Software with built-in prototype functionality speeds time
to market for control panel builders, system integrators, and original
equipment manufacturers through its ability to handle design, setup and testing
of control panel components prior to assembly. As a result, this capability enables
users of the software to improve quality, reduce risk, ease integration,
streamline commissioning, and better manage product lifecycles compared to
paper-based project documentation, which has a tendency to be difficult to find
when needed the most.
By running diagnostics prior to assembly, digital prototyping
functionality allows for easier control panel upgrades, lowering costs over the
lifecycle of the control cabinet or panel, and can be used to connect
components beyond the control panel. Multiple entrants in Control Engineering's Control Panel Design Contest over the past
two years cite the value of such software tools.
While software cannot do everything, and no software
package provides all of the following functionality, control panel designers
may use software for:
Electrical design;
3-D prototyping for
component selection and layout;
Control panel
compliance regulations, such as UL 508A, the Standard of Safety for Industrial
Control Panels, ANSI/UL 347,
"High Voltage Industrial Control Equipment," and ANSI/UL 508C, "Power Conversion Equipment,"
among other standards.
Control software
design, analysis and testing, and integration with human-machine interface and
networks; and
3-D motion simulations
for motion-related devices connected to the panel.
During control panel design, software can be used to caution
the user about incompatibilities during design development. Product images and
dimensions can be imported from libraries of components, and the software can
suggest placeholders, links and missing components. Bills of material,
incorporating and checking for compatibilities from multiple manufacturers, may
be automatically generated. Built-in guides and wizards can also be used to automate
many design steps, transferring input/output tags from design to runtime
software, saving time and eliminating a source for errors.
Knowledge gained from prior projects, as well as other
areas of an organization can be incorporated into design software, thereby
allowing for on-the-fly collaboration over multiple locations on an ongoing,
as-needed basis.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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