| STOP PRESS: Detroit PROFINET event |
| POWER SAVING PROFILE UNDER DEVELOPMENT |
| PROFINET NODE COUNT ANNOUNCED FOR 2008 |
| PROFITECH CLASSES & FREE One-day Training Classes |
| PROFIBUS PA VERSION 3.02 SUPPORTS BETTER LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT |
| NEW PROFINET WHITE PAPER ON IT CONNECTIVITY |
| TECH UPDATE: IMPLEMENTING PROFINET IRT |
| PROFIBUS AND PROFINET IN ACTION |
| WORLD NEWS: JAPAN, SOUTH EAST ASIA, UK, POLAND, BRAZIL |
| NEW
PRODUCTS: BUS COUPLER FOR PROFINET IO; PA 'SCOPE; FIRST PROFINET CABLE TESTER; REMOTE I/O ADAPTER |
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| GENERAL
NEWS |
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STOP PRESS: Our Detroit PROFINET training day - see table below - taking place as this newsletter reaches your desk - has attracted a record 145 registrations!!! Due to user demand, we also added a PROFINET Developer Workshop tomorrow morning, for vendors wanting to add Industrial Ethernet to their products. Indicators, perhaps, of the seriousness with which PROFINET is being taken in North America!? Times may be difficult, but why don't you use opportunities like these to learn? We (the PTO) and the PIC offer plenty of help - often free of charge - all you have to do is 'get involved'.
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 POWER SAVING PROFILE UNDER DEVELOPMENT: PI in Germany has begun work on a major energy saving initiative for automation by developing a manufacturer-independent 'profile' for PROFINET that can support improved power management of high energy machines and equipment such as robots, lasers and motors over the network.
Members of the automotive grouping AIDA - Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Porsche - have requested the initiative to help cut energy costs and meet latest energy use requirements. AIDA companies already use PROFINET extensively. A Working Group was founded in February and is now developing use cases from the guidelines laid down. AIDA representatives supported a press conference held in Germany today at which the initiative was revealed to journalists, so we are right on the cusp of the news and you are reading it here first!
The profile is expected to support a set of 'power-saving' modes for high energy equipment, and how these modes can be actively managed over the network. We will keep you up to date on this project, which aims to have a specification by the end of 2009.
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PROFINET NODE COUNT ANNOUNCED FOR 2008: The PROFINET node count rose to 1.6 Million devices through the end of 2008, according to statistics published today by PI. This is a 40% increase over 2007.
PI also reported that PROFINET is being used in more or less every developed country in the world, with North America running second to Europe, and Asia in third place. A White Paper explaining the figures in more detail and what they mean in terms of market penetration is under preparation.
As we've said many times, the raw numbers are merely an indicator of growing success: it's what lies behind the numbers that really counts. They mean that PROFINET is now a well-accepted technology that you can safely choose to use. It tells you that there are lots of products, lots of installations, lots of tools, lots of know-how and lots of support available. Latest figures suggest that there are 200 products and services from 30+ suppliers on the market.
PS: What we count and how we count is also important. We count only controllers (PLCs), remote IO stations, HMIs, robots, proxies, drives, and sensors. Note that we do not count each IO module, just the IO station. No infrastructure components such as Ethernet switches are counted. Some Ethernet switches include PROFINET IO capability so you can make them part of your engineering system for diagnostic and alarm purposes. We do not count these switches either. And, a neutral third party is used for gathering the data in confidence from all PROFINET vendors and combining them into a single publishable figure. PI is the only fieldbus organization to publish an accurate, audited number in this way.
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PROFITECH CLASSES: The PTO and PROFI Interface Center (PIC) have announced their dates for PROFItech classes, now entering their ninth year! PROFItech classes are offered for both PROFIBUS and PROFINET. Attendees who successfully complete written and practical tests are awarded Certified Network Engineer status. They also earn 24 Professional Development Hours (PDH). Each class runs Monday through Friday, beginning at 1:00pm on Monday. The classes are held in Johnson City, TN. The 2009 schedule is:
Some seats are still available for the April PROFIBUS Certified Network Engineer and the April PROFINET Certified Network Engineer classes. For more detail, download the PROFItech brochure here. Registration is limited so please register early.
FREE One-day Training Classes: In 2009 our main themes will be PROFIBUS and PROFINET. All classes are being updated with the latest technical advancements. Eight PROFIBUS, and ten PROFINET classes are scheduled. Watch the web site for details or register for a class and we'll keep you posted.
Webinars: The webinar schedule for 2009 is still under construction. We anticipate webinars on PROFIBUS Basics, PROFIsafe, and more. Process webinars for PROFIBUS PA are archived online here.
Prefer Web-based Training? You will find PROFIBUS Web-based Training here.
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PROFIBUS PA VERSION 3.02 SUPPORTS BETTER LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT: NAMUR, the European-based international user association of automation technology in the process industries, has endorsed the latest PROFIBUS PA profile, which incorporates new life cycle support philosophies. Particularly welcomed are the field device integration measures for simplifying life cycle management. With these measures, PI is taking the lead in satisfying customer requirements.
Field device integration is made simpler by:
- Enhanced support for device replacement even after changeover to a new generation.
- Simplified handling of device integration through engineering files such as GSD, EDD and DTM.
- Optimized assignment of driver files to field device versions over the entire life cycle of field devices.
