Made in Germany (Youtube.com)

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Energy Efficiency: The Secret to Sustainable Machines

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The focus for machine design is no longer simply maintaining acceptable production rates at an appropriate level of quality. Automation professionals are now deploying technologies in clever ways to improve the energy efficiency of their automated machinery.

Because their company invests in both, this group of machine designers was able to specify smaller motors and recover otherwise wasted energy on the new high-speed beverage palletizing machine that they had developed recently. Because of these and other efficiencies, the new machine now has a cycle time that is 15 percent to 20 percent faster than its predecessors, and consumes about 20 percent less energy.

These engineers have discovered what a growing number of their colleagues in other companies are finding: automation vendors have not only developed energy-efficient technology, but have also acquired substantial expertise in deploying it. Both this technology and expertise can be quite helpful to machine designers in mitigating rising energy costs and in adhering to tighter governmental environmental regulations.

In T-Tek’s case, the designers worked with the engineering staff at Bosch Rexroth Corp., in Hoffman Estates, Ill., to install one of that vendor’s servo systems. Scott Hibbard, vice president of technology at Bosch, attributes the success to four sustainability principles that his company applies to help users reduce the environmental impact of their machines: efficient components, energy recovery, energy on demand, and energy-conscious design.

Application of the first principle, building motion-and-control systems from efficient components, allows engineers to reduce the need for energy just about everywhere in a machine. Hibbard offers the examples of reducing sliding friction with roller bearings and adjusting power consumption on subsystems with intelligent drives wherever possible. Another example is reducing energy losses by installing pulse-width modulation (PWM)-driven, permanent magnet motors with segmented windings. “PWM has a much higher efficiency, less heating in the motor, and low losses in the bank of power transistors,” says Hibbard.

In automated machinery, motors are probably the most important component to consider for sustainability. The reason is that, according to most estimates, they account for at least 60 percent of industrial consumption of electricity.

Furthermore, “according to the U.S. Department of Energy, switching to a motor with a 4 percent to 6 percent higher efficiency rating can pay for itself in just two years, if the motor is in operation for more than 4,000 hours a year,” adds Brian MacCleery, product manager for the industrial embedded segment at National Instruments Corp., the Austin, Texas-based test and automation supplier. For this reason, many experts among users and vendors alike advocate using premium efficiency motors to reduce costs, as well as energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Improved Motor Efficiency

A characteristic of these premium motors is that they tend to be smaller and more compact. Boosting the efficiency of ever-smaller motors is a challenge that requires constant innovation in rotor, winding, stator and housing designs. “A bigger motor usually has a better efficiency than a small motor with the same power,” explains Harald Poesch, product marketing manager for servo motors at Siemens Industry Inc., in Alpharetta, Ga.

Another factor to consider is that every motor has a different efficiency at different speed and torque. “Efficiencies generally track at over 90 percent for a servo motor in the optimum range, and below 30 percent efficiency at very low speed,” adds Poesch. For this reason, vendors such as Siemens have been not only concentrating on maximizing efficiency at specific speeds, but also offering motors with high efficiencies over a wide range of speeds and torques. To avoid gearboxes and the energy losses associated with them, they also have been designing direct drive motors for low-speed, high-torque applications.

Of particular importance to T-Tek was Bosch Rexroth’s second sustainability principle of energy recovery. Also known as power-source regeneration, the principle exploits the fact that motors can act as generators whenever they decelerate, returning some energy to the power system, rather than dissipating all of it as heat. Using this technique, machinery can emulate electric cars that recharge their batteries as they go downhill or come to a stop.

“This has long been used in the kinds of drives found on metal-cutting machine tools—especially those with large or high-speed spindles—because of the great amount of energy that can be returned,” reports Hibbard. “In other areas, such as automation and packaging, this practice has not been as widespread.”

His third sustainability principle, energy on demand, is to generate only the amount of energy needed. For many applications, this means installing variable-speed drives so that motors fitted to them can run at slower speeds when running continuously at full speed is unnecessary. The drives also eliminate less efficient mechanical means for varying speed, and can reduce power-line disturbances and power demand at start. The energy savings with the correct drive-motor combination can often exceed 60 percent, according to Mark Kenyon, product manager for AC drives at vendor ABB Inc., in Milwaukee.

