Web-enabled controllers put processes on the net

Engineers accustomed to using the Internet as a research and communications tool can now take the process a step further with Control Technology's new 5100 Series Blue Fusion controllers.

Engineers accustomed to using the Internet as a research and communications tool can now take the process a step further with Control Technology's new 5100 Series Blue Fusion controllers with integrated Ethernet webserver capability.

The web enabled controllers, which are now available from Inmoco in the UK, enable machines to reside as nodes on the Internet, or Intranet, making the idea of running an entire manufacturing enterprise via the web a practical reality.

The 5100 Series are 32bit, RISC based units that combine automation and motion control facilities, monitoring and 10/100BaseT Ethernet web connectivity into a single compact package that's priced below many non-networking controllers.

At factory floor level the controllers provide servo (up to 6.5 axes) and stepping motor motion, analogue and digital I/O and encoder automation functions, all of which can be monitored and controlled remotely - from anywhere in the world - via web browser or enterprise servers.

The integrated system enables hundreds of controllers to be linked and co-ordinated from a single point, yet is easy to use at all levels of an organisation.

Moreover, by providing direct connectivity via standard IT networking technology, Blue Fusion controllers provide the information necessary to achieve improved operational efficiency and increased productivity in small, medium and large-scale manufacturing operations.

In addition to supporting secure web protocols HTTP, SOAP, SMPT and Java based RMI, the 5100 Series controllers offer users the benefits of built-in XML support and high levels of data security.

The former (XML) enables users to pull down production data from the controllers and display it on a web page, manipulate it using XSLT (Extensible Style-sheet language Transformation), store it in XML compliant databases, or utilise it with other XML compatible applications.

The latter ensures system integrity through robust security and data encryption features integrated into the communications module.

These prevent any inappropriate data interchange from taking place between the controller and an unauthorised computer.

The flexibility of the 5100 Series architecture means that it can operate in three different modes: stand alone, networked and "piggyback".

In stand-alone mode all application I/O and motion functions are controlled in addition to the user interface.

Designed for more complex systems, networked mode connects multiple machines to each other using standard Ethernet networks.

The controllers can be monitored, controlled, configured or even reprogrammed over the Internet and/or Intranets.

The final, "piggyback" mode, enables users to upgrade existing control equipment by providing Internet/intranet access to, for example, a PLC and the process variable it controls.

Programming of the 5100 Series automation controllers is fast and intuitive using CTC's multitasking Quickstep step-based language.

Developed specifically for integrated machine automation, Quickstep is an easy-to-learn high-level language that supports the execution of up to 84 simultaneous tasks completely independently of each other.

Because the language uses a framework that closely parallels the operation of a typical machine, programs are easy to implement, understand and debug.

All the system functions are integrated into a single programming environment with 25 high-level instructions provided, including motion instructions such as profile servo and turn servo, as well as general machine control instructions.

The facility for DIN rail mounting and extremely compact dimensions (210.82 x 144.78mm) of the 5100 Series units enable them to fit easily and conveniently into most machine designs - even those where space is restricted.

This versatility is extended further via built-in Ethernet porting and multiple protocol support, which enable the units to connect directly to the existing IT infrastructure.

Finally, controlled devices connect directly via integral pluggable terminal blocks, eliminating bulky cables and breakout blocks to device-level hardware.

Commenting upon the introduction of the web enabled controllers, Hassan Wallilay, Sales Director for Inmoco, said: "The advent of this technology, integrating control plus communications, makes it possible to bring the power of the Web to the factory floor".

"Control plus communications means that the days of the disconnected machine are over.

It ensures improved use of time, knowledge and information by all personnel involved in their company's manufacturing and process automation".

(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 2 September 2002).

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