graphic details should be minimised to allow room for clear display of the most important information. For example, a rotating pump graphic is not needed, and animation in general should be Figure 3: A smartphone should deliver streamlined data and event minimised. that can be viewed Colour should be used notification and understood at a glance. (Image properly. Grayscale works courtesy of InduSoft)

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Scott Kortier is InduSoft Web Studio senior technical sales at Wonderware by Schneider Electric.

Control Engineering Europe

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TEST & MEASUREMENT

Never ignore your instruments Alan Hunt warns of the danger of ignoring what your instruments are telling you.

W

hile instrument vendors put a huge amount of time, effort and ingenuity into developing new ways to allow their instruments to gather and display information, for many end users many of these capabilities often go unused. Instruments are the frontline for ensuring that processes are running in line with expectations and can provide a valuable source of data for engineers to see what is happening on the plant floor. They can also be a good indicator for warn when things are going wrong.

Despite this, incidents continue to occur because instrument readings are either being ignored or misunderstood.

In a recent example, misinterpretation

of an alarm reading was found to be the main factor behind the discharge of untreated sewage by a water company.

Alarms indicating a potential problem were ignored and not passed on for action as it was considered to be a momentary blip, most likely caused by a probable fault with the instrument.

Unfortunately, the alarm was genuine and, as a consequence, untreated sewage spilled into a local waterway.

Luckily, in this example, the outcome of the ignored alarm – though undesirable – was not catastrophic, resulting in just a minimum fine being issued to the company concerned.

However, in other situations where there is the potential for serious injury or endangerment to human life, the

Top tips to help keep you out of trouble • Never ignore an instrument: Reacting to a problem or issue early is always better, and is invariably less costly, than allowing it to multiply.

• If in doubt, ask: If you don’t know what the instrument is trying to tell you, then ask for confirmation, either from a supervisor or, if necessary, from the instrument manufacturer • Don’t accept nuisance trips: Warnings and alarms are always activated for a reason, either because of potential issues within your process, or faults within the instrument itself. In either case,

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a nuisance trip should never be tolerated or allowed to persist. Get the problem checked out straight away, replacing the device if necessary.

• Never assume that someone else is dealing with it: Always report faults and make sure that they are actioned, or at least logged.

• Call in a service engineer: While calling in a service engineer from the device manufacturer might incur cost, this will usually be nothing compared to the potential costs, both financial and reputational, that could stem from an instrument or process failure.

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ramifications of ignoring what an instrument is saying can be far more serious.

Complacency over safety was identified as one of the major contributing factors behind the Buncefield disaster in the UK in 2005, where failure of an automatic tank gauging system led to a fuel storage tank being overfilled. Problems with this system, caused by sticking of the gauge mechanism, had been known for some time, with 14 reported instances having taken place in the four months leading up to the disaster.

There were also problems with an independent high level system on one of the tanks that should have shut off the tank filling process and sounded an alarm. Although the system itself worked properly, a lack of knowledge over how it worked had rendered it ineffective.

The cumulative impact of this was that 250,000 litres of petrol seeped from the overfilled fuel tank, causing a vapour cloud which drifted to other tanks before igniting. The subsequent chain Control Engineering Europe

TEST & MEASUREMENT reaction caused other tanks to explode, resulting in a fire that lasted five days and caused extensive damage to the facility and the surrounding areas as well as significant long-term contamination of the surrounding environment.

Luckily no-one was killed, but the financial penalties imposed on the companies deemed responsible totalled nearly £10m.

If an instrument is deemed to be unreliable, then good practice dictates that it should either be repaired or replaced.

Why are they being ignored?

To tackle the problem, it helps to understand why instruments are being ignored. In many cases it is due to a mismatch between the perception and reality of a problem, where the consequences of a potential failure are not fully considered.

Taking the example of an unreliable instrument, it is understandable that persistent nuisance trips might lead to them being ignored altogether.

However, the instrument is there for a reason and the fault may actually be

indicative of problems elsewhere, other than within the instrument itself. For this reason, the adage ‘if in doubt, check it out’ should always be applied.

If an instrument is deemed to be unreliable, then good practice dictates that it should either be repaired or replaced, especially if it is in a critical application. If an incentive to do this is needed, then consider that laws are in place that allow both companies and their employees to be punished in the event of a serious failure.

Potential human failings also need to be addressed. You can have the best automated system in place with as many failsafes as you can cram in, but somewhere along the line, someone is going to be needed to perform a particular task, whether it’s initiating an emergency shutdown or carrying out maintenance and checking on the plant. When this needs to happen, the people concerned should be properly trained to do what is required, with the knowledge, skills and motivation to carry out their role. They also need to feel confident enough to question what an instrument is telling them if they have doubts about a reading or an alarm.

Ultimately, taking the time to check and confirm whether an instrument is giving a false reading will always prove to be the smartest and most sensible decision.

Alan Hunt is electromagnetic flow product manager UK & Ireland at ABB Ltd – Measurement & Analytics.

HANNOVER MESSE 24 – 28 April 2017 hall 15, stand D05

Even more drive technology.

Get inspired, improve your knowledge.

Stay tuned and visit drive.tech now.

TEST & MEASUREMENT

Considering feedback sensing

FOR POSITION AND SPEED Urs Kafader discusses encoder properties and their selection for position and speed control applications.

T

he digital incremental encoder is the feedback sensor of choice for many applications with small motors. The main task for most applications is for position control or speed control. The level of accuracy in speed or position control can be very different so should be defined before encoder selection. Speed control at low speed (below 100 rpm) needs a better feedback than speed control at high speed (1000 rpm and above).

The load may be coupled directly onto the motor or there is a mechanical transformation system. Typically, encoders are mounted on the motor shaft, but can also be on the load itself. The mechanical properties of the transformation mechanism will influence encoder selection and gear reduction and mechanical play need to be taken into account.

Environmental conditions such as temperature, vibration and electromagnetic interference can also have an influence on encoder selection.

Optical encoders, for example, need to be protected against dust. Magnetic encoders may be sensitive to external magnetic fields – including those of the motor – and may require shielding.

The characteristic parameter of an incremental encoder is the number of rectangular pulses per motor revolution.

Typically, there are two channels delivering the same pulse number. The two signals have a relative phase shift of one-quarter of a pulse length. This arrangement allows the detection of the direction of motor rotation and gives four distinctive states per pulse, or quadcounts. They represent the real resolution which is four times higher

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April 2017

than the number of pulses on one channel. An encoder with 1000 cpt (counts or pulses per turn) gives 4,000 states per turn or a nominal resolution of 360°/4000 = 0.09°.

The encoder resolution can vary and there are many factors that influence the achievable encoder resolution – the underlying physical principle (optical, magnetic, inductive), the primary signal type (analogue or digital), the signal treatment (such as interpolation), and the mechanical layout to name a few.

How accurate are encoders?

Absolute positions Incremental encoders just give position changes. For absolute positioning, a reference or home position must first be established by moving the mechanism to an external reference.

Some encoders feature a third channel with one pulse per turn. The edges of this index channel give absolute position references within one turn. The limited accuracy of external references can be improved by an additional move to one of the index channel edges. However, the index channel is not a prerequisite for positioning. In fact, machine builders try to avoid using the Index for referencing because it requires new calibration if a motor-encoder unit has to be replaced.

Some controllers use the index channel to crosscheck the encoder signal and supervise the encoder counts per turn. Line drivers are recommended for transmission over long lines and for a better signal quality. For positioning, a line driver avoids missing encoder pulses.

Line drivers generate inverted signals for each channel. Each signal pair is transmitted together and the difference is evaluated, filtering out any electromagnetic interference during signal transmission. As a side effect, the

Resolution – the number of states – gives the nominal accuracy, the position is known within an error of one state.

However, encoder pulse lengths may vary due to mechanical tolerances (for example, shaft runout, length of magnetic poles and others). The pulses in one range of motor rotation may be shorter than the pulses of other ranges.

As a result the measured position deviates from the real position in a periodic way over one motor revolution.

The maximum deviation (peak to peak) is called Integrated Non-Linearity (INL).

INL is important in applications that require absolute position accuracy. Repeatability – i.e. always reaching the same position for a given set value - is not affected by INL. Repeatability is rather a question of signal jitter that typically The signals of a digital incremental encoder. Counting the state changes (the signal edges of channels A and B) results in a four-times higher amounts to less than resolution than the number of counts per turn on one encoder channel. one state.

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Control Engineering Europe

TEST & MEASUREMENT signal quality is improved, the signal edges are more clearly defined and the driver function enables the transmission of the signal over longer distances.

Positioning systems For positioning systems the required positioning resolution of the application will dictate the encoder resolution to be selected. A well-tuned system can maintain the position within one encoder state. Hence, the encoder resolution in quadcounts should, at least, correspond to the maximum permissible positioning error. Depending on the response time of the system, a higher encoder resolution should be chosen so the controller can detect deviations faster and counteract quicker.

Signal jitter, particularly if large compared to the nominal state width of the encoder, reduces accuracy in terms of achievable repeatability. In this respect, direct sensing optical encoders have advantages over interpolated magnetic encoders. Direct sensing larger optical encoders also have advantages concerning the absolute accuracy. Their Integrated Non-Linearity (INL) is very small.

Mechanical transformation A very high accuracy in positioning is difficult to achieve with mechanical transformation and the associated play so high resolution encoders only make sense on direct drive applications. High precision positioning often requires a high number of states and a high absolute accuracy. Optical encoders have advantages here – both due to a high resolution and a low INL. Drive systems with mechanical transformations, such as gearheads or lead and ball screws, do not require a high encoder resolution.

