Entries for the 'Automation' Category

OMAC is hosting its annual PackML workshop on May 22 at the Chicago Marriot O’Hare. The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) helps manufacturers and suppliers work together to identify new and innovative ways to increase the effectiveness of their production operations.  Siemens will be offering a hands-on PackML Programming and Installation workshop, led by experts in PackML implementation on the Siemens platform. DMC’s David Sestrich will be there al...

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TwinSAFE is a module of Beckhoff’s TwinCAT programming software that allows a programmer to set up safety logic for Beckhoff Safety PLC’s. I've picked up a few tips and tricks in my time working with TwinSAFE, and I hope you will find them useful. 1. SafeAND – Use A Standard Bool As you develop your safety program, you’ll notice that most of your inputs will be required to safety bool input. However, when using a SafeAND block, your first input (and only your fi...

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Every year, we look forward to sharing industry innovations and best practices at the Siemens Automation Summit. The 2017 Siemens Automation Summit will be held from June 26-29 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Hundreds of automation professionals will take advantage of networking and training sessions focused on interacting with the latest Siemens solutions and products. We're proud to be among the many presenters at this year's summit. If ...

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ProTool is an HMI software package from Siemens. Most people (myself included) are most familiar with WinCC Flexible and Portal as the two primary Siemens HMI software packages. ProTool is the predecessor to WinCC Flex, and was phased out in 2004. So, what do you do if you have an HMI stuck in ProTool? Luckily, the conversion to WinCC Flex is very straightforward. Why Convert? There are several good reasons to convert your project from ProTool to WinCC Flex.  Many current Siemen...

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Back in 2011, DMC attained the most Siemens Certified Engineers in the United States when eight of our employees passed the Siemens Global Certification or Recertification exams. We have grown as a company since then, and so have the number of Siemens experts at DMC!  DMC is proud to continue to have the most Siemens Certified engineers in the United States. Thirty-one DMC engineers have met all of the requirements for the Global Technical Certification in the SIMATIC Technology areas...

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DMC has often encountered a scenario where a customer wants to have a motor drive follow the position of an external encoder. However, a regular 1500 PLC does not allow you to directly gear to an external encoder; this functionality requires a 1500T PLC. The T-series processors allow much more complex motion control, but are also more overhead for simpler projects. As it turns out, with a little creativity, it is possible to gear to an external encoder using a regular 1500 PLC. While you can&...

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RSLogix 5000 is very intuitive and easy to use PLC programming software used for Allen-Bradley PLCs. There are a few tips and tricks that are very useful to know starting out, especially if coming from a different PLC programming language. These will help increase efficiency, improve code structure, and avoid time-consuming downloads when commissioning. Set up Quick Keys for the Ladder Editor  Clicking around to build the Ladder code for PLCs can be time consuming. Rockwell has k...

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Look at you! You’re enterprising and a real go-getter! You’ve been working on an S7-1500 and can’t get your project to connect and download, but it’s not a problem. You know that all you need is a quick factory reset and you should be good to go.  Only this time, the factory reset doesn’t work.  Updating Firmware No fear. You notice that there is some new firmware available on the Siemens Industry Support Website. Way to go! No need to freak ...

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DMC is now a Wonderware Certified Systems Integrator in InTouch and System Platform! Certified Systems Integrators are able to integrate enterprise manufacturing systems in intricate, multi-level projects. What is the Wonderware SI Partner Program? Per Schneider Electric, “The Wonderware SI Partner Program is a multi-tier support system that recognizes participants by their level of experience and certification with Schneider Electric brands, market focus, and industry-related expert...

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DMC Project Director Tim Jager was featured in a recent issue of Control Engineering. Tim was interviewed for an article titled, "How to Select A System Integrator" (SI) along with representatives from Burrow Global Automation, Malisko Engineering, and ESE Inc. The article advocates, "Following a well-thought-out plan to find a system integrator is essential to ensure a successful outcome when hiring an expert." It then goes on to detail four steps to consider du...

