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Hannover Fair 2015 exclusive show report

09 June, 2015
to 500 variables) and 3000 (for 4,000 variables) compile protocols including IEC 60870-5 and Modbus RTU and TCP.

At Hannover, Profibus and Profinet International (PI) announced a Profinet tester that creates test records and evaluates them automatically. The records can be used for test reports issued by accredited PI test labs and to issue certificates for Profinet devices.

Sercos International announced the availability of a Sercos III IP core for Xilinx 7 FPGAs and devices in the Zynq SoC (system-on-chip) family. The IP core is available for Sercos III master and slave controllers and includes hardware functions such as timing, synchronisation and processing of cyclic and non-cyclic data.

Siemens has added two wireless routers (below) to its portfolio. The Scalance M876-3 transmits data on 3G, achieving downlink speeds of up to 14.1Mbit/s and uplink speeds of up to 5.76Mbit/s. The Scalance M876-4 uses LTE networks and can achieve downlink speeds up to 100Mbit/s and uplink speeds up to 50Mbit/s. The routers incorporate four-port switches and can support multiple antennae for improved signal strength and bandwidth.

At Hannover, Steute launched a new generation of wireless receivers for mounting inside control cabinets. The 22.5mm-wide RF Rx SW868/915 receivers can provide up to four relay outputs and can be operated from the front.

Weidmüller has developed an industrial router that provides secure communications between Ethernet-based machines and systems. The IE-SR-2GT-LAN-FN firewall/NAT router has two Gigabit Ethernet ports and was designed for applications where security and NAT (network address translation) are a top priority. The built-in firewall provides two-way (inbound and outbound) filtering.

SOFTWARE

New from ABB is a modular energy monitoring package for its Ecosuite platform, which is Web-based, allowing it to be configured and operated via a browser without needing a costly client-side installation. It can also run on a smartphone or tablet. The software uses dashboards to visualise information about energy usage and can display key performance indicators and energy performance indicators.

Eplan has expanded its Data Portal with new updating, enhancing and filtering functions. The fee-based Eplan Data Portal Professional allows users to start designing without needing to go through the tedious process of setting up master data. They can update their data at the click of a button, without manually searching and replacing.

Eplan also announced a new package called Preplanning (below) that allows designers to define automation structures at an early stage in a project – for example, importing an initial list of drives for a conveyor system containing basic information. The user can define the central automation structures for a machine or plant, and position the drives within this structure.

IGE+XAO used the Hannover Fair to launch an electrical panel design package that, it says, will simplify the placement of components on DIN rails, the creation of drill templates, and CNC programming. The SEE Electrical 3D Panel package takes into account manufacturing constraints at the panel design stage. It flags up mounting inconsistencies, as well as detecting potential collisions. Advanced routing options optimise wire lengths and pathways, as well as wire-way filling. The software connects with other IGE+XAO packages as well as third-party software.

Lenze has produced a robotics module for its Fast application software toolbox that, it claims, makes it as easy to parameterise multi-axis robotic systems as a single positioning axis. At Hannover, it was demonstrating how the module (below) can be used to commission a gantry robot in just seven minutes. (It was also showing how the Fast system can commission a roller conveyor in three minutes, and a belt conveyor in five minutes.)

The pick-and-place robotics modules create an easy-to-parameterise drive system with a robotics core with six degrees of freedom. They can replace PLC-controlled gantries with sequential motion commands. Lenze says that the system produces intrinsically synchronous travel profiles that reduce wear on mechanical parts than point-to-point positioning. The machines can also operate more efficiently and faster with smaller drives that use less power.

The next Hannover Fair will take place from 25–29 April, 2016.




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