On the morning of Day 2 at the SPS/IPC/Drives show in Nuremberg, PI held their annual press conference to present the headlines with respect to PROFIBUS and PROFINET. Couldn’t make it that early in the morning? Here’s your wrap-up. In short, the presentation covered:
- PROFINET in Machine Building,
- New Guidelines,
- PI in China,
- FDI News,
- PI Conference 2015.
PROFINET perfect for machine building
Machine builders are also facing increasing competition. In a global market in which individualized products are expected, the demand is for innovative and flexible machines. PROFINET can excel here. It is not only the high performance of PROFINET and the accompanying high-precision isochronous communication suitable for motion control tasks that is important here. PROFINET provides an extensive set of functions over the entire life cycle of a machine. For example, commissioning is accelerated by the automatic assignment of IP addresses during device integration in system networks. Thanks to standardized interfaces, subcomponents can be tested in advance and flexibly integrated into machines later on. During operation, comprehensive diagnostics ensure fast troubleshooting and thus short downtimes. Because PROFINET is integrated seamlessly in existing Ethernet networks, innovative remote maintenance concepts are also optimally supported. See how this concept is being employed to manufacture the Boeing 787.
Guidelines for every step in the lifecycle
For Technology Providers, PI provides:
- Specifications
- Test Specifications
For Device Manufacturers:
- GSD Spec / Tool
- Diagnostics Guideline
For OEMs:
- Design Guideline
- Cabling and Assembly Guideline
Finally at the end of the chain, PI provides Users with:
- Commissioning Guideline
- System Descriptions
All of these documents are accessible on the PROFIBUS/PROFINET International website.
PI in China
PROFIBUS is more successful in China than ever. Leading market research firms report PROFIBUS as the most widely used fieldbus. To increase acceptance, PI has long pursued a strategy of promoting development of not only international standards but also local, country-specific industry standards. This is especially important in China. In 2006, PROFIBUS was the first well-known fieldbus to achieve the status of a national standard (GB/T), which contributed significantly to its installed market base. Now there are numerous applications in a wide range of production automation and process automation industries. This course was also taken at an early stage with PROFINET, which achieved the status of GB/T in 2014.
After meeting its goals for standardization, PI will now concentrate its future efforts on further expanding the installed base of its technology. In doing so, special emphasis will be placed on training. Accordingly, the schedule for 2015 again includes Technology Roadshows, where developers, engineers and commissioning engineers will be trained in using PROFIBUS and PROFINET. Activities for establishing an accredited training center are underway, in order to establish local training opportunities for users in their native language on an ongoing basis.
Four application stories from China were also presented at the press conference, one each from ABB, Endress+Hauser, Siemens, and GE.
More about the Chinese GB/T standard can be found here.
FDI News
As planned, the FDI Cooperation LLC will dissolve in mid-2015, once its work is complete. After which, PI and the FieldComm Group are proposing to join forces under the framework of a long-term cooperation. This is because as FDI technology is adopted in the the marketplace, continuous further development and support are required.
Read more about PI’s involvement and what it means for the technologies here.
PI Conference 2015
The 4th PI Konferenz will take place on March 11-12, 2015, at the Technik Museum in Speyer (Germany). As this is the 25th anniversary year since the founding of PI the tagline is: “Network of the future – Partner of users for 25 years” The day and half event will feature an introduction from Michael Ziesemer (ZVEI) and a presentation from Prof. Gunter Duek among other technical workshops and C-Level talks.
For more information on the PI Konferenz, please see this article.