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input #3 at www.controleng.com/information
input #4 at www.controleng.com/information
 Vol. 66
Number 1

JANUARy 2019

22 | Industrial network communications

24 | Industrial Ethernet, smarter machines
25 | Software unlocks protocol diagnostics
14-25
COVER IMAGE: Connect with network software, cover images: Through physical 27 | Industrial controller selection advice
connections, networking software (communication protocols and middleware) connects
devices and systems. Upper right, B&R Industrial Automation Corp.’s booth at IMTS 2018
included a live IEEE Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) testbed. At the Rockwell Automa-
30 | Automation programming advances
tion Fair 2018, Nov. 14 and 15 in Philadelphia, upper left, Spectrum Controls showed how enhance communication, programming
industrial Ethernet devices can communicate with legacy network protocols. Lower left
and right, also at Automation Fair, Panduit demonstrated network connectivity options for
a variety of applications and environments. Images courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engi-
33 | Shaft encoders vs. bearingless encoders
34 | System integration in the automotive
neering. See six related articles in this issue, pages 14-25.

industry
INSIGHTS
INSIDE PROCESS
5 | PLC research results
from Control Engineering P1 | Verifying primary and secondary
flow measurement performance
6 | Legalities: Negotiate better
payment terms P7 | Lessons learned: Startup, shutdown
incidents
8 | Technology Update:
Digitalization and innovation
INNOVATIONS
NEWS NEW PRODUCTS fOR ENgINEERS
10 | Industrial internet groups to col- |
58 Stepper motor for hazardous locations; Non-
laborate on cloud computing, IIoT contact magnetic measuring system; LVDTs;
research; Manufacturer to realign Three-phase ac motors; AI controller extends
around digital industries; Online equipment life; CNC for machine tools;
headlines Cyber risk management
12 | Think Again: Hot topics in BACK TO BASICS
Control Engineering for 2018
64 | Programming, collaborative robots

ANSWERS ONLINE
• More networking software: OPC UA, MTConnect,
14 | Industrial networking and the IIoT
EtherNet/IP from ODVA, and CC-Link.
16 | Future of IIoT software in manufacturing
• Smarter robot grasping: sensors,
20 | MQTT’s role as an IoT message transport software, cloud

CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 66, No. 1, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group
Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2019 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under
license. Perio dicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630/571-4070.
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www.controleng.com control engineering January 2019 • 3

input #5 at www.controleng.com/information

To learn more about

HART Isolators from Moore Industries
Call 800-999-2900
or visit www.miinet.com/HART-Isolators
 Attitude towards job
Work is tolerable Actively
INSIGHTS
but open to other searching RESEARCH
opportunities for another
job 2%%

12%
2018 PROGRAMMABLE CONTROLLERS STUDY

46% Industrial controller features

R
40% espondents to the Control Engi-
neering 2018 Programmable
Controller Software & Hardware
Love Study provided their insights
Work is going
okay,
okay glad to to work on important capabilities of industrial
have a job every day controllers:
• Software functions: Programmable
Figure 1: 46% of end users enjoy logic controller (PLC) programming tops
their jobs and look forward to the list of controller software features that
end users need at 87%, followed by human-
going to work every day; 40% are
machine interface (HMI) development
satisfied and pleased to be work- (72%) and remote monitoring (70%).
ing. Source: Control Engineering • Controller features: Seventy-seven
2018 Career & Salary Study percent of industrial controllers have pro-
portional-integral-derivative (PID) control,
and 61% can communicate with devices or
(55%). Forty-five percent of end users’
controllers use the OPC Unified Architec-
ture machine-to-machine communication
protocol, and 25% use another communi-
cations software/method from OPC Foun-
dation. Eight-two percent of end users
employ Ethernet, TCP/IP in their control-
ler hardware.
• Programming: The majority of end
users (84%) use or expect to use ladder dia-
grams over the next 12 months, while 63%
use/expect to use function block diagrams
and 38% use/expect to use sequential func-
tion charts and/or structured text.
• Integration: Sixty-six percent of end
users use controller software that is com-

56% of end users prefer

to purchase servo and/or step-
per drive controller products as
matched units. Source: Control
Engineering 2017 Motor Drives
Study
Six in 10
end users
are not bound to existing purchase
agreements when selecting HMI/
SCADA software or hardware.
Source: Control Engineering 2018
HMI Software & Hardware Study
systems outside of the control loop.
• Networking: Thirty-seven percent of
end users’ controllers interface with PLCs,
patible with prior versions of the platform
and 43% use a controller software that eas-
ily integrates data from other systems. ce
21% with a distributed control systems
(DCS), 12% with programmable auto-
mation controllers (PACs), and 11% with
industrial PCs; 18% stand alone.
M More
RESEARCH
• Communications: The top commu- View additional findings at
www.controleng.com/2018-programmable-
nications protocols used by controllers are controllers-study. Amanda Pelliccione
4-20 mA/0-10 V dc (76%), Ethernet (73%),
is the research director at CFE Media,
RS-232/RS-485 (61%), and Modbus TCP apelliccione@cfemedia.com.
Top 10 controller software programming,
setup functions
Ladder logic 78%
Function blocks 58%

46% of end users take

advantage of upgrades and patch-
Full IEC 61131-3 language support
Function/code libraries,
48%

object-oriented code 42%

es provided by their industrial con-
Client-server capability 33%
troller software provider. Source:
Control Engineering 2018 Program- Structured text 33%
mable Controllers Study Automated tagging 31%

Sequential function charts 29%

More research
Control Engineering covers several
research topics each year.
All reports are available at
www.controleng.com/research.
www.controleng.com
Simulation capabilities 25%
Custom programming tools 23%
Figure 2: End users most often use controller software featuring ladder logic,
function blocks, and full IEC 61131-3 language support. Source: Control Engi-
neering
control engineering January 2019 • 5
 INSIGHTS
LEGALITIES FOR AUTOMATION AND INTEGRATION
Brian Clifford, Faegre Baker Daniels
Negotiate better payment terms
Payment cycle provisions are common in automation and integration contracts.
Four strategies can help a company’s cash flow.
T
he right contract clauses can improve a
company’s cash flow—whether you are
making or receiving payments. “Payment
cycle” provisions are common in auto-
mation and integration contracts. As you
are likely seeing in the market, the historic “net 30”
terms in commercial agreements are becoming harder
‘
to obtain. Companies making payments for completed
Invoice the services and deliverables are pushing for longer dead-
lines, as long as 90 or more days from invoicing.
costs for Like using a credit card (and paying it off month-
ly), companies are buying automation services and
expensive products and are essentially obtaining short-term,
interest-free loans from vendors for projects.
third-party Sometimes, long payment cycles are an indica-
tion a purchaser is experiencing financial difficulties.
equipment Other times, such cycles are a function of burdensome
internal approval processes or a company knowing it
’
separately. can use its leverage to obtain very favorable payment
deadlines. Sometimes, it’s both scenarios.
If you are the seller, four strategies can be used to
get paid for completed work as quickly as possible:
1. Negotiate shorter payment deadlines
The most straightforward method to get paid
faster, of course, is to shorten the payment dead-
lines. Often, customers are willing to consid-
M More
INSIGHTS
er reducing particularly long payment cycles
if the issue is presented to them in the right
way. You can explain that you are unable to
KEYWORDS: Legalities,
contract payment terms obtain corresponding payment cycle terms
Contract payment terms from your own vendors, meaning you would
can improve how payments have to “come out of pocket” for the project
improve cash flow. for long periods of time. Many customers are
Shorter payment deadlines sensitive to this cash-flow problem.
can improve cash flow.
Expensive equipment might
be invoiced separately.
2. Carve-out portions
of the contract amount
CONSIDER THIS If a customer is unwilling to shorten the
How is your automation- payment deadline in general, you may want to
industry company aiming to consider “carving-out” certain portions of the
improve cash flow?
contract amount for a shorter payment cycle.
ONLINE For example, if you are required to provide an
If reading from the digital expensive piece of third-party hardware or
edition, click on the headline equipment for the project, you may be able
for more resources. For other
engineering-related legal
to get a customer to agree to have the costs
issues, search “Faegre” at for the item separately invoiced on payment
www.controleng.com. terms that are within the deadline established
6 • January 2019 control engineering
by your agreement with the third-party vendor. This
can prevent you from being “caught in between” two
large corporations using their market share to obtain
unreasonably favorable payment cycles.
3. Insert a down payment
or mobilization fee
If you know long payment cycles will be required,
you may want to “front-load” your fees in the agree-
ment. You can use this up-front payment to keep
your out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum as work
progresses. Such terms also decrease risk of non-pay-
ment for work already completed, but not yet billed
or paid. However, you should be careful not to mis-
represent such early payments.
4. Invoice more often
Another effective strategy in mitigating the risk
of long payment cycles is to invoice more frequently.
Instead of your usual monthly invoices, will a cus-
tomer accept weekly or bi-weekly invoices? While
the deadline for your receipt of payment on each
of these invoices may still be set out far in advance,
more frequent invoicing will increase cash flows for
the project and decrease the amount of payments
outstanding at any point in time.
If you are the purchaser, you can flip these strate-
gies around. For example, you could propose a short-
er payment cycle for services (in recognition of the
employee salary payment cycle), but only permit
invoicing for equipment once it has been delivered
and passed a site acceptance test (SAT).
It also might be possible to withhold a certain
portion of the contract price until after final accep-
tance of the entire system and a successful start-up
period. Invoicing also could be set on a longer cycle
through the use of a milestone billing provision.
Regardless of which side of the payment cycle you
are on, you may be able to ensure a steadier cash flow
for your next project by using these contract negotia-
tion techniques. ce
Brian Clifford is a partner in the automation and
robotics practice of Faegre Baker Daniels, a law
firm in the U.S., U.K. and China. Edited by Mark T.
Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE
Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.
www.controleng.com
 Automation &
Control Freak?
Same here.

We carry more automation & control brand names

than any other distributor in North America.
It’s true – we checked.
input #6 at www.controleng.com/information

© Allied Electronics & Automation, 2018 Get your A&C fill at alliedelec.com 1.800.433.5700
 INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: INDUSTRIE 4.0
Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation

Digitalization and innovation

driving manufacturing’s future
Manufacturing is in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution—known as Industrie 4.0—
and constant plant-floor changes are forcing companies to keep up with the rapid pace or
risk getting lost and falling behind.

T
he fourth industrial revolution, also called
Industrie 4.0, is underway. It revolves
around the rise of the Industrial Inter-
net of Things (IIoT) and its ability to con-
nect to seemingly everything, including
innovations such as additive manufacturing, collab-
orative robots, artificial intelligence, and augmented
and virtual reality (AR/VR). Industrial revolutions
themselves are nothing new, but the pace at which
they’re occurring is remarkable. The pace of change in
ancient societies was on a scale of hundreds or thou-
sands of years. In contrast, the industrial revolutions
Book by EU Automa- of the 18th and 19th centuries shortened the time span
tion has more about between successive revolutions to less than a hundred
Industrie 4.0. Cour- years. Depending on the source, the third industrial
tesy: EU Automation revolution lasted from 1980 to the Great Recession.
Despite innovations being more readily available
than ever, countries are at different points on the jour-
ney to digitalize. There is a disparity between
the manufacturing innovations.
Nigel Smith, CEO of TM Robotics, has seen the
challenges and the possibilities robots can bring in this
new manufacturing environment.
“Robots have dominated automotive applications
for a long time,” he said. “In the last few years, howev-
er, we’ve seen robots being used in increasingly varied
sectors, from food and pharmaceutical to medical and
plastics manufacturing.”
In addition to new applications, robots have
become more reliable, Smith said, thanks to manufac-
turers shifting from hydraulics to electrical actuation.
Remote monitoring helps users gain more insights to
prevent potential mechanical or control issues.
Interfacing and connectivity have improved. Con-
necting a peripheral device such as a vision system to a
robot can be done easily, which makes processes such
as inspection and conveyor tracking smoother.
Even with these improvements, Smith pointed out

M More
INSIGHTS
Keywords: Industrie 4.0,
digitalization, robots
Digitalization is a key
part of the fourth industrial
revolution.
In this new manufacturing
environment, the robot’s role
has changed and become
more collaborative.
Digitalization offers a
great deal of potential, but
companies have to recognize
that and enact policies to
realize it.
Consider this
What other manufacturing
developments will happen in
Industrie 4.0?
online
Learn more about Industrie
4.0 at www.controleng.com
under the IIoT and Industrie
4.0 topic.
the rates of adoption of new technologies,
awareness about what the fourth industrial
revolution offers, and a cohesive leadership
intended to drive change initiatives. This has
resulted in a fragmented system, with the con-
cept of industrial digitalization, or Industrie
4.0, referred to by various names including
Society 5.0, Smart Industry, Manufacturing
USA, and Made in China 2025.
While the names and concepts differ, the
core principles are largely the same. Countries
and companies seek to enhance connectivity
on the manufacturing floor to provide better,
faster, and accurate data to make manufactur-
ing operations safer and more productive.
Robots and Industrie 4.0
Manufacturing has turned to robots to
handle many of the dirty, dull, and dangerous
(“the three Ds”) tasks on the plant floor. While
robots used to be confined to a fixed area—
preferably behind a mesh cage—they are start-
ing to work alongside humans in day-to-day
operations. Collaborative robots are among
there is still a big fundamental challenge manufactur-
ers face at the beginning of the process.
“A challenge that continues to affect many busi-
nesses is choosing the right robot,” he said. “Because
robots are becoming easier to use and maintain,
cheaper, more efficient and easily deployable, [there
are more options.] This makes it even more important
that engineers choose one with the right blend of fea-
tures to match the needs of the application.”
The manufacturing industry has progressed since
the term Industrie 4.0 was introduced. Some technolo-
gies in operation were just ideas then. Robots were still
in cages. Workers, while operating in a more interac-
tive environment, didn’t have nearly as many choices
as they do now with digitalization.
Digitalization has the potential to transform the
manufacturing industry, but companies need to
embrace new technology to benefit. Even making
small changes can have a huge impact on operations,
staff and productivity. ce
Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director, EU Automation.
Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engi-
neering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

8 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

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INSIGHTS
NEWS

Industrial Internet groups to collaborate

on cloud computing, IIoT research
The Industrial Internet Consortium
(IIC), a CFE Media content partner, and
the OpenFog Consortium are merging to
bring research and best practices promul-
gation around cloud and fog computing,
5G cellular communications, and artificial
intelligence (AI) under one organization.
The two groups announced Dec. 18, 2018,
they would combine their organizations
under the IIC name and would collabo-
rate on a more holistic approach to fur-
thering the use of the Industrial Internet
of Things (IIoT).
“The Industrial Internet Consortium,
now incorporating OpenFog, will be the
single largest organization focused on
IIoT, AI, fog, and edge computing in the
world. Between both of our organizations
we have a remarkable global presence
with members in more than 30 countries,”
said IIC president Bill Hoffman. “This
agreement will help accelerate the adop-
tion of the IIoT, fog, and edge computing.”
Cloud computing transmits and stores
information through data centers to pro-
vide greater computing capacity. Fog com-
puting, also known as edge computing,
allows for such calculations to be done at
servers on a plant’s premises.
“We’re excited by the growth and
advancement of fog technologies—from a
technology, standards, and general aware-
ness standpoint—since our launch nearly
three years ago,” said Matt Vasey, Open-
Fog chairman and president, and director,
AI and IoT business development, Micro-
soft. “During that time, it has increasingly
become apparent that we share so much
synergy with the efforts of the IIC that it
just made sense to bring the two consor-
tia together. The resulting combination
of memberships, resources, and shared
knowledge will only further the growth of
the technologies, including fog, that will
support IIoT ecosystems.”
In a press release announcing the
merger, IIC officials quoted Christian
Renaud, research vice president for Inter-
net of Things (IoT) at 451 Research as
saying, “Both organizations have been
advancing the IIoT, fog, and edge comput-
ing, and their members represent the best
and the brightest in their fields. It makes
sense to merge their expertise and work
streams to continue providing the IIoT,
fog, and edge guidance that the industry
needs.”
The IIC’s overall goal is to help deliver
a secure and connected infrastructure for
manufacturers using the cloud computing
technology to improve operations. ce
Bob Vavra, content manager, CFE Media,
bvavra@cfemedia.com.

