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Technology Handbook

CONNECTIVITY A look into the products, technologies and solutions shaping the market

Technology Handbook | CONNECTIVITY

How the EPLAN Data Portal fits into a data strategy for the Smart Factory

he rise of the Industrial Internet of Things and the Smart Factory is creating a paradigm shift in machine and plant design. The Smart Factory will be a highly dynamic, highly efficient and responsive environment. Machines, equipped with performance measuring sensors, will have a “voice” in the process. Collecting data from every conceivable aspect of production will open up new horizons in micro and macro analysis fostering continuous improvement. Determining which data to collect and how to analyze and use it is among the essential first steps for realizing the full benefit of investing in advanced manufacturing systems. At the Enterprise IT level, the determination is made as to which data to gather and which components to incorporate into the machine or production layout. Then, the Enterprise IT and Engineering leadership construct the standard component database used by the latter to design and maintain the physical system. Next comes the acquisition of detailed, high quality, electrical and fluid component data to populate that database. Consulting multiple vendor catalogues for that can be extremely time-consuming. The EPLAN Data Portal greatly simplifies that process.The portal (www.eplandataportal.com) is an unbiased, web-based tool where designers can search over 620,000 vendor-validated parts from 147 manufacturers for the device data they need. It’s free and extremely user friendly. Searches can be customized in many ways. Results are displayed in an easy to use format. Take the EPLAN Data Portal video tour

Users of EPLAN engineering software like EPLAN Electric P8 can source the portal’s contents directly from their CAE, importing data sets into their project by drag and drop. That frees them from having to create component data sets manually, a huge time-saver. Many EPLAN licensees use the portal strategically to build up large digital archives of parts macros, the availability on which can greatly accelerate workflows and assure consistent quality. In June, the monthly number of data sets downloaded from the EPLAN Data Portal exceeded one million for the first time. Also, non-EPLAN users now can benefit from the portal as well. Designers using CAD tools can download device schematics in .dxf format while ERP and PDM/PLM users can access commercial parts data such as item and type numbers and descriptive information. Learn more here.

Work faster with EPLAN Design Automation Since its founding in 1984, EPLAN has become a global leader in design automation software for electrical, fluid power and other engineering disciplines.

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EPLAN’s core products like EPLAN Electric P8 for electrical design are used at over 120,000 work stations worldwide. They employ a database architecture – the EPLAN Platform – that allows users in the same or different disciplines to share data in real time and archive virtually limitless amounts of data for re-use. EPLAN is a pioneer in design automation – the automatic creation of project content. Design automation frees designers from many time-consuming project tasks, like making, cross-referencing and error-checking the wiring, parts and other lists required for a thorough, professional documentation package. Benchmarking exercises have shown that projects done in EPLAN can be completed in as little as one-fifth the time, or less, than it takes to do the same assignments with CAD software. Download your free, 30-day EPLAN trial CD Read our Design Automation whitepapers For more information:

www.eplanusa.com

Can your CAD do this? Automate the most time-consuming tasks of electrical engineering like wire-numbering, device-tagging, crossreferencing, and error checking, even prevent you from making errors? Let you create and store unlimited simple, complex, even scalable macros with ease? And update them automatically? Search more than 635,000 components from over 155 leading manufacturers to find the one you need - then load the data set for it automatically?

With EPLAN Electric P8, the leader in electrical design automation, you can accomplish in a day what takes a week or more using CAD tools. Request your free 30-day trial at www.eplanusa.com