The classic example is a conventional hydraulic pump, which often relies on an induction motor that runs continuously and requires air conditioning or another system to dissipate heat. “The first step to improve efficiency is to control the induction motor with a variable-speed drive to bring the pump into an idle mode when possible,” says Hibbard at Bosch Rexroth. “This process greatly improves efficiency.”

He notes, however, that a variable-frequency drive on an induction motor may not be responsive enough when an instantaneous hydraulic response is expected. For these applications, he suggests replacing the drive and motor with an intelligent servo drive and permanent-magnet motor. “Intelligent drives can actually be part of the cycle process, monitoring the energy need and adjusting pump output accordingly,” he says.

Driving Efficiency

Until recently, the energy savings from using drives was often transparent to users because it had to be calculated using theoretical software tools. “Today’s drives have the ability to display the actual energy savings in currency,” says Kenyon at ABB. “In addition to real-time energy savings, today’s products can also display the greenhouse gas reduction by showing how much CO2 (carbon dioxide) has not been emitted.”

Drives can contribute to sustainability in other ways. They, for example, offer better control over operating parameters—current, acceleration and torque. Better control over the motor, in turn, helps to improve productivity by making quality control easier, decreasing scrap rates, and reducing maintenance problems from wear and tear.

Kenyon adds that another important contribution to sustainability is reducing the hazardous materials being put into landfills. “To that end, today’s drives comply with the Reduction of Hazardous Substances guidelines, which eliminate the use of lead, hexavalant chromium and cadmium,” he says.

When applying the fourth sustainability principle, energy-conscious system design, engineers look at optimizing the machine as a whole, not just one component or a group of subcomponents. Increasing the efficiency of the machine usually reduces energy consumption per piece. An oft-overlooked means of increasing efficiency is to shorten the cycle time. “Using 20 percent more energy to reduce a cycle time by 40 percent is a net savings,” notes Hibbard.

An optimization project should also include an analysis of how the machine consumes power. The first step is to identify how it is consuming and wasting energy and other resources. “You can’t control what you can’t measure,” explains Doug Burns, manager of sustainability practices at Milwaukee-based supplier Rockwell Automation Inc. For this reason, he recommends reviewing machines for fitting them with appropriate sensors.

Adding Sensors

The kind of sensor depends on the machine. “In many cases, it may be as simple as adding a power meter on the main incoming feed,” he says. “Putting a $750 to $1,000 meter onto a high-end converting machine is not a big issue. If, however, it’s a $40,000 semi-automatic machine, then you’re not going to put a $750 meter on it.” In that case, an intelligent overload relay or something else in the existing control system may be able to provide an estimate of energy consumption.

The next step of a power-consumption analysis is to study the trends in the data, looking for opportunities for generating efficiencies in the system. One tactic is to focus on the largest points of energy consumption in the duty cycle, specifying or installing whatever energy-efficient components would be practical for reducing that consumption. Because motors are the components that usually consume the most energy on machines, many engineers begin with high-efficiency motors.

Because a high-efficiency motor may save only 2 or 3 efficiency points, Burns recommends looking at the mechatronics of the entire power train—gearboxes, gear reducers and mechanical drive trains, as well as the motors. Those other devices may be operating in the 50 percent efficiency range. “Can you do this with higher-efficiency gearboxes, direct-drive motors or lower-power drives?” he asks.

Another tactic for analyzing trends is to find wasted motion. “We’ve all been by a piece of equipment running without cans on the conveyor, if you will,” offers Burns. His solution is to reprogram all of the equipment to run at current production rates. If nothing is going through a machine, then the controller should turn off or phase down the conveyor and other energy consumers—keeping in mind, of course, the need to power up quickly. Sometimes, the sequence or profile of a power-up can affect power consumption.

A multidisciplinary team of controls and mechanical engineers should conduct such analyses. A number of multidomain simulation tools, such as NI SoftMotion for SolidWorks, exist for streamlining the effort. These tools simulate mechanical motion and control software together, which allows multidisciplinary teams to optimize machine designs. “I can make the mechanicals lighter,” says MacCleery at National Instruments. “I can choose the right size motor. And I can even design my control software before the actual machine is built.”

