To produce 900,000 tons of cement annually, the Holcim cement plant in the Eclépens municipality (canton of Vaud, Switzerland) operates 24 hours a day and over 300 days a year as a very much function-oriented plant. At the heart of the plant, a traveling crane plays a key role in the production process.
Even modern fieldbuses like PROFIBUS are unable to maintain their perfect post-installation condition indefinitely. Some "aging" is inevitable and this could eventually lead to bus faults and costly production losses. These problems can be avoided by continuously monitoring the PROFIBUS networks. The Softing solution deployed at the Aschaffenburg paper mill delivers benefits that receive the “thumbs up” from its staff.
The term 'security' alone causes a media storm – one glance at newspapers and online news sites is all it takes and everyone is in the thick of the discussion around cyber security. Automation and communication technology are not spared from this. This can sometimes create the impression that issues surrounding IT security are a new phenomenon. The experts of PI have concerned themselves for many years with the issue of secure operation of communication technology components, which by nature have always been tightly networked. Also new to the discussion is that the areas of safety and security are moving closer together.
Flying machines built according to plans devised by Leonardo da Vinci centuries ago are one of the latest attractions in Germany's largest amusement park, Europa-Park, in Rust outside of Freiburg. Industrial automation technology with wireless and fail-safe Industrial Wireless Local Area Network (IWLAN) and PROFINET communication provides the required safety for the rail-guided "sightseeing flight." Da Vinci would be impressed!
UK-based Fortress Interlocks manufactures premium safety interlock systems for industrial applications. These interlocks are used to help prevent a machine from harming its operator or damaging itself. The interlocks stop the machine whenever certain states occur such as the opening of a door or the push of a button.
Snijders Intelligent Automation designs and manufactures electrical panels for many industrial and commercial sectors, including maritime. The Barwon Water biosolids drying facility is a fully enclosed thermal drying operation in Australia. Both are using PROFIBUS to maximize transparency and uptime. (more…)
When you think about how to keep grain operations running smoothly with zero downtime and no undetected safety hazards or unnecessary operating costs, the Internet of Things is probably not the first answer that comes to mind. (more…)
Solland Silicon in Meran, Italy, is one of the leading companies in silicon manufacturing for the photovoltaic industry. The factory in Meran, Italy, belongs to the PUFIN Power Group and is a chemical manufacturing operation. They have used PROFIBUS since the 1990’s and now use PROFINET as well.