Manufacturer to realign Headlines

around digital industries online

A
BB announced the company will reorganize its global organization into Top 5 Control Engineering articles
four business units and sell its power grids business to Hitachi for $11 Dec. 3-9, 2018
billion as part of the streamlining effort. Articles on process tuning, Engineers’
Choice finalists, process simulation, imple-
The reorganization, scheduled to take effect April 1, will create four busi- menting a linear motion application, getting
ness units that company officials said would better position ABB to meet the stronger process readings, and AR and VR
customer needs in a changing digital landscape. were the most-viewed from Dec. 3-9, 2018.
“To support our customers in a world of unprecedented technological Researchers use thermal
change and digitalization, we must focus, simplify, and shape our business for transistor to protect electronic
leadership. Today’s actions will create a new ABB, a leader focused in digital devices from overheating
A Stanford-led engineering team developed
industries,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer.
a way to manage heat produced by elec-
ABB will organize itself into four business units: electrification, industrial tronic devices with a thermal transistor.
automation, robotics & discrete automation, and motion.
“Our four newly shaped businesses, each a global leader, will be well- The next era of global manufacturing
With technology and information, manufac-
aligned to the way our customers operate and focus stronger on emerging turers change how they do business as glo-
technologies such as artificial intelligence,” said Spiesshofer. “The continued balization changes the nature of business.
simplification of our business model and structure will be a catalyst for growth
Hannover Fairs USA new trade event
and efficiency.” Digital Industry USA (DIG/IN USA) will high-
By streamlining the organization, eliminating regional executive commit- light digital manufacturing Sept. 10-12, in
tees, and reallocating resources, ABB officials said the company expects to Louisville.
reduce costs by about $500 million annually and expects to grow to a $550
Engineer lights up the town
billion business by 2025, an increase of $140 billion from today’s revenues. ce Caleb Otto used his engineering back-
Bob Vavra, content manager, CFE Media, bvavra@cfemedia.com. ground and love of holiday tradition to set up
a musical light display. See video online.

10 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

input #8 at www.controleng.com/information
INSIGHTS
Think again ®

3010 Highland Parkway, Suite 325, Downers Grove,

IL 60515. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

Hot topics in Control Content Specialists/Editorial

Engineering for 2018

Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2227, MHoske@CFEMedia.com
Jack Smith, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2230, JSmith@CFEMedia.com

Engineering salaries and career tips, neural network advances, Kevin Parker, Senior Contributing Editor, IIoT, OGE
630-571-4070, x2228, KParker@CFEMedia.com

ladder logic, cybersecurity, and autotuning were among top Emily Guenther, Associate Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2229, eguenther@CFEMedia.com

articles posted on the Control Engineering website in 2018. Amanda Pelliccione, Director of Research
978-302-3463, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

H
Chris Vavra, Production Editor
ot Control Engineering topics 2. Processing a neural network’s mind CVavra@CFEMedia.com

posted in 2018 include engi- and its ability to process language;

Contributing Content Specialists
neering salaries and career tips, Jan. 7 Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe
neural network advances, lad- MIT researchers have developed a tech- suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk
der logic future role in automation, indus- nique illuminates the inner workings of Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia
ekaterina.kosareva@fsmedia.ru
trial control system cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence systems that process Seweryn Scibior, Control Engineering Poland
proportional-integral-deriva- language, which could improve seweryn.scibior@trademedia.us
tive (PID) controllers autotun- overall efficiency for machines. Lukáš Smelík, Control Engineering Czech Republic
lukas.smelik@trademedia.us
ing control, as identified by the
most visited Control Engineering 3. Ladder logic’s future role in Aileen Jin, Control Engineering China
aileenjin@cechina.cn
articles during 2018. automation; July 3
Think again about upcom- Review nine considerations Editorial Advisory Board
www.controleng.com/EAB
ing topics at www.controleng. when selecting a programming Doug Bell, president, InterConnecting Automation,
com/2019articles and contrib- language. www.interconnectingautomation.com
ute your expertise to next year’s Mark T. Hoske, David Bishop, president and a founder
hot topics. Especially of interest Content Manager 4. Understanding industrial Matrix Technologies, www.matrixti.com
Daniel E. Capano, president, Diversified Technical Services Inc.
will be September, Control Engi- control systems security basics; of Stamford, CT, www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-capano-7b886bb0
neering’s 65th anniversary, look- April 6 Frank Lamb, founder and owner
ing at how the past continues to influence It’s critical to implement an in-depth Automation Consulting LLC, www.automationllc.com

where we’re headed. cybersecurity plan to reduced risk to Joe Martin, president and founder
Martin Control Systems, www.martincsi.com
industrial control systems (ICSs). Rick Pierro, president and co-founder
Top 10 Control Engineering Superior Controls, www.superiorcontrols.com

articles posted in 2018
The articles posted during 2018 at www.
controleng.com with the most clicks during
2018 follow. This metric obviously favors
those posted earlier in the year. At the bot-
tom of this article online, link to the top arti-
cle rankings for articles posted later in 2018.
1. Control Engineering Salary and
5. Pros and cons of autotuning control:
Part 1; June 1
PID controllers that can automatically
select their own tuning parameters sound
good but face challenges.
6. Ladder Logic: Fault detection and
messages; Feb. 22
Mark Voigtmann, partner, automation practice lead
Faegre Baker Daniels, www.FaegreBD.com
CFE Media Contributor
Guidelines Overview
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engineering. We will use those materials online, on
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engineers informed about the products, solutions

Career Survey, 2018; May 15
Career Update 2018: Engineers are get-
ting paid more and a greater percentage
expect to get increases in 2018, but the
technical challenge and a general feeling of
accomplishment remains the highest fac-
tors for job satisfaction.
7. Comparing ladder logic and object-
oriented programming; July 12
8. Implementing a cybersecurity strate-
gy for cloud-based SCADA; Aug. 14
9. Three major VFD trends; Jan. 4
and industry trends.
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INSIGHTS
INSIGHT
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representing strong set of tutorials about
Control Engineering topics. With this article
online, link to each article referenced.
10. Process control sensor types and
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12 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

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input #9 at www.controleng.com/information
ANSWERS
Cover sTory: NeTWorKING soFTWAre
Dr. Michael Hilgner, TE Connectivity Germany GmbH, IIC working groups

The significance of industrial

networking for the IIoT
The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) focuses on the role of the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in industrial networking.

I
ndustrial networking connects devices and
systems and is critical to the Industrial Inter-
net of Things (IIoT). Application and deploy-
ment considerations—along with existing
and emerging technology options—adds
complexity to network planning and technology
selection according to the Industrial Internet Con-
sortium (IIC) white paper “Industrial Networking
Enabling IIoT Communication.”
When trying to understand and resolve net-
working issues, consider:
1. Future IIoT scenarios high-level descrip-
tions of requirements and design consider-
ations can vary by industry.
2. Various standards can apply and help.
3. The IIC is developing a technical document,
the Industrial Internet Networking
Profibus Profinet International, ODVA (EtherNet/
IP), the EtherCAT Technology Group, the Ethernet
Powerlink Standardization Group and the CC-Link
Partner Association (CLPA). Some technologies
use standard Ethernet without modifications to
layers 1 and 2 of the foundational IEEE 802.3 stan-
dard, whereas others define deviations in the data
link layer.
These Institute of Electrical and Electron-
ics Engineers (IEEE) standards define the physi-
cal layer and data link layer’s media access control
(MAC) of wired Ethernet. A set of common and
technology-specific definitions is made available
through the International Electrotechnical Com-
mission (IEC) 61158 and IEC 61784-5 series.
Companies implementing software stacks for
these technologies or gateways to exchange data
between them or between industrial Ethernet net-
work and fieldbus segments need to follow the def-
initions by the user groups—especially those for

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORD: Industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT)
IIoT’s role in industrial networking.
The Industrial Internet
Consortium (IIC) is developing a
technical document to provide
guidance for selecting the
appropriate network infrastructure.
There is demand for streamlined
semantics to help with operations
technology/information technology
(OT/IT) integration.
COnsiDER this
Are you aware of the proper
network architecture for an
Industrial Internet Networking
Framework (IINF)?
OnLinE
See IIC’s white paper,
“Industrial Networking Enabling
IIoT Communication,” for more
information.
Framework (IINF). The core element
of the document will be a conceptual
toolbox designed to provide guidance
for selecting the appropriate network
infrastructure.
The Networking Task Group
(NTG), a sub-group under the IIC’s
Technology Working Group, is
responsible for the three lower lay-
ers of the Industrial Internet Com-
munication Stack as defined in the
Industrial Internet Connectivity
Framework (IICF), which are iden-
tical to the lower three layers of the
OSI model: Physical layer, (data) link
layer, and network layer.
In industrial automation, these
layers are impacted by the transition
from traditional field buses to Ether-
net-based protocols. Such industri-
al Ethernet technologies are defined
by international user groups such as
the application layer. The emergence of the IIoT
and the possibility to perform advanced analytics
in higher-level IT systems have led the demand for
interfaces providing access to additional data. Fur-
thermore, for the sake of quick and reliable oper-
ational technology/information technology (OT/
IT) integration, there is a request for standardized
semantics, which is often implemented through an
additional “user layer” performing the conversion
to a rich data model. ce
Dr. Michael Hilgner, manager consortia and stan-
dards, TE Connectivity Germany GmbH, works on
international standardization activities and indus-
trial user groups in the areas of industrial networks,
fieldbuses and cabling systems. For the Industri-
al Internet Consortium (IIC), a CFE Media content
partner, he leads the smart manufacturing connectiv-
ity for Brown-field Sensors Testbed, and contributes
to several Industrie 4.0 working groups. Edited by
Emily Guenther, associate content manager, Control
Engineering, CFE Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com.

14 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

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input #10 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
COVER STORY: NETWORKING SOFTWARE
Stan Schneider, PhD, Real-Time Innovations (RTI) and vice president, IIC

The future of IIoT

software in manufacturing
A guide to understanding and using data distribution service (DDS),
time-sensitive networking (TSN), and OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA)
for advanced manufacturing applications

T
he top Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT) connectivity framework stan-
dards are OPC Foundation’s OPC
Unified Architecture (OPC UA) and
Object Management Group’s (OMG’s)
Data Distribution Service (DDS). Both are gaining
widespread adoption in industrial systems, though
not in the same sectors.
Each differ from many of today’s discrete auto-
mation systems, which use a simple architecture.
A programmable logic controller (PLC) con-
nects devices over a fieldbus. The PLC controls
the devices and manages upstream connections
to higher-level software such as human-machine
interfaces (HMIs) and data historians.
Factory-floor software is straightforward. It
reads sensors, executes logic, and drives actuators,
thereby implementing a repetitive operation. The
factory has a series of workcells, each with a few
dozen devices.
Why designs are changing
The traditional PLC and HMI design served well
for the last three decades. However, it may not survive
the next one. Why? Processor speeds and easy inter-
connectivity offer more capable compute resources.
The PLC-centric workcell design can build reliable
systems that endlessly repeat an operation. They aren’t
truly “smart,” though. They don’t adapt well to change.
They can’t take advantage of the explosion in compute
and networking capacity. In short, they don’t provide a
path to intelligent, but more complex, software.
The IIoT has the potential to transform industri-
al systems. To do that, it must share data across the
workcell, factory, and front office. Of course, it’s not
that simple. Pervasive data use requires a new archi-
tecture and new approach to connectivity.
OPC UA and DDS solve different prob-
lems. Hardware engineers use OPC UA because it
makes device connections simple. System archi-
tects use DDS because it spans system layers with a

Figure 1: Locally-connected pubsub device networks. OPC UA client/server uses a client/server

pattern to connect workcells to human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and historians. When the OPC
UA pubsub specification is used, devices and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) publish or
subscribe to simple numeric data types and communicate over local connections, with time-sensi-
tive networking (TSN) replacing a fieldbus in workcells. All graphics courtesy: Industrial Internet
Consortium (IIC)

16 t January 2019 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

consistent model. DDS and OPC UA are different, but
it’s not a matter of choosing the right one; they do not
compete.
In fact, there is growing appreciation for how they
can work together to build a powerful industrial com-
munication architecture in the future. The real chal-
lenge is deciding which problem needs to be solved.
That makes it critical to understand what OPC UA
and DDS can do. It’s important to identify when to use
DDS alone, when to use OPC UA alone, and when to
use a combination of both frameworks.
OPC UA and TSN connect
In the discrete manufacturing sector, OPC UA and
time-sensitive networking (TSN) offer a potential path
to resolving the “fieldbus wars.” OPC UA is useful for
integrating dedicated devices, such as conveyor belts,
sensors, repetitive robots, and drives into a workcell. It
can connect workcells to software like HMIs and his-
torians. It does this by modeling devices and allow-
ing factory technicians and manufacturing engineers
to coordinate these devices through a PLC controller
(see Figure 1).
Workcells aren’t so much programmed as they are
configured. Manufacturing engineers or technicians
use a palette of devices to implement a function in the
cell. The devices come with standard models so the
factory isn’t locked to one vendor. OPC UA systems
are compositions of devices and existing modules
such as data historians and HMIs. This design makes
it easy to assemble workcells of devices with little soft-
ware effort.
OPC UA connects workcell data to systemwide
data by changing the communication pattern from
pubsub to client/server (request/reply). To receive
data, an application or higher-level client has to dis-
cover and connect to the server. This architec-
ture is not designed to enable programming teams.
For instance, translating pubsub and client/server
Figure 2: The IIC’s Industrial Internet Connectivity Framework (IICF) is the
industry’s most comprehensive analysis of connectivity technologies. It includes
detailed assessments for the most common IIoT technologies, including OPC
UA and DDS. It also proposes an architecture for using them together.
www.controleng.com
presents an inconsistent programming model across
levels. And it doesn’t let teams pre-define new software
interfaces or shared data types. Without these, OPC
UA doesn’t provide one source of “system truth” for
systemwide software.
OPC UA is optimal for integrating devices into a
workcell, although OPC UA can frustrate teams trying
to build complex system software.
DDS enables system software
DDS, on the other hand, targets teams build-
ing distributed software applications. The first DDS
application was feedback control over Ethernet for
intelligent robotics. DDS then spread into software-
intensive distributed applications such as autonomous
vehicles and Navy combat system management.
Its fundamental purpose is combining soft-
ware applications into a complex system-of-systems
M More
ANSWERS
with one consistent model. Most DDS systems com- KEYWORDS: Data
bine “functional” artificial intelligence with 10 to 50 Distribution Service
(DDS), OPC Unified
applications and devices, but some DDS systems Architecture (UA)
are comprised of hundreds of thousands of devices When to use OPC UA
and applications, which are written by thousands of and DDS frameworks
programmers. When to use a
The key to understanding DDS is to realize dis- combination of both
tributed systems are fundamentally parallel, and the standard frameworks
system architecture must match that reality. This isn’t Defining how DDS and
OPC UA can help.
new; the heart of a current distributed control sys-
tem (DCS) is a control execution engine that man- COnSiDER thiS
ages timeslices and control loops. All data is stored What framework
in “sandbox RAM” so processes can access any data would be the best fit
for your manufacturing
without unwanted interaction. The DCS provides an operations?
environment to combine function blocks into parallel,
deterministic feedback loops in one box. OnLinE
DDS takes that same concept and distributes For more information
on OPC UA and DDS, go
it. DDS implements a data-centric shared “glob- online at
al data space.” This means all data appears as if it www.controleng.com.
lives inside every device and algorithm. This is, of www.iiconsortium.org/
course, an illusion—all data can’t be everywhere. IICF.htm.
control engineeering January 2019 • 17

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input #11 at www.controleng.com/information
ANSWERS
cover story: NetWorKING soFtWAre
DDS works by keeping track of which
application needs what data and when, and
then delivers it. As a result, data an applica-
tion needs is present in local memory on
time.
The essence of data centricity is instant
local access to anything by every device
and every algorithm, at every level, in the
same way, at any time. It’s best to think of
it as a distributed shared memory, similar
to the DCS sandbox RAM. There are no
servers or objects or special locations. It’s
a parallel software architecture across the
system.
DDS is about data centricity, not pat-
terns. While most standards use pubsub,
the standard also specifies requests/replies
and some vendors support queuing. Appli-
cations interact in many ways, but only
with the shared distributed memory, not
with each other directly. DDS also defines
system interfaces (data types) and quality
of service (QoS) flow control. It integrates
modules with a transparent and consistent
systemwide architecture that’s independent
of patterns. This is the connectivity analog
to data-centric system “truth” databases use
to power the enterprise.
However, DDS doesn’t model devic-
es. Factory engineers and technicians can’t
combine devices into workcells without
writing code.
Should you use OPC UA,
or DDS, or both?
Manufacturing systems compete on
the same basis they have for decades: reli-
ability, production rates, or implementa-
tion cost. If you believe software can be
bought and remain competitive, you don’t
Table: OPC UA and DDS
Aspect OPC UA
Integration users Engineers/technicians
Abstraction Object-Oriented
Primary markets Manufacturing
None (dynamic at
System data model
runtime)
Vendor device support Extensive
Data model Hierarchical
Data sharing model Variables
Sends data Yes
DDS and OPC UA are nearly opposites. DDS is widely deployed in industries
that need sophisticated distributed software. OPC UA targets manufacturing,
where device interoperability matters more.
18 • January 2019 control engineering
have to change. If, on the other hand, you
see a future where the best software wins,
you will need a different path to keep up
(see Figure 2).
A system may also need to be built
from interoperable devices. Fortunately,
this doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing
decision; DDS, OPC UA, and TSN can
work together. The Object Management
Group (OMG), the parent organization
for the Industrial Internet Consortium
(IIC), recently approved a standard to
integrate DDS with OPC UA. OMG and
OPC Foundation are working on stan-
dards to use TSN with DDS and OPC
UA. DDS vendors are working on config-
uration tools.
IIC developed an integrated archi-
tecture and has several testbeds using
OPC UA in manufacturing applications
and DDS in applications such as electric
power and health care. Some use OPC
UA and DDS. Combining the flexibility
of interchangeable devices with a power-
ful software development environment is
not too far off.
Many people have difficulty defining
what these technologies do. To stay com-
petitive in the future, it’s vital to research
and ask questions to ensure the right
platform, or the right combination, is
chosen. ce
Stan Schneider, PhD, is vice chair of the
Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), a
CFE Media content partner, and is CEO
of Real-Time Innovations (RTI). Edited by
Emily Guenther, associate content man-
ager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
eguenther@cfemedia.com.
DDS
Software teams Opposite
Data-Centric Opposite
Transportation, medical, power,
Opposite
robotics, defense, autonomy
Fundamental integration point Opposite
None Opposite
Relational Opposite
CRUD managed types Opposite
Yes Similar
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input #12 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
Cover STory: NeTWorKING SoFTWAre
Arlen Nipper, Cirrus Link Solutions

