Japanese English

OPC UA and Factory LAN

RCDIGITAL.CO.JP
July  2022

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1 Introduction

The personal computer has a standard Ethernet socket.
PLCs used in factories now come with standard Ethernet or industrial Ethernet sockets.
Ethernet used in factory LAN is called Industrial Ethernet.
For example, PROFINET, an industrial Ethernet, allows you to use the same RJ45 cable as your office LAN. You can connect the LAN cable of your computer to the switching hub of PROFINET. PROFINET is the same Ethernet-based technology as an office LAN and runs on standard Ethernet.


Data can be exchanged between the OPC UA client PC and the OPC UA server PLC using standard Ethernet and OPC UA.
The PLC of the OPC UA server can exchange data with the PLC and touch panel in the factory LAN using PROFINET, for example.
Therefore, the personal computer can exchange data with the PLC and touch panel in the factory via the OPC_UA server.


The process by which a material becomes a product is the connection of machine inputs and outputs.
Factory machines are controlled using PLC and touch panel.
In the factory LAN, these PLCs and the touch panel are connected by LAN.
The personal computer can exchange data with the PLC and touch panel in the factory.
Therefore, you can automate the factory and save labor by setting parameters on the machine or touch panel or directly controlling the machine.



Automation is used in the following sense.

・Monitor the process of material becoming a product.
・Set parameters for each machine on behalf of a person.
(However, as an additional function of the PLC program, it is also possible to set a control signal and control the machine with a personal computer instead of PLC. For example, it is a function such as constant speed extrusion of RcdWin.)
・Calculate the yield of lots of produced products in real time.



1.1.1 Figure 1-1> Example of automation of aluminum extrusion factory

・Monitor from long billet to extruded profile product in tabular format and set parameters for the machine.
・The EP screen where the mold exchange is in the history.
・ Lot No. has changed in No.1147. The cross section, length, number of products, etc. have been changed. Extruded profiles with different Lots that have been extruded are waiting to be stretched in Run Out Table 1.


Figure 1-2> Example of automation of aluminum extrusion factory

・EP screen with a history of 16 products made by cutting extruded profiles.
・Monitors the process of making long billets, billets, extruded profiles, and products, and automatically sets parameters for each machine.
・ 2 x 9 = 18 extruded profiles that have been stretched are waiting for cutting.
・ By cutting 2 extruded profiles, 2 x 8 = 16 products were made. You can see that one extruded profile is divided into eight parts.



Figure 1-3> Handwritten notes on the monitor screen of EP.

・ I made this memo while drinking coffee at the Dali McDonald's store in China. Factory workers were very interested in it. Thanks to this idea, EP was made.
・ As explained in Fig. 1-1, lots may differ in each process.


Figure 1-4> I designed an EP monitor screen at the McDonald's store in Dali.

・ It is located at the entrance of Dali shopping street where there is a movie theater. Some areas sell electronic components such as Akihabara. There was Kentucky fried chicken at the exit.
・ Cheeseburger set fee is about 400 yen. It may be a little cheaper than Japan. Payment was by card and used UnionPay from "China Everbright Bank". The terminal for UnionPay was placed at the place to pay the fee.
・ UnionPay can be deposited in China and withdrawn at ATMs at convenience stores in Japan.


Figure 1-5> Fountain in front of McDonald's store. It is the entrance of Dali shopping street.




Figure 1-6> Fountain and Christmas tree in front of McDonald's store.




Figure 1-7> Map of Dali shopping street with McDonald's store.

・ "麦当劳" means McDonald's in Chinese. “肯德基” is Kentucky.


Figure 1-8>Display lot yield for each mold in real time.

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2 What is Industrial Ethermet?

The office LAN is a personal computer LAN . The factory LAN is a PLC LAN with a real-time communication function.
Therefore, different communication protocols and different cables were used for each PLC manufacturer.
For example, Omron　Controller Link and Siemens Profibus DP.
EtherCAT and CC Link IE Field are the same cables as the PC LAN, but the SWITCHING hub is different from the PC hub. TCP/IP cannot be used either.


