Electricity + Control May 2019

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

Hannover Messe marked a further step in our commitment to offer advanced industrial commu- nications technologies for futureproof applications. Our family of networks is growing in acceptance and popularity worldwide, as a result of its open- ness, interoperability and Gigabit bandwidth. CC-Link IE TSN illustrates how the CLPA is leading the way in offering high productivity and flexible net- working architectures to manufacturing industries.”

CC-Link IE TSN is the first open industrial Ether- net to combine Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) with Giga- bit Ethernet to deliver a future- proof network for Industry 4.0 applications.

For more information contact CLPA, email: john.browett@eu.cc-link.org or visit: https://eu.cc-link.org

The next level of digital transformation Under the banner ‘Digital Enterprise – Thinking industry further’ Siemens presented a number of additions to its Digital Enterprise portfolio supporting the next level of digital transformation in the discrete and process industries.

K laus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Digital In- dustries, said at the fair, "With the integration of cutting-edge technologies into our portfolio, we can help industrial companies to benefit from rapidly growing data volumes in new ways. Using technol- ogies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing and additive manufacturing, we are paving the way for the future of industry.We are also rethinking pro- cess control technology and introducing the web- based Simatic PCS neo process control system." Companies of any size can use industry-specific solutions to increase their flexibility and productivity and develop new business models. Helmrich high- lighted too that innovation partnerships between large companies and SMEs are just as essential as cooperation between business, science and politics. The basis for Siemens cutting-edge techno- logies is the availability of data. Through digital twins, which map and link together all the steps of industrial manufacturing in a virtual world, com- prehensive data pools can be created. "The cru- cial factor is using the data from the digital twin of the product, production and performance in an innovative way that creates new potential for pro- ductivity. When automation, software, hardware, cloud platforms and cutting-edge technologies are integrated and combined seamlessly, the data can be converted into valuable knowledge – increasing performance and flexibility. This is the next step of digital transformation," Helmrich said.

One example is a new module with an integrat- ed AI-capable chip for the Simatic S7-1500 control- ler: through the use of machine learning algorithms, robot-based handling processes can be optimised. Artificial intelligence (AI) requires large volumes of data for the learning process and this data is only available if processes have been digitalised and linked together seamlessly. With Industrial Edge, Siemens has extended its Digital Enterprise auto- mation platforms – Simatic and Sinumerik – to in- clude a data processing solution on the shop floor – and it is scalable from the shop floor to the Mind- Sphere open, cloud-based IoT operating system. At Hannover Messe, Siemens showcased an example from automotive manufacturing to demonstrate how the use of cloud and edge-based data analysis, together with other technologies such as additive manufacturing or autonomous manufacturing systems, create new opportunities for the efficient and flexible production of electric cars and batteries. The company is supporting the automotive industry with software and automation systems for the transformation to e-mobility. It also helps companies to meet the challenge of growing demand for increasingly customised products and alternative drive concepts. Digitalisation cannot be implemented without protecting industrial plants from cyber-attacks. In future, AI and edge computing will also improve security, as data analysis can be used to detect cyber-attacks more quickly and reliably.

4. The new 5G commu- nications standard will provide the powerful communications infra- structure required for Industry 4.0 applications. Take Note! 4

14 Electricity + Control

MAY 2019