Schneider Electric, in Raleigh, N.C., also recently introduced a multi-domain solution called MachineStruxure architecture for optimizing machine designs. Part of the vendor’s EcoStruxure energy-management architecture, the software allows designing, commissioning and maintaining logic, drive, motion, and human-machine interface (HMI) controllers in one environment. The company claims that the embedded intelligence can help users to generate energy savings as great as 30 percent.

Bottom line

To illustrate the benefits of a system-wide analysis, Poesch at Siemens offers a pump application in which a conventional motor is connected directly to the power supply without a drive. In this scheme, the motor runs at only one speed when it is on; the only other option is off. “By switching to a high-efficiency standard motor, the machine designer or retrofitter could raise the efficiency a few percent and therefore save some energy without sacrificing any performance,” he says.

Greater savings would often possible by adding a variable-speed drive and synchronizing it with pressure, flow or another appropriate control parameter to allow adjusting the speed of the motor to the requirements of the system. The next level of analysis would entail determining profiles of the dynamics and speed of the motor throughout the machine’s operating cycle. Armed with this information, you can select the optimal motor and drive for the machine.

Taking the trouble to conduct such a thorough systems analysis, rather than simply retrofitting with the latest high-efficiency motor, can pay handsome dividends. “It would be quite feasible to realize energy savings in a range from 2 percent up to 70 percent, depending on the application,” says Poesch.

For most applications, however, Burns at Rockwell reports more modest returns. His rule of thumb for savings is 20 percent to 25 percent for machines such as packaging and conversion machines that have undergone technology upgrades and programming optimization. With returns such as these, it’s no wonder that the secret has gotten out that sustainable machines can pay.

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DESIGN & CONFIGURATION RSLogix 5000 - Manual

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Save time in development using digital/analog I/O faceplates or any one of the more complex device, network or application faceplates with premier device integration | Learn more

• Integrated Architecture Brozine - Page 6 [10MB PDF]

Promote design efficiencies like reusability, improved quality and reduced engineering time with modular programming | Learn more

• Integrated Architecture Brozine - Page 52 [10MB PDF]

Globally deploy a single project file that's viewable in each user's native language with multilingual software and project documentation with language switching | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 12 [21MB PDF]

Reduce development and commissioning time by eliminating the need to design/manage addressing allocation with tag-based addressing | Learn more

• Integrated Architecture Brozine - Page 6 [10MB PDF]

Save engineering time by creating your own reusable AOIs with custom AOIs | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 10 [21MB PDF]

Promote consistency between projects when you reuse common algorithms with custom AOIs | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 10 [21MB PDF]

Simplify debugging by using animated data values from a specific instance of an AOI with custom AOIs | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 10 [21MB PDF]

Add, edit, or replace programs, routines and AOIs while the system is running without affecting production with runtime partial import | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 12 [21MB PDF]

Deploy changes or additions developed and tested offline to a running system with runtime partial import | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 11 [21MB PDF]

Administer security centrally based on users, groups and/or controllers, allow viewing of routines while preventing modification with security/protection of intellectual property | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 6 [21MB PDF]

Apply source protection | Learn more

Help to program applications difficult to control with traditional PID instructions with advanced process control function block instructions | Learn more

• RSLogix 5000 Product Profile - Page 12 [21MB PDF]

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STEP 7 Hardware Support Packages (HSPs - as at 03/2011) for installing hardware updates in the Hardware Configuration

DescriptionAttached are the latest Hardware Support Packages for STEP 7 ready for downloading.
The Hardware Support Packages will permit you to configure modules that are not contained in the hardware catalog of your STEP 7 installation.
As from STEP 7 V5.2 you have the option of updating the hardware catalog via the Hardware Support Packages.

How to update the hardware catalog of your STEP 7 installation using this download is described in Entry ID: 22374877 .

You obtain a list of the Hardware Support Packages contained in the download by first downloading the "STEP7_HSP.zip" file. You then unpack the Zip file and open the "HSP_Viewer.html" file contained in it with your Internet browser.

Fig. 01

You can change the language directly in the opened HSP viewer.

Fig. 02

Contents	Download
Download of the Hardware Support Packages	( 19195 KB )

Keywords
HSP, Module catalog, HW Config, HW update, Hardware configuration, Hardware update, Configured module, Update

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Service Pack 4 (SP4) for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0

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Service Pack 4 (SP4) for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 has been released for delivery. It will be included on the DVD of STEP 7 V5.4 SP4, as well as on the STEP 7 Professional 2006 SR5 DVD. It is also available for free downloading via the Internet.

The SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On software package enables STEP 7 users to create PROFINET components without having to install SIMATIC iMap.

What’s NEW in Service Pack 4?

SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 SP4 provides the following new features:

·         Improved PROFINET CBA consistency check with display of the results in a separate window. Context aids are available for the error messages or warnings.

·         Composed data types which can include additional composed data types, e.g. multidimensional arrays and structures of arrays and structures, are supported for devices with PROFINET runtime version V2.3 and higher. This functionality can only be used in conjunction with SIMATIC iMap V3.0 SP1.

• Version numbers for functions can be specified when creating the PROFINET interface and will be displayed in SIMATIC iMap in the features of the PROFINET component.

How can the Service Pack be obtained?

The following options exist to obtain the Service Pack:

• DownloadAs usual, we are offering a free download.
• Service Pack 4 for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 included on the installation CD of STEP 7 V5.4 SP4 
  The SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On version V3.0 SP4 is included on the installation CD 2 of STEP 7 version V5.4 SP4. This means that all customers with a Software Update Service agreement for STEP 7 will get the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On automatically. Furthermore, the iMap STEP 7 Add-on V3.0 SP4 is also part of the download of SP4 for STEP 7 V.4.

Installation prerequisites for the Service Pack:
Installation of the SIMATIC  iMap STEP 7 Add-On necessitates STEP 7 including NCM for Industrial Ethernet and PROFIBUS. Please ensure that one of the following SIMATIC STEP 7 software packages is installed:

• STEP 7 V5.3 SP3 and higher
• STEP 7 Professional Edition 2004 SR3 and higher
• STEP 7 V5.4 and higher
• STEP 7 Professional Edition 2006 and higher

It is not necessary that an older version of the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On is installed.

Note:
If STEP 7 is not installed at all, or if an older version of STEP 7 than specified above is installed, the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On cannot be installed.

Installation:

• Please unpack the ZIP file to a temporary folder, and
• Start the installation by calling "Setup.exe"

Service Pack 4 for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0: SIMATICiMap-STEP7AddOnK3.0.4.0.zip ( 116798 KB )

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Profinet

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PROFINET has been described as the “all-encompassing Industrial Ethernet” because it supports virtually all automation functions in the manufacturing industries including discrete control, process automation, motion control, peer-to-peer integration, vertical integration with enterprise IT systems, functional safety, energy management, fast IO and much more.

Because PROFINET uses standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, it operates successfully over cabled networks and IEEE 802.11 wireless Ethernet. Wireless is a necessity when untethered devices like AGVs (Automatic Guided Vehicles) must be controlled. Installations using wireless in concert with PI's PROFIsafe profile shows how the combination of these two technologies can provide a powerful and effective solution in difficult applications such as cranes.

In motion control applications, PROFINET can control up to 150 axes in one millisecond, with no more than one microsecond of jitter. This makes it also suitable for demanding applications like printing presses.

PROFINET is the only Industrial Ethernet whose specification defines how Plant Asset Management (PAM) and other information needed by Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) is communicated.

PROFINET protects users’ investments in plant skills, equipment and networks by seamlessly integrating PROFIBUS installations, and other fieldbuses like Modbus and DeviceNet. This makes it easy and quick to migrate to Ethernet-based installations.

For more in detail, visit http://www.allthingsprofinet.com

While embracing industry standards like Ethernet, TCP/IP, XML, and OPC, PROFINET itself is an open standard supported by PI (PROFIBUS and PROFINET International). PI support means that engineers from top automation companies and end users are continually collaborating to enhance PROFINET's features and keep it in tune with the needs of industry.

To learn more, please use the navigation menu left, choosing the best path to suit your needs.

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Automation and Standards Bring New Life to an Old Machine

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Curt G. Joa Inc., Sheboygan Falls, Wis., is a builder of web converting machinery for manufacturers of disposable diapers and other household and medical paper products. Recently, a diaper manufacturer approached Curt G. Joa Inc. to help upgrade a converting machine that was outdated and increasingly expensive to fix.  

"Fifteen years ago, when this converting system was made, it was considered top-of-the-line," says Kevin Zeinemann, electrical engineering manager at Joa. "But at that time, plant-floor information was not a priority as it is today, when executives look for production data to help them make business decisions."