PROFINET, Ethernet / IP, Modbus / TCP, CC LINK IE TSN, MECHATROLINK-4, Sercos, FL-net are protocols for factory LAN, but you can use the SWITCHING hub of your personal computer. The cable is RJ45, which is the same as a personal computer.
An Ethernet-based protocol that can be used as a LAN for a personal computer and has a factory LAN function is called Industrial Ethernet.


With Industrial Ethernet, you don't have to distinguish between office LAN and factory LAN by hardware (cables, hubs, equipment, etc.).


However, it is necessary to consider from the viewpoint of software (security and safety, consideration of data volume, maintenance method, network, etc.).


In general, the introduction of Industrial Ethernet in factories has the following advantages.


・One LAN cable can access the signals of multiple devices or multiple data in one device.
・Since A / D conversion and D / A conversion are not required, signals can be transmitted accurately.
・Saving relay board and wiring costs.
・Easy to change the system and add equipment.
・Communication of equipment data, calibration of equipment, and failure signal can be sent.
・Check the operating equipment by ping etc., and report / monitor the equipment status by commands such as LLDP / SNMP.

2.1　Comparison of typical industrial ethernet

Item	PROFINET	CC Link IE TSN	Remarks
Publication of specifications	PROFINET CBA in 2001 PROFINET IO in 2003 In 2019, TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) was included in the specifications and classified as Conformance Class D.	CC Link IE specifications released in 2007, In 2018, the specifications of CC Link IE TSN will be released as the next generation network of CC Link IE.
Communication speed	100Mbps Option 1Gbps	1Gbps/100Mbps
Communication medium	100BASE-TX Option: 1000BASE-T etc.	IEEE 8023 1 OOOBASE-T standard cable (category 5e or higher), IEEE 802.3 1 OOBASE-TX Standard cable (Category 5 and above), R J -45 connector, M1 2 connector
Maximum cyclic size per station	PROFINET IO 256 bytes	Maximum 4G (4,294,967,296) bytes for each station and total input / output.	Cannot be compared.
Transient transmission	S7 Communication 160 bytes TCP / IP S7-1500: 64k bytes	22048 bytes. Each station has server function and client function The transmission capacity is the same as SLMP.
Communication methods	NRT: Communication based on TCP / IP. RT: Priority is defined by the VLAN tag (IEEE803.1Q) in the Ethernet frame. IRT: Communication is divided into cycles, and real-time data and non-real-time data are time-divisioned in one cycle. Use a dedicated ASIC. TSN: Will be supported.	Time division method	Not only CC Link IE TSN but also PROFINET will support IEC / IEEE60802 TSN.
Synchronization function	RT, IRT	IEEE802.1AS, And IEEE 1588 v2 compliant
Number of connected nodes in one network	No limit	64,770 units (total of master station and device station)
Maximum distance between nodes	Within 100 meters	・For twisted pair cable (IEEE 802.3 compliant): 100 m ・For optical fiber (IEEE 802.3 compliant multimode fiber): 550 m ・ For optical fiber (SI-POF): 20 m ・ For optical fiber (SI-HPCF): 100 m
Maximum number of branches	―――	No upper limit
Topology	Lines, rings, stars, trees	Line, star, mixed line / star, ring, mixed ring / star, mesh
Transmission cable	Copper wire, optical fiber, wireless	Copper wire, optical fiber, wireless
Communication between master and device	1: 1 Multiple masters are possible.	1: Many Multiple communication cycle operations are possible.
Implementation method	Both hard (IRT) and soft (NRT, RT) are possible.	Both hard and soft are possible.
SNMP support	〇	〇
Coupler solution	They can communicate with each other via the coupler.	They can communicate with each other via the coupler.	Collaboration between CC Link Association and PI.
Companion specifications	―――	Released CSP + companion specifications in 2017.	Collaboration between CC Link Association and OPC Foundation.

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3 What is Profinet?

PROFINET is one of the industrial Ethernet.
The specifications of PROFINET CBA were released in 2001 as a successor to PROFIBUS made in the 1980s. In 2003, the specifications of PROFINET IO were released.