MQTT’s role as an
IoT message transport
Message queuing telemetry transport’s (MQTT) role as an Internet of
Things (IoT) message transport began as an industrial communicator
for a pipeline supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

M
essage queuing telemetry transport this network infrastructure effectively. Poll/response
(MQTT) has emerged as one of protocols were the norm for any SCADA system
the dominant IoT message trans- implementation until this system was implemented.
ports across multiple industries in However, due to the propagation delays inherent to
the last five years. Considering that VSAT communications, and the cost associated with
most cloud services provide native MQTT capabili- continuously polling for process variables that may
ties, more device manufacturers, software, and ser- not have changed, Phillips was looking for a better way
vices are implementing MQTT-based products. to optimize its network infrastructure.
By this time, information technology (IT)
The genesis of MQTT departments used message-oriented middleware
Adoption of MQTT by Facebook, cloud ser- (MOM) software to decouple applications from
vice providers, and many others in the information each other. They were efficient infrastructures that
technology (IT) space might lead one to think that used message brokers to ensure applications that
MQTT was invented targeting IT solutions, but the “published” information could be connected to
genesis of MQTT was driven by an industrial com- applications that “subscribed” to that information.
munication problem. Information could be published on an exception
In 1997, Phillips 66 had installed one of the first basis to any application that had interest and was
transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/ subscribed to that information.
IP)-based very-small-aperture-terminal (VSAT) sys- The idea was to use this same type of infrastructure
tems in the market for use in its pipeline superviso- for a real-time SCADA system. The only problem was
ry control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. that MOM products on the market at that time weren’t
Numerous challenges needed to be addressed to use appropriate for use in the SCADA environment.
Based on these requirements, a project was start-
ed to develop a MOM specification that would be
Messaging standards appropriate for use in these types of industrial envi-
What messaging protocol(s) do you use for your IoT solution? ronments. This ultimately led to the design of MQTT.
MQTT The original design goals of MQTT were that it
HTTP would be simple, efficient, stateful, and open.
Websockets Simple. When MQTT first was being developed,
HTTP/2
COAP
the hardware platforms available on the market for
AMQP (0.9 and/or 1.0) remote edge computing were minimal; 8-bit micro-
In-house / proprietary processors with 64 KB of memory were the norm.
Other (please specify) MQTT had to be simple to implement with minimal
Don’t know computing resources. Even in 2018, Arduino micro-
DDS
controllers can provide complete MQTT communi-
XMPP
Proprietary vendor protocol (specify below) cation stacks.
None Efficient. Early VSAT system providers charged
10% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% for every byte of information sent and received. The
MQTT transport had to provide minimal overhead
Figure 1: According to a survey by the Eclipse Foundation, message on the network. Once an MQTT session is estab-
queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) is the most-used messaging pro- lished, there is only a 2-byte overhead in messages
tocol for an IoT solution. All graphics courtesy: Eclipse Foundation Inc. being published.

20 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

 Figure 2: According
Messaging standards - trends to a survey by the
Eclipse Foundation,
70%
MQTT is trending up
since 2016 to over
60% 2016
2017 62% use as a messag-
50% 2018 ing standard.

40%

30%

20%

10%

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Stateful. If a user is providing infrastructure for critical Industrial IoT (IIoT) implementations, the
mission critical, real-time infrastructure then the market needed a specification that would allow
“state” of the MQTT TCP/IP connection is critical. MQTT-based vendors easy interoperability. Although
MQTT provides a mechanism called “continuous the MQTT specification does not dictate any mes-
session awareness” that informs all clients that care sage topic namespace or data representation, one was
about the real-time state information of the MQTT needed for the IIoT space. The Sparkplug specifica-
connections. tion does that for the IIoT market.
Open. In the late 1990’s SCADA/DCS/Teleme- The Sparkplug specification was developed to help
try products were based mainly on proprietary lega- define how best to get started using MQTT in a mis-
cy Poll/Response protocols. For MQTT to be useful to sion-critical, real-time application. The Sparkplug
the industry as a whole it was understood that when it specification defines:
was released, it needed to be an open specification that
anyone could implement for free. 1. A well-known MQTT topic namespace so
Even with those criteria, it would be easy to assume publishers and subscribers of information
a few important aspects are left out, including:
Security. A lot of people note the MQTT specifi-
cation does not define any security. This is because
can know the topic namespace in advance for
interoperability. M More
ANSWERS
Keywords: Internet of
the MQTT specification in based on top of TCP/IP. 2. A binary payload optimized for industrial Things, message queuing
It always was envisaged that the latest TCP/IP secu- process variables. The Sparkplug specifica- telemetry transport
rity practices would be applicable to an MQTT infra- tion acknowledges that industrial infrastruc- (MQTT)
structure. This ranges from private networks where tures don’t have unlimited bandwidth and MQTT began as a
security isn’t even required, to full transport layer must work well over VSAT, radio, and cellular communication protocol
used by Phillips 66 to
security (TLS) certificates being used for connections. infrastructures. operate in tough industrial
Since MQTT is a remote-originated connection, edge conditions.
devices and clients don’t even have to have any TCP/ 3. How the “state” management in MQTT works MQTT’s usefulness
IP ports open, which is a huge reduction in the overall and how to effectively use it in SCADA, dis- to engineers and
cybersecurity footprint. tributed control system (DCS), and industri- manufacturers stems from
ease of use.
Payload data format. MQTT is data agnostic al control system (ICS) solutions to know the
MQTT has been enhanced
when it comes to the information contained in an state of all MQTT clients in real time. to work in the Industrial
MQTT payload. It can be a binary message from a Internet of Things (IIoT) era.
programmable logic controller (PLC), a JPEG image, The Sparkplug specification and all of the ref-
Consider this
an extensible markup language (XML) document or erence implementation code written in C, Java,
For what applications do
a JavaScript object notation (JSON) string. MQTT JavaScript, Python, and Node Red have been con- could you use MQTT?
leaves the encoding and interpretation of the payload tributed to the Eclipse Foundation and to an open
to the software provider. source project. ce online
Read this story online at
www.controleng.com for
Industrial-strength MQTT Arlen Nipper is president/CTO, Cirrus Link Solu- more information about the
As Internet of Things (IoT) solutions using tions. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Con- author and related stories
MQTT started to migrate to more mission- trol Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com. about MQTT.

www.controleng.com control engineeering January 2019 • 21

ANSWERS
cover Story: NetWorKING SoFtWAre
Michael Bowne, PI North America

Improving industrial
network communications
Selecting a Profinet interface may enhance industrial network
communication for devices.

I
ntegrating an industrial communication inter-
face into an automation device begins with
gathering information to determine the indus-
trial network’s functionality along with famil-
iarization about the task at hand. Development
tends to be faster for new devices if the wheel isn’t
reinvented each time.
Depending on the functionality required (con-
formance class), it is essential to select the suit-
able type of implementation for each individual
case. The available development capacity, company
expertise, expected costs to produce the interface,
and the time to market also play a large role.
A variety of starter kits and evaluation boards
are available for most implementations. These sets
enable a quick introduction to development activ-
ities and often contain a complete development
environment, as well. Sample programs and circuits
and block diagrams can be especially helpful. The
development packages also include the certifiable
Profinet stack of the corresponding provider and
detailed documentation.
The plan of action and expenditure required
for hardware and software design depend heavily
on the selected implementation meth-
Real-time requirements
IEEE 802.3-Standard for Ethernet is designed
to ensure problem-free communication between
Profinet automation devices and among Profinet
automation devices and other standard Ethernet
devices. For applications with stringent real-time
requirements, Profinet offers mechanisms that
enable standard and real-time communication to
coexist in parallel. Communication with Profinet
can be scaled using three performance levels that
build on each other:
1. The transmission of engineering data and
non-time-critical data occurs over transmis-
sion control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/
IP). This standard communication is possible
between all automation devices.
2. The real-time (RT) channel is available for the
transmission of process data.
3. For isochronous applications like motion con-
trol, isochronous real-time (IRT) communica-
tion is used. This enables a clock rate of < 1 ms
and a jitter of < 1 μs.

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Profinet, time-
sensitive networking (TSN)
Conformance classes for
automation systems
How to implement Profinet
features
The benefits of time-sensitive
networking (TSN) and Profinet.
COnSiDER thiS
How can Profinet Ethernet
enhance communications for
your operation?
OnLinE
Read more online about how to
implement Profinet features at
www.controleng.com.
od. Here, a device manufacturer can
carry out the development work inde-
pendently or work collaboratively with
a development or technology partner.
Independent development requires well-
grounded Profinet expertise and one’s
own hardware and software development
resources.
To unburden an automation device
manufacturer’s development resourc-
es, PI member companies can provide
complete development packages, ready-
to-install Profinet communication mod-
ules, and a host of development services.
These give the device manufacturer the
support needed from the design phase to
hardware and software development to
certification.
The IRT capability is based on hardware support
in the device, which means special application-specific
integrated circuit (ASICs), microcontrollers, and field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) must be used for
this purpose. Commercial-switch ASICs without IRT
hardware support are suitable for implementing an
automation device with RT capabilities only. Devices
with RT communication can be developed based on
standard Ethernet components and a Profinet soft-
ware stack.
Profinet conformance classes
To meet the different requirements of automation
systems, three conformance classes that build upon
one another are defined for Profinet. Each class has
a functional scope determined for the typical area of
application. The device manufacturer must consider

22 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com


the required conformance class before selecting an
implementation option for the Profinet device inter-
face because the type of interface implementation
affects the conformance class that can be achieved.
The key functions of the three conformance classes
and their advantages are described below:
• CC-A: Using the infrastructure of an existing
Ethernet network, including integration of basic Profi-
net functions. All information technology (IT) servic-
es can be used without restriction. Typical application
examples are found in building automation and pro-
cess automation.
• CC-B: The functional scope of CC-B comprises
the functions of CC-A, plus it supports user-friendly
device replacement without needing an engineering
tool. Simple network management protocol (SNMP)
supports extended device diagnostics of network func-
tions such as port status messages. To increase data
reliability, a performance-adapted media redundan-
cy protocol is available as an option. All IT services
can be used without restriction. Typical applications
can be found in automation systems with higher-level
machine control with a deterministic, but not isochro-
nous, data cycle. The vast majority of Profinet devices
fall into this category.
• CC-C: The functional scope of CC-C comprises
all the functions of CC-B. It also supports high-pre-
cision and deterministic data transmission, includ-
ing isochronous applications. The integrated optional
media redundancy enables smooth switchover of the
I/O data traffic if a fault occurs. All IT services can be
used without restriction. Typical applications are in
the field of motion control.
Once a device manufacturer has decided what Pro-
finet features they need to implement on a product,
the next question is how to implement those features.
There are three options:
• Drop an ASIC onto the printed circuit board
(PCB) to handle Profinet communications. If the real
estate is available on the PCB for a chip, this might be
feasible.
• Plug a module into a slot on the device PCB.
Unlike ASICs, a module can deliver the network
requirements with physical cable connectors, magnet-
ics, PHYs (physical layer circuits for the physical layer
of the OSI model), an integrated Ethernet switch, and
a chip to handle the Profinet stack. There is a range
of backplane connections available–everything from
dual-port memory to SPI to the compact flash (CF)
card interface.
www.controleng.com
TSN services inte-
grate seamlessly into
the Profinet architec-
ture. They reside at
Layer 2 of the ISO/
OSI Model, maintain-
ing existing upper
level PROFINET func-
tionality. Courtesy: PI
North America
• Buy a software stack and implement it on the
application processor. Software stacks are one of the
most common Profinet implementations–they’re the
most cost-effective way to implement the protocol in
volume. However, they’re also the most complex way
to implement Profinet. Stacks touch a lot of peripher-
al software pieces such as the operating system, the IP
stack, the nonvolatile RAM, and so on.
TSN and Profinet
Time-sensitive networking (TSN) is a promising
technology and offers a lot of potential for Profinet.
TSN aims to combine the wide range of IT networks
with the robustness and determinism of automation
networks. In short: hard real-time via standard IT
networks. This doesn’t signal a revolution for Profi-
net. Rather, it represents a visionary architecture upon
which Profinet is building.
TSN offers Profinet a new layer 2 in the ISO/OSI
model. It corresponds to today’s RT and IRT technol-
ogies. This makes it clear TSN will not replace RT or
IRT in the coming years. It’s an additional option with
a number of potential benefits. Today’s manufacturers
that are providing solutions with RT and IRT will be
able to continue providing them in the future. Users
employing RT or IRT to operate their systems can be
sure that they are using a sustainable technology.
TSN offers the possibility to also achieve this with
standard chip-sets because TSN is based on open
standards, which is supported by many semiconduc-
tor vendors. Everything else about Profinet remains
unchanged–especially services such as diagnosis, con-
figuration, alarms, etc. This will make it easy for users
and device manufacturers to use TSN in the future.
They can build on existing knowledge and continue
using the applications they have developed. ce
Michael Bowne, executive director, PI North Amer-
ica. Edited by Emily Guenther, associate con-
tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
eguenther@cfemedia.com.
control engineeering January 2019 • 23
ANSWERS
covEr story: NEtWorK soFtWArE APPLIcAtIoN
cov
Michael Bowne, PI North America

Smarter machines
Machine builder uses industrial Ethernet for remote monitoring and diagnostic services.
“Our primary goal was to maximize uptime and
customer satisfaction, as well as to identify opportu-
nities for continuous improvement for current and
future equipment,” Zarembski said. He wrote the algo-
rithms that evaluate machine performance and guide
the company’s service technicians in troubleshooting
and technical assistance work.

First installation with services

Hugo Benzing LLC manufactures fasteners for the
automobile, aerospace, fine mechanical, and electri-
cal industries. The first installation of Ecoclean’s new
remote support capability was at the Hugo Benzing
manufacturing facility in New Hudson, Mich. The
plant has a Profinet network, which allowed Ecoclean
technicians to remotely connect to the network and
clean machines using a self-contained and secure vir-
tual private network (VPN) router.