Technology Handbook | CONNECTIVITY

UL 508 HARTING leads the way with NEW UL Solutions

ARTING has achieved a breakthrough that facilitates the use of connectors and connector-based cable assemblies in electrical control panels, switch-gear and other control systems requiring UL 508 certification. HARTING approached UL with a request for a new standard that would allow for the use of individual connectors in UL 508-certified control cabinets. As a result more than two dozen HARTING connector configurations have passed rigorous safety testing by UL and been designated “UL-Recognized” under the newly created standard - PVVA2 within UL 2237. HARTING is the only connector manufacturer with products that have been recognized under the PVVA2 category within the UL 2237 standard

and corresponding UL mark. Users gain access to all the benefits of plug & play connectorization in panel assembly, including massive cost and time savings during commissioning and maintenance compared to the alternative - hard-wired connections. Until now, an OEM could only use individual connectors in a field-assembled, UL 508-certified control cabinet if they subjected the end product to extensive additional UL safety testing at their own expense, a time-consuming process that often delays bringing a new machine to market. Using ULRecognized components from HARTING simplifies and fast tracks end product certification, provided that specific conditions when using connectors are followed. Today, there is a UL-Recognized Telephone +1 (847) 741-1500

HARTING-USA.com 4 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Connectivity

HARTING connector product for almost any control panel application. All are well-proven catalog products, employed in a wide range of applications, including control cabinets certified to other international standards. HARTING will seek UL-Recognized status for many more of its connectors in the months and years to come. Additionally, HARTING has launched an extensive range of “ULListed”, pre-assembled standard cable assemblies made with these same connectors. UL-Listed assemblies may be employed in UL 508-certified control cabinets without any additional testing or other conditions.

LEARN MORE

Relax, tomorrow has already been tested. Say goodbye to hardwiring with HARTING connectors.

Reduce the number of wiring errors, save time and headache. HARTING, first established in 1945, delivers unrivaled reliability, efficiency, innovation and performance in connectors. With HARTING you have a partner who ensures you dependable connections that stand the test of time. HARTING.ca Technology Handbook Connectivity · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 5

LEAN INSIGHTS

Andrej Lorkovic currently serves as vice-president of business development U.S. at Belden for the Industrial Connectivity Business Unit ICOS, where he is responsible for the entire product portfolio of Belden’s Lumberg Automation and Hirschmann Valve Connectors.

BY ANDREJ LORKOVIC

Connectivity implementations grounded in Lean principles ensure success

he vision for the factories of the future, where machines “talk” to machines, relies on the availability of an uninterrupted flow of data from the production floor to the back office and back again. While communications and connectivity technology have advanced, the

conditions in which the infrastructure must live have not. Excessive noise, vibration, dust and, in some cases, extreme temperatures are simply the norm. Choosing the right partner for designing and implementing a communications network that can withstand the

8 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Connectivity

rigours of the production environment is critical for success in the factories of the future and requires a closer look at the role Lean principles can play in the selection process. Lean manufacturing principles create a framework for reducing waste and inefficiency while promoting productivity, quality and

sustained growth. It may not seem immediately obvious to apply the tenets of Lean processes when choosing a connectivity partner. Consider this though: when a partner values continuous improvement, optimized efficiency and quality over cost, the relationship starts and is fuelled by a commitment to satisfying the customer. LEAN CULTURES ARE PROBLEMSOLVING CULTURES

Core to Lean principles is a focus on problem-solving, manifested in: • The use of continuous process flows to surface problems, • A commitment to stopping work to fix problems, rather than simply forging ahead, and