In 2019, TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) was included in the specifications and classified as Conformance Class D.
PROFIBUS and PROFINET are technically developed, technically supported, product certified and trained by PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) (in Japan, the Japan Profibus Association).

3.1　Features of PROFINET

Item		Contents	PROFIBUS
communication	NRT (Non Real-time)	・Communication based on TCP / IP. ・Applications that do not require real-time performance. Example> Communication between units or parameter communication. ・Cycle time of about 100 msec. ・The maximum data size is 1500 bytes.	・ PROFIBUS DP Is a cycle time of several msec or less. ・ Maximum 12Mbps. -The maximum data size is 244 bytes. ・ Hybrid method (combination of master / slave method and token passing method) ・The cable is RS485 instead of RJ45. Figure 3-2.
	RT(Real-time)	・A soft protocol has been added to the standard Ethernet hardware to realize real-time communication with a cycle of about 4 to 10 msec. ・By defining the priority with the VLAN tag (IEEE803.1Q) in the Ethernet frame, the RT frame is processed with a higher priority than the non-real-time data (NRT or TCP / IP, etc.). ・RT provides almost the same performance as the current fieldbus. ・The default is RT.
	IRT (Isochronous Real-time)	・Guarantees that communication is always executed within a certain communication time (Deterministic property) at a higher level than RT. ・The maximum communication cycle is 31.25 μsec, and the jitter (fluctuation) is 1 μsec or less. ・IRT is used for applications that require strict real-time characteristics such as motion control. ・Use a dedicated ASIC with a built-in switch function as communication hardware. See Figure 3-1. ・Guarantees real-time performance by dividing the Ethernet communication band.
Control application		・ Real-time processing (communication between PLC and field equipment, alarm, etc.) that was performed by PROFIBUS can be performed. ・Similar to PROFIBUS, you can connect to field equipment with a GSD file. ・ Using proxy or gateway technology, field devices can be easily integrated into a PROFINET system. For example, PROFIBUS, Interbus.	GSD file.
Synchronous control with motion control		・By using IRT communication, Ethernet TCP / IP communication and synchronous control of motion control can be performed at the same time. ・In IRT communication, for example, time division of real-time data and non-real-time data is performed within a cycle time of 1 msec. Since this bandwidth division is executed by the ASIC equipped with the PROFINET IRT function, it does not depend on the network equipment on Ethernet in real time. ・Using technologies such as Fast Forwarding, Dynamic Frame Packing, and Frangmentation, the cycle time can be shortened up to 31.25 μsec. ・Prepare a PROFIdrive profile and standardize the interface of rotating equipment (inverter, servo drive) provided by different companies.	PROFIdrive.
Safety application		・Configure a shutdown system with PLC without specifying a relay device. ・The PROFIsafe profile can be used for standard control and secure communication on a single bus.	PROFIsafe.
Energy management		・ According to the PROFIenergy profile, when production activities are stopped (Sunday, etc.), the on-site equipment is instructed to turn off.

Figure 3-1> NRT, RT, IRT in the IRT node. In the future, TSN will be added here.

Figure 3-2> Purple is RS485 PROFIBUS DP cable, gray is RJ45 Ethernet cable.

Reference material>
Japan Profibus Association (profibus.jp)

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4 What is TIA Portal?

In 2010, TIA Portal was first introduced as V10 as a beta version.
At this time, the PLC program creation tool STEP7 and the touch panel screen creation tool WinCC became available in one tool, TIA Portal.
STEP7 used alone is V5.5 in 2010. The version of STEP7 became V5.7 in 2021.

The current latest version of TIA Portal is V17.

TIA Portal is a factory LAN system development tool that can develop, debug, and maintain PLC programs and touch panel (HMI) programs that run on the factory PROFINET LAN in one project.
Taking Visual Studio, a computer tool, as an example, HIMI corresponds to Form, PLC program corresponds to DLL program, DB corresponds to class property, FC and FB correspond to method, and communication corresponds to event.
The factory LAN system will be one TIA Portal project.