I
“This was a perfect example of streamlined inte-
Hugo Benzing LLC ndustrial Internet of Things (IIoT) concepts gration for remote diagnostics,” Zarembski said. “With
uses Ecoclean’s are inspiring new business models for manu- the Profinet architecture and [the router manufactur-
new remote sup- facturing. Manufacturers are asking equipment er], we had a secure VPN connected to the network in
port capability at makers to find new ways to help them improve minutes, and it required minimal interaction with the
a fastener plant, machine reliability and production uptime. customer’s information technology (IT) department. It
with Profinet and Ecoclean Inc., a maker of industrial and automotive uses a non-IP protocol on top of the Profinet Ethernet
a TosiBox VPN cleaning machines, now provides remote monitoring layer, making the remote connection implementation
router. Courtesy: and diagnostics services on dashboards by using Pro- easy and secure.”
PI North America finet networks. Ecoclean machines are a part of the Although it would have been possible to connect to
quality control for manufacturers. Reliability is critical. the Internet in other ways to provide support, accord-

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS:
Industrial Ethernet, Profinet
Machine builders want to
expand services.
Industrial Ethernet networks
such as Profinet can help.
Monitoring and diagnostics
improve uptime.
CONSIDER THIS
Is your plant-floor network
hindering productivity?
ONLINE
If reading from the digital
edition, click on the headline
for more, including a
discussion of “local versus
cloud” or find it online.
IIoT webcasts are available
www.controleng.com/
webcasts.
“Often a washer can be fed from many
production lines, making that process cru-
cial in overall plant production,” said Aaron
Zarembski, controls engineer for Ecoclean.
Ecoclean’s technical support involves
three tiers of service, beginning with remote
diagnostics of the programmable logic con-
trollers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces
(HMIs), robots, drives, and other compo-
nents that control the cleaning machines.
Online troubleshooting, modifying param-
eters for process control, software upgrades,
and adjustments to the PLC code can be
handled remotely. Statistical data from the
machines also can be logged onto a server
and then used to identify trends and make
preventive decisions for maintenance prior
to any equipment failure. A third service level
enables compiled information to be displayed
for the customer in real time on a dashboard
interface showing pertinent machine data
graphically.
ing to Zarembski, using the Profinet protocol helped
with processing of safety signals. The installed devic-
es had embedded hardware configurations, dedicated
diagnostic signals, and priority settings for safety. Such
options are crucial when making a safe, fast, and reli-
able system. Systems built on this framework are easily
upsized without impacting functionality.
For older machines with Profibus protocol, a proxy
translates Profibus into Profinet, allowing remote ser-
vice capability. This also works with other protocols
that can interface with Profinet via proxy.
Zarembski said Ecoclean intends to embed this
remote service capability, making the hardware stan-
dard and the service contract an option for customers
that require high uptime through preventive mainte-
nance and statistical analysis. ce
Michael Bowne is executive director, PI North Amer-
ica, the organization for Profinet, Profibus, and other
networking technologies. Edited by Mark T. Hoske,
content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.

24 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

ANSWERS
CovEr sTory: NETWorKING soFTWArE
Robert Trask, PE, EtherCAT Technology Group

Software unlocks EtherCAT

Ethernet protocol diagnostics
Through a vendor-independent diagnosis interface, an EtherCAT master
can provide detailed slave diagnostic information and network health status
via human-machine interfaces (HMIs) or third-party tools.

S
pecification of a vendor-independent diag-
nosis interface for the EtherCAT Ethernet
protocol was among the announcements the
EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) made at
SPS IPC Drives 2018. This interface will help
EtherCAT vendors gather and analyze data to deter-
mine internal or external issues affecting components
throughout an EtherCAT network. This specification,
known as ETG.1510, “Profile for Master Diagnosis
Interface,” will provide an accessible upgrade to allow
easy access to the network’s health status.
EtherCAT can support 65,535 devices in real time
on one network. It also has a range of cyclic and acy-
clic diagnostic information for rapid reactions to
errors and in-depth analysis for intermittent issues.
The interface will provide a master-based soft-
ware so all network users can use this data. As a result,
plants can expect to improve machine performance
and increase uptime through the diagnostic inter-
face without having to implement any changes to the
slave or EtherCAT slave controller (ESC) hardware.
To understand the value of a diagnostic interface, it is
important to know what kinds of built-in diagnostics
EtherCAT offers.
New diagnosis interface plan
More than 200 approved EtherCAT masters range
from traditional programmable logic controllers
(PLCs) to PC-based software. Many call the diagnostic
information quite easily, but not all. One consideration
is EtherCAT network diagnostics are found in three
locations: the slave registers, the DS402 CAN protocol
over EtherCAT (CoE) and in the cyclic process data
with the working counter (WKC) concept.
The issue is not the amount of network data avail-
able; EtherCAT is already very good at locating errors
with precision such as including loose connectors,
incorrect cabling order, damaged cables, unintend-
ed effects on slaves, EMC interference and bit errors,
among others.
The new diagnostic interface will not change this
existing capacity, but will instead act like a dragnet,
integrating all information. The interface will gather Figure 1: The new
errors created by hardware and software to assess the ETG diagnosis inter-
network’s health status. It will also maintain a mini- face enables vendor-
mal file size so it can be used on any EtherCAT con- independent access to
troller—even compact embedded devices with limited EtherCAT diagnostic
memory. data. It allows users
The diagnostic interface’s access mechanism will to troubleshoot or
provide diagnostic information from the EtherCAT improve machine
slaves based on the existing EtherCAT master object performance whether
dictionary and mailbox gateway functionality. they are using a PC-
The interface runs in the background and enables based controller or
the master to cast a wide net to pull in all of the diag- traditional program-
nostic data stored in the subordinate devices. The mable logic controller
vendor-independent design will also allow any mas- (PLC) as the EtherCAT
ter implementation to use third-party analysis tools in master. All graphics
conjunction with ETG.1510. courtesy: EtherCAT
Technology Group
Different network diagnostic variants
With the interface in place, engineers will have
access to a range of diagnostics. These rely heavi-
ly on the WKC, which is a 16-bit field at the end
of each datagram. The EtherCAT slaves increment
the read and/or write commands for each WKC.
The master then compares the datagram against the
expected value, discarding any bad frames and for-
warding all good frames to the control application.

www.controleng.com control engineeering January 2019 • 25

ANSWERS
cover story: NetWorKING soFtWAre
Figure 2: Both hardware and software diagnostics are available
through EtherCAT, including cyclic and acyclic information. The new
diagnosis interface software gathers disparate information in one
location.
Figure 3: When the working counter (WKC) value returning to the
EtherCAT master does not match the expected value, all input data
in the datagram are discarded, and a counter is incremented.
Other variants of EtherCAT network diagnostics
reported by the interface include:
• Lost link errors: When a component that is
physically attached to a slave disappears, the
slave signifies internally that it has lost a physi-
cal connection to the next slave.
• Invalid frame errors (CRC): Each frame is
mathematically checked and bad frames are
counted and discarded.
• Physical layer errors: Similarly, this detects
frame corruption and increments a counter.
Physical layer errors are different from CRC
errors, and the ratio of the errors is important
in diagnosing intermittent errors from noise.
• State machine errors: This occurs when an
26 • January 2019 control engineering
EtherCAT slave’s internal state differs from the
state commanded by the master.
• Product vision serial number errors: These
often happen when the network topology does
not match with the one expected by the mas-
ter or when slave devices were connected in an
incorrect order.
These mechanisms add analysis and comparison
capabilities, such as examining invalid frame against
lost link counters and vice versa, for cyclic and acyclic
diagnostics. While cyclic synchronous diagnosis for
hardware and software relies on WKCs, acyclic hard-
ware diagnosis involves link lost counters and inval-
id frame counters. Acyclic software diagnosis also
involves state machine errors. EtherCAT slaves incor-
porate all diagnostic mechanisms at the chip level, and
as a result, they will remain available on legacy and
future components.
Masters, network architectures
The diagnostic interface unlocks a wealth of Ether-
CAT topology information, providing significant
advantages for end users, vendors of master compo-
nents, and diagnostic tool suppliers. With this data,
engineers will be able to conduct rapid troubleshoot-
ing and pinpoint where errors occurred. For exam-
ple, a slave that might have seemed to operate without
issue could require service, repair, or replacement
because it is storing 400 link lost counters.
Without the ETG.1510 specification, masters that
were not equipped to gather this information would
require new code. However, the specification also will
enhance masters that could access the data by auto-
matically locating it on the master. It also will make it
easier to access data with third-party diagnostic tools
and HMIs. In general, the software interface will ben-
efit all EtherCAT system architectures and master
implementations. ce
Robert Trask, PE, North American representative,
EtherCAT Technology Group. Edited by Emily Guen-
ther, associate content manager, Control Engineer-
ing, CFE Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com.
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDs: EtherCAT, industrial Ethernet
The benefits of the ETG.1510 specification
The range of diagnostics with ETG.1510.
COnsiDER this
How will you benefit from the new data/diagnostics due
to the new specification?
OnLinE
Read more about the ETG.1510 specification online at
www.controleng.com.
www.controleng.com
ANSWERS
FACTORY AUTOMATION CONTROLLERS
Winn Paulk, AutomationDirect

Industrial controller selection:

Look beyond the basics
When specifying controllers for industrial automation applications, consider
capabilities such as data handling, communications, and high-speed control.

M
ost industrial controllers, such as
programmable logic controllers
(PLCs) and programmable auto-
mation controllers (PACs), can
handle basic functions like real-
time control of discrete and analog input/output
(I/O) connections. In fact, this type of functional-
ity is a given with most controllers, with the main
concern being the capacity to handle the required
number of I/O points, which is normally easy to
ascertain.
When specifying industrial controllers, con-
cerns often turn to other capabilities such as data
handling, communications, and high-speed con-
trol. Identifying functions required to select and
implement controllers and knowledge of how
functions improve designs can help.
Data handling functionality
Modern controllers with advanced tag name-
based programming have a variety of data handling
capabilities including built-in data logging. Some
advanced controllers also can also interact with
standard databases in enterprise-level systems such
as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
Logging data directly to a USB storage device
connected to the controller is an important fea-
ture and often a requirement in many applications.
Controllers with data logger features often support
a formatted USB pen drive or MicroSD card, each
with up to 32 GB of storage.
Data logging is typically event-based or sched-
uled. Events are triggered by status changes such as
an edge transition of a Boolean tag. Scheduled data
logging is configured to occur at regular intervals
such as every minute, hour, day, or month.
The number of tags that can be logged is often
limited, but at least 50 tag values should be stored
for every scheduled or triggered event. System
errors should also be stored with the time and date
of the error or event included. The log file name
should be configurable or automatically generated
depending on user preference.
Beyond local data logging, some controllers can
communicate with information technology (IT)
enterprise systems. One example is an OPC server
M More
ANSWERS
connected to the controller. This allows a server KeyWORD: Factory
to collect real-time data from controllers on the automation controllers
plant floor and retrieve, add, delete, and update Controller selection
data records in a standard database. This is done requires specific knowledge
by supporting connections to a database compat- Controllers help with data
handling, communications
ible with Microsoft Access, a structured query
High-speed motion
language (SQL) server, or an open database con-
control is a factory
nectivity (ODBC). controller function.
Several software tools on the market allow a user
to set up a connection between an IT enterprise sys- CONSIDeR THIS
Existing controllers
tem and a PLC to allow data to be collected from
may work fine, but what
the PLC and saved in a database. Configuration competitiveness is lost
effort for these servers is often minimal, and the without modern functionality?
user can choose to collect only the data they need
ONLINe
for their process.
See research and a Digital
These database capabilities provide practical Report on PLCs at
applications for tracking material movements and www.controleng.com/
production metrics. The controller performing research, www.controleng.
the actual production tasks can track plant-floor com/DigitalReports
Figure 1: Productivity relies on data collection. The communication
and data handling capabilities of this AutomationDirect Productivity
Series controller enables connection to many different devices. All
figures courtesy: AutomationDirect

www.controleng.com control engineeering January 2019 • 27

ANSWERS
FACTORY AUTOMATION CONTROLLERS
Figure 2: Get remote data from the controller. Some modern control-
lers, such as this Productivity3000 from AutomationDirect, include
up to seven built-in communication ports, a critical capability for
connection to both devices on the plant floor and to enterprise level
business networks.
progress to make sure manufacturing time is opti-
mized. It also can track consumption of materials.
This information can be used to adjust inventory to
ensure materials are available when needed.
These capabilities also can be used to track the
status of the product from start to finish by logging
production data as the part or product is manufac-
tured. The status of the final product is saved, and
the database’s built-in date/time stamping features
can be used to satisfy quality assurance or audit
requirements.
Communications capabilities
Another important feature to consider when
selecting an automation controller is commu-
nication capability. Multiple Ethernet and serial
28 t January 2019 CONTROL ENGINEERING
communication ports should be available to provide
easy integration with human-machine interfaces
(HMIs), motor drives, and other devices (Figure 1).
These high-speed Ethernet ports also can be
used for peer-to-peer (P2P) or business system net-
working. This is where support for the EtherNet/IP
(ODVA) and Modbus TCP/IP Ethernet protocols is
important.
Other communication ports should be provided
for USB in/USB out, Mini USB, MicroSD, Remote
I/O, RS-232, and RS-485 connectivity.
These connections enable simple programming
access, connection to high-speed devices such as
drives, and HMI integration for operator monitor-
ing. They also enable outgoing email, scanner/cli-
ent, and adapter/server connections—along with
other communication functions for remote access.
Remote monitoring apps are available to allow
users to connect to controllers using Wi-Fi (IEEE
802.11x wireless) or cellular network connections.
The remote user can monitor the local controller
via user tags configured for remote access inside the
tag database.
Modern controllers should have built in security
whereby remote functions must be enabled in the
hardware configuration related to remote access,
with each tag in the database selected to enable
remote access to it. Also, as is true for any device
that can be accessed from the internet, it is highly
recommended a firewall be used for security pur-
poses. Even though the remote access feature for a
controller can and should be configured with pass-
word protection, a secure and encrypted VPN con-
nection is best practice due to internet security risks
(Figure 2).
Another protection feature related to remote
controller access is the separation of accounts
and IP addresses configured to allow the upload,
download, or edit of a program by users given a
remote access connection. One account should
not permit both remote monitoring and program
modifications.
The controller should support remote moni-
toring apps and include the necessary security.
Authorized users should be able to connect their
smartphone or tablet to the controller for remote
monitoring in real time with a Wi-Fi or cellular
connection.
Additional web server functionality in a control-
ler allows remote troubleshooting of issues through
system tags, error logs, and event history—and
allows remote users to examine data files logged to
a controller’s thumb drive or MicroSD card.
High-speed control
Another feature driving the selection of a mod-
ern controller is the ability to control motion and
other high-speed applications. High-speed I/O is
www.controleng.com
Figure 3: Controller capabilities are expanding, such as those with this Produc-
tivity2000 from AutomationDirect. Features such as data handling, communica-
tion, and high-speed control should be considered during the selection process
to improve designs.

needed to perform these functions, along
with a powerful processor and the ability
to prioritize high-speed tasks.
While some controllers offer coor-
dination among many motion axes,
even coordinated motion between two
axes typically requires special hardware
and built-in controller functionality. To
start, a high-speed output (HSO) mod-
ule and high-speed input (HSI) module
are required. The HSO module gener-
ates pulse and direction commands to
command servo drives operating two
or more servo motors. These pulse and
direction commands can control a vari-
ety of applications such as cut-to-length,
stitching and coordinated x-y axis moves.
A registration function also may be
available for move commands generat-
ed by an HSO module. The registration
function can trigger several internal and
external position-based events using the
module’s built-in I/O. An input from a
sensor via an HSI module can be used
to trigger the starting or stopping of a
move, capture encoder feedback posi-
tion, or to turn on/off or pulse an output.
A programmable drum switch (PDS)
and programmable limit switch (PLS)
offer additional high-speed control capa-
bilities. The PDS enables monitoring of
several devices, such as encoders, at rates
up to 1 MHz. These input signals are
used to coordinate and control outputs
at rates of up tens of thousands of times
a second. This type of hardware config-
uration provides precise and accurate
motion control independent of control-
ler scan time, which can vary depending
on processor load.
A PLS instruction works like a
mechanical rotating cam with limit
switches, but the virtual shape of the
cams can be controlled in real time. Since
this function often runs in conjunction
with an HSI, it’s completely independent
of the processor load and related scan
time, resulting in accurate and repeat-
able timing for high-speed applications.
Data logging,
communications, motion
When selecting PLCs, PACs, and other
industrial controllers, users need to think
beyond basic control and I/O require-
ments. For many applications, control-
lers (Figure 3) also need extensive data
logging and communication capabilities,
along with control of high-speed applica-
tions such as coordinated motion. ce
Winn Paulk is automation controls group
product manager, AutomationDirect.
Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content man-
ager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.

