Today's automated hardware and software are easier to integrate than standalone machine controls. They can be presented in an approachable and cohesive way simply by providing an integrated development and programming environment.
Choosing a programming language is no longer sufficient; it only applies to direct machine applications. Now, machine automation demands the integration of more functions: HTML5 human-machine interfaces (HMIs), input/output (I/O), sequential logic, motion and cybersecurity, robot and collaborative robot kinematics, vision, safety robots and motion, status and energy monitoring, machine-to-machine communication, and coordination with multiple production modules and intelligent tracking systems, edge and cloud communication, and interfaces.
Businesses need more than just direct control functions. Manufacturing companies increasingly require integrated digital reporting, database management, and machine simulation for initial design and continuous optimization.
These capabilities require a comprehensive, bottom-up approach to automation software platforms that are scalable, modular, documented, reusable, and based on the IEC 61131-3 programming language standard. Today, automation technology companies offer comprehensive capabilities including single-axis and multi-axis motion, computer numerical control (CNC), recipe and alarm functions, user management and audit trails, industry standards such as PackML from the OMAC Packaging Working Group, and network diagnostics.
Many excellent features, which were previously only available as third-party software, have now become standard features in many software packages and have helped to change the implementation of automation.
Figure 1: Dynamic HMI content (such as scalable vector graphics) helps visualize complex manufacturing processes. Image credit: B&R Industrial Automation
Dynamic human-computer interface
Dynamic HMI content can more easily display complex manufacturing processes. One approach is to use widgets that allow users to animate existing XML-based scalable vector graphics (SVG) images or use runtime data converted from 2D CAD.
Users drag and drop widgets onto the target page in the HMI application and configure them there. At runtime, image animation can be controlled from the application. SVG images can be rotated, transitioned, and moved, saving the time and cost required to create multiple image sequences. Because SVG images are based on vector graphics, they maintain high resolution even when zoomed in without degrading image quality.
Configuration flexibility
Modular applications allow I/O modules to be added to existing programs at any time without modifying the machine code. This can be done before machine delivery or even at runtime, simplifying the management of machine and equipment variants. I/O variant configurations can be generated from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or order management systems. Even when adding third-party drivers or modules, no engineering tools are required.
Figure 2: I/O machine variant configurations can be generated directly from ERP or order management systems without the need for engineering tools.
Appropriate configuration tools can be used to configure other variations and options directly on the machine. Some development environments include a tool that allows configuration changes in the ladder logic without affecting the machine's main application. Debugging can be performed without modifying the machine's original software, providing the end user with the necessary flexibility while maintaining the integrity of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) solution.
Figure 3: The control system, with its built-in communication platform, can automatically generate PDF reports. Several options are available to customize the reports to meet the specific needs of different users.
Integrated Vision
Another trend is the integration of vision cameras into machine control programs, including smart cameras, lighting, and advanced image processing algorithms. This allows for microsecond-level synchronization between machine vision and other automation components, which can be managed with just a single engineering tool and an application.
PDF report
The control system can have a built-in communication platform and automatically generate PDF reports. The reporting function collects statistical machine data and information from any software component provided by the control platform. Report data, layout, and design can be customized, and users can define the language and units used.
Report design options allow for customization based on user needs. Reports can include graphical elements such as images and tables. Files can be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. Reports can be automatically sent via email at a specified time or triggered by a specific event. Furthermore, reports can be saved to external storage media (such as a USB flash drive) or sent directly from the machine to a network printer.
Big Data Management
The Database Integration Toolkit makes it easier to deploy databases within applications. Whether the database is located on-site or in the cloud, data can be archived from the on-site layer to the database. This simplifies the management of large amounts of data, which is crucial for the data acquisition and analysis requirements of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Manufacturing equipment generates vast amounts of data daily that must be visualized, archived, or passed to higher-level systems for processing to generate useful information. Providing a database interface to the control system allows data to be sent directly from the controller to the database. General database functionalities, such as stored procedures, allow for the generation of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on requirements, thereby optimizing the manufacturing process.
Machine simulation and digital twins
Automation programming is no longer limited to isolated machine programs. It now includes integrated production systems, such as next-generation intelligent tracking technology that defines adaptive machines.
Consider the automation software challenges of independently controlling the movement of individual products while collaborating with dozens or even hundreds of other space systems on an orbital system. Each workstation represents a machine module, and all machine control and auxiliary functions apply to each product, production module, and the entire system.
Built-in simulation software is a useful tool for visualizing and optimizing the requirements of intelligent tracking systems. It aids in engineering design, shortens time-to-market for new track systems, and enables the running of new products on existing systems. The integrated simulation software is based on process-oriented programming.
These simulation tools help ensure the space shuttle doesn't collide, overshoot virtual obstacles, or exceed its configured speed limits. FDA-compliant tracking can also be implemented. The software can link product data to the corresponding space shuttle and make the manufacturing process traceable.
When creating orbital system applications using procedural programming, software engineers define rules governing the shuttle's behavior in orbit. These rules are activated when the shuttle passes virtual trigger points. This makes the implementation of motion sequences more efficient and reduces the amount of programming required for each shuttle.
With integrated simulation options, orbital system developers can run tests to determine the optimal number and speed to maximize the shuttle's throughput.
The same system software is used in both the simulation and the actual factory, allowing for seamless switching between simulation and real-world operation at any time. The interaction between the space shuttle and mechanical components such as robots is also visualized.
The gap between the considerations of standalone machine operating software and tool expansion means that machine automation programmers must consider more than just choosing between ladder logic and C programming. It's about selecting an integrated automation platform that provides a configurable software suite to manage, and not just control, the machines.
For system architects, developing these functionalities on top of a one-off machine project is daunting and practically impractical. Meanwhile, these new software capabilities are crucial for enabling machine connectivity, not to mention manufacturing devices that support the Internet of Things (IIoT) and are designed to provide support for new digital business models.
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