Advanced Technologies for Smarter Operations

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Expanding Scalable MES Applications Capabilities

To provide greater context for enterprise analytics and tighten control over processes, new versions of both Rockwell Software PharmaSuite® manufacturing execution system (MES) software and MES fit-for-purpose application have been developed.

The updates can help users manage and document workflows to improve quality and reduce rework and waste. The updates are part of continued support of scalable MES capabilities deployed to solve challenges for rapid time to value.

The expansion of computing power is complicating the technology ecosystem for industrial producers, and the latest MES updates can help simplify the adoption of new features and the communication between systems. The updates are PharmaSuite v8.4 software and FactoryTalk® Quality v4.0 application.

The latest PharmaSuite v8.4 software improves communication with any distributed control system (DCS) solution and provides operators more flexibility in following a workflow. When the steps defined in a workflow are not physically available in the facility, operators can rerun, skip or change the process parameter. All changes are recorded by the MES for quality assurance review. This avoids wasting time if operators get stuck trying to make exceptions.

By building off user-friendly, intuitive widgets that reduce quality-management effort, the updated FactoryTalk® Quality v4.0 application introduces statistical process control (SPC) capabilities out of the box. Quality management teams can gain a suite of control charts and graphs that help predict when a process is going outside of acceptable parameters. It also allows quality teams to configure, view and acknowledge notifications when and where they are needed.

Free Download: New Network Design Guidance

Rockwell Automation and Cisco, a strategic alliance member of the PartnerNetwork™ program, have released new network design guides and white papers to help companies connect mobile devices and deploy end-to-end cloud connectivity while maintaining security best practices. The guides are the latest addition to the Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) program and giving companies best practices for wired and wireless network architectures when deploying cloud and mobile Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions.

Secure Mobile Connections

The Identity and Mobility Services guide helps companies connect mobile devices in a way that manages security risks. It also helps users establish unified and autonomous WLAN architectures and manage self-service wireless access.

Connect to the Cloud

The Cloud Connectivity guide provides guidance for using the FactoryTalk® Cloud gateway to establish a more secure connection from the plant floor to cloud-based applications, such as FactoryTalk Analytics for Machines. The design guide addresses the varying levels of security measures that should be considered for small to large companies.

Fortify Industrial Security

The industrial firewalls guide provides several use cases for industrial firewalls and addresses application requirements, technologies and design considerations. For example, machine builders can learn how to use firewalls to help prevent plantwide traffic from interrupting the performance of their machines.

Additionally, the previously released Industrial Demilitarized Zone (IDMZ) guide has been updated with new applications for using the FactoryTalk® VantagePoint and FactoryTalk ViewPoint software. These new free resources are available for download on the Rockwell Automation website.

Modern Process Solutions for Building a Connected Brewhouse

Rockwell Automation and McRae Integration have collaborated to develop two new brewing production solutions for brewers seeking efficiency and enhancing their operations. The new FactoryTalk Brew™ solution can help breweries manage tough challenges in today’s competitive market.

The FactoryTalk Brew solution is based on the PlantPAx® distributed control system from Rockwell Automation. It enables large brewers to standardize and fully automate production, gain an information platform for reporting and recipe management and tie together information from the automation layer to the MES layer.

It can also integrate enterprise-level automation and information to enable The Connected Enterprise® and help inform business decisions. The new offering provides a solution to brewers struggling to build a software layer on their automation platform or building an automation platform from scratch.

While the FactoryTalk Brew solution helps large brewing companies get their brews to market faster, the FactoryTalk Craft Brew solution is also ready for small craft brewers to gain a competitive edge in niche market segments.

This globally supported brewery solution is customized and delivered by Rockwell Automation and certified partner system integrators or manufacturers with knowledge of the required products and large brewing processes.

Speeding Up and Future-Proofing Machine Designs

Two machine builder libraries and automation device objects are the latest application content available to help manufacturers and engineers create state-of-the-art machine designs faster and at a lower cost.

The two new machine builder libraries – one for converting, print and web (CPW) machines and one for process skids – provide standardized application-specific code that can help engineers design CPW machines and process skids faster while still achieving best-in-class performance. The libraries also include application-specific features.

The automation device objects are coding that provide a common interface for connecting a specific device to any other product on a machine. This can drastically reduce programming rework when replacing a device on a machine. Engineers can simply add the object for a new device instead of rewriting the machine’s entire engineering cycle to accommodate the device.

The Studio 5000® Application Code Manager provides a single, user-friendly way for engineers to access the content, build their applications and even test applications before they build a cabinet.

The new application content is available for free download from the Rockwell Automation Product Compatibility Download Center (PCDC).

Simplifying Analytics for Industrial Productivity

Rockwell Automation has expanded the FactoryTalk Analytics portfolio, a robust advanced analytics environment that empowers users with the ability to quickly and confidently make informed decisions. These latest advancements were developed to reduce the complexity of the operations environment for manufacturers and producers and their employees who are driving operations.

The FactoryTalk Analytics brings contemporary user experience capabilities, which are common for consumer experiences, to the production environment. Focused on driving ease of use and productivity, FactoryTalk Analytics features internet-like search capabilities of production data, as well as self-serve drill-downs, allowing the user to make data-driven decisions quickly. 

It has been developed for scale, discovering and connecting data sources from the edge of the network up through the enterprise, and then intelligently fusing the information to resolve issues close to the source. Empowered with machine learning capabilities, FactoryTalk Analytics learns the process and looks for trends in the data, proactively presenting users with insights before an issue arises.