The resolution of the encoder mounted on the motor will be multiplied by the gear reduction. Similarly, on a screw with 5mm pitch a moderate encoder resolution of 512 quadcounts will result in a theoretical position accuracy of the nut of about 10 microns.

Absolute encoders Incremental encoders measure only Control Engineering Europe

changes in position and require a homing procedure for absolute position reading. This is typically performed at low speeds, taking time that is not available in some applications. In multiaxis systems homing Improving the accuracy of the reference position by an additional could cause collisions move to the edge of the index channel signal. and damage. In such cases, absolute considerations such as unbalance and encoders can be used as an alternative mounting tolerances. to incremental models.

The frequency constraints at the In industrial applications, absolute encoder input on the controller encoders with a serial interface often side should also be considered. If transmit the actual position as a very high speeds are required, bit-stream. A total of only six lines is a correspondingly low encoder sufficient for the supply voltage, data resolution should be chosen. A relative transmission and synchronisation of the speed variation of a few percent at transmission timing. high speeds of several thousand rpm For single-turn absolute encoders, corresponds to several 10 rpm absolute one axis revolution is coded in N steps. accuracy and is quite easy to achieve.

The coding repeats when rotating more • Speed control at low speeds: While than 360°. Typical resolutions are 12-bit state counting results in a good speed and more per revolution. In multi-turn control at high speeds, it becomes absolute encoders, the numbers of difficult at very low speed. revolutions are additionally coded and To reduce the absolute speed stored in the same bit stream. Multi-turn variation requires higher encoder encoders are required when the number resolution and a faster controller. of measurement steps of a single-turn Just imagine an encoder with 5000 encoder is not sufficient. cpt in the situation described above; you get ten times more feedback.

Speed control However, at low speeds the control The highest encoder resolutions are loop should be able to react faster, required for very precise speed control. keeping the absolute speed deviation The encoder resolution increases with small. Both requirements increase the the square of the demanded speed demands on the encoder. The encoder accuracy. In addition, a fast speed control resolution increases with the square of loop is needed and a high mass inertia the absolute speed stability. Half the has a beneficial effect on speed stability. permitted speed variation requires a Speed is evaluated in the controller by four times higher encoder resolution. counting the number of state changes At very low speeds, some controllers within a given time interval. The actual can offer an alternative speed evaluation speed of the motor will assume the set solution measuring the time that elapses value, and will maintain it because of between two states. The speed feedback the mechanical inertia. values will be more homogeneous, • Speed control at high speeds: The allowing a stiffer and more dynamic electronic components of the encoder control. limit the maximum pulse frequency Author: Urs Kafader, head of training at that can be handled. In some cases, maxon motor. this restriction stems from mechanical

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April 2017

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Perceived control system vulnerability

2016 MOBILITY, ETHERNET & WIRELESS STUDY

Using and integrating

Severe 3% %

mobile devices Respondents to the Control Engineering 2016 Mobility, Ethernet, and Wireless study identified four key findings about integration, use, and spending for mobility technologies and how they help users of automation, controls, and instrumentation increase productivity: 1. Technologies: Seven in 10 survey respondents use, buy, specify, or expect to specify a laptop within the next 12 months for business or professional purposes. Other top mobile devices used or expected to be used are Apple iPads (38%), Apple iPhones (37%), Android smartphones (36%), and Android tablets (35%).

2. Usage: On average, 49% of company employees use mobile devices for work purposes. The majority interface with their mobile device(s) on the plant floor/operations, and three in 10 use these technologies at home and/or at work, reaching into enterprise.

3. Integration: Half of respondents reported their controls, automation,

and instrumentation are somewhat/ highly integrated with mobility technologies. Over the past 12 months, integrating mobility has been somewhat challenging for 60% of companies, but they worked out the issues on their own, unlike the 24% who needed to call in a third party.

4. Security: Rules mandated by IT departments are followed at 65% of companies when implementing security for mobile devices; 10% use local department rules, and 7% rely on employees to make security decisions on their own. Despite these measures, 59% of respondents are concerned about security issues posed by adopting/using mobility technologies.

Top 10 tasks performed on work group mobile devices 88%

Work e-mail

61%

Connect to company systems

51%

Internet browsing

43%

Viewing or monitoring systems

41%

Receiving alarms about systems

38%

Reference or training Site search

32%

Social media

32%

Configuring systems

30%

Off the shelf mobile apps

30%

April 2017

25%

25%

47%

Moderate

28%

of end users recognize their control systems’ cybersecurity threat level to be high or severe. Source: Control Engineering 2016 Cybersecurity Study

8:

The average number of system integration projects an end user’s company outsources each year. Source: Control Engineering 2016 System Integration Study

4 in 5

end users – or their clients – are investing more in advanced technologies to support IIoT/Industrie 4.0/digital manufacturing initiatives. Source: Control Engineering 2016 Industrial Internet of Things and Industrie 4.0 Study

37%

of engineers who use mobile devices for work receive related applications/programs that are suggested and regulated by their companies. Source: Control Engineering 2016 Mobility, Ethernet, and Wireless Study

MORE RESEARCH

The most common use for mobile devices by respondents’ work groups is to check/respond to e-mail (88%). Other popular tasks include connecting to company systems (61%), browsing the Internet (51%), and viewing or monitoring automation, controls, or instrumentation (43%). Source: www.controleng. com/2016MobilityEthernetWireless

18

Low

High

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Control Engineering covers several research topics each year.

All reports are available at www.controleng.com/ce-research.

Control Engineering Europe

UK INDUSTRY REPORT

Working together to address the industrial digital skills shortage Westermo and Southampton Solent University have teamed up to help address the digital skills shortage affecting the UK industrial and manufacturing sector by introducing students to data communications technology that will be used to support the widespread applications of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

W

estermo has provided the university’s computer networking department with a range of data communications technology, enabling students to broaden the scope of their studies by focusing on the design and implementation of industrial networks. Equipment that is used to create resilient, reliable and secure networks in harsh industrial environments will help undergraduates learn how the latest IIoT technology is being deployed in railway, offshore oil and gas, and utility applications.

“There is currently a skills and digital expertise shortage within the UK industrial and manufacturing sector,” said Alan Bollard, managing director of Westermo Data Communications.

“The increased connectivity and data delivery made possible by the IIoT is a game-changer across many industries in terms of operational improvements, but it places greater demands on industrial networking infrastructure.

By introducing students to networking technology specific to industrial applications, we hope to highlight some exciting new career options and steer talented young people towards the industrial sector.”

“The equipment donated by

Westermo enables a complete industrial networking scenario to be configured within a dedicated computer networking laboratory at the university,” said Neville Palmer, senior lecturer in communications engineering at Southampton Solent University. “The partnership with Westermo will play an important role in diversifying the education and possible career paths of our students. Previously, our focus has been mainly on data communications technology within office environments, but the experience gained with Westermo’s industrial technology will ensure that graduates are better equipped to handle roles within industrial environments.”

Intelligent wiring creates transparency A white paper from Eaton provides a description of how machine operating costs can be reduced and productivity increased with a devicelevel, intelligent wiring and communication system.

The suggested solution allows both complex, smart automation components and simple devices - such Control Engineering UK

as instruction and reporting units, manual motor starters, circuit breakers and sensors - to be integrated into the communication system of a machine to offer data transparency down to the smallest machine component. The whitepaper offers real-life examples to demonstrate the benefits.

Along with increasing the machine’s overall capacity use, the solution is said to

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reduce downtime through the use of predictive maintenance and servicing and diagnostics, all of which can be carried out more simply and quickly.

According to Eaton, an intelligent wiring system can provide a reduction, of up to 30% in the life cycle costs of an electrical installation, from project design to servicing and maintenance.

To download the new white paper go to: www.eaton.eu/en/iw/sys.

April 2017

UK1

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Non-contact colour

sensor considerations There are several things that need to be considered before purchasing or specifying a non-contact colour sensor, including accuracy, the type of surface or object being measured, environmental conditions and mechanical set up, says Stephen Smith.

T

he first thing to consider is accuracy. How accurate does the sensor need to be? Is it the absolute colour that you need to measure or just colour detection. For measuring absolute colour, the sensor accuracy (measured in Delta E) will need to be high, in the range 0 to 1.0 Î&#x201D;E. If you are unsure of the accuracy, speak to the sensor supplier for advice and guidance.

What object or material do you need to measure? For non-contact colour sensors, the ideal surface in terms of sensor performance and accuracy is a flat, smooth one, where the same optics can be used. However, textured or structured surfaces can also be measured accurately by changing the measuring head on the sensor and/or the light source. In addition, multiple sensors can be used to measure at different measuring points on the sample and then averaging these values.

Curved surfaces or samples can be problematic for colour sensors. On a curved surface, the light from the light source is reflected back to the receiver differently compared to a flat surface. If the sensor controller is not set up to deal with this, the accuracy of the sensor will suffer. For a sensor to perform accurately, the measurement opening has to be fully covered and, as a general rule, the curved radius of the sample should be less than 10 times the diameter of the measurement field.

Even transparent or translucent

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objects can be measured using a noncontact colour sensor.

In many production processes, the temperature will fluctuate so the environmental conditions of the application need to be considered. If the colour sensor becomes too hot, its accuracy may suffer. The Delta E value of the sensor will change as the temperature increases.

Dirt, dust and oil will affect the accuracy of colour measurements. Noncontact colour sensors are more sensitive to contaminants in the measuring gap.

