Product category:
Plantwide control
News Release from: GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK | Subject: Cimplicity automation software
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 03 October 2000
The benefits of factory IT with
Cimplicity
The goal of factory IT is to improve productivity, quality and flexibility in manufacturing, while at the same time reducing cost. Chris Milburn of GE Fanuc explains the company's approach
The goal of factory IT is to improve productivity, quality and flexibility in a manufacturing environment, while at the same time reducing cost It should combine the technology of sophisticated products, both hardware and software, together with services and knowledge to provide solutions
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 3 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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These solutions turn manufacturing data into valuable information that can be shared with other users, other departments and indeed other companies.
This sharing can take place locally, over a network or via wireless platforms, or remotely over the Internet.
In an ideal world, the establishment of factory IT in the workplace should come from a gradual organic growth throughout the whole enterprise.
It should evolve from localised automation on the plant floor.
Then links can be made throughout the whole manufacturing process, leading to the feedback of data for management reporting.
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Eventually it can act as a two-way data link for the flow of information to and from MES and ERP systems.
This step-by-step approach only becomes feasible if the hardware and software have open architectures, and the software system is integrated and uses the latest software technologies.
Without using open architecture hardware, users are typically tied to just one or two manufacturers as they expand, and this may not be the most economical route to take.
Without an open and integrated software structure, future enhancements may be at the expense of discarding earlier software development.
It also becomes important for changes to the system to be automatically logged.
Only then can all users of the system be sure they are working with the same databases and the same versions of software.
The basis of the GE Fanuc solution is Cimplicity automation software.
This is the bedrock of an integrated set of packages which has the power to extend into all areas of an enterprise.
Cimplicity is a powerful, easy-to-use software system that is cost effective to implement and run.
As a Microsoft Solution Provider and a member of the Microsoft Developers Network, GE Fanuc takes full advantage of the latest Microsoft technologies, such as OLE, COM, DCOM, ODBC, OPC and DNA.
By keeping current with these new technologies, Cimplicity provides an excellent client/server architecture which is scaleable and extendable as the system grows.
It provides a strong foundation for future technology developments.
When it comes to monitoring and control, ideally a system should be easy to implement, powerful in its operation, and it should enable simple logging of real time parameters to provide informative historical reporting.
A core element in GE Fanuc's solution to factory IT is Cimplicity HMI which runs on a Windows NT platform.
Available in a number of local languages, the supervisory control and monitoring software consolidates the collection of data from devices, including sensors and PLCs, and transforms the data into dynamic text, alarm and graphic displays.
It provides the user with real time information.
Quick Trends enables the display of real-time and historical graphs.
Various features, including drag-and-drop, an object-oriented graphics editor and a vast object library, offer ease of development.
The Database Logger function uses the standard ODBC interface to log data to any standard relational database, including Access, SQL Server, and Oracle.
Optional tools include OLE for Process Control, OPC, to integrate Cimplicity HMI with other systems, and redundancy solutions for mission-critical systems.
It can also integrate seamlessly with third party IT products.
Some users may have manufacturing plants spread across the country, others across the country or even the world.
Management may want to view a process in real time while away from the factory.
Some may want to share their data with partner companies or even with their customers.
The intranet and internet are very powerful mediums for this sharing of data, providing that the correct levels of security are in place.
And the Cimplicity family of products provides the ideal solutions.
With FactoryWeb, WebView and WebGateway, users can view Cimplicity HMI screens remotely, employing standard Web browsers on a standard PC connected via the Internet.
WebView uses the same graphics seen within the plant, with viewing limited to one person at a time.
WebGateway allows multiple users to create their own Web pages, and is an ideal way for a large group of users to share information such as production counts or process data.
Even within a plant, a maintenance or quality technician may wish to view a process in real time while he is far from a display screen.
He may want to see the effects of changes he is making.
Cimplicity PocketView, which combines wireless Ethernet and Windows CE , provides a fast and economic solution to interrogate the system via an antenna station.
Palmtop computers are used to access critical data and enter process information via standard Cimplicity HMI screens.
It is very important for a user to take full benefit from the data that is made available during a manufacturing process.
It is only then that production can be fully optimised.
In order to take full advantage, the systems need to be flexible and able to integrate seamlessly with third party systems.
Part of the total Cimplicity solution is Cimplicity ERP Connect, a bi-directional interface between Cimplicity HMI and integration software, that provides connectivity to leading ERP applications.
Plant floor data can be fed directly into a company's ERP system, providing the information that management needs to make better business decisions.
Real time or historical data can be used, providing input, for example, to SAP R/3.
The enterprise system can feed back production orders and recipes.
Simple drag-and-drop techniques are used to confirm the interfaces.
No special programming or coding knowledge is needed.
Cimplicity Tracker helps a company to raise productivity and cut costs by monitoring the progress of each serialised and non-serialised item that moves through a production or packaging process.
The system provides detailed, continuous information needed to optimise a manufacturing process, while managing inventory levels and locations, scheduling resources and routing materials more effectively.
Tracker works with a variety of production processes, making it easy to implement and operate a comprehensive work-in-progress tracking system.
The system also accommodates a variety of production flow adjustments, from minor modifications to major system redesign.
A further useful Cimplicity product provides a powerful tool to monitor a company's electrical power quality and consumption.
From a desktop PC, Cimplicity Power Management Control System (PMCS) offers power distribution profile windows showing real time trends, events, alarms, waveforms and usage patterns.
This information can lead to the improvement of power quality, reliability and the avoidance of peak demand surcharges.
During the development and implementation of an automation system, as well as during its life cycle, it may often undergo modifications.
For example, the PC control application, operator panels, CAD drawings or PLC applications may be changed.
Thus, with a large enterprise and many systems developers and maintenance staff, it is easy for outdated files and databases to be utilised unwittingly.
Recording changes and informing staff becomes difficult to control.
The GE Fanuc software package, fxManager, provides a reliable solution.
It automatically organises and keeps track of changes to the various elements of the automation or software system.
Operating within GE Fanuc's FrameworX environment, fxManager manages all versions of automation projects on a central server, including drivers and programs, ensuring that users load and edit only the current projects for each device.
It also records user actions, disallows unauthorised tampering and automates events for easy backups and recovery.
The software guarantees complete logging of any application software modification, thus ensuring compliance with legal provisions.
This is of vital importance in pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries.
Central data storage along with revision control prevent out-dated software versions from being used within the control systems, thus avoiding time-consuming backtracking procedures and a waste of resources.
Each user always works with the latest files and databases.
Audit control keeps records of all modifications, including author and date, while the integrated reporting tool enables the easy creation of test reports in any desired format.
The security options restrict access to authorised staff, and the scheduling function is used to automate routine tasks such as data backups or version checks.
GE Fanuc offers a complete resource for service and support With a presence in most industrial countries throughout the world, GE Fanuc is able to build a complete solution in conjunction with its clients.
From engineering services to support services, from product training to complete application consultations, GE Fanuc is able to bring its expertise to help its customers increase productivity.
Cimplicity has become a corporate standard for GE worldwide, and is used extensively to monitor for Six Sigma quality. Request a free brochure from GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK ...
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