Flexible manufacturing systems implementation is causing more attention to be paid to programmable logic controllers and PCs in industrial environments. PCs flexible programmability enables manufacturing systems to be quickly adapted to the automation task at hand. The structures of high performance communications increase the efficiency of modern automation projects and ensure the required flexibility.
A critical building block of industrial communication is made up by the networks and components collectively known as Simatic NET. This system offers a wide variety of communications processors (CPs) and Windows based software solutions for connecting programming units (PGs) and PCs to Ethernet and Profibus. A standardized manufacturer independent software interface for connecting applications such as HMI systems has been created with OPC.
The Simatic NET OPC server supports the PC interface, which can be used for visualizing a wide automation variety of components that are networked via Profibus or Industrial Ethernet. The following access points of communication network are available via the OPC server and are part of the Simatic NET communications software for Profibus and Industrial Ethernet.
Profibus
• S5 compatible communication (FDL)
• S7 communication
• DP communication
• FMS communication
Industrial Ethernet
• S5 compatible communication (FDL)
• S7 communication
• TCP/IP native communication
Communication with CBA (Component based Automation) via the PROFInet standard is managed by the PN OPC server (PROFInet OPC server). This product supports access to PROFInet variables.
OPC allows manufacturing and process data to be accessed via the Internet for the first time with the new OPC XML-DA standard. The OPC server is set up as a web service. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) serves as the inter-action protocol, with HTTP as the transport protocol.
The Simatic NET OPC server is capable of distributing jobs to various communications systems. This allows an OPC client to use simultaneously multiple protocols when accessing a single OPC server.