With GX Works2, only one PLC can be developed in one project. GT Designer3 can also develop only one HMI in one project. The development tools are also different between PLC and HMI.
TIA Portal makes network programming easier because you can develop multiple PLCs and HMIs in one project. If you don't need network programming, you can use GX Works2 and GT Desiner3, but factory automation requires network programming of multiple PLCs and multiple touch panels.
(When using CC Link IE with GX Works2, you can send and receive data for each PLC by specifying the master PLC and specifying the transmission / reception area for each PLC.)

There are various PLC to PLC methods, but sending and receiving data with S7 Communications is the easiest. It can be used not only with PROFINET but also with PROFIBUS DP.
With PLC and HMI, programming is unnecessary and even easier.

Figure 5-1> For device connection method, specify the connection method and connect the device directly with the mouse.

The memory for sending and receiving data with a PLC or touch panel is called DB (Data Block). DB (Data Base) is often used when creating network programs on a personal computer.
It happens that the abbreviation DB is the same, so you may misunderstand it. DB is called data area componentization. There are also structured programming and variable programming functions.

In addition to the network, it has the following functions.
・Equipped with all five international standard PLC programming languages as standard (LD, FBD, ST, SFC, IL).
・Equipped with the standard motion control library "Library Motion Control SINAMICS".

Description> "1: n", "Cam", "Pos", "Flying Saw", "Cross-cutter", "Winder", "Line Tension Control", "Traversing Drive" are supported in the standard library.

・PID controller command with auto tuning.
・PLC simulator.


The options are:
・Safety PLC software.
・Virtual controller.
・TIA Portal Multi-User Engineering.
・TIA Portal Openness.
・TIA portal cloud connector.
・SIMATIC Visualization Architect – SiVArc.
・HMI panel editing software WinCC (necessary for other than Basic panel).
・Inverter, servo drive parameter editing software Startdrive.

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5 OPC UA server and Factory PLC

To exchange data between the OPC UA server PLC and the factory PLC, create a DB (Data Block) for each PLC. Communication methods include S7 Communications, Modbus / TCP, Open User communications, I-Device, OPC UA, and Flexible F-Link.
S7 Communications is the easiest. I think you will have to choose another method depending on your communication needs.
If you go to
Industry Support Siemens , you can find many samples of TIA Portal. I think it doesn't matter which method you choose.

You need ReciveOpcDB to receive data from the OPC UA client and SendOpcDB to send the data to the OPC UA client.
You need a ReceivServerDB to receive data from the factory LAN PLC and HMI and a SendServerDB to send the data to other factory PLCs.
The factory LAN PLC requires ReceivePlcDB to receive data from OPC UA Server and SendPlcDB to send data to OPC UA Server.
The HMI does not require a DB, but the HMI tag and the variables in the DB need to be linked.

Figure 5-1> Interface diagram between OPC UA Server PLC and PLC and HMI on the factory LAN

5.1 MAIN COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS

5.1.1 　 S7 Communications

Advantages

•Single sided – only needs to be programed in one PLC.
• Works in all Simatic PLC’s.
•Independent of the communication media.
•Can be used on all S7 data areas.
•Wizard is available for setup in TIA.

Disadvantages

• No security.
• Blocked by default on the S7-1200 and S7-1500.
• Data blocks have to be unoptimized.
• Only small amounts of data can be transferred <160bytes.
• No acknowledgement of transfer this needs to be engineered if needed.
• Always takes a connection resource.

Figure 5-2> GET of SFB (System Function Block)
It can be executed on the PLC of OPC UA Server to acquire the data of each machine.