Mechanical mounting of the sensor and maintaining the distance between the sensor and the target object is also important, particularly if the sensor is integrated to an inline production process. Vibrations from the surrounding environment may move the sensor and therefore affect its colour measurement accuracy.

Filters and lenses In order to measure colours accurately, lenses are important.

Clear glass lenses are used for large distances and matt surfaces, while sensors with diffuse lenses are used for inhomogeneous, textured and shiny surfaces. A polarizing filter is normally used for highly reflective surfaces.

Sensors with UV LEDs

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tend to be used for fluorescent objects.

If colour measurements need to be made on high speed production lines, the inline colour measurement system will need to be integrated to other industrial control/quality control systems. The measurement system should therefore provide a range of connectivity/networking options including digital interfaces such as Ethernet, EtherCAT and RS422. These interfaces allow colour measurements to be monitored remotely.

Unlike conventional inline colour measurement systems, the latest advanced systems recognise colours not only by comparing them to reference values, but also by using the reflection spectrum to ensure unique identification.

Adaptive learning Most suppliers will provide their colour sensors with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;teach-inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; function. This enables the sensor to learn and adapt to the application by using samples of the correct colour. Following this process, the sensors are able to compare the colour samples they have been taught with the target object, then operate independently, normally outputting a pass/fail signal.

Stephen Smith is product sales engineer at Micro-Epsilon UK.

Control Engineering UK

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SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Increasing robot productivity Control Engineering UK looks at how advanced sensing solutions can help increase robot productivity.

V

ision-guided robotics (VGR) is fast becoming an enabling technology for the automation of many different processes within a range of industries. Object recognition technology gives the ability to identify different items, based on their threedimensional geometry. Whether the process involves loose, mixed, irregular parts, sacks or bags, equipping a robot with an area sensor provides an efficient solution that can be quickly adapted to handle different products.

FANUC 3D Area Sensors, for example, enable robots to recognise and pick up randomly positioned objects. Capable of locating parts three dimensionally, the sensor adds flexibility and reliability to operations traditionally completed by humans or which otherwise require sophisticated and expensive dedicated machinery.

Typical applications for 3D area sensors include de-palletising materials (including mixed boxes, sacks, bags and food packaging, bin picking - loose random parts, irregular items, and irregularly-shaped sacks or packaging, and sorting, placing and loading picked items into machines. Automating these processes can help increase productivity and reduce costs in many material handling applications. Even setups involving dirty, dusty or rusty products and/or difficult light conditions can benefit from such efficiencies.

are not located by identifying features via multiple cameras, but rather through each camera locating the object’s features created by the structured light.

Typically, this is performed over a large area, with many 3D points detected for each snap. The result is a point cloud, which compiles several X-Y-Z locations in a tight array across the 3D scene being imaged.

Using these maps, the system looks for parts. The part manager then does an evaluation and decides which part to pick. Taking reaching distance and collision avoidance into account, it then chooses the fastest picking option. If the part manager decides a pick has been unsuccessful or a part queue does not contain a part to pick, another image is taken and the process starts again using the new results.

3D vision systems that generate point clouds are very useful for VGR applications, because multiple parts can be located simultaneously. Multi-tasking background processing – part detection – takes place while the robot is moving and does not interrupt the workflow- means that shorter cycle times can be achieved.

Mastering new paths Teaching the robot new paths has been designed to be a simple task. The sensor can be programmed on the shop floor using a graphical interface on iPendant Touch, which utilises FANUC’s iRVision graphical interface. It can set up a bin picking application in a matter of minutes.

One robot can service up to four 3D area sensors. In bin picking applications an area sensor can be top-mounted on an auxiliary axis-powered rail, allowing the robot to directly control the movement of the sensor. Mounting the sensor this way gives the robot two bins to work from. As soon as the robot recognises that one bin is empty it will automatically switch to the next one, saving downtime that would be required for an operator to change the bin manually.

How it works?

FANUC‘s 3D Area Sensor uses structured light projection to create 3D maps of its surroundings. By adding structured light to a vision system, features of the part

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April 2017

A 3D Area Sensor offers advanced object recognition and placement in robot applications.

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Control Engineering UK

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DRIVES & MOTORS

SOFTWARE: helping

with motor selection

Software can help engineers select the right motor regardless of application. But understanding how the facility’s environment will affect motion system requirements remains crucial in selecting the right motor, says Matt Prellwitz.

A

pplication requirements dictate motor types when engineers define motion system specifications.

Software also can help engineers pick the right motor regardless of application. Such systems are crucial in selecting the right motor, along with a clear understanding of how the facility’s environment will affect motion system requirements. But software must also consider numerous factors, such as available space, power type, voltage and amperage, and the existing system, to accommodate the new motion system.

Most motor vendors will provide a large number of options from their product catalogue and can specify the best motor for the application, which saves time. However, not every application is alike. Many automation providers have created feature-filled software that can assist in choosing the best available device for every application. These systems generally require only a few variables, such as torque and required operating speeds, to be entered before they calculate the correct motor and related equipment for the job.

Sizing software – also referred to as motion design software – starts with the user building their mechanical system and entering the relevant data into the system. Once all the required specifics about the application have been entered, the tool will calculate necessary motor specs and recommend a device.

Motor details Even if the user doesn’t know all the application details, there are built-in tools to help calculate numbers for some variables that may be harder to track down, such as inertia. After the

Figure 1: Even if the user doesn’t know all the application details, there are built-in tools to help calculate numbers for some variables that may be harder to track down such as inertia. Figures courtesy: Beckhoff Automation

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April 2017

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Control Engineering UK

DRIVES & MOTORS mechanics are built, motion profiles are needed. These will help with drive and motor selection, and determine if a gearbox is needed to keep the inertia ratio within the application’s recommended tolerance.

General motor knowledge will help the user choose the right device for the task. For example, knowing that threephase power will yield more speed in an application than single-phase—or that higher amperage will allow more torque—goes a long way in narrowing down choices when faced with a large number of motor options.

Inertia is another important factor that is often overlooked in motion system commissioning; higher inertia ratios are being realised with 10:1 to 30:1 ratios.

Motion system inertia effect Inertia is another factor that is often overlooked, but is really important when it comes to commissioning the motion system. Having an inertia of 1:3 or 1:5 accelerates the tuning process during the commissioning phase. Higher inertia ratios are being realised as faster control loops and higher-level utilities become easier to understand thanks to tools such as Bode Plots and 5th order velocity observer. This facilitates applications in the 10:1 to 30:1 ratios. Capable motion design software allows much of the math to be calculated automatically, which spares the users potential computational headaches.

After the motor and drive system have been selected, working with a vendor that supports commonly recognized, open standards for motion commands makes programming less complicated. Leveraging a drive system and software platform that allows the user to switch between one or two encoders for one axis can help with overall mechanical accuracy. A highspeed, real-time Fieldbus also enables

MORE ADVICE Key concepts • Software and plant knowledge help fit the motor to the application.

• Sizing software can help simplify and accelerate motor selection.

• Choosing a robust motion design software platform can help streamline design and provide the best options. responsive control without the need to configure hubs or switches for motion interruptions to update velocity for multiple axes simultaneously.

Doing the requisite homework on motion requirements for an application and limiting complication factors within the plant will lead users down the best path. Choosing a robust motion design software platform will streamline the design phase and help engineers select the best available options for their machines and plants.

Matt Prellwitz is drive technology application specialist, Beckhoff Automation.

Figure 2: After the mechanics are built, motion profiles are needed, which will help with drive and motor selection and will determine if a gearbox is needed to keep the inertia ratio within the application’s recommended tolerance.

NEW PRODUCTS

Compact frequency inverter available across the UK The Lenze i500 range of frequency inverters are now available through three stock partners in the North, Midlands and South West of England.

Distribution partners Transdrive of Oldham, Modern Drives & Controls of Leicester and The Inverter Drive Supermarket in Gloucestershire hold popular models of the i500 available for

collection or immediate dispatch.

The i500 range is available from 0.25kW in two main versions. The i510 suits simpler applications such as pumps and fans. The i550 is a modular version giving maximum flexibility up to 75kW. Options include STO Safe Torque Off and real-time buses such as EtherCAT and PROFINET. All models have built-in EMC filters and application specific operating modes including Lenze VFCeco energysaving operation.

The i500 design is said to offer timesaving options for easy programming and diagnostics. A plug-on keypad uses clear text for display of parameters and a USB connection allows direct setting from a laptop. Where access is more difficult there are two options for programming without a physical connection.

Stocks of the i500 held by the partners

Ultra-compact brushless dc motor with gearbox and controller The Dunkermotoren ultra-compact BGA 22 Ironless brushless DC motor is now available with a gearbox, encoder and controller. This BGA 22x22 dCore option benefits from the ironless, BGA axial flow design and provides users with advantages such as zero-cogging torque, low vibration and very low audible noise.

In addition to the new motor, there is a four quadrant controller with CANopen interface which can supply currents up to 5A. Furthermore, the encoder is offered with a choice of 256 ppr or 360 ppr and is sized to match the existing motor diameter for ease of mounting.

For simple applications, Dunkermotoren offer the

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April 2017

BGA 22 dGo version with integrated electronics and functions such as change of direction, start/stop, speed set input and speed output signal. The PLG 22 and PLG 24 are the two planetary gearboxes offered which provide a nominal torque of up to 1.5 Nm. Measuring just 22mm in diameter and weighing 63 grams the BGA 22 three phase brushless DC motors are said to deliver exceptional power to size and weight ratio, producing up to 50% more power than comparably sized brushless DC motors and are ideal for low noise applications.

