Posted to News on 10th Jun 2009, 16:03
See Profibus and AS-i equipment networked in real time
The Profibus and Profinet User conference, scheduled for 16 and 17 June in Stratford-upon-Avon this year, is bringing together some of the most experienced Profibus engineers and lecturers from around the world. One workshop session, run by three Profibus experts and lecturers not linked to any supplier, is entitled Bringing it All Together; here, equipment from several different vendors will be built into a working network, during the workshop hands-on session. The objective is to demonstrate the open structure and interconnectivity of Profibus by integrating a number of different devices into a small network. The network will be operated using a simple Profibus master, giving basic control. Three communication technologies will be demonstrated: Profibus DP, PA and also fibre optics. Just to make matters more like a real-world site, an AS-i network will also be integrated into the system.
The presenters will aim to guide delegates through the design process, component selection and methods of interconnection used while the network is being built - in front of their own eyes! This challenge has been taken up by three presenters who are also involved in other lectures at the conference, as they are renowned experts in the field: Mark Cargill of MWH Consulting, Scott Davis of Tycon Automation, and Dennis van Booma of Procentec in Holland. Hopefully their reputations will still be intact when the network they construct springs into life!
For more information on the Profibus and Profinet User Conference, the suppliers and the exhibition, go to www.profi-bus.co.uk or contact Profibus UK on +44 (0)20 8144 9597, or email [email protected].
About the presenters
Mark Cargill is well known to delegates at earlier Profibus conferences: previously a Principal Electrical Engineer at Enpure, a contracting company in the water and wastewater industry, Cargill has now taken a role in the in the Field Comms and Profibus Knowledge Support Team at MWH Consulting to help develop and share best practice. In the main conference Cargill will present a paper discussing how to Design your Profibus network for future expansion - a problem faced many times in his water industry career.
Scott Davis has been heavily involved in the design of standard software function blocks for Profibus and other intelligent systems that have been adopted by a number of utility companies in the UK. As an associate lecturer working in partnership with Andy Verwer and Mark Cargill at the Manchester Metropolitan University Profibus Competency Centre, Davis has been assisting with the delivery of the Certified Profibus Installer and the Profibus Maintenance and Commissioning courses at the university and on sites across the UK. Davis will also lead another workshop in this event, on the installation of Profibus networks.
Dennis van Booma is the general manager and main contact at PROCENTEC Netherlands, the Profibus competence centre and test laboratory for that region. Van Booma has been involved in many large Profibus projects and has developed the Profibus and Profinet education system. His inspiring Profibus workshops have been presented to major companies involved in automation projects across the world. In Stratford, van Booma will also present a hands-on workshop with a Profinet handheld tester and software tools. In this session the participants will gain experience with the tools that are available for Profinet installation and engineering.