The old diaper machine employed several third-party systems, including a different human-machine interface (HMI), drive system and input/output (I/O) system, none of which communicated effectively with each other or with plantwide information systems. When the time came to add a new piece of end-of-line packaging equipment, the old system no longer had the functionality or the flexibility to accommodate the new addition.

To ease the transition to the new control platform, engineers at Joa standardized on Allen-Bradley/Rockwell for the new motion control, I/O and HMI products. The new devices, which were capable of interfacing with the existing equipment, were added in stages in order to meet the customer's objective of minimal disruption to production. They also standardized in terms of programming, using Rockwell's Power Programming tool and methodology, designed to allow users to leverage pre-engineered, ISA88-based modules of code across multiple machines and applications. This reportedly helped them reduce design and engineering costs by an average of 45 percent.

Modular programming
"That's the intent behind new modular programming guidelines recently incorporated into the (International Society of Automation's) ISA88 standard," says Dan Seger, principal engineer, Rockwell Automation Inc., Milwaukee. "The guidelines provide programmers with a broadly recognized and predictable machine state model and standardized data model to help ensure they speak the same language and use the same terminology consistently during machine design.

"With the ability to reuse definitions, structures and lines of code, programmers can better leverage prior work," Seger continues. He notes that this is particularly important as machine builders continue to assume more responsibility for designing "information-enabled" machines that are pre-configured and accurately coded with the operating and performance data that end-users need.

The people at Joa seem to agree. "Our partnership with Rockwell helped us to innovate without risking the flexibility our customers need or slowing our design process," says Zeinemann.

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OPC Foundation News From Around The World

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OPC UA and The Cloud Webinar and Demo Available:  A new end-user targeted webinar and demo is available which discusses how OPC UA is the ideal foundation for a cloud computing strategy for industrial automation applications. Link here.

OPC UA Java Stack Release Candidate Available:  The OPC Foundation is pleased to announce that the OPC UA Java Stack is now available as a release candidate. Download here.

6-steps to Success with OPC UA:  The OPC Foundation has witnessed significant interest in OPC UA adoption around the world. We have defined 6 simple steps to help you maximize your investment in OPC UA technology, from inception, to development and through to certification. Download this paper today.

OPC Foundation to Sponsor 2011 ARC Forum:  ARC's 2011 World Industry Forum: Driving Innovation, Sustainability and Performance will take place on February 7th-10th at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. This Forum will focus on challenges that wil help you develop winning strategies. It provides the ideal environment for industry executives to collaborate, share ideas and find new ways to attack their most pressing problems. The event includes sessions on the major issues facing our industry, with multiple tracks that enable executives to explore these topics from different perspectives. Click here for Information/Registration.

OPC Foundation Announces Release of OPConnect Issue 26:  The OPC Foundation and Automation World released OPConnect Issue 26. The newsletter can be found here.

OPC Foundation Announces Updates to OPC UA SDK:  The OPC Foundation Announces the updated release of the OPC UA SDK deliverables. The downloads are available here.

OPC Foundation Announces OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF) For OPC Classic:  Scottsdale, AZ October 25, 2010 - The OPC Foundation has announced the release of OPC .NET 3.0 (formerly known as OPC Express Interface (Xi)). This new API will enable users of OPC Classic to leverage the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology, facilitating the transfer of data securely through firewalls. Complete information can be found here.

OPC Foundation and MTConnect Institute Announce a Memorandum of Understanding:  OPC and MTConnect will cooperate in developing standards called MTConnectOpcUa. MTConnectOpcUa is a set of companion specifications to ensure interoperability and consistency between MTConnect specifications and OPC specifications, as well as the manufacturing technology equipment, devices, software or other products that implement those standards. [Full Story]

OPC UA Part 11 Historical Access Release Candidate Available:  The OPC Foundation annouces the availability of the Release Candidate for Part 11 - Historical Access specification. The document can be found here.

OPC UA Part 7 Profiles and Part 10 Programs New Drafts Available:  The OPC Foundation annouces the availability of new Drafts for Version 1.01 of the Profiles and Programs specifications. The documents can be found here.

OPC Foundation Announces Updates to OPC UA SDK:  The OPC Foundation Announces the updated release of the OPC UA SDK deliverables. The downloads are available here.