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Version 1.4 has just been released for the Siemens Open Library. This includes a V13 SP1 update and also contains a Portal V14 beta release. Explore and download the Siemens Open Library at openplclibrary.com. V13 SP1 Update 9 contains the following updates: Added dynamic fonts to all HMI faceplates for variable size HMIs Updates to several Supplementary blocks Added official blocks for SIMOCODE and SIRIUS Soft Starter Resolved bug in fbIO_AnalogInput when using RTDs Fixed ...

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Indusoft is an HMI/SCADA platform that can be used with a variety of different PLCs. At DMC, we’ve used Indusoft with several PLC platforms, including Beckhoff, Omron, and Mitsubishi. Below, I’ve outlined a few tips and tricks that I’ve used to accelerate Indusoft development.   Indusoft Tip 1: Refer to the PLC Make sure that your driver sheet I/O addresses refer to something in the PLC. If you are using symbolic tags, the tag must exist in the PLC or Indusoft wil...

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Have you ever wanted to read current, torque, or power data from your Siemens variable frequency drive (VFD) without having to change your telegram or communication configuration? Well, you are in the right place! The guide below will walk you through how to acyclic read or write any drive parameter with your Siemens PLC.  Acyclic communication to a Siemens drive may seem like an impossible, obscure language, so the goal of this article is to translate it into something more understandab...

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The GraphWorX64 software from Iconics is a powerful tool for building HMIs. As an upgrade from GraphWorX32, it offers several new features that allow the designer more flexibility and ease of use. The purpose of this blog post is to focus on the new Smart Symbol feature, and how it can greatly simplify HMI development. What is a Smart Symbol? A Smart Symbol is essentially a group of objects that have their properties and data exposed at the group level. Creating a Smart Symbol is extremely...

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The Siemens Open Library marked its 1000th download this week. The free, open source function block library was launched in June 2016 through a partnership between DMC and Siemens. The library aims to be a resource for consistency, usability, and faster development for the Siemens community. The library has continued to evolve since its initial release. Updates have included the inclusion of all of DMC’s library, which included a large number of Function Blocks and Function calls. Addit...

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DMC recently discovered that there are some unique settings associated with configuring a Siemens G120 Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) with extended safety functionality using the onboard terminals. This blog is meant to be a guide for this type of configuration to avoid troublesome and difficult-to-diagnose issues. Hardware Setup In this particular situation, we used an S7-400H PLC to control a CU240E-2 VFD. The S7-400H can be configured with two CPUs in a fully redundant PLC setup, bu...

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For anyone debugging a program, a scope can be an extremely efficient tool for determining the cause of an issue. A scope allows you to monitor a variable (or multiple) in real time, which is a great way of viewing and debugging specific parts of the machine process.  In Beckhoff, TwinCAT 3 offers a very straightforward built-in scope. In this article, I'll detail how to set up a scope to debug a program. Like TwinCAT 3, the TwinCAT 3 Scope is integrated into...

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Whether you are starting from scratch or adding functionality to an existing setup, B&R Automation Studio makes it easy to add and configure hardware. This article is part of a multi-part series that will guide you through the required steps to set up a new project, add a CPU and I/O modules, and map the I/O channels to variables in your code. This section will focus on creating a new project and adding a CPU, Select Unit, and I/O module. Note: The work is done using Automation Studio Ver...

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DMC is proud to present at the Axis NJ 2016 Automation Expo on Thursday, October 27, 2016. Project Director Jon Carson will lead the keynote address on the topic of cyber security at 12:00 p.m. The Axis NJ Automation Expo is an annual event hosted by Axis Industrial Automation Solutions that provides a venue to learn about new products, technologies, and industry trends. The theme of this year's expo is "Increasing Productivity through Advancements in Automation Technology."...

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MatrikonOPC Server allows you to connect OPC clients like HMIs, SCADA systems, and other custom applications to a wide range of Siemens PLCs (S7-200, S7-300, S7-1500, etc.) via Ethernet.  This blog shows you how to configure a Siemens S7-300 PLC in MatrikonOPC Server to connect to an HMI or any other OPC client.   Configuring a Siemens PLC Channel One of the benefits of using MatrikonOPC Server is easy, step-by-step configuration through the Siemens PLCs Configuration Wizar...

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