Gateway as Bridge to a Future-proof, State-of-the-art Process Landscape

Related Vendors

TURCK GmbH

Donadon SDD Srl

ProMinent GmbH

Softing Industrial Automation GmbH

No Specialized IT Know-how Required

In the current project, the Ethernet-based electrical cabling was already installed — only serial parts needed to be replaced. Accordingly, all plant components are networked via just one Profibus cable that is used to transfer all process and diagnostic data. Engineering work is based on familiar tools such as with Profibus. This avoids any need to acquire specialized expertise, which keeps retraining to a minimum.

Gallery

As a paints and coatings manufacturer, the customer also appreciated the fact that pnGate PA from Softing Industrial Automation offers full operational reliability with systems running in harsh industrial environments — where high levels of powder, dust and moisture are normal and where some areas are subject to explosion protection. As a result, some existing control cabinets are located directly next to production machinery while others are located in separate, protected server rooms.

Migration work on the first plant was completed around two-and-a-half years ago and involved repurposing the existing fieldbuses. In this first stage, the Softing team installed two PA lines, each with six devices. The number has been successively increased since then to 30 PA devices on one gateway. Upcoming plans for expansion will see a substantial uptick in this figure. With Profibus applications, 125 devices usually marks the absolute limit. After migration, a far higher number is now possible.

The resulting system architecture is now unified and the number of subscribers can be increased at any time as required. This not only ensures a consistent flow of data but also improves transfer speeds. Diagnostic work in terms of plant performance and individual components is now also more reliable. One particularly pleasant surprise for customers during the migration was the comparatively low level of effort. Put simply: it was more or less a question of just removing the old couplers, installing the new gateway, and then connecting up the cables. That was really all there was to it.

Thanks to the Profibus PA segment integration and the move from Profibus DP to Profinet, the plant operator now also enjoys greater operational reliability, which in turn translates into positive effects on costs.

A Key Pillar of the Digital Transformation

What is more, the pnGate PA gateway is a key part of the transformation towards designing processes compatible with the idea of Industrie 4.0. For requirements in this context, Softing can offer a range of other digitalization solutions that it has also developed in-house: a Modbus to Profibus PA gateway for TCP control systems, and a Modbus TCP to Foundation Fieldbus H1 gateway, used to integrate FF devices into Modbus networks for process control and plant asset management.

Softing also offers the mobiLink interface, an application for mobile devices that simplifies field device commissioning and maintenance. The interface supports the most important protocols for process automation (Hart, Foundation Fieldbus, and Profibus PA), is compatible with FDT frame applications, and also has Zone 1 Atex approval, which is prescribed for use in work environments that are explosion hazard areas.

* T. Hilz is Program Marketing Manager and D. Palme is Group Manager Gateway Development, Softing Industrial Automation GmbH, Haar/Germany.

(ID:45471013)