They support low nominal speed (around 3,000 rpm) and are suited to medical, pharmaceutical or aviation motion control applications.

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include comms options such as CANopen and Modbus. The compact i500 inverters are just 130mm deep but can offer power of 11kW. Performance is high, with 200% of rated torque available and the range meets the energy efficiency regulation EN50598-2.

Variable speed drive for the era of smart machines Schneider Electric has expanded its Altivar family of variable speed drives to include the Altivar Machine ATV340 drive which combines optimised installation with cuttingedge application control and easy-tointegrate automation capabilities – all features which help it address the challenges of the smart machine era.

The ATV340 is built for applications requiring rapid dynamic control and provides the flexibility to handle most motor types in open or closed loop.

A combination of fast application reaction time with a minimum 1ms task cycle and Ethernet connectivity maximises machine throughput to offer faster production times. Built-in multiprotocol Ethernet, an embedded encoder, integrated application functions, and compatibility with multiple motor types bring design flexibility and simplifies machine engineering.

Complete project replication is one-button simple to help reduce design time, while a library of Tested, Validated, and Documented Architectures boosts the speed of design.

The ATV340 range has Achilles level 2 cyber-security certification and is compliant with EN ISO 1384901 and EN 62061 and is suitable for environments with high levels of dust and vibration and operating temperatures up to 60 degrees C, while remote monitoring enables predictive maintenance and fast device replacement (FDR) services ensure prompt machine recovery.

Control Engineering UK

EDGE COMPUTING

IIoT connectivity challenges Companies looking to implement an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) strategy need to address several potential issues as they seek to bridge the gap between operations technology (OT) and information technology (IT), says Tony Paine.

A

Genpact Research Institute survey shows 81% of executives agree that Internet of Things (IoT) adoption will be critical to the future success of their companies, yet only 25% have a clear Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) strategy. As organisations look to develop such plans, one of the biggest challenges is seamlessly enabling devices or ‘things’ that live at the edge of the network. To bridge the gap between operations technology (OT) and information technology (IT), businesses must develop a strategy and implement a solution that addresses the following four critical issues.

1. Connecting disparate communication mediums Very often, industrial networking technologies do not leverage Ethernet as their physical communications layer.

Instead, they may use anything from RS232/485 to modems to proprietary wiring depending on the environment and what comprises the system. Likewise, the data protocols that are exposed over these communication mediums are not

likely to be IP derivatives. Consequently, a hodgepodge of industrial networks has been created without attention to the future possibility of being connected to the Internet. As a result, organisations must develop a plan to enable such disparate communication mediums to work together to achieve a successful IIoT strategy.

2. Using non-standard methods of identification Unlike IP addresses in the IT world, many industrial things don’t use standard addressable schemes for uniquely identifying themselves on the network.

Instead, their schemes vary by vendor and type, and they may or may not have built-in discovery mechanisms. Innate knowledge by an integration expert is required to connect the things in a way that makes them function as a whole.

3. Determining a request/ response model Industrial networks have historically followed a request/response model. If a particular thing is interested in a piece of data contained in another thing, it

will make an appropriate connection, request the piece of data, and wait for a response containing the result. Although this pull model is fine for things living within the same digital boundary of operations, it won’t work for the outside IT world because of security and scalability requirements. Instead, IIoT likely needs a push model, where industrial data flows outbound to a cloud platform.

4. Enabling short-term data storage Within the context of a single industrial network, thousands of things together may generate several thousand data points. Though this sounds like a small set of data, real-time operations requirements will necessitate these points to be sampled at sub-millisecond rates for data change detection. In the past, this high-frequency data would be simply analyzed, acted on accordingly, and thrown away. As companies move to making this data available to IIoT, they will need short-term storage to ensure it can be pushed to other parties when needed.

All these challenges are key for businesses to keep in mind when developing processes and identifying products to help bridge the gap between OT and IT. The IIoT presents great opportunities for organisations.

But they first need a clear, cohesive needs strategy in place for that to happen. Organisations that have access to the most amounts of information will be able to make more informed decisions across the enterprise.

Tony Paine is Kepware platform president.

Control Engineering Europe

www.controlengeurope.com

April 2017

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FDI TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Field Device Integration – built to last Control Engineering Europe gets up to date on the latest developments for FDI, which aims to harmonise EDDL device integration languages.

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DI (Field Device Integration) was developed by a cooperation of process automation suppliers, who got together in a bid to resolve a file management problem experienced by many end users when integrating control systems and associated instrumentation – too many files! There are, for example, over 250 files associated with a

FDI was created to make instrument integration a simpler process.

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single FOUNDATION Fieldbus enabled flowmeter.

FDI offers greater compatibility of EDDL-based (Electronic Device Description Language) networks such as HART, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus & Profinet, allowing these networks to be more easily integrated with each other.

It also allows EDDL-based systems to be integrated into a host of other industrial networks, via FDT technology.

FDI technology was approved by IEC as a global standard – IEC 62769 – in 2015 and the specification is now co-owned

by FDT Group, FieldComm Group, OPC Foundation and Profibus International.

FDI specification developers set out to create an information model that collected all the files associated with a device into several categories: • Device Descriptions (EDDs) that are required to inform the host system of the attributes and parameters enabled in the device. Often different hosts (e.g.

AMS, Field Device Manager, etc.) require different EDDs.

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• User Interface Descriptions that integrate with the host and provide enhanced graphics and control interfaces for the device.

• Documents, including operating manuals, installation guidelines, certifications, country registrations and many others.

Historically, users have been forced to determine the files that they needed for their system. “Moving to a single technology for the configuration, maintenance, alert visualisation, and data access of smart field equipment is an imperative for the automation industry,” explained Peter Zornio, chief strategic officer at Emerson Process Management. “With FDI technology, all the files and tools for a single field device are encapsulated into a single structured file entity known as an FDI Device Package.

A technology for the future Driven by the ever-increasing demands for process automation data from information systems, users are beginning to develop their desired architectures for more open interfaces. Initiatives like the NAMUR Open Architecture, Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Exxon Mobil’s Open Architecture Industrial Control System project, and the Open Group’s Open Automation Forum all seek to break down proprietary architecture barriers between field devices and ultimately cloud-based computing platforms.

Recognising this trend the architects of FDI partnered with the OPC Foundation to include in the design of FDI several OPC UA specifications that define field devices and field device integration in the context of FDI technology. Specifically, they share the same information model that defines Control Engineering Europe

FDI TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

FDI: How does it work?

the context of field devices in process automation. The goal is to ensure that as systems evolve an open pathway to field device information is assured. “FDI is the migration path for traditional field instruments into the Internet of Things, Services, and People,” said Thoralf Schulz, global technology manager for ABB.

FDI offers a single approach to device integration, created and supported by the automation industry’s leading technology foundations and suppliers.

It combines the advantages of FDT with those of EDDL in a single, scalable solution.

FDI takes account of the various tasks over the entire lifecycle of a device, including configuration, commissioning, diagnosis and calibration.

The core of FDI Technology is the scalable FDI Device Package which describes a field instrument or an

Ensuring interoperability In addition to managing the development of standards, FieldComm Group devotes significant resources to the development of test specifications and execution of specification compliance testing for field devices manufactured by its members. Devices carrying the HART registered or FOUNDATION Fieldbus Registered marks undergo hundreds of hours of testing to assure compliance with specifications.

But what about the host systems?

In January this year, FieldComm Group made two significant announcements.

The first related to the availability of its product registration service for FDI Device Packages and FDI Compliant Host systems. The second announced the first host system to successfully complete the FieldComm Group host system registration process.

Official testing and registration of FDI compliant products is important as it ensures robust, compliant solutions that meet or exceed the industry requirements. It also offers a level of

assurance to end-users that the product will operate as expected, regardless of manufacturer.

FieldComm Group is anticipating that many of its member companies will be joining ABB and Emerson and will start to ship products that are compliant with the FDI standard before the end of 2017.

“Within FieldComm Group, our member led Integration Working Group continues to develop standards to enhance FDI and make the technology accessible to a broader range of users,” said Ted Masters, president and CEO at FieldComm Group. “As the home of FDI, FieldComm Group manages the product roadmap to continue to develop

Hall 9, Booth D76

Industry 4.0 starts with the sensor or field device.

These provide the basic data for the digital networking of plants and production processes in an Internet of Things. With its innovative sensor and interface technologies, Pepperl+Fuchs already enables process and production units to interact intelligently. Be inspired at www.pepperl-fuchs.de/sensorik40

automation component in all aspects.

The core of an FDI Device Package is a device specific Electronic Device Description (EDD) which is based on the harmonised Electronic Device Description Language – EDDL, IEC 61804. FDI Device Packages can be processed in FDI hosts as well as in an FDT2 frame application. This allows device suppliers to create a single FDI Device Package for their devices, instead of separate DTMs and DDs, while still offering the choice of either an FDI host or an FDT host environment.

and manage the software and tools that members can develop products around. The Integration Working Group helps an otherwise small group of technology experts become a global center of expertise with leading member technologists to keep the path to FDI on the cutting edge of innovation and integration with future emerging architectures. The team is currently enhancing the OPC UA FDI information model specification to provide semantics for machine readable information.

When complete, this specification will allow cloud based applications to process field device information without extra configuration.

ASSET MANAGEMENT If there is a malfunction in the coke elevator, the whole process stops since nothing can be lifted.

