This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Cuando diseño eléctrico y automatización se dan la mano

Development with Automation Studio and Eplan Electric P8

When electrical design and automation give the hand

Philipp H. F. Wallner, architecture of Systems of B&R Automation05/06/2012

5 June 2012

Traditionally, the mechanical elements, electrical and of others FALLS have been separate and have developed following a rigid sequence. In the actuality, these disciplines are joining in a method mecatrónico more integrated cheese cheese. This no only facilitates a more efficient development but it also simplifies the coordination between the engineers of the distinct disciplines. From here that B&R integrate the tools of professional engineering already existent in an only platform of functional and transparent development: Automation Studio.

Automation Studio Provides all the necessary tools to develop and configure a solution of automation like the creation of applications of control and HMI that combine components for control of movement and technology of hygiene amongst other. These tools integrate by means of opened and transparent interfaces that allow the election of the most adapted for each task, as Eplan Electric P8 for planning and electrical design.

The narrow cooperation between B&R and Eplan, together with a very posed concept, ensure an optimum efficiency of the development.

The total interaction facilitates the development in parallel

The total interaction between Eplan Electric P8 and Automation Studio allows that the development of the project evolve in parallel processes. “Our users can transfer easily configurations of hardware and tables of allocation of And/S from B&R Automation Studio, reducing the time and cost of development when avoiding unnecessary repetitions and a flow of work redundante”, explains Rainer Burgard, director of big accounts in Eplan. For the engineers could not result simpler work with these two tools. Before the configuration of hardware realised manualmente in the surroundings of automation although it already existed in the tool ECAD. With Automation Studio and EPLAN Electric P8, the engineers can generate so much the tree of hardware like the table of allocation of And/S with only presses a button. The corresponding variables of the process adjust and merge automatically with the existent variables of direct form in Automation Studio. A function of intelligent comparison indicates with clarity how components configured in the tree of hardware of Automation Studio and which components of B&R used in the electrical plane. The user can synchronise the projects with only a few clicks of the mouse. B&R Provides all the macros of Eplan that need to incorporate the diverse components of hardware.

Synchronisation by means of the exchange of engineering

The intelligent mechanisms of import and export speed up the flow of daily work when they employ diverse tools of software. B&R And Eplan go a step further since they use functions of exchange to synchronise totally the electrical diagram and the project of automation, ensuring that both projects are always up to date. The advantage is evident: “The exchange automated of the data avoids errors that of the contrary could produce in the transcurso of the interdisciplinary communication, improving like this the quality of the final product. This contributes to reduce the costs of maintenance during the operative life of the system”, explains Heinz Fürnschuss, technical director of B&R, manager of the development of the interface for Eplan. “The modifications can realise of form faster, simpler and more economic because the documentation and the software of the system always are synchronised and up to date”.

The electrical plan and the project of automation are totally synchronised and updated thanks to the functions of exchange of engineering.

The next generation of tools mecatrónicas

The fields of the mechanical engineering, electrical and of software are increasingly interrelated with the end to optimise the efficiency. Like result of this exists an urgent need to redefine the conventional approaches in tools of development. In the happened the distinct disciplines were isolated, without form to communicate between yes by means of simple functions of import/export, whereas the future generations will interact of transparent way by means of interfaces opened that they use intelligent mechanisms of synchronisation. It treats of a fundamental step for the manufacturers of machinery to a control interdisciplinar of the development and a remarkable reduction of time and costs.

Inside the field of the electrical design and the automation, B&R and Eplan have established an excellent example of conjoint work between two tools of development; something that has been possible thanks to a very posed concept and to a narrow cooperation between both companies.

Appearances more remarkable:

Configurations of hardware directly mattered from Eplan Electric P8
Adjust automatic of the data of allocation of And/S
coherent Synchronisation of the project by means of the exchange of engineering

About the author

Philipp Wallner is graduate in electrical engineering specialised in automation of processes by the Technical University of Graz and is responsible of the architecture of systems for strategic development of software in B&R.