development, even sales and the back office can benefit from the disciplined framefacturing work that is the hallmark of Each of these disciplines principles a Lean enterprise. translates into an approach that create a When Lean principles gives manufacturers peace of framework mind that the communications for reducing are a cultural common denominator, all processes network will be designed and waste and are precisely controlled by implemented along three key inefficiency key performance indicators value propositions: while (KPIs). Backlog, delivery schedules, project delays and 1. The first is to meet the unique re- promoting quirements of the environment. productivity, quality issues are recorded at every stage of producCustomization is no longer quality and tion, from prototype to final a high-cost proposition. sustained product, and communicated Flexibility and innovation growth. to the customer daily. At any are possible when it comes given time, the customer to modifying standardized components such as sensors and valve knows where things stand, what needs to connectors, connection technology happen to move things along and who the for power transmission, LED lighting, point of contact is for further informadecentralized distribution systems tion. This transparency ensures no one is and I/O modules. The commitment surprised and that the whole ecosystem to quality also ensures custom com- works together toward a resolution. Additionally, the cross-functional naponents meet industry standards and ture of a Lean-driven enterprise makes it regulations. possible for development and production 2. The second is accountability for and to be adapted dynamically, optimizing transparency into any issues that may Lean process implementation. arise — whether it’s a delivery delay of critical information, an unexpected COMPLEXITY REQUIRES need to modify the plan. When mile- QUALITY BE JOB #1 stones are at risk or missed, the work Today’s communication networks are stops until the issue is resolved and the increasingly complex, as are the requireproject can proceed smoothly. ments for performance and reliability of those networks. 3. Finally, to be delivered by a highly trained All of the tenets of a Lean framework and extremely competent team. Industry are geared toward one overarching expertise around best practices, in- result — quality. Buyers can rest assured novation and regulations related to that the process, from scoping to specibuilding communications networks fication, design to implementation and is a given. Domain expertise in manu- testing to working, will include: facturing processes in general, and the specific variations associated with end • Fast and articulate feedback on feasproducts manufactured, are essential ibility, including details on special to ensuring that the products selected, requirements and fully explained the configuration designed and the budget options, final result performs to the highest • Customized solutions that use beststandards of reliability and efficiency. in-class components and present no risk to regulatory compliance, and • Recommendations for specification THE LEAN-DRIVEN ENTERPRISE improvements that convert vision CULTIVATES CUSTOMER FOCUS into flawless execution. Not all customers are alike, which means solutions shouldn’t be either. Tailored In the case of an implementation partsolutions — from batch sizes of just one upwards — are made possible when ner, a commitment to Lean principles enLean processes define every aspect of sures product, project and performance the enterprise. Production, research and quality of the highest calibre. | MA • Visual control that prevents problems from hiding. Lean manu-

Technology Handbook Connectivity · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 9

SMART TECHNOLOGY

HIGH EFFICIENCY How smart object application programming can boost competitiveness BY GURVIE WARAICH

IMAGE COURTESY SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

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Industrial automation applications are growing in sophistication and complexity. For Canadian manufacturers, this means they need to spend more time and money on application development. For end-users, applications are often difficult to port to multiple platforms and machine operators suffer because the new applications are not easy to learn.

A major issue manufacturers face is that their existing applications aren’t reusable to a large extent. Without the proper tools, application engineers find themselves “reinventing the wheel” every time they need to write a new application. This inefficient approach is no longer sustainable. Canadian manufacturers need to innovate and realize new efficiencies if they want to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. Recent improvements in industrial equipment digitization and connectivity have allowed object-based modelling, an approach that has proven successful in IT, to migrate to the domain of industrial automation. When programmers develop applications using defined object templates, they can significantly reduce the engineering effort required for new applications. COST REDUCTION ADVANTAGES OF “OBJECTS” Traditional control programs view a logical procedure as one that takes input, processes it and generates output. In industrial automation, this methodology is called procedural programming. The fundamental issue with this approach is an underlying assumption that the logic will be developed once to solve a single problem. As applications have grown larger over time, the logic has become more and more complex, making the procedural programming approach increasingly inefficient. Object-oriented design is the new paradigm that addresses these issues and introduces new ways to solve industrial production efficiency problems. Each object is defined with certain attributes and display behaviours. The objects also interact with each other. These characteristics allow best practices to be encapsulated into applications and standardized across different plants. The advantages of object-oriented de-