Parameter	Declaration	Data type	Description
REQ	Input	BOOL	Control parameter request, activates the data exchange on a positive edge.
ID	Input	WORD	Addressing parameters for specifying the connection to the partner CPU.
NDR	Output	BOOL	Status parameter NDR: 0: Job not yet started or still running. 1: Job successfully completed.
ERROR	Output	BOOL	Status parameters ERROR and STATUS, error code:　ERROR=0 STATUS has the value: 0000H: Neither warning nor error <> 0000H: Warning, STATUS supplies detailed information. error code:　ERROR=1 An error has occurred. STATUS supplies detailed information　on the type of error.
STATUS	Output	WORD
ADDR_1 ,2,3,4	Input	REMOTE	Pointers to the areas on the partner CPU that are to be read. When the REMOTE pointer accesses a DB, the DB must always be specified. Example: P#DB10.DBX5.0 Byte 10.
RD_1	Input	VARIANT	Pointers to the areas on the local CPU in which the read data is entered. Since it is local, you can also specify the DB name.

Table 5-1> GET parameters and outputs

5.1.2 Modbus/TCP

Advantages

・ Cross vendor communication.
・ Built in diagnostic.
・ Routable over Ethernet.
・ Optimized Data blocks are supported.
・ Defined communications timeout.

Disadvantages

・ No security or encryption.
・ Server/Client blocks must be programmed.

5.1.3 Open User Communications


5.1.3.1 Without security

Advantages

・ Cross vendor open communication.
・ Built in diagnostic if using TCPIP.
・ Routable over Ethernet.
・ Optimized Data blocks are supported.
・ Setup Wizard.
・ Safety certified communication possible.
・ Security and encryption supported.

Disadvantages

・ Send/Receive blocks must be programmed.
・ Broken TCPIP link takes time to error.

5.1.3.2 With security

Advantages

・ Same Blocks as Unsecure.
・ Can be added at a later date.
・ TCON_IP_V4_SEC is used for secure communication.
・ Definitely signed and can be encrypted.

Complexity

・ Certificate handling must be implemented.
・ Use of certificates may mean that you need to protect the project using the certificate manager.

Disadvantages

・ Can be harder to fault find during initial setup.
・ Cannot use Wizard for security setup.

Figure 5-3> TSEND_C of SFB (System Function Block).
The PLC of each machine sends data to the OPC UA Server. The OPC UA Server executes the SFB TRCV_C to receive the data.

Parameter	Data type	Variable	Description
REQ	BOOL	"GeneralData".sendReq	Starts the send job at a rising edge.
CONT	BOOL	"GeneralData".contSend Note> See Table 5-３.	Controls the communication connection: 0: Disconnects the communication connection. 1: Establishes and maintains the communication connection. If CONT=1, the TSEND_C instruction configures and establishes a communication connection. Once the connection has been configured and established, it is maintained and monitored automatically.
LEN	UINT	0	Number of bytes that can be sent with the job.
CONNECT	VARIANT	"GeneralData".connectSend	Pointer to the structure of the connection description: ・For ISO-on-TCP, use　the TCON_IP_RFC system data type. ・ For TCP, use the　TCON_IP_V4 system data type.
DATA	VARIANT	“SendData”.sendData	Pointer to the send area that contains the address and length of the data to be sent.
DONE	BOOL	"GeneralData".doneSend	Status parameter with the values below: 0: Job not yet started or still being executed. 1: Job executed errorfree.
BUSY	BOOL	"GeneralData".busySend	Status parameter with the values below: 0: Job not yet started or already terminated. 1: Job has not yet terminated. A new job cannot be started.
ERROR	BOOL	"GeneralData".errorSend	Status parameter with the values below: 0: No error 1: Error occurred.
STATUS	WORD	"GeneralData".statusSend	Status of the instruction.

Table 5-2> T_SEND_C parameters and outputs.

Byte	Parameter	Data type	Value	Description
0 and 1	InterfaceId	HW_ANY	64	Hardware identifier of the integrated PROFINET interface of the CPU.
2 and 3	ID	CONN_OUC	1	Reference to this connection　(value range: 1 to 4095). You must specify the value of this parameter for the TSEND_C and TRCV_C instruction under ID.
4	ConnectionType	BYTE	16#0B	Connection type: ・ 11: TCP (16#0B hex = 11 dez) ・ 19: UDP (16#13 hex = 19 dez)
5	ActiveEstablished	BOOL	False	Identifier for the type of connection establishment . ・ False: passive connection establishment. ・ True: active connection establishment.
6 to 9	RemoteAddress	ARRAY [1..4] of BYTE	-	IP address of the partner endpoint, e. g. for 192.168.0.3 ・ addr[1] = 192 ・ addr[2] = 168 ・ addr[3] = 0 ・ addr[4] = 3
10 and 11	RemotePort	UINT	2000	Port address of the remote connection partner (value range: 1 to 49151)
12 and 13	LocalPort	UINT	2000	Port address of the local connection partner (value range: 1 to 49151)