Another highlight is the shorter loading and readout times for device parameter sets. This not only allows for faster commissioning and device replacement but also speeds up diagnosis and maintenance. The profile also includes measures for checking compatibility rules during PROFIBUS certification, the user guidelines developed for working with driver files during the equipment life cycle, and the guidelines for device replacement. As a result, Profile V3.02 will contribute significantly to reducing engineering and operating costs as well as helping minimize life cycle costs.
NAMUR represents approximately 15,000 PCS (Process Control System) experts, of whom about 300 are active in the 33 working groups that cover the fields of measurement & control, automation, communication, process control and electrical engineering over the entire life-cycle of systems, including planning, procurement, installation, operation as well as maintenance and decommissioning.
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NEW PROFINET WHITE PAPER ON IT CONNECTIVITY: A new White Paper has been published describing how PI’s Industrial Ethernet solution PROFINET interfaces with higher level IT networks. Written in terms readily understood by IT professionals, the paper covers in detail the benefits of using PROFINET with enterprise networks. Download it here.
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TECH UPDATE: IMPLEMENTING PROFINET IRT |
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 A new article provides a starter view of how to implement PROFINET'S high performance solution for the Isochronous Real Time needed in Motion Control applications. It's written by an expert so it is a required reference. Only three steps are needed, it explains, to implement PROFINET IRT.
Anyone thinking of making devices for fast, jitter-free applications involving multi-axis machines can read it here.
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PROFIBUS AND PROFINET
IN ACTION |
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 Three more case studies have been published: a theater in Cleveland revamps with PROFIBUS to control its scenery, an Australian water company standardizes on PROFIBUS for its plants and a Dutch chemicals plant opens up the way to more efficient plant management using PROFIBUS. Read them all here.
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| WORLD
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 JAPAN:
profichip is the latest company to join the Japanese PROFIBUS Organization (JPO). Mr. Shinichi Motoyoshi, chairman of JPO, welcomed profichip as the 88th member and said he is looking forward to participating in the ‘PROFIBUS Day’ in 2009.
SOUTH EAST ASIA: The IWater Exhibition and the OESA Exhibition, both in Singapore, were supported recently.
UK:
The PROFIBUS Group will be supporting MTEC at the Birmingham NEC in March where they will present a tutorial entitled 'System Design using PROFIBUS and other technologies'. PROFIBUS UK is helping companies beat the economic downturn by offering FREE Admission to its PROFIBUS & PROFINET Conference on June 16/17 2009. A limited number of day delegate places are available ‘first-come, first-served’. The usual £100 mandatory membership fee is also being waived!
POLAND:
The first ‘Meet the Experts’ conference to be organized in Poland took place in December, in Gliwice. There was also a formal presentation from the PICC (PI Competence Center) Poland  about process networks based on PROFIBUS PA. BRAZIL: Brazil Latin America Regional PROFIBUS Association members met to plan their 2009 activities in December. Actions related to events, fairs, seminars, user cases and the proposed PICC (PI Competence Center) are planned.
The Association has also announced PROFIBUS training courses, to be delivered by Andy Verwer of Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
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| NEW
PRODUCTS |
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 BUS COUPLER FOR PROFINET IO:
Phoenix Contact’s FLM BK PN M12 DI8 M12-2TX Fieldline Modular bus coupler with eight digital inputs can connect a Fieldline Modular local bus station to a PROFINET IO network. The integrated, managed 3-port switch enables linear bus topologies to be set up and its interfaces can crossover automatically. The bus coupler also supports the SNMP v2c, IO, TFTP, and LLDP protocols. A system redundancy feature is present for process data. Up to 16 I/O devices can be connected. PHOENIX CONTACT
Top  PA 'SCOPE:
ProfiTrace is now able to do electrical measurements on DP and PA AND oscilloscope functionality for PROFIBUS PA has been integrated into the existing product. It is thus the ONLY tool in the world that can be deployed across an entire PROFIBUS plant. Now, with one small box, it’s possible to work anywhere and be in full control of a PROFIBUS installation. In the past an external oscilloscope was required as well. “ProfiTrace is without question the PROFIBUS troubleshooting and maintenance tool to invest in,” says Procentec. Most PROFIBUS Competence Centers and Training Centers have standardized on Profitrace and there are hundreds of Certified PROFIBUS Engineers who have extensive ProfiTrace knowledge. PROCENTEC
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 FIRST PROFINET CABLE TESTER: PROCENTEC has launched the first PROFINET handheld cable tester. It is an essential tool to verify the condition of the PROFINET cable after assembly and installation, says the company, and has been especially designed for PROFINET. With just one key-press the test result is displayed and continuously updated. If a cable does not pass the test, the device will clearly indicate what the problem is and which wires/pins are affected. The product does not require special skills. It can even be used on any Ethernet network with 4-wire or 8-wire shielded cables. PROCENTEC
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 REMOTE I/O ADAPTER:
ProSoft Technology has just released this new Allen-Bradley Remote I/O Adapter to PROFIBUS DPV1 Master communications module (5604-RIO-PDPMV1). The protocol gateway creates a powerful connection between devices on a Remote I/O network and PROFIBUS slave devices. The gateway is FDT communication DTM compliant, allowing FDT Asset Management users to connect to field devices through Ethernet. This gateway is the ideal solution for applications where A-B Remote I/O connectivity is being used and can easily integrate a PROFIBUS DPV0/V1 slave device into the system. PROSOFT TECHNOLOGY
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