Motion Control & Drives


Versatile motion control system in an industrial PC

May 2015 Motion Control & Drives

Siemens has introduced the Simotion P320-4, a compact, PC-based motion control system for tough operating conditions. The system’s available in two versions with different processors: the Simotion P320-4 Embedded with an Intel Core i3 processor, and the Simotion P320-4 Standard with an Intel Core i7 processor. The use of these Intel processors doubles the performance of the system in comparison to the previous generation, and the shorter memory access times also make a contribution. Siemens has designed the Simotion P320-4 without any mechanical wearing parts. It has a solid-state drive (SSD) or an optional CFast Card mass storage system in place of conventional hard disks. The space-saving design has integrated safety functions but no rotating parts. The Motion Control System requires no maintenance, even when used at maximum processor performance and at an ambient temperature of up to 55°C. Typical application areas for the PC-based motion control system are production machines, filling plants, and wafer production in the solar industry.

Because of its compact design and narrow footprint, the Simotion P320-4 takes up little space in the control cabinet. The device can be installed on a standard mounting rail, or via vertical, side or wall mounting. The industrial PC not only has a Profinet fieldbus interface with three ports, but also the usual standard PC interfaces, such as USB 3.0, Ethernet, DVI-I and Displayport. These enable easy connection of HMI displays. Siemens offers touch displays ranging in size from 12 to 22 inch, or 15 inch combined touch and key displays. The Simotion P320-4 is engineered with Simotion Scout software, which enables users to configure, parameterise and program their motion control applications quickly and easily. The engineering software also offers integrated test and diagnostics functions. The latest storage technology with integrated error correction facilitates a high standard of data consistency. Siemens guarantees that the system will remain available for the long term with the same hardware.

For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, keshin.govender@siemens.com, www.siemens.co.za



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