sign aren’t limited to reusability or application portability. Objects are also easier to maintain and help save crucial time when implementing changes during the lifecycle of the plant. Consider a scenario where a 10-per-cent change is required in a traditional application. Using conventional tag-based development, 10 per cent of the effort spent on the original development would be required to carry out the changes. However, in object-based development the 10-per-cent effort needs to be applied only to the object template and not the entire application. Automatic change propagation could be carried out once the object is updated, meaning a significant amount of effort could be saved during change management. Objectbased systems can be quickly enhanced or modified to respond to market needs and improve competitiveness. TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES OF “OBJECTS” “Objects” contain features associated with the device they represent. That means a motor object, for example, could contain the events, alarms, documents, faceplates, asset management, and control and human machine interfaces associated with that device. A motor object that represents a real-world motor could make use of these characteristics to provide real-time information to an operator. As such, the alarm feature of the motor object could alert the operator to a high winding temperature. This could be a critical piece of information in allowing the operator to avoid burning up the motor windings. In industrial environments, objects could also represent a piping network modelling pumps, valves, and pipes; a control process modelling analogy I/ Os and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loops; a supervision process modelling animated symbols, tags, and alarms; or a functional process entity modelling a charger, an agitator, and a heater — just to name a few possibilities. Smart objects can explore the environment, and can interact with both other smart objects and with humans. This helps users manage tasks in new and intuitive ways. Smart objects can also assist in the simplification of change management and the versioning of objects. The original design of a process application may need to be

modified later on, as requirements may change to adjust to a shifting marketplace. Changes can be exercised either for all composite objects or for selected instances only, thereby enabling co-existence of multiple versions of the objects. Changes can also be pushed out to all the object model’s participant projects, such as control and supervision, which ensures that consistency is maintained among objects across multiple projects. PATH TO AN OBJECT-BASED MODEL Object-based designs provide a higher level of flexibility and cost savings compared to traditional programming models. The object-oriented concept of “develop once and reuse many times” is the engine that drives the cost savings. By reusing common objects across multiple platforms, software systems can be maintained at just a fraction of the cost of existing, traditional systems. In addition, machine operators are presented with a unified viewing experience which assists in training and a reduction in human error. Organizations wishing to migrate to an object-oriented development environment should consider the following shortand long-term steps: • Immediately: Begin to plan a roadmap. Assess what steps need to be taken in order to evaluate tools that are specialized to the needs of industrial sites. Conduct an assessment of development environment requirements. • Over the next six months: Determine how much work needs to be done to implement an object model and to assemble libraries of objects. Consider how open the control network needs to be in order to accommodate third-party components. • Within the next year: Enlist a trusted partner with expertise in both plantbased architectures and object-oriented development methodologies, and human-machine interfaces (HMI) to help maximize operational efficiencies. | MA Based in Toronto, Ont., Gurvie Waraich is a PlantStruxure program manager at Schneider Electric Canada.

Technology Handbook Connectivity · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 11

DON’T MISS OUT on your next issue of

IT’S FAST, IT’S EASY AND IT’S FREE! DICK MORLEY: A glimpse into the many facets of the esteemed “Father of the PLC.” p.18

How you can SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: TRAINING: attract millennials and simultaneously boost your How to choose the right lighting for machine vision applications. p.26

business. p.17

AUTOMATION SOFTWARE: Four big-picture benefits of PLM for small manufacturers. p.24

Defence-in-Depth Best practices to help industrial operators deploy the internet of things securely and reliably. p.22

Couldn’t attend this year‘s Hannover Messe? Catch up on standout moments from the action-packed fair. p.26

LESSONS LEARNED: Tips for how you can avoid pitfalls and make the best decisions in automation. p.28

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Top 5 in 2016 from 3D printers to industrial sensors and the internet of things (iot) — key trends and technologies that will impact your plant floor this year. p.16

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Sodecia uses PC control, EtherCAT and programmable safety to accelerate robot cell performance for automotive assembly. p.22

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Our editorial advisory board discusses the challenges in Canada’s manufacturing future, and how to overcome them p.18

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