Talk of easy integration

A Rockwell Automation Global Manufacturing Solutions product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 28, 2003

A new range of FactoryTalk components and FactoryTalk-enabled products help manufacturers share key data and so reduce the time required to design, install and maintain integrated automation systems.

A new range of Rockwell Software FactoryTalk components and FactoryTalk-enabled products help manufacturers share key data and so reduce the time required to design, install and maintain integrated automation systems.

FactoryTalk is a unique enabling technology from Rockwell Automation that connects a wide range of Rockwell Software and Allen-Bradley products to each other, allowing them to seamlessly exchange manufacturing data and share common applications.

It also enables integration with a wide variety of external business systems such as SAP and third-party OPC servers including Oracle databases.

FactoryTalk Directory provides a common address book, which automatically enables FactoryTalk-enabled products to find and access factory resources such as data tags and HMI displays.

Unlike a single database, FactoryTalk Directory provides searchable references to data stored across a distributed system.

This provides all the benefits of central storage - including immediate update following any changes - without the risk of a single point of failure losing all the data.

It also allows manufacturers to build complex systems in one location and later redeploy them elsewhere just by changing computer names.

FactoryTalk Live Data manages connections between FactoryTalk-enabled products, combining data from multiple controllers and servers into one group with a single connection and resulting in faster real-time data transfer and more reliable connections.

It also notifies clients when a connection to a server is lost and automatically reconnects when it becomes available again.

In systems with redundant servers, FactoryTalk Live Data automatically detects a failed server and handles the switch to the back up server for all FactoryTalk-enabled products.

FactoryTalk Audit helps to maintain comprehensive central records of all changes made to the manufacturing system, such as alterations to PLC programs.

System changes are automatically routed to a central file for logging, analysis and reporting.

This is especially important for companies in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and food, and also improves traceability and quality control for all manufacturers.

The latest products to benefit from Rockwell Software FactoryTalk include the machine-level HMI package, RSView Machine Edition, the management-level HMI RSView Supervisory Edition, the collaborative design tool RSAutomation Desktop and the transaction manager RSSql.

A key part of Rockwell Automation's ViewAnyWare visualisation strategy, which enables key manufacturing data to be accessed from any point in the enterprise, FactoryTalk offers a consistent format for sharing manufacturing data, allowing users to share critical plant floor information with the rest of the enterprise quickly and easily.

As a common language used to describe factory automation systems and manufacturing processes, FactoryTalk helps users cut implementation times and achieve true interoperability among factory floor systems.