As manufacturers heighten their search for ways to improve throughput and order fulfillment, the mantra of the instruments and controls industries rests on connectivity, connectivity, and more connectivity. The promise of the truly integrated enterprise has captured the focus of these sectors, leading to an array of innovations.
"In the past, instrument vendors have focused primarily on acquiring or generating data, putting less effort into connectivity, data storage and retrieval," Edward Kruft, National Instruments group manger of measurement products, tells IEN. "Connectivity to a PC eventually became a mainstream requirement for stand alone instruments," explains Kruft, "leading to the proliferation of GPIB (aka IEEE-488) as the standard method of instrument communication. Looking forward, new interface buses such as USB and IEEE-1394 offer high performance options to instrument manufacturers for connectivity to PCs."
Although work remains before these buses are viable options for industrial applications, the "PC will grow in importance in measurement systems," according to Kruft. He continues: "As high performance measurement hardware becomes more readily available, the future lies in the power of software to turn raw acquisition hardware into measurement systems. The Web will also be critical in this process. In the past, the processing PC was typically physically located next to the instrumentation. In the future, the power of the Web will distribute the acquisition, processing, and storage of information throughout an organization."
Several key challenges will face the instruments sector in the next decade, adds Kruft. The "time to market and time in market continue to decrease, putting more pressure on manufacturing tests in terms of cost, performance, and development time," he notes, increasing the demand for higher performance measurement devices.
Stand-alone instrument manufacturers have developed custom ADC technology to offer products with differentiated measurement capabilities. Concurrently, computer-based instrument and data acquisition board manufacturers developing PXI/CompactPCI modules and/or PCI plug-in boards typically use off-the-shelf ADC technologies. "In the past, there was a large gap in ADC technology between the two," says Kruft, but technological innovation continually narrows this difference. Meanwhile, "measurement systems that take full advantage of the trends in ADC technology as well as PC technology will benefit from the decreasing component costs."
Stand-alone instrument vendors are also integrating more of the PC and its capabilities inside the instrument to differentiate their products. By building more PC components inside their instruments, vendors effectively turn their instruments into PCs. The degree of benefit conveyed to the user is completely up to the instrument manufacturer. Moreover, instrument vendors can easily add new PC-like features to the instruments with minimal effort and cost, but the user usually ends up paying a price.
"Alternatively, by placing the instrument inside the PC, the user has complete control over the PC, the application software, and the instruments that can be created," Kruft continues. "For instance, if a new networking technology such as gigabit Ethernet is developed, the user can simply purchase a new network interface board, install it in the PC, and improve the connectivity of the measurement system. In this example, users can create distributed measurement systems with incremental effort."
Tight Tolerances
Maintaining manufacturing tolerances will remain a key user concern in the next five to 10 years, according to Dave Quebbemann, industrial automation marketing manager at Omron Electronics Inc. "One of the concerns of the industry is to make sure production lines don''t fall out of tolerance or change. If you set up the line, you don''t want the equipment to drift out of manufacturing tolerance. For example, with a sensor, the optics over time have drift and you may not know that becomes a problem."
Omron has designed a new series of photoelectric sensors with auto compensation, which "automatically senses the normal initial degradation in the LED output and correspondingly increases the sensor''s output characteristics to maintain the same repeatability and sensing characteristics of the sensor," says Quebbemann. Omron''s F150-3 vision sensor, pictured, handles a wide variety of single- and 2-camera applications. The company is also introducing more Ethernet devices, whether standard rack PLCs or Ethernet I/O products. Additionally, the company''s SCADA-type CX- provides trending, data analysis and alarming information.
"We''re seeing a dramatic increase in the use of vision products overall," Quebbemann adds, "but certainly in the instruments and controls industry. Vision products are much less expensive and easier to program, thereby allowing a user to use the vision products in a much broader range of applications. There''s also ease of installation. You don''t need a lot of training." With price points "down to $1,500 - $5,000," vision systems have become affordable in more applications, the Omron marketing manager concludes.
Plug-and-Play
In developing its latest newest monitoring and control system for data acquisition, RJG has recognized several emerging trends in the industry, according to customer support manager Curt Otto.
"Prior technologies have required significant system configuration, both on the hardware and software end," Otto comments. " However, as process monitoring and control systems hit the mainstream, they must be geared for less technical users." Through the use of microelectronics, for example, a sensor can identify itself to the system, store its location and calibration data, linearize its own output, and automatically diagnose failure or out-of-calibration status. "The result is a plug-and-play system where sensors can be daisy-chained in a local area network and individual sensors register themselves with the system automatically," Otto comments.
Today, the data from these sensors can also be automatically converted to information using custom designed, rules-based or neural network expert systems and intuitive interface design. "Generic packages simply cannot provide [the] level of expertise" brought by system programmers knowledgeable about specific user needs, Otto adds. Other requirements include the "interfacing of multiple data sources ... through an open interface, a flexible platform, and a flexible data structure which is easily modified for the use of other systems."
