March 2003Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Access Control & Identity Management
As creators of one of the original fieldbus (CAN), which many others took as a base for their own fieldbus systems or customised versions, Bosch Rexroth has been active in the forefront of the developments in fieldbus communication technology since the very early stages. Not only has it improved its own fieldbus and adapted to the various demands of the different industries, but also incorporated other fieldbus systems into its products and been directly involved in the development of these other fieldbus systems. Today, Bosch Rexroth is known just as well for its range of Profibus and other fieldbus enabled products, as it was for the high-speed CAN bus it first developed in 1986 for the automotive industry.
The philosophy at Bosch Rexroth has always been to keep its products open to communication with other control systems and products, making them more universal and able to integrate with other automation products that may be the end users preference. This has proved itself as particularly practical in the fieldbus environment, where the company has adapted its fieldbus products to talk to almost all the other fieldbus protocols, making it easy to integrate its products into any control system. Bosch Rexroth PLCs for example, have been released for each major fieldbus (CANopen, Profibus-DP, Inter-BUS-S or DeviceNet), enabling the end user to integrate it into an existing system of that particular bus or choose the bus he prefers for a new installation. This has been taken a step further in the development of I/O gateways, which can translate from one fieldbus to another, enabling multi fieldbus communication within one system.
A good example of this was put into practice recently by Flexible Electronic Systems (FES). An existing diamond press system, using Alan Bradley PLCs, where the press was being fed manually, was upgraded through the installation of a Bosch Scara robot to pick and place the blank pellet as well as the finished product. "The Robot's controller, called Rho, uses Profibus-DP whereas the Alan Bradley PLCs use DeviceNet. In order to integrate the robot into the system the two had to exchange certain I/O information. "FES connected a Bosch I/O Gateway to the Alan Bradley DeviceNet chain, and then connected the same I/O Gateway to a Profibus-DP B~IO extension module on the Rho's node chain...and Voila the two were speaking to each other. The more languages you can speak, the better you can understand the world you are in and the easier it will be to succeed wherever you are. Man or PLC, the principle remains the same," said Guenter Schmitz, Director of FES.
XPlanar aids innovation in laser processing Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Aalborg University is among the first in the world to test Beckhoff’s XPlanar intelligent transport system in advanced laser processes, opening the door to faster, tool-free production of metal parts.
Read more...Belden expands edge computing portfolio with ProLinx Edge Gateway
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Belden has released the ProSoft Technology ELX3 ProLinx Edge Gateway, combining operational technology protocol conversion with Docker-based edge application hosting on a single ruggedised hardware platform for deployment in harsh industrial environments.
Read more...Anybus Communicators are CRA-ready Industrial Data Xchange (IDX)
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
HMS Networks has upgraded its Anybus Communicator range to meet new EU cybersecurity rules, giving industrial manufacturers and integrators an easier path to compliance.
Read more...Remote I/O modules provide flexible options for distributed applications
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Dinkle International is now stocking the iO-GRID NEMO industrial-grade remote input/output modules, offering support for five leading industrial Ethernet protocols and a range of discrete channel configurations for distributed automation applications.
Read more...Daudin expands fieldbus modular remote I/O series
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
: The Dinkle iO-GRID X modular remote I/O family is now available, offering fieldbus coupler modules for major industrial Ethernet protocols, and over 20 types of I/O modules to help integrators and equipment builders create flexible, efficient control systems.
Read more...Balancing secure access control and fire safety
Editor's Choice Access Control & Identity Management Fire & Safety
In modern building management, few topics create as much tension as the intersection between security access control and fire evacuation safety. Nichola Allen of G2 Fire sheds light on this delicate balance.
Read more...Siemens and HighByte partner to scale industrial AI Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Siemens is expanding its Industrial Edge ecosystem through a partnership with HighByte, enabling customers to connect, contextualise and transform data from operational technology and information technology sources to build AI models and applications at scale.
Read more...Automotive Ethernet media converter
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
HMS Networks has introduced its first automotive ethernet product under the PEAK brand. The PAE-Media Converter is a compact device designed to connect automotive Ethernet (100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1) with standard Ethernet (100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T) networks.
Read more...3D electrical systems design workflow for electromechanical innovation Siemens South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced new 3D electrical design capabilities within its Capital software, enabling electrical and mechanical engineers to work concurrently in a shared 3D environment to reduce late-stage design changes and accelerate time to market for complex electromechanical products.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.