PROFINET is “a must” for innovative automation products. More and more manufacturers and users are choosing the market leader for Industrial Ethernet systems. Today, no other Industrial Ethernet solution is supported by so many manufacturers as PROFINET. Over 150 manufacturers are already making use of the unparalleled versatility of PROFINET in their devices. For users, this means a large selection of products for their applications and the certainty of relying on an open and future-proof standard.
A new white paper from PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) concerning PROFIenergy describes the results of measurements in real-world applications and highlights the potential benefits for manufacturers, OEMs, and – in particular – plant operators. The data acquired confirm that the use of PROFIenergy in the studied production applications enables energy savings of 30 %.
PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI), Fieldbus Foundation (FF) and HART Communication Foundation (HCF) are currently working intensively on the development of an architecture for a WirelessHART gateway. The background to this is that although the process industry appreciates the benefits of wireless communication it is still not making sufficient use of it. WirelessHART uses a mesh network, i.e. each device can generate or receive signals (sensors/actuators) and pass them on to surrounding devices (repeater function). According to users the greatest obstacle when implementing wireless systems is the complicated integration of WirelessHART mesh networks into the existing automation environment.
Energy-efficient production means more than just the use of variable-speed drives and efficient motors with low energy consumption. The question going forward is how to selectively place complete production lines or portions thereof into an energy saving mode during unproductive times.
PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) is offering its members the new SPIRTA tool for easy testing of IRT functions, thereby allowing comprehensive testing of PROFINET IO device functions. The tool is available for free download by members at the PI website (www.profibus.com). It can be integrated as a supplementary module in the existing PROFINET tester. As a result, users already familiar with the proven PROFINET tester can quickly learn how to use the IRT module.