Using OPC UA and PLCopen to Create Better Automation Solutions : 
The webinar and slides ares now available online.

OPC Foundation OPC Xi Technology/Product Demonstration Webinar: 
The webinar demonstrating the OPC Xi Technology is available online.

A Whitepaper on the OPC UA Security Model is now available: 
The paper can be found here

More news can be found here.  

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SITEK installs large Siemens MES in Russia

December 20, 2010 - SITEK Group announced the launch of the largest implementation project on MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) in Russian Federation carried out by Siemens and Avtodizel (Yaroslavl Motor Works), a member of GAZ Group, Russia's second-largest auto companу.

Siemens' departments of Industry Automation and Drive Technologies, and Avtodizel launched the MES on November 22, 2010. The project aims to improve optimization of production and reduce costs through better production processes management at Avtodizel.

The agreement between the parties provides introduction of MCIS (Motion Control Information System) developed by Siemens as a corporate standard at Avtodizel. MCIS is an integrated solution that enables to automate production processes, improve product quality and productivity, reduce downtime, increase production efficiency.

Avtodizel opted on the solutions of Siemens MES Software (MCIS) after careful analysis and consideration of the leading players of the MES-solutions world market. SITEK Group was also chosen. High level of service and reliability of the created systems were determining factors in choosing project partners.

In today’s globally competitive and recessionary environment it is imperative that enterprises further eliminate waste, become leaner and more agile to respond to customer’s demand. The main way to realize a profit is to low production costs. Optimization of manufacturing processes, reducing overhead costs associated with the need to keep in stock some supplies of raw materials might help. It is known that in western practice leaders of various levels are provided with reliable and operational information on the current state of affairs in order to optimize costs without risking to break the production process. The automated production management system (MES) solves these tasks which functions include operational planning, reduction of material balances, monitoring, recording and analysis of losses, calculation of reserves and work in progress, as well as tracking the effectiveness of the use of equipment, monitoring its condition.

"We are creating an entirely new production: a fundamentally new engine, new engineering building, new approach to the engine development and production process taking into account modern standards of quality, new methods of production management, ─ said Victor Kadylkin, CEO of the Yaroslavl Motor Works. ─ We are striving to achieve European quality of work and any mistake in production costs more than ever before. Thanks to MCIS solution we expect to have rapid, reliable and accurate information at hands on the status of each machine at each site, and here we are completely rely on competence and experience of SITEK Group and Siemens».

Pavel Klepinin, CIO at Yaroslavl Motor Works added: "All machinery for a new engine production at Yaroslavl Motor Works is equipped with Siemens control equipment. А new uniform standard to control the equipment from the chip to a set of commands was agreed to draft with Siemens three years ago. All our machines are designed to meet this standard. It is obvious that MES will bring this standard to the level of production management tools and services. The use of machines and tools at our enterprise will become truly centralized, transparent and manageable."

Avtodizel (Yaroslavl Motor Works) – one of the largest Russian enterprises that specializes on diesel engines of a universal purpose manufacture, couplings and transmissions. The Yaroslavl engines are established on commercial cars, buses, main lorry convoys, career dump-body trucks, air field tractors, combine harvesters, timber carrying vessDecember 20, 2010 - SITEK Group announced the launch of the largest implementation project on MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) in Russian Federation carried out by Siemens and Avtodizel (Yaroslavl Motor Works), a member of GAZ Group, Russia's second-largest auto companу.

Siemens' departments of Industry Automation and Drive Technologies, and Avtodizel launched the MES on November 22, 2010. The project aims to improve optimization of production and reduce costs through better production processes management at Avtodizel.

The agreement between the parties provides introduction of MCIS (Motion Control Information System) developed by Siemens as a corporate standard at Avtodizel. MCIS is an integrated solution that enables to automate production processes, improve product quality and productivity, reduce downtime, increase production efficiency.

Avtodizel opted on the solutions of Siemens MES Software (MCIS) after careful analysis and consideration of the leading players of the MES-solutions world market. SITEK Group was also chosen. High level of service and reliability of the created systems were determining factors in choosing project partners.