Improving Design Efficiency with Updated Motion Analyzer

The Allen-Bradley® Motion Analyzer is enhanced to offer an optimized user experience with intuitive navigation and in-workflow production selection. This updated version software tool helps engineers more easily and efficiently develop complete motion control systems for their machines.

Key improvements include faster axis definition and sizing, redesigned solution search and configure components features, additional application template profile support, and the ability to import from a legacy motion profile with support of more advanced motion segments.

New Large Contactors Improve Flexibility for Operators

The Allen-Bradley NEMA contactors and IEC contactors help machine builders design smaller, energy-efficient panels. These new lines of contactors can be controlled with 40-50 different voltages ranging from 24-500 volts, with only four different coil options.

As large size contactors are increasingly used in applications to isolate or bypass these loads and resistive loads, the contactors feature a universal coil for an easier voltage control on multiple applications with fewer parts and smaller power supply.

In addition, the new NEMA contactors and IEC contactors are significantly smaller than previous product lines, allowing for a smaller panel and a smaller enclosure.

Updated Visualization Solution for Standalone Machines

New firmware for Allen-Bradley PanelView™ 800 Graphic Terminals is now available for download. Firmware 5.011 is updated for enhancing usability and increasing functional connectivity with CompactLogix 5370 controllers.

The updated graphic terminals are available in 4-10 inch display sizes and can support up to 50 screens, 400 external tags and 400 alarms. New features include supporting email notification over encryption (TLS1.2) and email configuration during runtime and design time, allowing FTP access to alarm history, recipe and data log files and printing over Ethernet and USB connections. They are ideal for standalone machines to meet a wide variety of small to midsize applications.

A Single View of Process and Electrical Systems

The new IntelliCENTER® Integration Unit integrates the intelligent electrical devices from the electrical distribution system into the process-automation control and software environment. Integrating both systems into a single control and software platform avoids the need for a separate eSCADA and gives process and electrical operators a single, unified view of their data.

By using the control capabilities of a Logix-based processor, the integration unit enables intelligent switchgear and other intelligent equipment in the electrical control system to become part of a complete automation system.

As the configuration of the entire system is simplified, users can gain a common environment for archiving, visualization and reporting when using the library of add-on instructions from Rockwell Automation.

The library provides prebuilt, validated add-on instructions for third-party devices that are used in typical control strategies for electrical control systems.

The IntelliCENTER Integration Unit is key to an integrated power and process control system and a technology enabler of the Intelligent Packaged Power offering from Rockwell Automation. The Intelligent Packaged Power solution helps reduce risk by delivering motor-control devices and the electrical distribution system in one consolidated package.

Making Network Operations and Maintenance Easier

The new FactoryTalk Network Manager™ software can help plant-floor personnel simplify their task of monitoring and maintaining a growing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices on their network. It allows them to take control of the health of their Allen-Bradley® Stratix-managed switches, troubleshoot switch issues and quickly configure new managed switches all from one easy-to-use software interface.

The software automatically discovers assets, their associated IP addresses, and creates a topology of the connected devices. Its intuitive interface offers grouping of equipment along with dashboard information, so users can organize devices into specific areas or analyze them individually.

More Drives Application Options for Asia Pacific Users

Heavy-industry operators can now use the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000 medium voltage drives to meet a broader range of application requirements and lower their total system costs.

The drives offer sensorless vector control (SVC) for 0-200-amp applications, additional voltage ratings and a standard-efficiency transformer option for the Asia Pacific market. With a previous launch for 200-680-amp applications in 2017, SVC is now available for 0-680 amps and 2.3-11 kV voltage ratings.

The SVC addition provides constant torque capability without the need for an encoder, helping lower the total cost of ownership for applications such as slurry pumps and reciprocating compressors.

A Strategic Preventive Maintenance Service

To help identify and prevent downtime on critical assets, Preventive Maintenance as a Service is now available. This new data-driven service can provide customers the ability to monitor predictions and analyze details of an alert without needing to build their own data models or engineer their own solutions.

The service, which is applied to critical assets, analyzes data from connected technologies, such as sensors, control systems and smart machines.

Leveraging FactoryTalk Analytics and applying machine learning technology, engineers from Rockwell Automation can identify normal operations and build out data models to help predict, monitor for and mitigate future failures or issues as part of a preventive maintenance strategy.

This new preventive maintenance service will be crucial in industries such as oil and gas, where the uptime of critical assets drives the bottom line. This also includes critical machines in continuous-manufacturing operations.

Additionally, manufacturers can implement the service on an asset and use the predictive capability to provide better up-time performance scaled across all similar customer assets.

New Connected Technology Requires No Screwdrivers

A new family of push-in terminal blocks is now available to help users improve wiring efficiency and the quality of connections. These terminal blocks offer reliable connections; increased time savings and less operator maintenance for an enhanced wiring environment. Users can expect a total time savings of more than 50 percent compared to previous models.

The new, vibration-proof terminal blocks feature a clamp to secure loose wiring and provide a reliable connection point with added space-saving benefits. The front-facing terminals include an easy sight line and access for wiring when compared to traditional screw-clamp terminal blocks.

Their plastic actuator feature mitigates potential shock hazards with a finger-safe design, removing access to live metal components.

Also, each terminal block offers a built-in test port, which allows users to monitor meter voltage and current easily. With many factories operating at different power levels throughout the plant, the test point verifies that each terminal is operating with the appropriate voltage, mitigating the need to manually insert probes.

The push-in terminal blocks can also be used with wiring ferrules to further improve efficiency and the quality of the connection. In addition, twin-ferrule options are available for using two wires per connection.