Remote services can improve drive maintenance planning Control Engineering Europe reports on how increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept by a drives manufacturer is offering advantages for its customers – including improved data analysis, increased productivity and enhanced reliability.

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n many industrial applications – such as pumps or fans – which are powered by a drive/motor combination, it is the drive that controls the operation and even in larger systems, where an automation system or PLC is controlling the drive, it is still possible to gain important indicators about the operation of the motor and the application from the drive.

Information from ABB’s intelligent drives, for example, is able to provide early indication of potential operational problems, helping operators to minimise costly breakdowns. ABB has developed a service offering to help achieve this.

“Initially there are two variations of the services – Remote Support and the more advanced Remote Condition Monitoring,” explained Jaana Kivela, ABB’s product manager for Remote Services.

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A reactive solution “The first service we began with is Remote Support, which is really a reactive service,” continued Kivela. “It’s reactive because we only get involved when an operator has some concerns and actively asks us to check out the situation.” This could, for example, be when a drive is sending a fault message.

Under the program, ABB collects data continuously from the drives covered, and as soon as there is a possible fault, the monitoring system starts sending greater amounts of data to facilitate more thorough analysis and faster problem resolution.

“The actual service delivery only starts when the customer contacts us when they think they have a problem,” he said. “This ensures that we don’t start working on something that isn’t actually a problem for the customer. For

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example, they could have been testing something in their system that caused the drive to send the alarm. This means that we are using our expert drives knowledge in a very targeted manner, and only when necessary.”

The real benefit is that the lag time between a fault alarm and the resolution of the problem is minimised.

This fast response time means that the operator might avoid a breakdown altogether, or if there is an actual failure, the downtime will probably be much shorter. Because the service works remotely customers know that no matter where the drive is located, they will be able to quickly solve any issues.

Being more proactive The next logical step was the creation of another service – Remote Condition Monitoring – which offers a more Control Engineering Europe

ASSET MANAGEMENT comprehensive proactive solution and which requires ABB to actively monitor the drives. Based on an assessment on what is ‘normal’ operation of the drive it is possible to achieve a good estimation of the condition of the device, and make accurate maintenance recommendations.

Looking out for early indications of possible faults is also part of this service.

“Ideally we want to spot problems before anything happens, to prevent breakdowns,” said Kivela. “We do not guarantee we can do that 100%, but there is a good opportunity to spot issues in advance. This is true both for ABB and the operator. We provide a portal that customers can use themselves to access live data, to see how the drive is operating and to look at the drive history via the visualisations available on different parameters.”

The first pilot installation of the Remote Support service was carried out at the SSAB steel factory in Raahe on the west coast of Finland. The main aim was to increase the reliability of the drives and motors by looking deeper into the drive’s data. This involved setting up the Remote Service system which would allow ABB’s drive experts to look at the data from a distance and, when necessary, analyse possible problems in the drive application.

In the very early stages of the trial a possible breakdown was avoided.

During the trial an alarm on the critical coke elevator operation was noticed.

The combined SSAB and ABB teams worked together to avert what could have been a major problem.

Ari Korkala, an electrical maintenance planner at the SSAB steel mill, explains: “In the coking plant we have what is called the dry quenching stage where an elevator lifts a bucket of hot coke into the dry quenching chamber. The elevators are crucial and if there is a malfunction, the whole process stops because nothing can be lifted. In addition, the coke is very hot, at about 1050˚C, so that if it stops somewhere in between, it could cause a fire in the electrical rooms or elsewhere.”

A proactive solution This event was actually outside the original scope of the Remote Support service. It was a proactive problem resolution and later led ABB to develop the more comprehensive and predictive Remote Condition Monitoring service.

The pilot project team observed that one of the drives was giving frequent alarms. Putting the system immediately to the test, data from this drive was remotely analysed by ABB. A current imbalance was identified which indicated possible damage to power components, which could stop both the drive and the elevator.

Thanks to drive alarms spotted via the Remote Support portal, the SSAB team discovered the possible elevator problem at an early stage.

Control Engineering Europe

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Spotting a problem “Thanks to the Remote Service, even though it was still in the pilot phase, we could spot this possible elevator problem at an early stage,” said Aki Heikkilä, an electrical maintenance supervisor at SSAB. “We were getting alarms and ABB saw indications that the drive was acting abnormally and might become faulty. We went to check it and, upon examination, we confirmed that some drive components needed replacing. Happily, we can plan this work before there was any production disturbance or unplanned downtime.”

Timo Vierimaa, production manager at the SSAB coking plant, is pleased with the new system. “Motors and drives play an important role in our processes, not only in terms of production reliability and quality, but also regarding occupational safety for our people. During this pilot we realised that remote support could give us some very important benefits. For me, I think this use of modern new technology and new systems in condition monitoring is a trend that will only increase in the future.”

Numerous other pilot trials were carried out with the Remote Services systems.

These include applications as diverse as mining, automotive and shipping. So far Remote Services have shown significant potential not just in highly critical operations, but eventually, on all drives.

The SSAB experience has helped to prove the value of Remote Support as a reactive service to support users with fault analysis and resolution when a problem is identified. It also led to the creation of the more comprehensive Remote Condition Monitoring service, increasing the chances of predicting possible failures in advance.

By using drive data in this manner, facilitated by the IoT, users and industrial operations can obtain a variety of new benefits by accessing information that is already available. Among these benefits are fast fault notification, rapid response and analysis and, most importantly, an opportunity to reduce unplanned downtime and the major costs associated with breakdowns.

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ASSET MANAGEMENT

RFID and asset management – a powerful combination Combining RFID technology and enterprise asset management software can offer an effective way to manage assets argues Tom O’Boyle.

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ixed assets are a part of day-today business operations across every industry. Although a small piece in the grand scheme of operations, asset tracking is vital for enterprises seeking to maximise resources and increase efficiency.

Traditional methods of asset tracking – including barcode-scanning systems and the pen and pencil – require user interaction and costly line-of-sight efforts. Enterprises looking to accurately manage assets without adding labour should look more closely at radio frequency identification (RFID) coupled with enterprise asset management (EAM) software.

There are several kinds of RFID tags and the type of tag used will depend on the characteristics of the assets being tracked.

The two most common tags under the RFID umbrella include active and passive.

Active RFID tags – With read ranges up to 100m, active RFID tags are used for tracking high-value assets with variable movement throughout large, open facilities. These tags use battery power to transmit their signals to RFID readers.

However, they can be costly and their batteries must be replaced every three to five years.

Passive RFID tags – For tracking a large volume of low-value items, passive RFID offer a good solution. Unlike active tags, they depend on a reader’s energy (rather than a battery) to charge the chip/antenna

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and then reflect data back to the reader.

With a read range of about 3m, passive RFID tags are smaller and less costly than active tags. If greater read ranges are needed, battery-assisted passive (BAP) tags offer an alternative. These tags contain a battery that charges the chip to transmit and receive information.

Passive RFID technology With lower costs and a smaller size, passive RFID tags are the most commonly used for asset management.

In a passive RFID system, the RFID reader transmits its electromagnetic energy to the tag, ‘waking’ it up. The tag then harvests the power of the reader to respond by sending its data over the electromagnetic radio waves back to the reader (this is called “backscatter”).

The reader then receives the radio waves, interprets the data and passes it through the server to the appropriate business application. As assets migrate through read zones, RFID readers can read hundreds of tags at a time, capturing location data and other information.

Within a passive system, users typically

rely on either specialised handheld readers or fixed-position readers.

Specialised handheld readers are usually mobile computers with built-in RFID readers and antennas. Because they capture data from many tags at once, these devices are frequently used for auditing or counting functions. Notably, Bluetooth-attached readers are gaining traction as less costly alternatives to traditional handhelds. By attaching a Bluetooth RFID reader to existing mobile computers or tablets, it is possible to capture read events and transfer the data through mobile devices directly to servers.

On the other hand, fixed-position RFID readers enable staff to automatically capture read events. They are mounted to a doorway or threshold in an open area. Without the need for user interaction, fixed readers log the read event for presence detection or to trigger a notification when an asset moves from point A to point B. Regardless of the type of reader deployed, passive RFID technology adds value to asset management by reducing audit and counting time (often up to

ASSET MANAGEMENT 6.5%), thereby generating savings in labour costs. RFID also provides the benefit of automating the update of an asset’s location.

Optimising asset tracking While RFID systems can simplify search functions and audits, they do not actually ‘manage’ the assets throughout their lifecycle. This is where EAM software comes into play. It is able to track the entire lifecycle of assets, which includes financial, physical and contractual information, such as the asset’s price, depreciated value, location and warranty information.

EAM software also tracks calibration, maintenance and chains of custody; supports workflows based on conditions; and automates compliance and decisionmaking reporting. With these functions, users can determine the appropriate course of action for a particular asset.

Implementing RFID with EAM software, whereby data collected from

the RFID system feeds into the software system, offers a number of benefits.

First, you can obtain enterprise-wide visibility into physical assets to improve operations. Second, you can streamline data entry and reporting, therefore, saving labour hours and minimising risks.

How? Physical assets are often purchased via a procurement system, in which information such as the item’s model number and price is recorded. If the asset is above a particular threshold, it is entered into a fixed asset-management system. From there, that item begins to depreciate until it is retired.

During that time, neither the fixed asset-management system nor the procurement system has any idea where the assets are located, their condition or which employee checked them in or out. And, if an item is retired or goes missing, the systems do not know until staff performs time-consuming, manual physical-inventory audits. This headache can be eliminated by feeding purchase

orders into the EAM systems.