control engineering January 2019 • 29 input #13 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
CONTROLLER PROGRAMMING
John Kowal, B&R Industrial Automation Corp.
Controller programming
Automation software and hardware advances reduce programming tasks and
provide more built-in configurability, scalability, background communication
among software components, simulation/digital twin capability, and usability.
T
oday’s automation hardware and soft-
ware can integrate much more than
stand-alone machine controls. There is
a need to provide an integrated devel-
opment and programming environment
that presents itself in an approachable, cohesive way.
It’s not enough to pick a programming language
and go–that’s only viable for straightforward machine
applications. Today, machine automation require-
ments integrate HTML5 human-machine interfaces
(HMIs), input/output (I/O), sequential logic, motion
and networked safety, robotic and collaborative robot
kinematics, vision, safe robotics and motion, condi-
tion and energy monitoring, machine-to-machine
communications, coordination with multiple produc-
tion modules and intelligent track systems, edge and
cloud communications, and interfaces.
Requirements span more than direct control capa-
bilities. There is an increasing need to integrate report-
ing, database management, and machine simulation
for initial design and ongoing optimization through
digital-twin capabilities.
These capabilities require a holistic, ground-up
approach to automation software platforms that is
scalable, modular, documented, reusable, and based
Figure 1: Dynamic human-machine interface (HMI) content such as
scalable vector graphics helps to visualize complex manufacturing
processes. All images courtesy: B&R Industrial Automation
30 t January 2019 CONTROL ENGINEERING
on the IEC 61131-3 programming languages stan-
dard. Today, automation technology companies pro-
vide a comprehensive range of capabilities including
single- and multi-axis motion, computer numeri-
cal control (CNC), recipe and alarm functions, user
management and audit trail, industry standards
(such as PackML from OMAC Packaging Work-
group), and web diagnostics.
Many capabilities highlighted used to be available
only as third-party software, but now are considered
standard in many packages and are helping change
automation implementations.
HMI animations
Dynamic HMI content makes it easier to visualize
complex manufacturing processes. One approach uses
a widget to allow users to animate XML-based scalable
vector graphics (SVG) images they already have or to
convert them from 2-D CAD with runtime data.
The user drags and drops a widget onto the desired
page in the HMI application and configures it there.
At runtime, the image’s animation can be controlled
from the application program. Rotations, transitions,
and movements can be animated from one SVG
image, which saves the time and cost needed to create
sequences of multiple images. Since SVG images are
based on vector graphics, they retain their high reso-
lution without loss of quality even when zoomed in.
Managing machine variants
Modular applications can be implemented to add
I/O modules to existing programs at any time without
touching the machine code. This can happen before a
machine is delivered or even at runtime, which simpli-
fies managing machinery and equipment variants. I/O
variant configurations can be generated from enter-
prise resource planning (ERP) or an order manage-
ment system. No engineering tools are required even
if third-party drives or modules are added.
Additional variants and options may be config-
ured directly on the machine using the appropriate
configuration tools. Some development environ-
ments include a tool that allows the programming
of options in ladder logic without affecting the
machine’s primary application. The machine can be
commissioned without having to modify the original
www.controleng.com
machine software, giving the end user needed flex-
ibility while preserving the integrity of the original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) solution.
Integrated vision
Another trend is integrating vision cameras into
the machine control program, including intelligent
cameras, lighting, and advanced image processing
algorithms. This allows microsecond synchroniza-
tion between the machine vision and other automa-
tion components with one engineering tool and one
application to manage.
PDF reports
Communication platforms can be built into the
control system, and they automatically can gener-
ate PDF reports. Reporting functionalities collect
statistical machine data and information from any
software components provided by the control plat-
form. The data, layout, and design of the reports can
be customized, and the user can define the language
and units used.
Report design options make it possible to cus-
tomize reports to the users’ needs. Graphical ele-
ments such as images and tables can be included in
the reports. To protect against unauthorized access, it
is possible to encrypt the files. The reports can be sent
automatically via e-mail at a defined time or triggered
by a specific event. In addition, reports can be saved
to external storage media such as a USB flash drive or
sent directly from the machine to network printers.
Data management
Implementing databases in applications is easi-
er with a database integration toolbox. Data may be
archived from the field level to a database, regardless
of whether that database is located on-site or in the
cloud. This simplifies managing large volumes of data,
which is key to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
data acquisition and analytics requirements.
Manufacturing machinery can generate huge vol-
umes of data, which must be visualized, archived, or
passed on to higher-level systems for processing to be
useful. Giving the control system a database interface
makes it possible to send data directly from the con-
troller to the database. Common database functions
such as stored procedures allow key performance indi-
cators (KPIs) to be generated as needed, resulting in
more optimized manufacturing processes.
Machine simulation, digital twins
Automation programming is no longer limited
to isolated machine programs. It now includes inte-
grated production systems such as the next genera-
tion of intelligent track technologies that define the
adaptive machine.
Consider the automation software challenge of
independently controlling individual products trav-
eling on shuttles in coordination with dozens or
even hundreds of other shuttles on a track system.
www.controleng.com
Figure 2: Input/output (I/O) machine variant configurations can be
generated directly from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or
order management system and no engineering tools are required.
Figure 3: Commu-
nication platforms
can be built into the
control system, and
they can automati-
cally generate PDF
reports. There are
options available to
customize reports to
the specific needs of
different users.
Each workstation represents a machine
module, and all the machine control
and ancillary functions apply for each
product, production module, and the
overall system.
Built-in simulation software is a valu-
able tool to visualize and optimize intel-
ligent track system requirements. It
facilitates engineering and reduces time
to market for new track systems and for
running new products on existing sys-
tems. Integrated simulation software is
based on process-oriented programming.
These simulation tools help ensure
shuttles do not collide, cross virtual barriers, or vio- Figure 4: With a data-
late configurable speed limits. FDA-compliant track- base integration tool-
ing also can be implemented. The software can link box, it is possible to
the product data with the respective shuttles and make archive data directly
the manufacturing process traceable. from the field level
When track system applications are created using to a database, which
process-oriented programming, a software engineer helps simplify manag-
defines rules for how the shuttles should behave on ing large volumes of
the track. The rules become active when shuttles pass data.
virtual trigger points. This makes motion sequence
implementation more efficient and reduces the
amount of programming required for the individual
shuttles.
control engineeering January 2019 • 31
ANSWERS
COver stOry: CONtrOLLer PrOGrAMMING
With integrated simulation options, a
track system developer can run tests to
identify the optimum number and speed
to maximize shuttle productivity.
The same system software is used in
the simulation and the real plant, which
makes it possible to switch between
simulation and real operation at any
time. How the shuttles interact with
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input #14 at www.controleng.com/information
mechanical elements, such as robots,
also can be visualized.
Integrated automation platform
These examples available to the
machine automation programmer demon-
strate how far beyond stand-alone machine
operation today’s software consider-
ations—and tools—extend. It’s no longer a
Figure 5: Automation programming
now includes integrated production
systems such as the next generation
of intelligent track technologies that
define the adaptive machine.
question of choosing ladder logic versus C
programming. It’s about selecting an inte-
grated automation platform that delivers
a configurable software suite to manage—
not just control—machines.
For an architect to develop these func-
tions on a one-off machine project basis
would be daunting at best, and impracti-
cal in reality. At the same time, these kinds
of new software functions are essential to
realize the connected machine, let alone
manufacturing IIoT, and are designed to
deliver machinery to support the new digi-
tal business models. ce
John Kowal is director, business develop-
ment, B&R Industrial Automation Corp.
Edited by Chris Vavra, production edi-
tor, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
cvavra@cfemedia.com.
M More
ANSWERS
Keywords: Automation software,
human-machine interface, programming
Automation hardware and software
are no longer stand-alone functions and
encompass most of the manufacturing floor.
Advances include integrated vision,
automated data reports, managing machine
variants, and improved simulation.
Automation software advances are
essential for delivering the new digital
business models for today’s interconnected
manufacturing environment.
online
Read this online at www.controleng.com for
more about automation programming.
Consider this
What advances in automation programming
could benefit manufacturers?
Instrument Class® Signal Solutions
dataforth.com • 800-444-7644
32 • January 2019
ANSWERS
international: DiSCrete SenSorS, enCoDerS
Mark Howard, Zettlex, U.K.
Shaft encoders versus
bearingless encoders
Where should encoder technologies be used and why?
W
hen design engineers imagine
an encoder, they usually think
about shaft encoders. Typically,
these look like a small can with a
shaft poking from one end–turn
the shaft and the encoder outputs an electrical signal
according to the angle or change of angle. Inside most
shaft encoders, an opto-sensor and a grating attach to
the shaft. As the shaft rotates, the grating interrupts
the sensor’s light path and an electrical pulse is pro-
duced. This is pretty straightforward, especially when
measuring modest accuracies in benign conditions.
When measuring angles to <1o accuracy in a tough
or outdoors environment, these encoders may not be
the best choice. Optical sensors are not robust and do
not like temperature extremes. Foreign matter and
impact or shock also can pose problems.
Sensors used inside encoders
An option is to use a shaft encoder based on differ-
ent sensing technologies. Options include capacitive,
magnetic, or inductive techniques. Capacitive sen-
sors are as unreliable in harsh environments as optical
devices. Magnetic sensors can work well in tough con-
ditions, but have limited measurement performance
and are susceptible to dc fields.
Inductive encoders (incoders) are a more recent
phenomenon but are increasingly being used as an
alternative to traditional inductive devices such as
resolvers or rotationally variable differential trans-
formers (RVDTs). Resolvers and RVDTs have been
used in heavy industry, aerospace, defense, and medi-
cal applications. Incoders use the same basic physics
as resolvers and offer similar levels of reliability and
performance.
Inductive shaft encoders are tougher and more
compact than optical encoders and offer shorter axial
length. Inside, the shaft rotates in a bearing arrange-
ment. The bearings usually are small and not designed
for significant load. The shaft to which the encoder
connects must be aligned along its axis so it doesn’t
fight against the encoder’s own bearings. Encoder
bearings won’t last long in a misalignment.
If installation tolerances are loose for an appli-
cation, a flexible shaft coupling can minimize the
misalignment effect. Flexible couplings are not rec-
ommended when measuring angle to high accuracy.
Angular displacement of the main shaft does not nec-
www.controleng.com
essarily result in the same angular displace-
ment of the encoder’s shaft, resulting in “lost
motion” (hysteresis) and inaccuracy. Zettlex supplies
Use of a bearingless encoder also can help avoid inductive sensors
alignment problems. This relies on the host system’s for servo controls
bearings rather than the encoder’s. Bearingless encod- and motor encod-
ers typically come in two parts: a stator and a rotor. ers for the medical,
Typically, the stator has an electrical connection (for industrial, defense,
power supply and data output) and so the stator is aerospace, and pet-
usually fastened to the host system’s main chassis with rochemical sectors.
the rotor fastened to the rotating element. Courtesy: Zettlex,
Optical is the most common sensing technologies Control Engineer-
used. There can be problems with bearingless optical ing Europe
encoders—more often called ring encoders—if the
operating environment isn’t clean and stable. Typically,
an optical ring encoder features a stationary read head
and a rotating optical disc. If measurement accuracies
are <1°, then the installation tolerances of the optical
disc relative to the read head needs careful consider-
ation. With high-accuracy ring encoders, headline
measurement performance tolerances are stated in
the data sheet’s small print. Installation eccentricities
of <0.025 mm are not uncommon for some optical
ring encoders.
Other approaches include inductive ring encoders,
which work reliably in extreme tempera-
tures and dirty areas. They are more tolerant
to misalignment since they use the planar
faces of the stator and rotor rather than the
M More
solutions
point measurement of one optical read head. KeyWORDs: Encoders, sensors
Inductive ring encoders increasingly are Bearingless and shaft encoders are
preferred over “pancake” or “slab” resolvers. suited to different designs.
Size and shape are the biggest reasons Shaft encoders are compact and
to use a bearingless encoder. Shaft encod- easy to deploy.
ers are compact and available in through Bearingless encoders remove the
shaft (or hollow shaft) designs but are rare need for bearing alignment.
(expensive) when the through bore is big- CONsIDeR THIs
ger than 50 mm. Bearingless encoders are Higher reliability application
well-suited for low axial height and/or a may require a different encoder
large bore. The large bore enables cables, technology to avoid premature
maintenance.
piping, or mechanical elements to pass
through the middle of the encoder. ce ONLINe
If reading from the digital edition,
Mark Howard is general manager at click on the headline for more
resources, including links to related
Zettlex, U.K. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, con- articles.
tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE www.controleng.com/magazine
Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com, from a See other international coverage at
Control Engineering Europe, article. www.controleng.com/international.
control engineering January 2019 • 33
ANSWERS
SYSTEM INTEGRATION
Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering

Automotive upgrades
Competitive challenges with automation-
related upgrades drive some of the
technologies being integrated.

E
xamples from four system integrators show
how the automation industry is improving
its competitiveness with industrial auto-
mation. Below are some of the trends and
technologies being applied in automotive
industry manufacturing applications by JMP Solu-
tions, Leidos, Polytron, and Wood. See more online.

Productivity, quality
JMP Solutions: The automotive sector seeks
to improve productivity, increase product quality
and deliver projects on time and on budget. Smart-
er implementations can improve production perfor-
mance, quality, safety, and profitability. Automotive
manufacturers, in a highly competitive market, seek
consistent project delivery across multiple sites, quick
adoption of technology, plant-to-plant best practice
sharing, and project leadership and execution.
Automotive projects often require payback in
fewer than 18 months. Projects require training so
the team in place can understand and maintain the
system. New systems should be easy to maintain
and complement existing systems and engineering
standards with high reliability and safety, reduced
downtime, and consistent communication about
project status, scope, and budgets during
implementation.
M More
ANSWERS Flexibility, tighter control
Leidos: Flexible manufacturing sys-
A sports utility vehicle received a lift by a Fanuc
robot in an IMTS 2018 automotive application
demonstration at the Fanuc booth. The lifting
robot is integrated with motion of the Otto
Motors mobile robot that serves as a mobile
base for a second Fanuc robot. Courtesy: Mark T.
Hoske, Control Engineering, CFE Media
Enabling tools include manufacturing intelligence,
smart manufacturing, greater machine efficiency,
increased automation, workforce optimization, and
product tracking for quality assurance.
Implementation help can include concepts, and
manufacturing training to help maximize operation-
al efficiency. Other automation-related tools include
automation, track-and-trace systems, and industrial
networking and security.

KEYWORDS: System
integration, automotive
automation
Industrial automation can
improve automotive industry
quality, productivity, flexibility,
efficiency, and optimization.
System integration in
automotive applications can
include automation, machine
vision, robotics, safety, and other
technologies.
ONLINE
See more with this article at
www.controleng.com.
Learn more about each
integrator in the Global
System Integrator Database
www.controleng.com/
Global-SI-Database
tems enable agility and standardization of
business processes. Integration of business
systems with the plant floor connects peo-
ple with technology to make more timely
decisions. Software can allow customer to
configure change without programming to
meet flexible manufacturing challenges.
Using an assembly management system
embeds visibility, standardization, and con-
trol throughout the manufacturing enter-
prise. Areas of focus include connecting
enterprise assets to the plant floor.
Efficiency, optimization
Polytron: Competitive markets require
delivering more with less and the highest
possible quality.
Robotics, safety
Wood: To increase competitiveness and lower
costs globally, the automotive industry is integrating
robotic and other automated systems into manufac-
turing, often combining safety with automation.
Related services range from facility siting through
commissioning, maintenance, and upgrades, engi-
neering, procurement, and construction (EPC) capa-
bility, and discrete services, with attention to safety,
technologies, and environment.
Technologies can include robotics and vision,
and automated material-handling systems to
improve production, lower costs, and increase
product reliability. ce
Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Con-
trol Engineering, www.controleng.com, CFE Media,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.

34 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS
Joseph Amalraj and Babar Shehzad, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Verifying flow measurement

A novel method analyzes the performance of the primary and secondary flow
measurements by separating repeatability and accuracy (bias shift) without
having to assume the primary flow measurement is accurate and repeatable.