Systems must be designed to limit potential for failure, and when failure occurs, to automatically diagnose problems and recover quickly. This can be accomplished by using robust platforms such as the QNX operating system, and by creating self-diagnosing systems, which warn of potential problems in the system, the RJG customer support manager tells IEN.
RJG''s Insight system has been designed with these considerations in mind. It also includes a fall back system creating distributed or redundant data storage and system configuration structures, real time data display, and system networking.
Larry Van Bogaert, vice president of APT Instruments, notes that "with the rapid rate of change in the area of computer components, one of the major concerns will be product integration and product obsolescence. Customers are concerned about long term support, as well as the ability to upgrade both electronics and software for their older models."
Touchscreens, wireless communication, plug-and-play and similar technology will quickly spread through instruments and controls in the next decade, Van Bogaert believes, along with increased security for passwords and operator recognition (including fingerprint and voice recognition technology).
Lower costs and ease of use has extended new technologies to new applications. APT''s DL300 Portable HH data logger, for example, accepts up to 6 analog or 9 digital inputs, and can be adapted to monitor many different parameters with one instrument. "In another new application, we are coupling some small, compact RF to pH electrodes and other sensors that are used around the plant or lab," Van Bogaert states. "No longer do the sensors need to be hardwired to the system. Multiple sensors can be monitored simultaneously without the tangle of wires."
Bob Farmer, product manager at Siemens Applied Automation, contends that cost pressures and the limited availability of trained personnel will also challenge industry over the next five to 10 years.
"High operating reliability, high on-line time, and minimal front-end engineering and project overhead requirements," will help alleviate some of these concerns, Farmer suggests, as well as "minimal on-going cost of ownership and world-wide product availability, purchasing arrangements and customer service support."
Every Measurement Counts
FloCat vice president and general manager Tom Nelson says the two most important trends in flowmeter technology are "toward non-invasive (generally ultrasonic) and minimally invasive techniques. The minimally invasive products include mag meters, vortex shedders and thermal mass."
Low flow measurements (below 0.5 GPM) are also increasingly important, according to Nelson. He continues: "Many companies use expensive catalysts and additives in their processes. Exactly measuring very small amounts of chemicals allows them to minimize processing costs and produce better quality and consistency in their products because formulations can now be controlled exactly." The Model WA40 meter and Model WA75 readout, pictured, offer high levels of accuracy and reliability.
Another change that is already in evidence is the swing to automated controls (including flow monitoring) wherever possible. "This trend is well established in larger organizations but is beginning to trickle down to smaller plants," Nelson adds.
Companies are also trying to measure the previously unmeasurable. "Some examples we have encountered are partially filled pipes, fluid streams with debris, and heterogeneous mixtures particularly in waste water treatment facilities," according to Nelson.
Adding the "e" to Controls
Rapid advances in technologies are also putting pressure on the controls sector. Explains John Nesi, Allen-Bradley ControlLogix marketing manager at Rockwell Automation: "Short technology life-cycles create instabilities with product platform architectures -- this is partially due to manufacturers of automation technology promoting open standards. This will eventually make it more difficult for manufacturers to get support for these products. Manufacturers also will be challenged to upgrade their automated production systems to keep up with new technology. In addition, the advent of e-commerce within the manufacturing automation industry will pressure current channels and sales models."
What will the future bring? "We will see more intelligent devices and the control of devices via Windows CE and wireless technology," Nesi predicts, as well as the "introduction of more and increasingly complex Web-enabled devices." Additionally, e-commerce-driven manufacturing will force manufacturers to rethink manufacturing standards and methods.
Manufacturers are increasingly using Ethernet for control communications. And office networks are becoming more easily connected with shop-floor networks thanks to newly developed integrated information software. Manufacturers are adopting new human-machine interfaces and are incorporating Web browsers and handheld electronic devices into plant control applications.
Rockwell''s ControlLogix system performs this kind of multi-disciplinary control. Based on the company''s architecture, it includes diagnostic modules that allow for notification of plant operators in the event of broken wires, loss of field power or other system anomalies. Harman-Motive (pictured) uses Rockwell''s SoftLogix for the production of high-end audio systems.
Specialty chemical manufacturer Prosoco Inc. and systems integrator Mid America Consultants Inc. chose Rockwell''s ControlLogix for Prosoco''s new compounding and blending facility in Lawrence, Kansas. The system includes diagnostic modules that allow for notification of plant operators in the event of broken wires, loss of field power or other system anomalies. ControlLogix "was easy to configure as a gateway to our legacy systems, which are used in other parts of the plant," notes Bruce Boyer, Prosoco vice president of production. "We also needed a system that supported diagnostic cards that ultimately would remotely indicate system problems to our personnel," Boyer adds. Prosoco has improved batch process consistency to 98 percent, while processing of individual batches has been reduced by a factor of three. (See Related Info case studies for the full story about Prosoco and other in-plant features.)