In today’s globally competitive and recessionary environment it is imperative that enterprises further eliminate waste, become leaner and more agile to respond to customer’s demand. The main way to realize a profit is to low production costs. Optimization of manufacturing processes, reducing overhead costs associated with the need to keep in stock some supplies of raw materials might help. It is known that in western practice leaders of various levels are provided with reliable and operational information on the current state of affairs in order to optimize costs without risking to break the production process. The automated production management system (MES) solves these tasks which functions include operational planning, reduction of material balances, monitoring, recording and analysis of losses, calculation of reserves and work in progress, as well as tracking the effectiveness of the use of equipment, monitoring its condition.

"We are creating an entirely new production: a fundamentally new engine, new engineering building, new approach to the engine development and production process taking into account modern standards of quality, new methods of production management, ─ said Victor Kadylkin, CEO of the Yaroslavl Motor Works. ─ We are striving to achieve European quality of work and any mistake in production costs more than ever before. Thanks to MCIS solution we expect to have rapid, reliable and accurate information at hands on the status of each machine at each site, and here we are completely rely on competence and experience of SITEK Group and Siemens».

Pavel Klepinin, CIO at Yaroslavl Motor Works added: "All machinery for a new engine production at Yaroslavl Motor Works is equipped with Siemens control equipment. А new uniform standard to control the equipment from the chip to a set of commands was agreed to draft with Siemens three years ago. All our machines are designed to meet this standard. It is obvious that MES will bring this standard to the level of production management tools and services. The use of machines and tools at our enterprise will become truly centralized, transparent and manageable."

Avtodizel (Yaroslavl Motor Works) – one of the largest Russian enterprises that specializes on diesel engines of a universal purpose manufacture, couplings and transmissions. The Yaroslavl engines are established on commercial cars, buses, main lorry convoys, career dump-body trucks, air field tractors, combine harvesters, timber carrying vessels, dredges, etc. In 2001 Avtodizel became part of RusPromAvto company transformed later into GAZ Group (parent company).

Siemens (Berlin and Munich) ─ a world leader in electronics and electrical engineering. The concern operates in areas such as industry and energy, as well as in healthcare. Moreover Siemens is the world's largest supplier of environmentally safe technologies. More than 405 000 employees develop and manufacture products, design and build equipment and systems offering tailored solutions for specific customers. More than 160 years Siemens stands for technical progress, innovation, quality, reliability and international cooperation.

SITEK Group is a certified Competence center of MES-systems in mechanical engineering of Siemens and represents its interests in the CIS countries since 2008. SITEK Group supports global improvement by delivering control and visibility in manufacturing. SITEK Group serves 100+ customers in Russia, Europe and CIS delivering hi-tech automation MES-software. Its customers include AVTOVAZ, Zawolzhsky Motorny Zawod (ZMZ), Belarusian Autoworks (BELAZ), Minsk Tractor Works, Yaroslavl Motor Works and other. els, dredges, etc. In 2001 Avtodizel became part of RusPromAvto company transformed later into GAZ Group (parent company).

Siemens (Berlin and Munich) ─ a world leader in electronics and electrical engineering. The concern operates in areas such as industry and energy, as well as in healthcare. Moreover Siemens is the world's largest supplier of environmentally safe technologies. More than 405 000 employees develop and manufacture products, design and build equipment and systems offering tailored solutions for specific customers. More than 160 years Siemens stands for technical progress, innovation, quality, reliability and international cooperation.

SITEK Group is a certified Competence center of MES-systems in mechanical engineering of Siemens and represents its interests in the CIS countries since 2008. SITEK Group supports global improvement by delivering control and visibility in manufacturing. SITEK Group serves 100+ customers in Russia, Europe and CIS delivering hi-tech automation MES-software. Its customers include AVTOVAZ, Zawolzhsky Motorny Zawod (ZMZ), Belarusian Autoworks (BELAZ), Minsk Tractor Works, Yaroslavl Motor Works and other.