I
t is a common industry practice to use a sec-
ondary flow measurement (verification meter)
to verify the performance of a primary flow
measurement (PM, such as in a custody trans-
fer meter) when the PM is used to bill a trans-
acted product. It also is common industry practice to
use highly accurate and repeatable instruments for
the PM and use less accurate, but repeatable, instru-
ments for the secondary flow measurement.
The novel method discussed in this article is
designed to help understand the performance of the
PM and the secondary flow measurement (SM) with-
out having to assume the PM is always accurate and
repeatable and identifies whether the issue is with the
PM or with the SM. It eliminates the need to cali-
brate the SM whenever a difference is noted between
the PM and the SM.
If accuracy (bias shift) changes for a secondary
flow measurement, there is no need to replace, reca-
librate, or reprove the secondary flow measurement
as a multiplier can bring the SM reading closer to the
true value. However, if repeatability has changed, the
secondary flow measurement needs to be replaced,
as this indicates a degradation of the SM instrument.
It is common industry practice to accept 1%
repeatability for secondary flow measurements for
liquids and 2% repeatability for secondary flow mea-
surements for gases.
Current flow measurement
methodologies
Process industries often use two methodologies to
verify flow measurements performance:

Background about measuring flow

For PM, industries use accurate and repeatable
flowmeters, which are compensated by pressure,
temperature, density/gas chromatograph, etc., to
obtain the flow measurement in standard units. Most
PMs undergo periodic proving of the flowmeter and
calibration of other instruments used to compensate
the flowmeter readings to obtain the flow measure-
ment in standard units.
For the secondary flow measurement, industries
use less accurate but repeatable flowmeters, which
may be compensated by pressure, temperature, den-
sity/gas chromatographs, etc., to obtain flow mea-
surement in standard units. The purpose of the
secondary flow measurement is not to have a highly
accurate flowmeter. Therefore, secondary flow mea-
surements typically do not have periodic flowmeter
proving and the instruments used to compensate the
secondary flowmeter are calibrated less frequently.
It should be noted an instrument’s accuracy
depends on the measurement principle, design, instal-
lation, and maintenance of the instrument. Repeatabil-
ity, however, of an instrument is an inherent feature
of the measurement technology used. Repeatability
is defined for an absolute constant flow. However, in
process industries, variable flow is common.
time-stamped comparison and selected
constant flow samples. In both method-
ologies, it is assumed the PM is accurate
and repeatable and the secondary flow
measurement accuracy and repeatabil-
ity are being verified. This goes against
the original intent of installing a second-
ary flow measurement, which is installed
to verify the PM and not the other way
around.
The verification process using the cur-
rent methodologies is described below:
Time-stamped comparison:
• The difference between the PM
and SM is calculated from the time
stamped measured values.
• Repeatability of SM is calculated as
the standard deviation from the dif-
ference between the PM and the SM
divided by the SM average.
This method works well when the
flow is maintained at an absolute con-
stant or the flow variation is negligible.
However, as flows in the process indus-
tries can have moderate to significant
variation, this methodology often points
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: flow measurement,
flowmeter
For the primary flow measurement
(PM), industries use highly accurate
and repeatable flowmeters, which
are typically compensated by
pressure, temperature, and density/
gas chromatograph.
For the secondary flow
measurement, industries use less
accurate but repeatable flowmeters.
Accuracy of an instrument
depends on the measurement
principle, design, installation, and
maintenance of the instrument,
whereas, repeatability of an
instrument is an inherent feature of
the measurement technology used.
CONSIDER THIS
How are flow measurements in
your plant verified?
ONlINE
Full version of this article appears
online www.controleng.com; if
reading the digital edition, click
through the headline to view.
The second half of this article is
expected to appear in March.

www.controleng.com control engineeering January 2019 • P1

ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS
Red = primary flow measurement
Green = secondary flow measurement
Figure 1: The graph shows primary and secondary flow measurement
trends for fairly constant flow. All graphics courtesy: Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Time-stamped deviation method results
Average from secondary flow measurements
Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flo w measurements
Repeatability of Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flow secondary flow measurements divided by
measurements average from secondary flow measurements
Table 1: Time stamped comparison for fairly constant flow.
Selected constant flow samples method results
Minimum from primary flow measurement
Maximum from primary flow measurement
Smaller flow ranges (bins) assumed
Smaller flow range size (bin size)
Maximum count in a bin size from primary
flow measurement
Secondary flow measurement average for the
same bin
Secondary flow measurement standard devia-
tion for the same bin
Repeatability of Standard deviation from secondary flow mea-
secondary flow surement divided by average from secondary
measurements flow measurement for the same bin
Table 2: Selected constant flow samples for fairly constant flow.
to the SM not performing well. This methodology
will not identify PM failures, and any failures are
erroneously identified as SM failures.
Selected constant flow samples:
• Minimum and maximum flows are obtained
from the PM time-stamped values.
• The PM minimum to maximum flow data is fur-
ther subdivided into smaller flow ranges (bins).
• Determine the number of counts in each bin.
• The bin with the maximum count is selected
as this bin represents a constant flow period.
Hourly data for a monthly billing cycle—a
total of 720 samples (24 hours x 30 calendar
days)—is available.
• The SM values are extracted for this bin for
the same time stamps.
P2 • January 2019 control engineering
• The SM average and standard deviation is cal-
culated for this bin.
• The repeatability of the SM is the standard
deviation divided by the SM average.
The pitfall with this method is the repeatabil-
ity verification may be done using a much smaller
sample size and may not reflect the repeatability
of the secondary flow measurement for the whole
billing cycle. This methodology will not identify
the failures in the PM, and any failures are iden-
tified as SM failures (minimum flow, maximum
flow, smaller flow range, and maximum count) are
all based on PM values.
The following sections demonstrate how these two
3,115 current methodologies report the flow measurement
performances for constant flow, moderate flow vari-
40 ation, and significant flow variation billing cycles. It
should be noted both methodologies can provide the
1.28% same result for constant flow, but the selected con-
stant flow samples methodology will have a smaller
sample size. For moderate flow variation and signifi-
cant flow variation, the results arrived from the two
methodologies could be conflicting to each other.
3,029 Constant flow
3,420
Figure 1 shows the primary and secondary flow
measurements for a typical monthly billing cycle.
200
After adjusting the display ranges, the following
2 could be observed:
28
• Fairly constant flow.
3,144 • Difference between the primary and second-
ary flow measurements is consistent most of
the time.
20
• Excluding the bias differences, the primary
0.64%
and secondary flow measurements are tracking
each other.
Table 1 shows the measurement verification
using the time stamped comparison method for the
same period shown in Figure 1. Measurement veri-
fication using the time-stamped comparison meth-
od indicates that the repeatability of the secondary
flow measurement is 1.28%. Based on this result,
it could be concluded the repeatability of the sec-
ondary flow measurement is within the industry-
accepted repeatability of 2% for gas measurement.
Table 2 shows the measurement verification
using the selected constant flow samples method
for the same period shown in Figure 1. Measure-
ment verification using the selected constant flow
samples method indicates the repeatability of the
secondary flow measurement is 0.64%. Based on
this result it could be concluded the repeatabil-
ity of the secondary flow measurement is within
the industry-accepted repeatability of 2% for gas
measurement.
www.controleng.com
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input #15 at www.controleng.com/information

56/RJL[‹LVDUHJLVWHUHGWUDGHPDUNRI5RFNZHOO$XWRPDWLRQsQRHQGRUVHPHQWRUDƱOLDWLRQLPSOLHG
ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS
This demonstrates the following:
• The time-stamped comparison methodology
works for constant flows or for flows with neg-
ligible variation.
• The selected constant flow samples methodol-
ogy used 28 out of 720 samples.
• It is assumed the PM is performing well.
Moderate flow variation
Figure 2 shows the primary and secondary flow
measurements for a typical monthly billing cycle.
After adjusting the display ranges (to account for
different engineering units), the following could be
observed:
• Moderate flow variation.
Red = primary flow measurement
Green = secondary flow measurement
Figure 2: The graph shows primary and secondary flow measurement
trends for moderate flow variation.
Time-stamped deviation method results
Average from secondary flow measurements 2,028
Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flow measurements
59
Repeatability of Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flow secondary flow measurements divided by 2.91%
measurements average from secondary flow measurements
Table 3: Time-stamped comparison (moderate flow variation).
Selected constant flow samples method results
Minimum from primary flow measurement 1,219
Maximum from primary flow measurement 3,785
Smaller flow ranges (bins) assumed 200
Smaller flow range size (bin size) 11
Maximum count in a bin size from primary
flow measurement
18
Secondary flow measurement average for the
1,258
same bin
Secondary flow measurement standard devia-
14
tion for the same bin
Repeatability of Standard deviation from secondary flow mea-
secondary flow surement divided by average from secondary 1.11%
measurements flow measurement for the same bin
Table 4: Selected constant flow samples for moderate flow variation.
P4 • January 2019 control engineering
• The difference between the primary and sec-
ondary flow measurements was consistent
most of the time.
• Excluding the bias differences, the primary
and secondary flow measurements are closely
tracking each other.
Table 3 shows the measurement verification using
time-stamped comparison method for the same peri-
od shown in Figure 2. Measurement verification using
the time-stamped comparison method indicates the
repeatability of the secondary flow measurement is
2.91%. Based on this result, some companies may ini-
tiate maintenance to the secondary flow measurement
as the repeatability is greater than the industry-accept-
ed repeatability of 2% for gas measurement.
Table 4 shows the measurement verification
using the selected constant flow samples method
for the same period shown in Figure 2. Measure-
ment verification using the selected constant flow
samples method indicates the repeatability of the
secondary flow measurement is 1.11%. Based on
this result, it could be concluded the repeatabil-
ity of the secondary flow measurement is within
the industry-accepted repeatability of 2% for gas
measurement.
This demonstrates the following:
• The two methods had conflicting results. The
time-stamped comparison methodology indi-
cated that the performance of the SM is not
within the industry accepted 2%, while the
selected constant flow samples methodology
indicated that the performance of the SM is
within the industry accepted 2%, based on 18
out of 720 samples.
• It is assumed the PM is performing well.
Significant flow variation
Figure 3 shows the primary and secondary flow
measurements for a typical monthly billing cycle.
After adjusting the display ranges, the following
could be observed:
• Significant flow variation.
• Difference between the primary and second-
ary flow measurements is consistent most of
the time.
• Excluding the bias differences, the primary
and secondary flow measurements are track-
ing each other most of the time.
Table 5 shows the measurement verification
using the time-stamped comparison method for the
same period shown in Figure 3. Measurement veri-
fication using the time-stamped comparison meth-
od indicates the repeatability of the secondary flow
measurement is 6.65%. Based on this result, some
companies may initiate maintenance to the sec-
ondary flow measurement since the repeatability is
www.controleng.com
greater than the industry-accepted repeatability of
2% for gas measurement.
Table 6 shows the measurement verification
using the selected constant flow samples method for
the same period shown in Figure 3. Measurement
verification using the selected constant flow sam-
ples method indicates the repeatability of the sec-
ondary flow measurement is 4.55%. Based on this
result some companies may initiate maintenance to
the secondary flow measurement since the repeat-
ability is greater than the industry-accepted repeat-
ability of 2% for gas measurement.
This demonstrates the following:
• Though the PM and SM are tracking each
other, the time-stamped comparison method-
ology indicated that the performance of the
SM is not within the industry-accepted 2%. In
addition, the selected constant flow samples
methodology, using 15 out of 720 samples,
concluded that the SM repeatability is not
within the industry-accepted 2%.
• Two methodologies are not robust enough for
applications where flow significantly varies.
• It is assumed the PM is performing well.
Assuming the PM is performing well and veri-
fying only the SM is contrary to the original intent
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of secondary flow measurement being used to ver-
ify the primary flow measurement. There is a per-
ception that since the primary flow measurement is
more accurate because it undergoes periodic flow-
meter proving and calibration of other compensat-
ing instruments. As such, we end up verifying the
secondary flow measurement.
The challenge
In addition to significant flow variation applica-
tion, the challenges are:
• The primary and the secondary flow mea-
surements may use different technologies to
measure the product.
Red = primary flow measurement
Green = secondary flow measurement
Figure 3: The graph shows primary and secondary flow measurement
trends for significant flow variation.
• Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester (FRP)
or Polycarbonate material
• Lightweight
Modifications
• Non-corrosive
• Non-conductive
• UV resistant
• Modifications include:
– Custom holes & cutouts
– Color matching
– Silk screening
– EMI/RFI shielding
– And many more!
input #16 at www.controleng.com/information
Scan to learn more about
Allied Moulded and available
modifications to its enclosures.
Or connect with us online!
www.alliedmoulded.com
ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS

Time-stamped deviation method results

Average from secondary flow measurements
Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flow measurements
Repeatability of Standard deviation from primary flow minus
secondary flow secondary flow measurements divided by
measurements average from secondary flow measurements
Table 5: Time-stamped comparison for significant flow variation.
Selected constant flow samples method results
Minimum from primary flow measurement
Maximum from primary flow measurement
Smaller flow ranges (bins) assumed
Smaller flow range size (bin size)
Maximum count in a bin size from primary
flow measurement
Secondary flow measurement average for the
same bin
Secondary flow measurement standard devia-
tion for the same bin
Repeatability of Standard deviation from secondary flow mea-
secondary flow surement divided by average from secondary
measurements flow measurement for the same bin
2,795
• The primary and the secondary flow mea-
surements are managed by different
186 companies.
• The primary and the secondary flow mea-
6.65% surements could be located at considerable
distance from each other.
• Methodology commonly used in the indus-
try to verify the performance for consistence
over the eyeballing of the trends necessitated
frequent maintenance of the secondary flow
measurement.
1,740
• Time and resources were spent on analyzing
3,837
the data of the primary and secondary flow
200 measurements, defending that the secondary
10 flow measurement was as good as the prima-
ry flow measurement and/or the actual issue
15
is with the primary flow measurement. ce
2746
Joseph Amalraj is a senior technical specialist, and
125
Babar Shehzad is a systems advisor. Both work for
Syncrude Canada Ltd. Edited by Jack Smith, con-
tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
4.55%
jsmith@cfemedia.com.

Table 6: Selected constant flow samples for significant flow variation.

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input #17 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS
Gregory Hale, ISSSource
Lessons learned:
Startup, shutdown incidents
Effective communication; providing workers with appropriate training;
having strong, up-to-date policies and procedures for hazardous startup
and shutdown operations in place; and effective process safety management
can prevent incidents from occurring.
P
rocess unit startups and shutdowns are
more hazardous than normal oil refinery
or chemical facility operations. A startup
is a planned series of steps to take a pro-
cess from an idle, at rest, state to normal
operation; a shutdown is the reverse sequence.
The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS),
an industry-sponsored membership organization
that identifies and addresses process safety needs
within the chemical, pharmaceutical, and petro-
leum industries, determined a majority of process
safety incidents occur during a plant startup, even
though it represents a small portion of the operat-
ing life of a plant. Process safety incidents occur five
times more often during startup than during nor-
mal operations, according to the CCPS.
Indeed, a 2010 study of incidents in the refin-
ing industry found 50% of process safety events
occur during startups, shutdowns, and other cases
that infrequently occur. This is because startup and
shutdown periods involve many nonroutine proce-
dures; these periods can result in unexpected and
unusual situations.
To prevent these types of incidents from occur-
ring, facilities should employ effective communi-
cation, provide workers with appropriate training,
and have in place strong and up-to-date policies
and procedures in place for hazardous operations
such as startups and shutdowns.
The following released from the Chemical Safe-
ty Board (CSB) highlights three incidents that
occurred during a startup or shutdown, and pro-
vides lessons learned in hopes of preventing future
startup and shutdown incidents:
1. BP Amoco thermal decomposition inci-
dent that occurred March 13, 2001, in Augusta, Ga.,
where three people died. Workers were attempt-
ing to open a cover on a process vessel containing
hot plastic when the cover unexpectedly blew off,
www.controleng.com
expelling the hot plastic and killing three work-
ers. A vapor cloud subsequently formed and ignit-
ed. The vessel, known as a polymer catch tank, was
designed to receive partially reacted waste plas-
tic that had been diverted from a chemical reac-
tor when there were mechanical difficulties with
other equipment during periods of startup and
shutdowns.
The CSB investigation found 12 hours prior
to the incident, an attempt was made to start up
the production unit. During that time,
workers experienced mechanical prob-
lems downstream of the reactor, and
an unusually large amount of partially
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Process safety,
reacted material was sent to the polymer startup, shutdown
catch tank. Process safety incidents occur five
Decomposition reactions of this mate- times more often during startup than
rial produced gases, which caused the during normal operations, according
to the Center for Chemical Process
plastic in the vessel to foam and expand Safety (CCPS).
and travel to connecting pipes, where it Startup and shutdown periods
then solidified and plugged the inlet to involve many nonroutine procedures,
the vent line. This prevented gases from and these periods can result in
escaping, which caused the polymer catch unexpected and unusual situations.
tank to become pressurized. Facilities should employ effective
communication, provide workers
Among other things, the CSB found with appropriate training, and have in
process hazard analyses concerning the place strong and up-to-date policies
polymer catch tank were inadequate, and procedures for hazardous
and process safety information inade- operations such as startups and
quately described the design basis and shutdowns.
operating principles for the tank. CONSIDER THIS
Does your organization have
2. First Chemical Corp. reactive strong, up-to-date policies and
explosion and fire occurred Oct. 13, procedures for hazardous startup
and shutdown operations in place?
2002 in Pascagoula, Miss., where three
people suffered injuries. Steam leaking ONlINE
through manual valves heated mononi- Read this story online at
trotoluene (MNT), a raw material used www.controleng.com for additional
information as well as 11 best
to produce dyes, rubber, and agricultur- practices, featured in the October
al chemicals, inside a 145-ft-tall chemi- 2018 issue, to prevent a process
cal distillation column. The column had safety incident.
control engineeering January 2019 • P7
ANSWERS
INSIDE ProcESS
been shut down five weeks prior to the
incident and was thought to be isolated
and in standby mode.
During the shutdown, 1,200 gallons
of MNT were left inside the tower and
continued to be heated by leaking steam
pipes.
During the days leading up to the
explosion, the hot MNT began to
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decompose, forming unstable chemi-
cals. This resulted in a runaway reaction
and explosion that injured three work-
ers, damaged plant equipment, and ignit-
ed several fires.
The CSB found the facility lacked
an effective system for evaluating haz-
ards and for sharing safety information
between different facility operations.
• High torque density, low inertia motors
• Integrated drive/controller
• 200 or 400 Watts continuous
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‘ Process safety incidents
occur five times more often
during startup than during
normal operations, according
to the Center for Chemical
’
Process Safety.
3. Bayer CropScience pesticide
chemical runaway reaction and pressure
vessel explosion occurred Aug. 28, 2008,
where two people were killed.
At the Bayer CropScience facility
in Institute, W.Va., a runaway chemi-
cal reaction occurred inside a 4,500-gal.
pressure vessel known as a residue treat-
er, causing a vessel in the methomyl unit
to explode. The methomyl unit used the
toxic chemical, methyl isocyanate (MIC),
in a series of complex chemical reactions
to produce methomyl, a dry chemical
used to make the pesticide Larvin. The
incident occurred during the restart of
the methomyl unit after an extended out-
age to upgrade the control system and
replace the original residue treater vessel.
The CSB investigation found the stan-
dard Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR)
and turnover practices were not applied
to the methomyl control system rede-
sign project. The CSB also found the
equipment was not tested and calibrated
before the unit was restarted. Finally, the
CSB found operators were inadequately
trained to operate the methomyl unit with
the new distributed control system (DCS).
Lessons learned from these events—
including effective process safety man-
agement—could have prevented these
incidents. ce
Gregory Hale is the editor and founder
of Industrial Safety and Security Source
(ISSSource), a news and information
website covering safety and security
issues in the manufacturing automation
sector. This content originally appeared
on www.ISSSource.com. ISSSource is a
CFE Media content partner. Edited by Jack
Smith, content manager, Control Engineer-
ing, CFE Media, jsmith@cfemedia.com.
P8 • January 2019
T he voice of the engineering community speaks loud and clear
in the following pages featuring corporate profiles of
those companies participating in the Executive Voice program
presented by Control Engineering magazine.