Please Interconnect Me
E-business and interconnectivity are the key concerns for industry today, agrees Vince Tullo, senior vice president of automation equipment business at GE Fanuc Automation. He explains: "When we talk about state-of-the-art automation technology, we''re talking today about those solutions that enable e-business...incorporating every layer of the enterprise and every component that comprises the process.
"One of the most significant changes shaping today''s automation industry is the growing acceptance and use of Ethernet to connect all levels of the enterprise. Because of recent advances in Ethernet technology, manufacturers can now avoid closed, proprietary technologies. The entire enterprise is benefiting from the many open advantages that Ethernet has provided as the office networking de facto standard for years. These advantages include immediate access to information; reduced set up, maintenance, components, and training costs; ease of use; and infinite network scalability," Tullo continues.
Factory-level networks of PLCs, I/O, HMIs and related hardware and software can bring superior monitor and control functions, as well as automatic reporting and remote capabilities that "reduce and often eliminate troubleshooting and downtime while increasing productivity and quality," with 24/7 access "from anywhere in the world," notes Tullo.
As a result, control engineers can no longer afford to simply focus on equipment. Now, they must be aware of the latest technologies, like industrial Ethernet, that will allow them to play an integral role in achieving company-wide goals in order to stay competitive. New packaged automation systems, such as remote monitoring and control and vendor managed inventory (VMI), are being implemented in conjunction with Ethernet networks to achieve those goals, connecting every process component to the rest of the enterprise and providing the necessary edge needed in a highly competitive marketplace.
GE Fanuc''s VersaMax CPU E05 (pictured), for example, is a low-cost PLC processor with built-in Ethernet connectivity. The recently introduced VersaMax SE is a PLC accessory that enables Ethernet connection via a serial port on the controller. And the company''s CIMPLICITY® VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) provides manufacturers and suppliers with a real-time, Web-based inventory management solution.
Not Just the Data, Ma''am
Automation technology will focus more on data collection and analysis, according to Joseph Biondo, product manager of drives and controls at Bosch Automation Technology. "Greater connectivity between automation devices and the intra/Internet, coupled with a proliferation of software firms specializing on leveraging this technology" will make real-time reporting and analysis a reality for more users, predicts Biondo."Users will be able to, through data collection and enhanced software, generate a report based on actual machine data of the projected yield, total downtime, and most importantly, projected maintenance issues. We will see large company reporting in smaller and smaller firms, which will enable their products to become more competitive as they reduce waste and idle time," he adds.
Biondo sees innovations in communication software increasingly connecting devices and networks. Bosch is now "working with a software firm to allow our motion controller to communicate through a firewall to the Internet," he adds. Such technology could allow OEMs to "view machine status/fault information, firmware revisions, and other data globally, Biondo tells IEN. In the future, "we will be seeing more integrated motion elements, such as servomotor/drive/control combinations that require only fieldbus and power connections."
Applications that were once controlled with hydraulics and pneumatics are now being controlled with electric servos to increase productivity, diagnostics and yield, resulting in decreased setup time. Customers are also "specifying proportional/servo valves in applications that were once done with directional valves, as the applications become more demanding and the price of the technology decreases," Biondo says."In general, we are seeing a shift toward more precision in devices used for motion, with electric motion replacing fluid power, and more accurate fluid power replacing directional valve technology," he concludes.
Information Anywhere, Everywhere
Stephan Borres, director of PLC systems and Transparent Factory for Schneider Electric, believes that the "need for a seamless flow of information throughout the enterprise will be the major force behind automation technologies, particularly PLC development, over the next few years."
Schneider Electric''s Transparent Factory automation architecture is being developed to restructure factory floor data, methods and processes through the Ethernet, PCs and the Web. In Borres'' view the PLC has "become a component of the flow, not the organizer. Customers are shifting to smaller but more powerful PLCs, with embedded intelligence and Internet technologies. Whether they sit on the executive floor or on the plant floor, customers want real-time information."
According to Borres, "seamless information flow has become the key to automation success." The use of open architecture, including the Ethernet, PCs and the Worldwide Web, is now driving the market.
The impact and influence of information technology is also changing the basis for vendor selection and buying criteria. The market will force a consolidation of suppliers. For customers, that will mean fewer vendors but a wider selection of automation choices. The ability to offer integration services will be more important to customers than products when it comes to selecting a vendor. In addition to services, other growth areas will be HMI and unbundled I/O.
Most of the growth in PLC sales in 2000 will come from outside Europe, North America and Japan as developing markets skip an automation generation, Borres believes. These emerging manufacturing centers are "adopting commercially available open technologies such as Ethernet, PCs and the Web, leap-frogging over the pains of proprietary systems experienced by the developed nations in the 1990s."