Product category:
Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications
News Release from: Pro-face UK | Subject: Factory Gateway
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 04 September 2002
Gateway offers easy and flexible data
collection
Factory Gateway offers programless Ethernet connectivity for serial devices.
Factory Gateway offers programless Ethernet connectivity for serial devices Users can choose from over 50 available protocols to be connected with a Factory Gateway unit
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 16 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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Factory Gateway offers easy and flexible data collection from various production machines to information management systems via an Ethernet network.
Factory Gateway is ideal for data collection and remote monitoring of production facilities, which do not require advanced operator interfaces, or those that do not have a network interface but need one for higher production and quality control.
Network configurations of Factory Gateway can be easily made on Pro-face's data collection software, Pro-Server with Pro-Studio (version 4.0).
The Factory Gateway is equipped with rotary switches to set an IP address, so no screen is needed.
Collected data on Pro-Server can be saved and replayed in a table format for production system analysis and troubleshooting.
The production data can be shared with other PC applications via ADO, DDE, DLL, OPC, and SQL, by using the Pro-Server software.
In addition to the communication system, the Factory Gateway unit is equipped with onboard screen data memory.
Screen data created on the widely used Pro-face screen editor software, GP-PRO/PBIII, can be stored on the Factory Gateway on-board memory using graphics for remote monitoring or production status.
The Pro-Server addon software, GP-Viewer, offers quick and easy monitoring with the playback functions of production status via an Intranet at a single point, while the operation software GP-Web, allows users remote monitoring at multiple points via an Intranet or the Internet.
Features of the Factory Gateway include a RS232C/422 port, 10BaseT Ethernet, 1Mbyte of screen data memory (FEPROM), 128Kbyte of data backup memory (SRAM), LED indicators for system and communication status, rotary switches for IP address setup, and is DIN-rail mountable.
The Factory Gateway also conforms to CE marking and UL/cUL standards.
"The ability to gather data from serial only devices over Ethernet provides key information to decision makers fast".
explains Tony Lane General Manager.
"Personnel should not have to walk to the production environment, and manually collect data, because of the inability to network serial devices - now they don't have to".
(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 3 September 2002).
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