Our thanks to the following participants:

Allied Moulded Products, Inc.

Applied Motion
AutomationDirect
Beckhoff Automation
Dataforth
Digi-Key Corporation
EZAutomation
Festo
HEluKABEl uSA, Inc.
Maple Systems
Moore Industries
Newark Electronics
Nexans
Opto 22
SEW Eurodrive Inc.
WAGO Corporation

A llied Moulded Products, Inc.
is a leading manufacturer of
nonmetallic electrical boxes and
enclosures in today’s residential,
commercial and industrial markets.
Leveraging more than half-a-century
of experience, Allied Moulded has
grown to become the benchmark of
quality within the electrical industry.
Its full-service molding operation
includes expertise in compression
and injection molding, using
thermoset and thermoplastic
materials, as well as a unique resin
transfer molding process.
Utilizing a modern, automated
assembly process, Allied Moulded
provides customer with a superior
product at a competitive price.
Unrelenting focus on service, delivery,
value, innovation and technology in
everything Allied Moulded makes
and does, has made it what it is today.
Allied Moulded’s industrial enclosures
can be found all over the world in
many different control applications
such as industrial and manufacturing
plants, waste water treatment, wind
turbines, security, SCADA, solar,
marinas, data & telecommunications,
mining, and more. The extensive
line of NEMA type 4X/IP66
fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP)
enclosures, made with its proprietary
ULTRAGUARD® resin formulation,
outperforms competitors in the
areas of yellowing, gloss retention,
discoloration and change in texture.
With a wide range of sizes, accessories
and customizations available, Allied
Moulded offers a complete solution
to your industrial enclosure needs.
In addition to fiberglass, Allied
Moulded also offers the POLYLINE®
series, a line of polycarbonate,
injection-molded enclosures.
ADVERTISEMENT
Matt
McIntosh
Vice President
of Global Sales
and Marketing
According to Matt McIntosh,
Vice President of Global Sales and
Marketing, “Allied Moulded’s
nonmetallic enclosures are found in
many diverse industries around the
world. The design features combined
with their resistance to corrosion
provide a solution to many application
problems, such as exposure to UV
rays and extreme weather conditions.
Allied Moulded’s enclosures are
easy to customize and have a large
variety of accessories available to suit
any application need.”

“Allied Moulded’s enclosures are easy to

customize and have a large variety of accessories
available to suit any application need.”

Allied Moulded’s products are marketed in the U.S. primarily

through an extensive network of professional manufacturer’s
reps, all specialists and experts in electrical enclosures. Allied
Moulded has expanded its global reach, with the addition of
Allied Moulded Enclosure Products (India) Pvt Ltd., serving
India and the Middle East markets.
Corporate Headquarters in Bryan, Ohio

Tel: 800-722-2679 • Fax: 800-237-7269

sales@alliedmoulded.com
www.alliedmoulded.com
 ADVERTISEMENT
A utomationDirect takes the best ideas from the consumer world to serve
the industrial market. As a direct seller of industrial automation prod-
ucts for more than 20 years, AutomationDirect is a leader in the industry
that offers many customer services not typical with traditional distributors.
The company created a print catalog, and later an online store that provides
complete product information and pricing so customers can make informed
decisions on their automation purchases quickly and independently.

AutomationDirect’ s products are practical, easy to use and offer a low cost
of ownership. The company offers quality products at prices up to 50 percent
lower than those of more traditional distributors. Most product program-
ming software is free, requiring no initial or upgrade costs and no software See videos on AutomationDirect’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/automationdirect
maintenance contracts. Product offerings include programmable logic
controllers (PLCs), alternating-current (AC) drives/motors, operator inter-
face panels/human machine interface (HMI), power supplies, direct-current Customers can also obtain return
(DC) motors, sensors, push buttons, National Electrical Manufacturers authorizations online for quick and easy
Association (NEMA) enclosures, pneumatic supplies and more. product returns or exchanges.

AutomationDirect’s phone technical support

staff has garnered top honors in service from
industry magazine readers 15 years in a row.
And, with tens of thousands of active customers,
the company’s online technical forum taps into
that knowledge base by encouraging peers to help
each other with applications and other questions.
Other online help includes frequently asked
questions, application examples and product
selection guides.

AutomationDirect’s corporate headquarters near Atlanta, Georgia
Award-Winning Services Satisfy Customers
AutomationDirect has always maintained a huge inventory, allowing them to
ship 99.7 percent of orders complete the same day. They were among the first
to offer free two-day shipping, available for any order over $49. Shipment
confirmations and any backorder status and estimated delivery information
are communicated electronically to keep you informed.
They Guarantee It
AutomationDirect wants you to be pleased with
every order. That is why they offer 30-day money-
back guarantee on almost every product they sell,
including software (see Terms and Conditions for
certain exclusions).

Their online store is one of the most exhaustive in the industry – all technical
documentation can be downloaded free of charge, as well as software and
firmware updates. Hundreds of instructional videos are available without
registration. Online access to your account allows viewing and changing sales@automationdirect.com
account information, viewing order history and making payments. 1-800-633-0405 • www.automationdirect.com

B eckhoff Automation is a
global provider of open auto-
mation systems based on advanced
PC Control technology. The “New
Automation Technology” philosophy
at Beckhoff represents universal
and open automation solutions used
in a wide spectrum of high-tech
applications around the world.
These applications range from control
of machines and robots used in
manufacturing, to Internet of Things
(IoT) systems, intelligent building
automation and much more.
The world headquarters of Beckhoff
Automation is in Verl, Germany while
the US headquarters is in Savage,
Minn. (Minneapolis area).
US headquarters in Savage, Minnesota
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The comprehensive Beckhoff system
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architecture for machine and plant
CEO and
automation promotes control President,
hardware consolidation by advancing Beckhoff
Automation
powerful PC-based control technol-
ogy. This approach takes the best from
automation technology (AT) and
IT, making the most powerful tools
available to engineering teams in one
universal environment. The “New Automation
Technology” philosophy
All the benefits from the early
days of this effort remain from the
at Beckhoff represents
integration of PLC, motion control universal and open
and HMI, while adding other high-
automation solutions used
value functions for robotics, safety,
high-end measurement, condition in a wide spectrum of
monitoring, and of course, cloud con- high-tech applications
nectivity and IoT.
around the world.
Beckhoff has
machine builders
and manufacturers Another significant innovation
covered whether from Beckhoff is AMP8000
they need to gather distributed servo drive technology.
and store process The space-saving AMP8000
data in the cloud, integrates a servo drive directly into
integrate condi- a servomotor. By relocating the
tion monitoring or power electronics directly into the
implement track-and-trace functions machine, it is possible to supply
in machinery. With TwinCAT IoT power to multiple servo drives with a
and TwinCAT Analytics software, single cable via a machine-mounted
machines directly benefit from distribution module.
Industrie 4.0 and IoT functionality.
For more information:
Engineering efficiency is greatly www.beckhoffautomation.com
increased because the software
packages share the same universal
platform as all other machine
programming tools from Beckhoff.

D igi-Key Electronics, a global
Internet-based distributor of
electronic components, is an
authorized distributor of more than
8.4 million components, including
over 1.6 million in stock, from more
than 750 trusted suppliers.
The company’s reputation extends
worldwide through the continuous
choice of Digi-Key’s customers as
the provider of the widest range of
electronic components in the industry,
ready for immediate delivery. With
this wide range of products available
in both design and production quanti-
ties, Digi-Key is the best resource for
designers and buyers alike.
Headquarters in Thief River Falls, MN
Product availability is one of the
distinguishing features of Digi-Key
from other electronic component
distributors. They stock over 1.6
million products at its distribution
center in Thief River Falls, MN.
New products are added every day,
in a continuous effort to offer the
full range of electronic components
required by the customer. Whether
semiconductor, passive, interconnect,
electromechanical, wireless or lighting
components, Digi-Key is a one-stop-
shop for the solutions to all your
application and design needs.
Digi-Key is the preferred supplier for
Industrial Automation, Control and
Safety products. They carry a broad
line of products from advanced
controls such as PLC, HMI and
temperature controllers to accessories
such as wire duct, safety switches and
safety light curtains.
With excellent technical
resources and same-day
shipping, Digi-Key will get
you the parts you need when
you need them.
The company offers a
vast selection of online
resources including a range
of EDA and design tools,
reference design library,
on-demand multimedia library, a
comprehensive article library,
and community forums, among
others. Digi-Key also offers numerous
Supply Chain solutions such as
bonded inventory and just-in-time
shipping, as well as a newly updated
BOM manager.
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Dave
Doherty
President
and COO
The Best Possible Service
Digi-Key prides itself on the ability
to provide the best possible service to
customers. A customer can request
electronic components or reach the
talented team of technicians and
application engineers 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, 365 days a year,
either by phone, fax, e-mail or
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With a wide range of
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quantities, Digi-Key is the
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From prototype to production,
Digi-Key has the resources and
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www.digikey.com

E ZAutomation, a division of the
AVG Group, is a manufacturer
and direct online seller of innovative
low cost automation products made
in America. The AVG Group has been
in business serving the automation
industry since 1968! In fact, Struthers
Dunn, a division of AVG which later
changed its name to Uticor, first
invented the PLC for welding controls
in the automotive industry.
EZAutomation was originally
launched in 2001 when it first
released the most innovative,
cost-effective, and EZ to program
HMI/Operator Interface, “EZTouch”
used by over 40,000 companies today.
Over the past 17 years, EZAutomation
has designed hundreds of industrial
automation products, becoming
a one stop shop, of affordable
automation innovations, while
proudly maintaining the
“Made in America” campaign.
EZAutomation.net: American
Industrial Automation Product
Shopping Made Easy and
Cost-Effective.
EZAutomation, is a manufacturer
of industrial automation
products including, HMI/
Operator Interfaces , Program-
mable Logic Controllers (PLCs),
Din-Rail Mount Power Supplies,
Industrial Panel PCs, Inductive
Proximity Sensors, Rotary Shaft
Encoders, all-in-one HMI-PLC
combo units, Time Delay Relays,
Control Transformers and
much more.
EZAutomation, a division of
AVG, that has been serving the
automation industry since 1968,
first introduced itself into the
market with its award winning
EZTouch® in 2001. EZAutomation
is proud to be one of the only
remaining automation suppliers
that continues to manufacture in
the USA!!
Innovation by Design - IIoT Ready!
We are always at the fore-front of
technology innovating new concepts
based on industry needs. With IIoT
and Edge-Gateway computing being
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tive maintenance and productivity
monitoring, EZAutomation is proud
to be the first PLC Manufacturer that
supports Industry standard MQTT
Protocol. The EZRack PLC that is IIoT
ready also acts as an Edge-Gateway
device for current plant automation
equipment running on EtherNet/IP
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to interact live with one of our experi-
enced staff to get immediate answers.
It is our mission to make sure the
customer is always up and running!
EZAutomation
www.EZAutomation.net
sales@ezautomation.net

A utomation is widely used in
manufacturing, be it packaging,
food & beverage processing, auto-
motive, or other production lines.
With new automation technology,
comes new cable challenges.
With almost 40 years in the cable
business, we have designed our
products to provide uninterrupted
power and data transmission to
today’s automated manufacturing
systems, regardless of working
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HELUKABEL’s high-quality cables
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cycles, and are guaranteed to handle
the high mechanical stress and
repetitive, automated movements
found in today’s industrial environ-
ments. This makes the automated
manufacturing process more
efficient by reducing downtime and
increasing productivity.
Helukabel USA headquarters —
a 75,000-square-foot facility in
West Dundee, Illinois
Our cable engineering expertise
allows us to meet and exceed
customer expectations as industry
technology becomes more
advanced. We are continuously
providing new cable solutions to
our customers, which allows
them to maintain their position
at the forefront of the market.
In addition to providing bulk cable
and accessories, HELUKABEL offers
pre-assembled servo, motor, feedback
cables for the world’s leading drive
system manufacturers, as well as
pre-assembled data, network and bus
cables for plug-and-play installation,
maintenance and repair. We also de-
velop entire cable protection systems
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M oore Industries, a world leader
in the design and manufacture
of rail, panel and field instruments
for industrial process control and
monitoring, system integration and
factory automation, continues its
investment in developing rugged and
field hardened instrumentation for
the process control and automation
industry. Bridging the gap between
the plant floor and higher-level infor-
mation and control systems requires
products that can endure extreme
ambient temperatures and noisy
(RFI/EMI) plant environments.
HES HART to Ethernet Gateway System
The introduction of industrial Ethernet
networks in process manufacturing
plants and automation facilities has
meant that data exchange in a facility
and across global corporate networks
is becoming commonplace. This free
flow of information has introduced
new possibilities for using the
copious amounts of data in existing
field devices in an IIoT (Industrial
Internet of Things) context or Smart
Factory (Industry 4.0) setting.
The typical process control model that
involves decision making at the local
or centralized level by PLCs (Program-
mable Logic Controller) or BPCS
(Basic Process Control System) is
quickly changing. These systems were
never intended to deal with the amount
of data they would have access to in
the near future. There are newer ERP,
MES and asset management systems
that collect some of this data now, but
the more critical challenge that facili-
ties face is manpower and tight project
budgets. So the challenge remains: how
do existing and new manufacturing
facilities find a cost effective way to get
critical plant floor data up to higher
level information systems?
“Making HART data
easily available over
Ethernet infrastructures
enables our customers
to get the most out of
their new and
existing installations.”
The answer is to take advantage of the
digital HART data already installed
but either didn’t know was there or
couldn’t afford the equipment upgrades
to gain access to it. The HART
digital signal found in most smart field
instruments often contains additional
process variables that may include
instrument status, diagnostic data,
alarms, calibration values and alert
messages. A simple and cost-effective
solution for gathering HART informa-
tion is to use a HART interface device
that supports Ethernet.
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Scott Saunders
Chief Executive Officer,
Moore Industries-International, Inc.
Standalone gateways like the HES
HART to Ethernet Gateway System
provide an economical pathway to
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F ounded in 1974 by engineers who designed a
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 ADVERTISEMENT
A s a world leader in drive technology and a pioneer in drive-
based automation, SEW-EURODRIVE has established a
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Our five regional assembly centers in the
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W AGO has been connecting
the world since our founding in
Minden Germany in 1951. As the
world leader in spring pressure wire
termination technology, we opened
our US subsidiary in Milwaukee, WI
in 1979. In 1999, we moved into a
new state-of-the-art facility in
Germantown, WI and have since
increased our operational capacity
to include over 110,000 ft2 of office
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US headquarters in Germantown, WI
As we continue to improve processes
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the user a variety of operating options
to suit their individual wiring needs.
All three operating versions have
the same profile to allow them to be
mixed and matched on the same
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DIN rail, as well as share accessories
such as jumpers, marking strips and
test adapters.
Toby
Thomann
Looking into the future, IIoT is President
becoming more and more prevalent of WAGO
in industry. WAGO has been Corporation
helping people collect and analyze
information from their plant floor for
years, and we continue to enhance our
technologies with exciting new tools
for this digital transformation age. “WAGO has been
helping people collect
For example, we have and analyze information
embedded the MQTT
from their plant floor
Protocol in our PLC enabling
secure data exchange between for years, and we
the plant floor and Cloud continue to enhance our
services (Microsoft Azure,
technologies with exciting
IBM Cloud, SAP Cloud
and others). These same new tools for this digital
PLCs also support the OPC transformation age.”
UA standard for seamless
data exchange with
SCADA applications. Our focus on
cybersecurity tools helps users trans- The underlying concept of all of our
fer this data in a secure manner. products, services and technologies is
safety and reliability. The result is the
WAGO controllers become IIoT most extensive line of spring pressure
controllers that safely and efficiently termination technology products
send data from the field level to the and the momentum to keep current
cloud. There they can be aggregated with customer needs. Our vision
and used for analyses. and mission is for “WAGO to be the
backbone of a smart connected world.”
This creates real added value for
our customers– whether to increase We empower connections!
efficiency in their own production,
for energy management, predictive
maintenance or for the development
of other end-customer services.
Info.us@wago.com
(800) DIN-RAIL
www.wago.us