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Install STEP7 5.4 on Windows 7

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1. Installing STEP7 on Windows 7

If you try to install STEP7 on Windows 7 without any tricks you’ll get the error
The software cannon be installed on your computer with the operating system ?.
The setup program requires Windows XP, 2003 Server or Vista. Other operation systems are not supported. Then setup ends.
Obviously, the install program don’t know such version of operation system as Windows 7 have. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are compatible in most situations. Knowing that fact, many people expect that Step7 will work on Win7. The problem is in setup program, so some fans try to force installing the Step 7. They got a help from siemens support forum.
You need to download and install the special program for MSI packages edit. It names Orca.

http://depositfiles.com/files/fn1ub04yi
http://letitbit.net/download/3301.b39cfa98d34fa88bb91e98bc7/orca___msi_editor.Msi.html

You must to modify several setup.msi files, which contains in STEP7 distributive. To install Step7 Professional 2006 SR6 under Windows 7 you need to edit the next files:
CD_1\STEP7\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_1\STEP7\HF1\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_1\S7PCT\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_1\S7-Plcsim\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_1\Automation License Manager\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_2\S7-Graph\Disk1\setup.msi
CD_2\S7-Scl\Disk1\setup.msi

Open every file in Orca program, choose “ControlCondition” row in Tables, then select at right row DLG_InstallationRequirements and change the contents in Action column from “Disable” to “Enable”. The screenshot is applied. Now the install program allows to skip the prevention message and you’ll be able to press the Ignore button in prerequires checking window.
If you wouldn’t to do this actions you can download the already corrected distributive of Step7 Professional 2006 SR6.

2. File S7EpaSRVx.exe not found

During the installation process of STEP7 the new error appears: “can’t find the S7EpaSRVx.exe file”. This error don’t interrupt the installation, but it appears again when work with “Setting the PG-PC interface” utility. There is no ability to add/remove any interface, for example, to start using PLCSIM.

The problem cause is the same: the setup program didn’t know OS version. The file S7EpaSRVx.exe must be located in Common Files\Siemes folder, though it’s required only in Vista not in XP. There are more some files in this folder that don’t install on Win7. The solution is simple: copy the Common Files\Siemens folder from Windows Vista with successfully installed Step7 Pro on it. You can download this folder with instuctions from

http://depositfiles.com/files/p8qrr5xsm
http://letitbit.net/download/2314.274a62325600990cd7bd8fe3f/Win7_adaptaion.zip.html

It’s recomended to place this folder before starting the Step7 setup program. Then you will not got the any error.

3. Adding CP5611, CP5612 and PC Adapter to PG/PC Interface

The problems end only for users who work only with controllers by Ethernet interface. You can’t select MPI or ProfiBus interfaces to work with PCI-card, PCMCIA extension or USB adapter, because they miss in selection list of Install/Remove Interface window. The PC_Adapter_USB drivers installation also don’t help.
The interface selection list places in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\SINEC registry tree. This tree contents were exported from Vista OS with installed STEP7 5.4 SP5. Add this content to registry in replace mode and you’ll see the full list of interfaces.

The connection to controller throught USB Adapter were tested. All functions work fine.

4. Configure the help system WinHlp32.exe

The most part of STEP7 help system build on old .hlp file format. In order to open it in Windows 7, you need to download the special addon from Microsoft site (validation required).
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=ru&FamilyID=258aa5ec-e3d9-4228-8844-008e02b32a2c

Conclusion

All the problems are caused by unknown version of Windows for the setup program. The Vista compability mode don’t working in full measure.
Siemens must do some adaptaions and tests in order to STEP7 works fine on Windows 7. You perform described operations at you own risk. You must understand that creating the project for real objects under Windows 7 is not a good idea. But learning the Step7 or starting to develop the project are seems to be acceptable.

Files to download

Siemens folder, which should be placed in C:\Program Files\Common Files  before starting the setup program, and SINEC. reg file with registry settings for connection interface list to be full.

http://depositfiles.com/files/p8qrr5xsm
http://letitbit.net/download/2314.274a62325600990cd7bd8fe3f/Win7_adaptaion.zip.html

Simatic STEP7 Professional 2006 SR6 под Windows 7
CD1

http://depositfiles.com/files/b2×0uli5y
http://letitbit.net/download/8627.d8e64a0107e385433b95a0fff/CD_1.zip.html

CD2

http://depositfiles.com/files/iwb3z1wtn
http://letitbit.net/download/5506.5b190aff544b51ea45ab5c3e0/CD_2.zip.html

or Orca to modify existing distributive

http://depositfiles.com/files/fn1ub04yi
http://letitbit.net/download/3301.b39cfa98d34fa88bb91e98bc7/orca___msi_editor.Msi.html

WinHlp32.exe для Windows 7

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=ru&FamilyID=258aa5ec-e3d9-4228-8844-008e02b32a2c

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