Rockwell Automation Elevates Performance of Visualisation Portfolio with Significant Advancements

Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 6 human-machine interface and FactoryTalk visualisation software boast new features for better performance and visibility into machines and production lines

Rockwell Automation has announced the availability of its new Allen Bradley PanelView Plus 6 human-machine interface (HMI) and upgraded versions of its FactoryTalk View and FactoryTalk ViewPoint applications to optimise the HMI hardware platform. These new visualisation and information products are designed to enhance run-time performance and operator experience while reducing deployment time and costs.

“Manufacturers, machine builders and system integrators are faced with increased pressure to keep costs down and improve runtime,” said Frank Kulaszewicz, vice president and general manager of Control and Visualisation, Rockwell Automation. “We’re building on the common design environment that’s core to our Integrated Architecture to provide manufacturers with visualisation solutions that ease development and maintenance time and provide the critical real-time production data they need to quickly make informed business decisions.”

The new PanelView Plus 6 terminal includes more memory with significantly faster refresh rates and more on-device storage. Every PanelView Plus 6 includes the latest FactoryTalk View Machine Edition (ME) and FactoryTalk ViewPoint software running on the Windows CE 6.0 operating system.
FactoryTalk View ME 6.0 software provides the PanelView Plus 6 with new time-saving design enhancements, including a new extensive graphics library, enhanced color animation capability and access to a multi-language font library. The terminal can directly reference tags created for a controller and comes with a factory-default option, reducing troubleshooting to increase uptime. The latest version supports Windows 7 and has achieved VMware-ready status. FactoryTalk ViewPoint further enhances the system’s interoperability by providing remote access for Web browser-enabled devices. FactoryTalk View ME 6.0 can also be purchased separately to provide PanelView-functionality through an Allen-Bradley Industrial Computer.

For distributed HMI users, FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE) 6.0 software also includes an upgraded design environment through FactoryTalk View Studio to help customers build applications more quickly. Like the ME, FactoryTalk SE 6.0 now supports Windows 7 and SQL Server 2008 and is the first release to have VMware-ready status. This latest version of FactoryTalk SE also offers FactoryTalk Alarms and Events server redundancy, safeguarding a common, consistent view of alarms and events occurring throughout an entire FactoryTalk system.  

For the increasing number of manufacturers that need up-to-the-minute production information from multiple locations, FactoryTalk ViewPoint 1.2 software provides access to real-time operations data simply by logging onto an Internet browser. As a Web-enabled HMI application, it extends access to FactoryTalk View displays and dashboards to users anywhere for improved real-time decision making. The new version supports the latest operating systems and Web clients to expand usability of this thin-client application in a variety of Web environments and wireless devices. Newly supported environments include the Microsoft Windows CE 6.0-based Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 6, FactoryTalk View ME and SE 6.0 software, Microsoft Windows 7 server, VMware server and Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.