T his year is the 40th anniversary of the founding of
Applied Motion Products. Our early years were focused
on providing stepper motors to the rapidly growing computer
peripheral industry in Silicon Valley California. We rapidly
became the dominant supplier to this industry through
leading product technology and customer service excellence.
It was also a time where we became a truly international
company with manufacturing in Japan and operations in
Singapore and Europe.
To survive in a technology business, organizations must
remain agile and capable of adapting to rapid change. To put
this in perspective: the industries that originally adopted
our products have improved their product performance
by something close to 9 orders of magnitude, 1 billion X.
As we move toward 2019 and beyond, Applied Motion
Products finds itself thriving in this environment, taking
advantage of rapid change and working towards providing
customers with motion control solutions in an ever more
complex operational environment. Today with operations
in California, Shanghai and Frankfurt we are part of a
billion-dollar global organization focused on industrial
and factory automation.
F ounded in 1984, Dataforth is a recognized global
leader in the design and manufacture of signal
conditioning modules and industrial data acquisition &
control systems.
“Our mission is
to set the highest
standards of product
quality, performance,
and customer
service,” says
Corporate Headquarters, Tucson, Arizona
Georg Haubner,
VP of Sales and Marketing. “We know that signal
integrity is critical and so our products are all
designed to ensure the most reliable, cost-effective
isolation and protection for customers’ measurement
and control signals and connected equipment.”
Unparalleled Data Acquisition & Control
r MAQ®20: Dataforth’s 3rd generation DAQ system,
based on 30+ years of experience in the industrial test
and measurement and control industry, offers the
industry’s lowest cost per channel, 1500Vrms channel-
to-bus isolation, ±0.035% system accuracy, and two
dedicated software packages with integral PID control.
ADVERTISEMENT
Our vision, “We make life easier by
connecting people to motion”, reflects a core
idea that the development of manufacturing
technology has lifted people out of manual
based tasks, freeing individuals to unleash
creativity and enjoy their work. By connecting
people to motion our products make it easy to Don Macleod
create automated systems with little prior CEO/President,
Applied Motion Products
experience in automated motion systems.
Our mission to be “the leader in automation products through exceptional
customer focus, innovation and continuous improvement” reflects key
elements of our growth strategy. When I returned to Applied Motion
Products seven years ago, we adopted a three-pronged approach to growth:
address new markets with new products, serve new customers with a wider
sales channel, and provide products of exceptional
value to our customers.
By expanding our sales force and channel
partner relationships, and continually
increasing the breadth and functionality of
our product line, we are well on the way to
sales@applied-motion.com
success in an increasingly connected 1-800-525-1609
manufacturing environment. www.applied-motion.com
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Two new modules have just been added to the system
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r 8B isoLynx® SLX300: Builds on proven reliability of MAQ20 DAQ System
the SLX200 and miniature 8B signal conditioners. with 5B, 7B, and
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r SCM5B isoLynx® SLX200: Implements industry
standard Modbus RTU and TCP protocols.
Unrivaled Signal Conditioning
“Our signal conditioner families ensure outstanding accuracy, isolation, and
protection,” Haubner states, adding that custom modules are available upon request.
Modules provide1500Vrms transformer isolation, up to 240Vrms field-side protection,
±0.03% to ±0.05% accuracy, and wide operating temperature range.
r SCM5B Analog Modules Ideal for temperature, pressure, flow
r SCM7B Process Control Modules A compact, low-cost solution
r SensorLex® 8B Analog Modules Miniature size for embedded & portable apps
r DSCA DIN Modules DIN rail mount for
temperature, pressure, flow
All 1200+ Dataforth products are manufactured in Tucson, AZ. sales@dataforth.com
The Quality Management System is ISO9001:2008 registered. 

r

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T o win, manufacturers need partners they can trust to help them
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For over 40 years in the US and 80 years globally, Festo has been when our customers win, we win. system CPX-E is designed as a
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M aple Systems began in
1983 as a manufacturing
company building controller
boards and embedded control
systems. Since then, Maple has
become a global leader in the
operator interface industry,
offering solutions for every type
of industrial application.
ADVERTISEMENT
Recently Maple has expanded
and with that, brought on new
product lines. In addition to the
legacy protocols like SIXNET,
GE Series One, TI505, Idec,
and ASCII. This support allows
HMI’s we’re known for, we now for customers to still use what
proudly offer: they know without having to
compromise on functionality in Larry St. Peter
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Maple Systems products integrate
with hundreds of different pro-
Maple Systems Inc., Everett, Washington
grammable controllers from the
Our commitment to our biggest names in PLCs including
customers has always been to Allen Bradley, Schneider Electric,
offer quality, reliability and GE, Siemens, Mitsubishi, and
affordability. Omron to the lesser-known
Every manufacturer has specific you control?
business to the IIoT at different www.maplesystems.com
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the additional capabilities of www.maplesystems.com
tomorrow, when they are ready. Phone: 425.745.3229
 ADVERTISEMENT
I ndustrial Ethernet is the technology of the future on the factory floor. It enables convergence to the
office and to the internet, which is impossible over traditional, often piecemealed bus technologies.
Nexans’ industrial Ethernet solutions help improve productivity and profitability by avoiding,
eliminating, and minimizing risk, and ultimately achieving 100% uptime.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution - We are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution,
characterized by the introduction of cyber-physical systems. A cyber-physical system is a mechanism
controlled or monitored by computer-based algorithms tightly integrated with the internet and
its users. Reliable connections between the machines, the people, and the internet are, in a word, Mike Bayda
everything. However, one bad connection can mean the flow of information is disrupted, which could Industrial Product Manager,
have devastating results on your operation and your bottom line. Nexans

Nexans gives you the confidence to make the connection.

Superior Product Performance - In the field of industrial cabling solutions, Nexans offers a complete
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ce201901_execVhalf_NEXANS.indd 1 12/19/2018 2:57:20 PM

input #19 at www.controleng.com/information

INNOVATIONS
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

Stepper motor for hazardous locations, where flammable gases are

Applied Motion’s HX56-100 hazardous location stepper motor is designed for motion control in challeng-
ing environments of oil, gas, printing, and paint finishing applications. It is certified for ATEX and IECEx
for Class 1, Zone 1 locations and UL-Listed for Class 1, Division 1, Group C and D locations. Class I haz-
ardous locations are areas where flammable gases, vapors or liquids are, or may be, present in the air to
cause a potential hazard. Zone 1 defines a hazardous location in which flammable gases, vapors or liquids
exist all of the time or some of the time. It can run stored programs created with Applied Motion’s Q pro-
gramming language, and can connect to multiple external devices or sensors.
Applied Motion, www.applied-motion.com Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information

Non-contact magnetic measuring system Hermetically-sealed,

Elesa’s MPI-15 magnetic measuring system is designed to allow pre-
cise alignment and positioning of workpieces thus reducing time of
machinery processes to a minimum, saving costs, and speeding the
whole production cycle. Combined with a magnetic band, it is easy to
install and features an easy-to-read digital display, enabling operators
to accurately read linear or angular displacements. It is made of an
LCD multifunction display with a built-
in magnetic position sensor. When
combined with the magnetic band
M-Band-10, it provides a complete sys-
tem to measure linear and angular dis-
placement (with a minimum radius of
65 mm).
Elesa (UK) Ltd., www.elesa.com
Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information
spring-loaded LVDTs
NewTek Sensor Solutions’ series
of spring-loaded linear variable
differential transformers (LVDTs)
are designed to provide accurate
dimensional feedback for many
position measurement and quality assurance applications
including go/no-go measurements, quality testing, posi-
tion/thickness control and material testing. Designed with
a stainless-steel probe assembly and ¾”-in. diameter her-
metically-sealed housing, the sensors operate in dirt, water,
vibration, and temperature ranges of -65 to 220°F with max-
imum linearity of +0.25% of full-scale output.
NewTek Sensor Solutions, www.newteksensors.com
Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information

Rugged Stainless Steel Enclosures

Extensive stainless steel offering
has been expanded.
New HWSSHK Series:
• Durable 14 gauge 304 or 316L stainless
steel construction
• Heavy duty 316 SS piano hinges and
padlockable handles
• UL/CSA Type 4X approved
• Painted steel version available

Trust your next project to

Hammond enclosures.
Quality Products. Service Excellence.
Visit hammondmfg.com to learn more.

hammondmfg.com | (716)630-7030 | sales@hammfg.com

input #20 at www.controleng.com/information

 See more New Products for Engineers.
www.controleng.com/NP4E PE

Cast-iron three-phase ac motors

AutomationDirect’s IronHorse MTCP2 industrial duty motors are offered in T-Frame
(1 to 300 hp) and TC-Frame/C-Face (1 to 30 hp). C-face kits are available for motors
over 30hp. These motors are available in 1200, 1800, and 3600 RPM and have totally
enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) enclosures with a cast iron frame and ribbed design for
maximum cooling. The motors feature full length, cast iron mounting feet, a steel
fan cover, and a cast iron junction box with a rubber gasket and rubber dust cover.
MTCP2 motors have premium quality ball bearings (1 to 75 hp) or roller bearings
(100 to 300 hp) with maintenance-free bearings on 10 hp and below. V-ring shaft
seals are used on the drive end and oppo-
site drive end. The motors are electrical-
ly reversible and have Class F winding
insulation.
AutomationDirect,
www.automationdirect.com
Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information

AI controller uses
machine learning to
extend equipment life
Omron Automation Americas’ Sysmac
AI Controller handles several key steps
in the data-driven decision process for
predictive maintenance, thereby freeing
up industrial professionals from tedious
calculations, analyses, and infrastructure
upgrades. It is designed to help manu-
facturers reduce the risk of bad parts or
equipment damage by detecting issues
early and prompting immediate action
to resolve them. Customers will be able
to take advantage of Omron’s advanced
technology and its team of data scientists
to facilitate predictive maintenance rath-
er than figuring everything out on their
own. The machine learning functionality
can identify abnormal machine behavior
without being explicitly programmed to
do so.
Omron Automation Americas,
www.omron.com
Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information

input #21 at www.controleng.com/information

January 2019 • 59
INNOVATIONS See more New Products for Engineers.
www.controleng.com/NP4E PE
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

CNC system for machine tool applications

Bosch Rexroth’s CNC system MTX with new hardware is designed to achieve even
shorter cycle times and better machining quality. With the new XM42 embedded
controller, systems with an extremely large number of axes and stations can now be
automated efficiently with one central controller. This simplifies project planning
and reduces costs and complexity. With the elimination of communication in multi-
control solutions, performance increases. The CNC system MTX uses open stan-
dards and protocols throughout and, with its Open Core Interface, offers machine
manufacturers the opportunity to implement their know-how independently and
securely. With an interpolation cycle of
250 μs, the MTX from Rexroth sets stan-
dards for CNC machining. The cores of
the multi-core processor, assigned to the
respective tasks, process the CNC, PLC,
and communication tasks independently
of each other.
Bosch Rexroth, www.boschrexroth.com
Input #205 at www.controleng.com/information

Cyber risk management

platform, roadmap
to improve operations
Axio’s NIST-CSF risk management plat-
form is designed to establish a baseline
for cyber readiness, and provides com-
panies a risk reduction roadmap for
ongoing improvement. Axio’s platform
enables risk officers and chief informa-
tion security officers (CISOs) to achieve
and sustain full visibility into their over-
all cyber program maturity through
model-driven, on-demand assessments.
It also helps companies develop a clear
action plan and roadmap for improve-
ments. It also can help prioritize actions
and investments based on the impact to
their business, and monitor and report
on cyber program maturity as it changes
over time.
Axio Global, www.axio.com
Input #206 at www.controleng.com/information

60 • January 2019
input #22 at www.controleng.com/information
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www.controleng.com control engineering January 2019 • 63

INNOVATIONS
Back to Basics
Manan Banerjee, Cross Co.

Six ways programming, maintenance

help collaborative robots
Good programming and maintenance of a collaborative robot can provide manufacturers many
benefits such as better return on investment (Roi), lower total cost of ownership (tco), and more.

C
ollaborative robot deployments often
have high visibility in all levels of an
organization, manufacturing, packaging,
or research. What also is highly visible is
the process for overcoming the learning
curve and the ease with which a robot gets back online
if hiccups occur. Easy programming and maintenance
help an organization; here are six reasons that empha-
size their potential benefits for manufacturers.
1. Return on investment (ROI)
Implementation times quickly add to the upfront
cost of a new robotic implementation. Even if one
robot is repurposed as needed, each new application
requires some amount of time investment on top of
any needed hardware. Minimizing this time increases
the flexibility of a platform and its ROI.
2. Capacity and capability
Depending on the scale of the operation and asso-
ciated goals, it is not always feasible for one person to
evaluate opportunities and program them all. Low-
ering the technical threshold needed to deploy and
monitor them makes it much more likely that the
same employee(s) doing the auto-
mated tasks also can serve as robot
positions enhances the organization and workers’ skill
sets. It can justify pay increases to match the added
value of the position and help to increase employee
fulfillment. The employee gains added skills, expertise,
and job satisfaction; the organization can be a compet-
itive employer and reduce employee turnover.
4. Improved downtime and recovery
Given enough time, any sophisticated system will
need troubleshooting, debugging, or fixing. Produc-
tion loss caused by this downtime can detract from
ROI and throughput, and often cause intangible draw-
backs such as frustrated technicians. It is important
that a platform be easily and quickly serviceable and
have a robust support system to help the end user.
5. Opportunity cost
Time and resources are finite, and each project has
an opportunity cost, whether during deployment or
servicing. Making programming and support acces-
sible minimizes this opportunity cost and further
improves the ROI of any particular project.
6. Total cost of ownership (TCO)
The cost of training courses (both for program-
ming and maintenance) easily can add up to several

M More
INNOVAtIONs
INNOVAt
Keywords: Collaborative robot,
cobot, programming
Regular maintenance and good
programming can enhance the lifespan
of a collaborative robot.
Immediate benefits include improved
return on investment (ROI) and reduced
downtime.
Long-term benefits include a happier
and more skilled workforce.
Consider this
What long-term benefits derive from
regular maintenance and programming
of a collaborative robot?
online
Read this story online at
www.controleng.com for additional
links to stories about collaborative
robots and their potential benefits for
manufacturers.
deployers. An easily programmable
system can act as a labor multiplier.
3. Workforce elevation
It is increasingly common for a
manufacturer to have difficulty find-
ing employees to do dull, dirty, or
dangerous work (“the three Ds”).
The historically low unemployment
rate is undoubtedly a good thing for
the economy at large, but manufac-
turers looking to fill operator posi-
tions are finding it tough to make
laborious jobs appealing with the
widespread availability of work. An
automation platform with a gen-
tle learning curve makes it pos-
sible to redefine a traditional line
position with greatly reduced extra
investment. Strategically assigning
unskilled workers to new or varied
days and thousands of dollars per trainee. An intui-
tively programmable and easily serviceable platform
mitigates—or may even eliminate—this ramp-up time
and can reduce the TCO of the system.
An internal robotics integration team with exper-
tise in deploying major robotic brands can help. While
this may require personnel retraining for the first
application, every subsequent project takes less time
as the team advances. Internal innovation and exper-
tise can provide a competitive advantage by granting
the ability to quickly expand capacity and capability in
industries where new products get to market regularly.
A third-party team also can provide support and
integration. Outsourcing expertise avoids shifting
focus away from immediate production needs. ce
Manan Banerjee works for Cross Co. This article origi-
nally appeared on Cross Co.’s blog. Cross Co. is a CFE
Media content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, produc-
tion editor, Control Engineering, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

64 • January 2019 control engineering www.controleng.com

Always the Right Move

One Choice for All

Controlling a robot arm, a servo axis, a VFD drive
or a custom robotic mechanism is all the same
task for an MP3300iec machine controller. It uses
familiar IEC61131-3 and PLCopen programming
to operate them all, and will even allow you to
substitute one motion device for another without
reprogramming.

Looking for motion control that can change and

grow as readily as your machines do? Move to
the MP3300iec by contacting your Yaskawa
representative.

input #23 at www.controleng.com/information

Yaskawa America, Inc. Drives & Motion Division 1-800-YASKAWA yaskawa.com For more info: http://go.yaskawa-america.com/yai1242
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seweurodrive.com | 864-439-7537
input #24 at www.controleng.com/information