Simotion 4.1 gains more Profinet functions

Thanks to the enhanced performance of the PC-based Simotion P control unit and the new Simatic ET 200S high-speed peripheral devices, cycle times of 250us with isochronous real time (IRT) are now reached. This is the basis for highly dynamic closed-loop control circuits, such as those needed for hydraulic applications with position and pressure control. With Simotion V4.1, it is possible to synchronise hydraulic as well as electrical drives with each other. As a result, integrated automation systems can be implemented for conveyor systems and press lines in the automotive industry, for example. Simotion 4.1 ensures synchronisation not only of electrical drives such as those used for coilers, cross-cutters, and roll feeds, but also of hydraulic drives such as those used for deep drawing presses.

With Simotion 4.1, Simotion controllers can be configured as control units and devices at the same Profinet interface. This means that hierarchical automation structures and modular machine concepts can be implemented easily and without any additional components. Profinet I/O communication with any higher-level controller such as the Simatic S7 takes place as device while Simotion simultaneously serves as a Profinet I/O controller in order to operate locally assigned drives and input/output modules as device. In addition, IRT controller-controller relationships can be used for distributed axis synchronisation across several Simotion units. Due to the flexible selection of controller and device classes, tasks such as central machine logic and motion control can be separated and implemented easily as modular solutions.

Modular machines made easier

With automatic topology recognition in Profinet, Simotion supports additional functions for the implementation of modular machine concepts. Solely based on the position in the network, Simotion can recognise the address and function without any further position-dependent indicators. This enables flexible modification of a machine through the addition or removal of a machine module with Simotion as the control system. An existing configuration can therefore be adapted to new tasks and market requirements without requiring a programming device for system reconfiguration.

Thanks to the new Redundant Sync Master function, Profinet makes it possible to improve availability in modular motion control applications. Due to the use of controller-to-controller communication with IRT, Simotion can be used to implement axis synchronization across several controllers. To do this, a control unit must act as the master and stipulate the cycle for all other control units. If the master fails or is switched off due to alteration of the machine configuration, another Simotion controller can take over the role of the sampling master, without a cycle being lost in the existing IRT network. This means that the machine can continue working with the remaining modules.

Further information is available at www.siemens.de/simotion.