In 2002, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms unveiled the world’s first PAC (programmable automation controller) at an ‘Evening of Imagination’ in Chicago, Illinois. As an evolution of the PLC, it was considered revolutionary at the time and represented a significant change in the world of process automation – one that enabled control through convergence, rather than mere integration of disparate pieces of hardware and I/O.
In 2013, Schneider Electric took things one step further. Defined as the ePAC, the Modicon M580 is a PAC with a built-in Ethernet backbone and it is designed to fill the void between universal Ethernet, the DCS and the PAC.
Ethernet processing, now managed directly by the controller, creates greater transparency and higher speed communications for deterministic solutions over standard open Ethernet architectures. The underlying idea is that all I/O, devices and communication can now be mixed on the same field network and with complete software integration – all thanks to the latest in ARM microprocessor technology. The SPEAr dual-core CPU enables high-speed communication on its backplane courtesy of embedded Ethernet capability and conformance to the IEEE 1588 time stamp protocol. It also has built-in safety features for systems up to SIL 3, a characteristic that provides tangible business value to many an end user.
The advantage of this flexibility is the capacity to change automation configurations and architectures on the fly, and without stopping the process. As a hub for both real-time process control and data, the PAC benefits from the inclusion of an open Ethernet backbone through optimised connectivity and its corresponding increase in bandwidth. At the same time, the architecture that made the PAC so successful is retained. Schneider Electric’s new ePAC is geared for production flexibility, data transparency and openness for local or remote diagnostics – and best of all – this has been done with platform security as a priority.
In a post Stuxnet environment, the M580’s built-in ability to address critical cyber-security issues will no doubt catch the eye of plant owners around the world. Security is incorporated into each ePAC in a way that provides an open yet fully secure platform designed to protect the system from cyber attacks. Devices can be secured via encrypted logins and a variety of passwords associated with different applications. Field engineers also have the ability to disable unnecessary services and perform checks to verify the integrity of the controller’s firmware as well as the behaviour of the system itself. This is a critical defence against sophisticated Stuxnet type threats which corrupt the controller’s firmware in such a way as to mess with the process, while at the same time feeding ‘in-limit’ data back to the operators in the control room.
Schneider Electric has positioned the M580 as the processor of choice for its integrated automation architecture, PlantStruxure. For more, see 'Modicon M580' complete with excerpts from the ARC Advisory Group report on the relevance of ePAC.
African Automation Fair 2015
After running in the same format for many years, the Process Expo organising committee has come up with a new concept that looks set to rock the automation calendar next year. The first Africa Automation Fair is set to open its doors at the Coca-Cola Dome from 5-7 May 2015 and it aims to be ‘the biggest, most comprehensive showcase of industrial control technologies in the southern hemisphere’.
The launch of the new Expo was held last month at Rand Airport with the usual flair and panache that we have come to expect from the team at élancommunications – it took place in the SAA 747 that did the flyover at the ’95 Rugby World Cup final. It was great to see this ambitious idea welcomed so enthusiastically by industry; many vendors simply booking their space immediately. It is a bold approach that promises to deliver a world-class event right here on our doorstep – more in 'Africa Automation Fair 2015 – Africa's largest automation event'.
In closure this month, congratulations to Vinesh Maharaj who has been elected to serve a second term as president of the SAIMC. Keep up the good work Vinesh.
Steven Meyer
Editor: SA Instrumentation & Control
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