In this way, manufacturers fill the gap between the procurement or ERP system and the fixed asset-management system. The EAM data can also be fed into financial systems to prepare for depreciation or tax reporting.

To better understand the benefits of combining RFID and EAM software, consider the following example: Whenever assets entered its facility, an automotive supplier was manually entering data into a paper-based records system.

By implementing an RFID system integrated with EAM software, the company has since reduced its storage area and eliminated daily cycle count and overtime hours for inventory audits.

In fact, the supplier calculated 460% ROI in the first year alone.

Tom O’Boyle is director of RFID for US-based Barcoding Inc. This article first appeared on www. controleng.com.

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW

Integrated industry – creating value:

Hannover Messe 2017 This year Hannover Messe will run from 24 to 28 April, and will include 500-plus Industry 4.0 applications, self-learning robots with near-human touch sensitivity, and advanced technology solutions.

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ith Industry 4.0, integrated energy, digital twins, machine learning, predictive maintenance, smart materials, and networked and collaborative robots (cobots), companies of all sizes today have a multitude of high-tech solutions to choose from. But often they find it difficult to predict what value these solutions might add.

Which is where Hannover Messe comes in. The industrial technology trade fair will present solutions for all areas of the industrial landscape.

“The technologies needed for the successful digitalisation of industrial production are fully developed and ready to go,” said Jochen Köckler, managing board member at Deutsche Messe. “The task now is to ensure that decision makers from industry understand the direct, long-term benefits that digitalisation can offer.

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“Challenging people to ‘think outside the box,’ highlighting all the various ways in which digitalisation can add value, and opening up new markets – that’s what this year’s event is all about, with its theme of ‘Integrated Industry Creating Value’,” continued Köckler.

Digitalised production processes are generating huge quantities of data which can be analysed by a variety of upstream and downstream systems. In the not-too-distant future, manufacturing systems will incorporate machine-learning technologies to analyse this data centrally and feed the results back to the production machines, enabling them to learn and self-optimise.

Despite the spread of digitalisation, people will remain critical to success in industry. Industry 4.0 technologies will help make factory workers’ duties more interesting and varied. Instead of focusing on repetitive manual tasks, factory employees will be called upon to

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solve problems, make decisions, innovate and drive value-adding initiatives.

To achieve this manufacturers need to invest in upskilling and education measures to prepare their workforces for Workplace 4.0. “in tomorrow’s agile, flexible factories, employees will be experts in the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, smart glasses and tablets. All of these new digital factory tools will feature prominently at Hannover Messe 2017,” said Köckler.

Rise of the cobot Collaborative robots, (cobots), will also feature large at the event this year.

They are getting cleverer and cheaper to buy which is resulting in them now offering a cost-effective gateway to the benefits of Industry 4.0, particularly for smaller companies.

In line with Industry 4.0 ideals, it is also predicted that the goods produced by smart factories will stay connected with their manufacturers throughout their service lives, supplying a constant stream of valuable data. This data will enable the manufacturers to develop additional web-based services and to pursue new business opportunities outside the confines of their traditional industries.

At the show this year industrial subcontractors will demonstrate how digitalisation helps them offer highly customised solutions more quickly than has been possible in the past.

“The biggest value-adding potential of digitalisation lies in the development of completely new business models and in the markets these business models tap into,” explained Köckler.

Control Engineering Europe

EXHIBITION PREVIEW This year the Digital Factory section of the event has expanded, with exhibitors presenting an array of solutions for tomorrow’s smart factories – for example, virtual product development systems, production planning and control software, data exchange concepts and predictive analysis tools. The exhibit lineup embraces classical CAD systems, artificial intelligence and cloud services.

“The accompanying forums and conferences – above all the Industry 4.0 Forum in Hall 8 – have become high-caliber events and increase the attractiveness of Digital Factory,” said Arno Reich, director of Digital Factory.

In line with the trend towards collaboration, The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and SmartFactoryKL will present further developments of the Industrie 4.0 demo system together with the 19 partner companies involved in the project.

For the first time a flexible transport system has been added to demonstrate a cross-site, flexible production process.

The expanded demonstration system will appear in a new layout with modules distributed over three production islands, allowing products to be manufactured in a variety of different ways.

The rearrangement of the Industrie 4.0 demonstration system is based on three standards – the RFID tag description, the OPC UA communication as well as the standardisation of the hardware.

Siemens will be displaying its comprehensive portfolio – covering everything from electrification and automation through to digitalisation.

Innovations in the field of energy distribution, automation and drive systems as well as industrial software will illustrate ways in which companies can boost their competitive standing, with the focus on the Digital Enterprise. Siemens will be showcasing different aspects of the Digital Enterprise in discrete manufacturing and the process industries, and also common foundations shared across every sector – Industrial communication, IT Security and Industrial Services.

Control Engineering Europe

Festo will be exploring Industry 4.0 related topics demonstrating developments linking pneumatics, electric and control in industrial automation and training, visualised through the latest Bionic and Future Concepts.

MindSphere The MindSphere Lounge will provide a setting for visitors to discover the cloudbased, open IoT operating system from Siemens. With its partner companies, Siemens will be presenting its ideas, backed up by practical case studies and applications. Expert talks will be given on such topics as digitalisation, Industry 4.0 and IoT. Siemens will also present examples taken from practice to demonstrate ways that companies can benefit from merging the real and virtual worlds.

The central exhibits at this year’s booth will provide visitors with a graphic illustration of selected topics for a direct hands-on experience. One of these relates to dairy production and will be showing ways in which food and beverage producers can use digitalised solutions to respond flexibly to changing market requirements such as the growing diversity of tastes – ranging from milk processing to bottling, packaging and labeling.

Following the event theme – Integrated Industries, Creating Value – Festo will be introducing a new key technology aligned to the digitalisation of pneumatics. In addition, the company will also be exploring Industry 4.0 related topics and demonstrating developments linking pneumatics, electric and control in industrial automation and training, visualised through the latest Bionic and Future Concepts.

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The latest developments of superconductivity for specialist areas of automation will also be revealed, with Festo showing novel applications for contactless and frictionless drive technology.

Softing Industrial will be showing the latest version of its echocollect gateway, which alongside OPC UA and other control protocols, now also supports the MQTT Message Queue Telemetry Transport) protocol, making integration of process data from system and machinery into cloud solutions more straightforward.

Sebastian Schenk, product manager at Softing Industrial explains: “MQTT has developed into one of the most important IoT standard protocols and already has native support from a range of leading cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, IBM Bluemix and Microsoft Azure. We are also supporting this trend by creating a connection between automation and IT: MQTT will make echocollect-driven data integration in cloud-based IoT and Industry 4.0 applications both simple and reliable.”

We leave the final word about the event to Rainer Glatz, director of the Software Organisation at the VDMA (German Mechanical Engineering Association). He said: “Hannover Messe is an absolute must for all those who cannot afford to miss out on the benefits of smart digitalised Product. Industry 4.0 will be the dominant topic in ever sector.”

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CYBERSECURITY

Safety requires cybersecurity If it isn’t secure, it isn’t safe. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities represent additional failure modes and safety incidents not factored into traditional safety assessments.

Consider safety when creating a business justification for cybersecurity risk assessments says John Cusimano.

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unctional safety assessments are a well-established practice in machine and process automation. These assessments focus on random hardware failures or systematic software failures (such as bugs). However, cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities represent additional failure modes that may lead to incidents that are unaccounted for in traditional safety assessments. A business justification can be developed for discussing cyber risk assessments.

The majority of factories and process plants today are controlled and operated by automation systems built on Ethernet TCP/IP networks and legacy Microsoft operating systems. These systems are vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches resulting in potentially significant risks, including risks to health, safety and the environment. To address the risk, there’s a need to understand it – but how?

Functional safety assessments focus on random hardware failures or systematic software failures (such as bugs) and generally do not consider cyber threats or cyber vulnerabilities.

To understand cyber risk, it is necessary to perform cyber vulnerability assessments and cyber risk assessments.

Not surprisingly, this is exactly what cybersecurity standards and regulations require.

Industry Sector), was released in 2016.

One new clause states that a security risk assessment shall be carried out to identify the security vulnerabilities of the SIS. Another clause states the design of the SIS shall provide the necessary resilience against the identified security risks. That’s as far as the new standard goes, but it does provide further guidance by pointing readers to an ISA 84 technical report and the ISA/IEC 62443-3-2 standard (Security Risk Assessment and System Design) which covers how to perform cyber vulnerability and risk assessments.

What is the risk?

There are different types or different components of risk, and cybersecurity is one of them. For example, there are

Vulnerability assessment

Cybersecurity regulations and standards Functional safety standards are now beginning to require cyber vulnerability and risk assessments. The second edition of IEC 61511 (Functional Safety: Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process

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different risks for money. People can be robbed, the stock market could crash, the financial institution that holds an account could fail or be robbed, or a cyber-criminal could wipe out the account. Similarly, there are different risks to factory or plant operations. A mechanical device could fail, a human could make an error, an electronic component could fail or a cyber threat could compromise the control systems.

To manage risk, it is necessary to understand all the components of risk, including cyber.

While it is more difficult to grasp than mechanical risk, cyber risk can be assessed and managed. If that weren’t true, bank accounts would probably already be emptied by cyber criminals.

Cyber risk is generally considered a function of three variables: threat, vulnerability and consequence. Threats are the initiating event, such as a hacker or a computer virus. Threats vary with the skill or motivation of the hacker or the sophistication of the malware. Vulnerabilities are the inherent weaknesses in the system that allow the threat to be realised.

