In addition to control panels, panel PCs and industrial PCs for control cabinet installation, Economy users now also have a compact, powerful and price-optimised PC controller for direct machine installation.
A modern machine controller must meet a wide range of requirements. It should offer high performance and be compact, flexible and cost-effective, without neglecting the typical basic industrial requirements such as robustness and long-term availability. If the controller also has to be integrated directly in the operator terminal, which can be installed wherever it is required – independent of the control cabinet – the question arises as to how all these requirements can be met in a single device?
Beckhoff has introduced an industrial PC specifically for this purpose. The CP72xx is protected all around to IP65 with an integrated mounting arm adapter for application directly at the machine. The slimline aluminium case houses the Beckhoff motherboard with Intel Celeron M or Pentium M processor in a uniquely compact housing depth of only 94 mm. Device performance is due to be enhanced shortly with the introduction of new Beckhoff motherboards using Intel CoreTM Duo architecture.
The right front for each application
The CP72xx can be supplied with a 305, 380 or 480 mm TFT display, optionally with touch screen or touch pad. A wide range of front designs are available, including simple displays without keys, front panels with function keys or numeric keyboard, or full alphanumeric keyboard including special PLC keys. Customised front membranes can also be provided to adapt the appearance of the panel PC to a specific corporate design, or if further special functions are required. With its optional push-button extensions, the CP72xx replaces the operator control panel of the machine and becomes a dynamic, multifunctional command centre.
Innovative housing design
The units, which can be operated at ambient temperatures up to 45°C, are cooled via fins located between the control panel and the add-on PC; a fan inside the enclosed housing ensures that the heat is distributed evenly. The case features an integrated, rotating and swivelling mounting arm adapter that enables suspended mounting or installation on a stand with cables routed directly through the mounting arm.
Mounting arm installation is straightforward as the CP72xx can be installed at the mounting arm unwired. Once the device is safely mounted, the cables are routed through the mounting arm and connected via waterproof IP65 connectors. All terminals are located in a spacious wiring space permitting convenient and application-oriented commissioning.
The CP72xx series are supplied by a 24 V DC power supply unit, optionally with integrated uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and external battery pack. In its basic configuration the panel PC is offered with Windows CE. With a larger compact flash card Windows XP Embedded can be installed as an option, and with a hard disk Windows XP Professional can be installed. With the introduction of the new Intel Core Duo processor generation the new Windows Vista operating system is available on request.
Straightforward integration of conventional fieldbuses
A free Mini PCI slot is provided, if the free slot is used for a Beckhoff Mini PCI fieldbus card the CP72xx becomes a high-performance master for conventional fieldbus systems such as PROFIBUS, CANopen or DeviceNet. As a further option, a Mini PCI fieldbus card with a third Ethernet port can be used. In this way it is even possible to create a redundant EtherCAT configuration. With EtherCAT as a fast higher-level network, existing fieldbus structures can be integrated as sub-bus.
The optional plug-in card with NOVRAM offers a further option for utilising the free Mini PCI slot. With this card the users get up to 512 KB of fail-safe data storage capability.
Through its intelligent housing construction and the innovative motherboard design, the CP72xx provides a new performance class in this form factor which meets all the requirements for advanced machine control.
In 2008 InchBrook Audio Visual was presented with the requirement for a very specific Industrial PC with Touch Panel functionality to be used in a demanding production environment. After an intense evaluation process, the Beckhoff CP72xx-series proved to be the best in class and after presentation of this product to the client, InchBrook’s decision was endorsed and an order for 45 units was placed at the end of 2008.
The service and support provided by Beckhoff SA has been very professional and committed. InchBrook says it looks forward to working closely with Beckhoff on similar integration projects in the future and will not hesitate to recommend Beckhoff products as a first choice.
Crickmay, a specialist supply chain improvement company, recently embarked on installing a new IT system comprising various sites, within one of the largest coal supply chains (Eskom) in the world. Due to the harsh environment presented within the coal industry, the selection of a suitable industrialised PC was paramount and it spent a significant amount of time investigating all available options. It eventually decided upon Beckhoff, which turned out to be the best possible outcome.
Crickmay has thus far installed approximately 40 industrialised Panel PCs, in the worst environments imaginable and it is extremely satisfied with their performance and durability. Furthermore, the delivery time, after sales service and general responsiveness of Beckhoff has proved crucial to the overall success of the project.
| Tel: | +27 11 795 2898 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.beckhoff.com |
| Articles: | More information and articles about Beckhoff Automation |
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version