Electricity + Control February 2017

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ROUND UP
Ready for Industry 4.0
Drive and control specialists Bosch Rexroth – the joint venture
partners of the Hytec Group of Companies in sub-Saharan Africa
– have introduced new IPC-based control hardware that enhances
the already impressive overall performance of the IndraMotionMLC
control system. It connects motion, robotics and logic control with
individual high-level language programming, opening up new pos-
sibilities for engineering Industry 4.0-capable solutions. Industry 4.0
increases the requirements of decentralised intelligence. Controls
must process data in reduced time and adjust flexibly to changing
framework conditions.To accomplish this, Bosch Rexroth optimises
the control hardware and now offers three powerful device families
with one consistent system design.They are finely scaled to cover
various levels of complexity in automation.
The new embedded control hardware IndraControl XM2 offers
higher processor performance than previously possible and also
offers modular expansion options for more flexibility in automa-
tion. OEMs combine the control with IndraControl S20 I/Omodules
in the same form factor. Local integration of peripherals ensures
high-performance, synchronous I/O real time data processing.
The combination of hydraulic and electrical tasks is possible on
all device platforms of IndraMotion MLC. Bosch Rexroth has inte-
grated best-in-class controllers for hydraulic drive tasks and thus
standardises the commissioning and operation of electrical and
hydraulic axes.
Enquiries: GeorgVenter.Tel. +27 (0) 11 974 9400
or email
Improved connectivity in hazardous areas
Manufacturers and industrial operators can now bring devices de-
ployed in hazardous areas intoThe Connected Enterprise via EtherNet/
IP using the newAllen-Bradley Bulletin 1719 Ex I/O platform from
Rockwell Automation. With the new platform, users can access
data from field devices and more easily control process operations
in hazardous areas.
As part of the PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS), the Bul-
letin 1719 Ex I/O allows users to monitor operations using a common
platform that communicates with the DCS or other automation sys-
tems. This helps create a seamless flow of information throughout
the plant and enterprise.
“The Bulletin 1719 Ex I/O platform is ideal for organisations that
are embracing smart manufacturing and seeking to capitalise on
the power of their own information in a Connected Enterprise,” said
Christo Buys, Business Manager for Control Systems, RockwellAuto-
mation sub-SaharanAfrica. “The platform’s EtherNet/IP interface and
HART 7 protocol support help users more easily integrate real-time
device and sensor data into their PlantPAx system.”
The I/O platform operates in a wide temperature range and is
designed for use in industries with hazardous applications, such as
oil and gas, chemical, life sciences, pharmaceutical, and food and
beverage.
Enquiries: Christo Buys. Email
Fastest on the market
Siemens has brought a tablet PC onto the market for the first
time. The Simatic ITP1000 industrial tablet PC is currently the
fastest tablet PC on the market. It has a projective-capacitive
10.1-inch Multitouch display, the latest Intel Core i5 Skylake pro-
cessor technology, and theTrusted Platform Module. Designed
for industrial use, the Simatic ITP1000 is especially suitable for
service, production, measuring and testing, as well as for opera-
tor control andmonitoring.The new industrial tablet PC supports
Windows 7 and Windows 10. With many different interfaces
and well-thought-out product features, the Simatic ITP1000 is
versatile, can be used everywhere, and can be integrated in both
new and existing plant concepts.With long-term availability of
components, as with all Simatic PCs, the new Simatic ITP1000
tablet PC can be used for many years. To handle challenging
tasks, a high-performance chip set with the latest Intel Skylake
CPU technology is used in the Simatic ITP1000 industrial tablet
PC.The DDR4 RAM can be upgraded up to 16 gigabytes, and a
256 or 512-gigabyte SSD (Solid State Drive) can also be added
to the device. Even customized automation tasks can be handled
flexibly with the practical industrial functions – such as RFID
(Radio Frequency Identification), a bar code reader, camera,
and six freely programmable function buttons.
Enquiries: Keshin Govender.
Email
CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION
Electricity+Control February ‘17 18