Finally, consequences are the unwanted outcome should the threat be successful.

Cybersecurity risk is a combination of the likelihood that a threat will exploit a vulnerability and the severity of the resulting consequence.

Figure 1: An ICS cybersecurity vulnerability assessment is an evaluation of an ICS design. A brownfield design starts with the ICS as-built or as-found drawings, such as the example shown here. All figures courtesy: aeSolutions

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Vulnerabilities are a key variable in cyber risk. In theory, if there are no cyber vulnerabilities there is no cyber risk. Of course, in reality all ICSs have vulnerabilities, some more than others. The number and severity of vulnerabilities depends on the components used, how they are configured and how they are networked.

So what is an ICS cybersecurity vulnerability assessment? It is an evaluation of a ICS design. In a brownfield design begin with the ICS asControl Engineering Europe

CYBERSECURITY built or as-found drawings. An example is shown in Figure 1.

How is that control system constructed? What devices make up the system? How are they networked together? How do the networks communicate? Modern control systems are based on Ethernet networking and Microsoft operating systems.

Understanding how these pieces go together can be very difficult in many facilities. Drawings that show the entire system architecture may not exist; these systems often have grown and evolved over decades.

Start with an analysis of network communications to understand how these networks are constructed and, and how data moves throughout the system. This is done by recording actual network traffic and plotting it out to see the data flows.

Identify what devices are communicating with each other. What devices should be communicating with each other? What devices are communicating with each other that perhaps should not be, or were not expected to be? Are any devices communicating using unexpected protocols? Are there control system devices that are trying to communicate to the internet? Plot the communications and look for anomalous behaviours.

A vulnerability assessment would then analyse the actual servers and workstations that make up the system.

Most of the operating systems that are controlling the bulk of industrial facilities today are legacy Microsoft platforms such as XP and Windows Server 2003. Identify the vulnerabilities. Look at the control devices themselves, the programmable logic controllers, the safety instrumented systems, the operator interfaces, the variable frequency drives, the analysers, etc. Most of these devices now have Ethernet ports and are connected to common networks that make up the control system network.

The next step in a vulnerability assessment would be to partition the system into zones and conduits, as shown in Figure 2. Doing so helps better analyse Control Engineering Europe

the system and better design protections to limit communications to only that which needs to go into and out of a zone. A vulnerability assessment also should include a review of policies and procedures, and include a gap analysis.

How does the system stack up against industry standards and best practices?

Finally, the assessment should list the vulnerabilities that have been discovered and the recommended mitigations to close the gaps.

ICS cybersecurity risk assessment Understanding vulnerability is only one part of the equation. Cyber risk is combination of threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences. Most organisations want to understand what the true cyber risks are. A method has been developed to do so – it’s called a cyber risk assessment or cyber PHA (process hazards analysis). It’s a very systematic approach similar in many ways to a PHA or hazard and operability (HAZOP) study. The actual process is documented in the IEC 62443-3-2 standard. The method has been applied many times within companies following the process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals regulation (29 CFR 1910.119).

Instead of the traditional causes, in this study, look for threats. Also consider vulnerabilities and consequences. Use the same risk matrix used in ranking other risks within the organisation. Performing such a study helps with prioritising activities and resources, helps designers intelligently design and apply counter measures, and helps document and justify decisions. A cyber risk assessment will document why certain controls were put in place, and sometimes why they were not put in place.

Like HAZOPs, these studies require a multi-disciplinary team. There needs to be people from IT (information technology), operations, engineering, and automation working together to study the system. Following the process, the team ultimately will develop a risk register and risk profile, providing a ranked set of risks, and an

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Figure 2: A cybersecurity vulnerability assessment also requires partitioning the system into zones and conduits.

understanding where those risks are in the system. Ultimately, it’s possible to derive a set of recommendations and a plan to mitigate those risks.

Assessment benefits Organisations can realise numerous benefits by performing cyber risk assessments. They are fundamental to any risk management program and provide a consistent method of communicating risk to management.

Since no organisation has unlimited resources and unlimited budgets, the results of the risk assessment can be very helpful to management in prioritising mitigation efforts. The structured approach helps uncover hidden risk or overturn long-standing assumptions of areas of high risk which may have been overstated. Participation in the cyber risk assessment by subject matter experts is an effective way of training personnel on cybersecurity while at the same time improving their ‘buy in’ to the proposed mitigations.

Finally, the cyber risk assessment process produces detailed documentation and justification for the mitigations that are being adopted as well as those that are not.

John Cusimano is director of industrial cybersecurity at aeSolutions.

April 2017

29

FINAL WORD

Seeing a bright future for CALIBRATION At the inauguration of new facilities at Beamex headquarters in Finland, Jan-Henrik Svensson, CEO of the company, talked about the changing role for calibration in the factories of the future.

T

he rapidly changing industrial environment – the drive towards Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), big data and the Cloud – is bound to have an impact on how, why and when calibration will be undertaken in the future. “Big data and IIoT, for example, is resulting in huge amounts of data being made available for analysis to help inform the decision making process,” said Svensson. “Process data is being collected for predictive maintenance purposes, to identify defects and address process challenges. Data will play a much more important role across all industry sectors and this will require more devices and equipment around the plant to be connected, including calibrators.”

Regulatory requirements are also becoming more stringent across all industry sectors and this is often the driver for better utilisation of available plant data, to help improve traceability and compliance, for example.

How do these trends affect calibration? Svensson explained more about what calibration is. “It is the measurement of measurement, to ensure that measurements are being taken correctly, that their values are correct and remain consistent over a set period of time. As such, calibration has a huge role to play in ensuring that the data being collected is accurate.

Svensson explained that some industry trends will increase the demand for

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February 2017

calibration, while others may actually decrease the number of calibration operations required. “Instruments are improving and many can now be trusted to maintain accuracy for longer periods of time in non-critical environments,” he said. “Overall, however, we are seeing a calibration growth trend.

Another trend identified by Beamex is that calibration is becoming more closely related to maintenance. “This is being driven by trends like condition monitoring and predictive maintenance strategies, which aim to reduce the need for field maintenance. This is leading to calibration and maintenance activities being undertaken together, at the same time, by the same person, in the field.”

The well documented skills shortage is also driving a closer relationship between calibration and maintenance.

“There are fewer experts available today. The engineering function has become more generalist, with an increasing reliance on more technologically advanced equipment.

More companies are also taking a more risk-based approach to calibration, and are asking questions about how accurate measurements really need to be, and then focussing more attention on the most critical measurements,” continued Svensson.

“Instead of calibrating a specific device we are also seeing a shift in focus towards the entire process. Regulators do not want to know if a single transmitter is measuring correctly, they want to know if the process is working

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Jan-Henrik Svensson is CEO of Beamex.

correctly. This has resulted in companies looking at entire loops – safety loops shutdown loops, emission loops, etc – looking at the whole system and not at its individual elements,” said Svensson.

He believes that this development will have an impact on how people use technology and solutions in general. “Accuracy and uncertainly of measurement will be on a more ondemand basis, instead of being based on specifications of a certain instrument parameter,” he said.

“Because Beamex focusses on calibration, and nothing else, it is able to develop capabilities much faster to meet the requirements of changing trends.

We focus on our customers process to see how we can help improve it,” concluded Svensson. “Instead of looking at products, features and capabilities we try to understand the process and deliver a calibration solution that can improve it.

We aim to offer configurable technology from standardised technologies that can be easily adapted to meet customers individual requirements. This results in an evergreen solution that can be continuously improved and developed as needs change.”

Control Engineering Europe

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries

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Enter Link Code on www.controlengeurope.com to read the full story

PRODUCT FORUM • ULTRA-LOW DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE SENSORS IN HVAC APPLICATIONS – IS BOTH HIGH SENSITIVITY AND RELIABILITY POSSIBLE? First Sensor is one of the world’s leading suppliers in the field of sensor systems.

Our company develops and manufactures both standardized and tailor-made sensor solutions for the detection of light, radiation, pressure, flow, level and acceleration for applications in the Industrial, Medical and Mobility growth markets. The company produces in-house and along the value-added chain from component to system level.

In HVAC systems, pressure sensors are a central element to monitor volumetric flow rates and pressures in lines and rooms. Our flow-based LMI differential pressure sensor enables superior sensitivity for the measurement of ultra-low pressures from 25 Pa with high resolution, offset stability and high immunity to dust contamination.

First Sensor AG Peter-Behrens-Straße 15, 12459 Berlin T +49 30 6399 2399 contact@first-sensor.com i More info - Enter Link code 132373 industrial@first-sensor.com

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PRECISE METERING OF VISCOUS FLUID FLOWS Titan Enterprises OG Series oval gear flowmeters provide precise metering of viscous fluid flows at flow rates up to 500 litres/min, temperatures at up to 150C and pressures up to 700 bar.

Beneficially the measurement accuracy of OG flowmeters improves as the liquid viscosity increases, from a nominal one per cent to around 0.1 per cent of flow rate at higher viscosities.In a Titan OG flowmeter - oval shaped gear-toothed rotors rotate within a chamber of specified geometry. As these rotors turn, they sweep out and trap a very precise volume of fluid between the outer oval shape of the gears and the inner chamber walls with none of the fluid actually passing through the gear teeth. Magnets are embedded in the rotors which then actuate a reed switch or provide a pulse output via a Hall Effect sensor. Each pulse or switch closure then represents a precise increment of liquid volume that passes through the meter. The result is highly accurate flow measurement almost immune from the effects of varying fluid viscosity, density and temperature.

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Titan OG flowmeters are available in sizes from 1/4 to 2in, for flows between 1ml/min and 500l/min.

Individually flow calibrated, they are supplied with a traceable flow test certificate, for flows both in forward and reverse directions, if necessary.

Options are available for monitoring of aggressive / hazardous fluids or inclusion of feature windows to allow visual flow checking. Each OG flowmeter provides an electronic pulse output enabling simple interfacing with flow rate indicators or machine control systems.

For further information please visit www.flowmeters. co.uk/oval-gear-swept-volume-positive-displacementflow-meters-overview/ or contact Titan Enterprises on +44-1935-812790 / sales@flowmeters.co.uk

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PRODUCT FORUM â&#x20AC;˘ OMEGA - 8 OR 16 CHANNEL UNIVERSAL INPUT TOUCH SCREEN DATA LOGGERS OM-DAQXL is an 8 or 16 channel analogue input portable data logger with a 7 inch resistive touch-screen colour display. All inputs are programmable and can be configured for millivolts, volts, milliamps, thermocouple, RTD, thermistor, strain gauge, or frequency. All the menus, selections, and configurations can be accessed from the display touch screen. The unit also has 4 digital inputs, 4 digital outputs, 4 alarm outputs, one USB host port and one USB device port. The unit also has 3 LEDs for different indications (Power, Alarm and Logging).

The OM-DAQXL comes complete with protective rubber boot, rechargeable lithium ion battery, 32 GB SD card, one plastic stylus, 1 GB USB thumb drive, 1.8 m USB cable, 1.8 m digital I/O cable, alarm/excitation terminal block, AC power adaptor, screwdriver, quick start guide, set of 5 PTFE insulated Type K thermocouples, set of 5 ferrites to install on the thermocouple inputs (for noise reduction) and crimp-on earth terminal. The unit can be wall mounted using the provided keyhole mount or operated on a bench using the tilt stand.

Free Phone 0800 488 488 International +44(0) 161 777 6611 sales@omega.co.uk http://www.omega.co.uk/

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OMEGA -DIN RAIL MOUNT TRANSMITTERS WITH RFID COMMUNICATIONS The TXDIN401 and TXDIN402 DIN rail mount transmitters transform a temperature or process signal into a linearized 2-wire loop-powered 4 to 20 mA output. Model TXDIN401 is a temperature transmitter that accepts Pt100 or Ni100 RTD and Types J/K/T/E/R/S/B/N thermocouples. Model TXDIN402 is a process input transmitter that accepts voltage, current or resistance input. The characteristics of these converters ensure high precision on the reading scale with 16-bit conversion. The 4 to 20 mA output can be scaled based on the desired input range.

The programming procedure uses an RFID (NFC) mode with the dedicated TX400-RFID programmer that allows the user to make all calibrations and settings quickly and without the need to power and connect up the transmitter. Simply connect the TX400-RFID programmer to the USB port of your PC, start the RF Programmer configuration software and place the transmitter on top of the TX400-RFID programmer to establish communications. These transmitters are also provided with a data logging function for the input signal.

Free Phone 0800 488 488 International +44(0) 161 777 6611 sales@omega.co.uk http://www.omega.co.uk/

TE CONNECTIVITY OFFERS NEW RANGE OF HDC ENCLOSURES FOR HIGH PROTECTION AGAINST CONTACT CORROSION TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, is introducing a new range of heavy duty connector (HDC) IP68 and electro-chemical compatibility (EMC) hoods and housing that provide protection against environmental and electro-chemical contact corrosion.

TE is targeting markets where resistance of electrical components to harsh environments is particularly important. Principal among these are rail, wind energy and industrial transportation. Typical applications include train sub-systems and inter-vehicle connections, vehicle washing facilities and electronic modules exposed to detergents, wind turbine brakes and pitch drives, and mining equipment.

The new hoods and housings have a robust design in a powder-coated die-cast aluminum alloy and are available in several different colors. They lock together with stainless steel M6 screws, and a nitrile rubber seal ensures protection against ingress of dust and liquids to a level of IP68.

The HDC enclosures protect against humidity, salt, detergents, fertilizers, UV radiation, temperature, shocks and vibrations. Accelerated weathering tests involving exposure to salt spray for 500 hours have confirmed the corrosion resistance of the components.

TE ConnectivityPfnorstrasse 1, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany +49 6154 607 1740 www.te.com

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April 2017

33

SPONSORED FEATURE

A pneumatic revolution

IN AUTOMATION

J

ust as the smartphone changed the face of the mobile phone market a decade ago, the Festo Motion Terminal is set to revolutionise automation technology. A new type of functional integration combined wit h software apps is set to simplify the entire value chain, from engineering through procurement and warehousing, all the way to downstream processes such as maintenance. Beneath the somewhat unassuming exterior and classic Festo product design lies technical refinement based on state-of-the-art information technology.

Genuine Industry 4.0 Piezo technology, integrated stroke and pressure sensors and control using motion apps are making it possible for machinery and plant manufacturers to venture into new areas. The symbiosis of mechanics, electronics and software realised in the Festo Motion Terminal transforms a pneumatic product into a genuine Industry 4.0 component and

The Festo VTEM Motion Terminal heralds the beginning of a new era, catapulting pneumatics into the era of Industry 4.0 – with apps that can replace over 50 individual components. The latest developments in piezo technology and software have made this possible. facilitates flexible production. Pneumatic function as well as adaptation to new formats are controlled by changing parameters using apps. The integrated intelligent sensors for control, diagnostics and self-learning mean that there is no need for additional components. The product key acts as a digital map, providing product information quickly and making traceability easier. Parameterisation is performed via web server without additional configuration software and Industry 4.0 interface standards such as OPC UA can, of course, be integrated.

Motion apps When VTEM is launched, there will be ten functions available via motion apps

“This cyber-physical system is perfectly revolutionary: it completely yet flexibly controls several functions, it is self-regulating and self-optimising, and communicates globally via web standards.”

Eberhard Klotz, Head of Industry 4.0 campaign at Festo

for the new valve technology: from basic modification of the directional control valve functions through gentle travel to end positions to energy-efficient movement, from proportional behaviour to different movement profiles. Thanks to the rapid connection of new functions via apps, machine developers can create a basic machine type and then equip this machine with different functions and variants according to customer requirements by selecting the relevant apps. Further apps are in development.

The new automation platform makes it possible to select and to modify functions at the touch of a button – without tedious installation and without having to change the hardware or install additional components. This makes it easy to produce customised consumer goods – even in batch sizes of one.

Energy efficiency per se The new automation platform is based on an integrated approach to energy efficiency. The specially developed motion apps and the diagnostic function for application leakage for condition monitoring ensure energy savings during application operation. The energy-saving piezo technology for the proportional pre-stage also plays its part.

The “Selectable pressure level” and “ECO drive” apps make it possible to reduce air consumption flexibly for the first time. With the selectable pressure level, a digitally selected pressure can limit the pneumatic force to the level required for

SPONSORED FEATURE

Stay one step ahead The Festo Motion Terminal offers enormous advantages for machinery and plant manufacturers whose machines and systems have the following requirements: 1. Frequent format changes (pressure, travel time, speed) 2. Acceleration and/or speed profiles 3. Movement of large loads (Soft Stop/controlled motion - see also no.8) 4. Restricted access to drives (‘obstructed’) 5. High pressure regulation requirements 6. Energy efficiency (short & fast or slow & long movements) 7. Constant cycle times (self-adjusting) 8. Designs that are gentle on components and minimise vibration 9. High diagnostics requirements (e.g. leakage) 10. Knowledge protection

the application – and can do so flexibly for advance and return movements as well as various loads. The ECO drive application reduces compressed air consumption to the minimum level required for movement, provided no pressing and holding forces are required in the end position. Depending on the application, savings of up to 70% compared with standard operation are possible.

Reduced costs and complexity The Festo Motion Terminal permits maximum flexibility and reduces complexity by decreasing the number of individual components needed from 50 to just one. It enables fast, powerful and energy-optimised motion and its integrated leakage diagnostics are

10 motion apps* – 1 piece of hardware

considerably more cost-effective than current solutions. Data and diagnostic information are analysed in-depth for the Cloud; this information can then be used for self-regulating applications and sub-systems without the need for programming, thus enhancing long-term machine optimisation and availability.

For customers from whom the total cost of ownership is important, this all-inone package is a perfect Industry 4.0 solution, as the CPX modules not only control the pneumatic components, but the electric drives and servo motors too.

Together with the Festo’s CPX automation platform it is unbeatable – modular remote I/O, comprehensive fieldbus options, optionally embedded CoDeSys controller and IoT gateway, controller for electric drives with stepper motor and servo controllers and, last but not least, perfect Industry 4.0 pneumatics.

“The Festo Motion Terminal is making pneumatics fit for Industry 4.0.”

Dr. Julia Duwe, Head of Future Motion Solutions Management, Festo

Detailed descriptions of all motion apps can be found at www.festo. com/motionterminal

• Directional control valve function • Proportional directional control valve • Soft Stop • Proportional pressure regulation • Model-based proportional pressure regulation • ECO drive • Selectable pressure level • Leakage diagnostics • Supply and exhaust air flow control • Presetting of travel time *Further apps for additional functions are already planned.

Festo Motion Terminal VTEM: Beneath the unassuming exterior and classic Festo product design lies technical refinement based on state-of-the-art information technology.

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries

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Turning the world upside down!

The Festo Motion Terminal

• A revolution in automation • 50 functions in one • Dynamic CPS – Industry 4.0 perfection