Table 5-3> TCON_IP_V4 structure, one of the parameters of "GeneralData" .connectSend

5.1.4 I-Device

Advantages

・ Very fast data communication (RT/IRT).
・ Built in diagnostic.
・ Hardware setup only no software.
・ Safety certified communication.
・ Integration into 3rd party system possible.

Disadvantages

・ Not routable unless using PN/PN couplers.
・ No Security.
・ Uses actual Input/Output resources.

5.1.5 OPC UA

Advantages

・ Cross vendor open communication.
・ Built in diagnostic.
・ Routable over Ethernet.
・ Optimized Data blocks are supported.
・ No software needed in server.
・ Supports companion specifications.
・ Security and encryption supported.

Disadvantages

・ By default once turned on the server option allows full access to the PLC and it can be browsed to find what is available.

5.1.6 Flexible F-Link

Advantages

・ Supported by 1200/1500 PLCs.
・ Routable over Ethernet.
・ Dedicated Safety communication.

Reference material>
Siemens DI FA Stay in Touch Webinar Slides

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６ What is a GSD file?

To display devices other than PLC and touch panel, such as motor drivers and robot controllers, in TIA PORTAL's network view, a GSD file is required for PROFIBUS and a GSDML file is required for PROFINET.
It is provided by the equipment manufacturer. Communication settings etc. are set according to the file.
In the case of PROFINET, it is an XML file, so it is called GSDML (General Station Description Markup Language).



To install the GSDML file in your project, do the following:

1. In the "Options" menu, select the "Install device master data files" command.
2. In the "Install device master data files" dialog box, choose the folder in which you want to save the GSDML files.
3. Choose one or more files from the list of displayed GSD and GSDML files.
4. Click on the "Install" button.
5. To create a log file for the installation, click on the "Save log file" button.

Example 1>

Display Yaskawa Electric's robot controller in the network view of TIA PORTAL.
The GSD file is GSDML-V2.3-HMS_CUSTOM-ABSPRT-20170815.xml.

Figure 6-1> Display the robot controller in the network view

Figure 6-2> Registered GSD file

Figure 6-3> In the Project tree, the robot controller will appear in Ungrouped devices

Component	Quantity	Note
YRCI 000micro with firmware 2.31.00	1	Rototcont controller
MotoMINI	1	Robot arm
YASUKAWA MotoLogix	1	Version: 1.2.4
YASUKAWA GSD file for YRC 1000micro with firmware 2.31.00	1	Version:gsdml-v2.3-hms_custom-absprt-20170815.xml

Table 6-1> Robot controller components

Example 2>

Motor speed control with Semense motor driver SINAMICS G120X
The GSD file is GSDML-V2.34-Siemens-Sinamics_G120X-20180814.xml.

Figure 6-4> Display the motor driver in the network view

Figure 6-5> Registered GSD file

Figure 6-6>In the Project tree, the motor driver will appear in Ungrouped devices.

Component	Quantity	Note
SIMATIC S7-1215C DC/DC/DC (FW 4.2.1)	1	Other types of SIMATIC S7-1200 or S7-1500 PLCs can be used!
SINAMICS G120X FSA (FW1.0.1) with IOP-2	1	Other types of SINAMICS G120X with PROFINET interface can be used!
Smart Access Module (optional use)	1	Use of SAM is optional. IOP-2 can be used for commissioning of G120X as well.
SIMATIC STEP7 Professional – WinCC Advanced V15.1 Upd 2	1	Other versions of TIA Portal (lower or higher) can be used to do the configuration as described. NOTE: Opening the example project is only possible with V15.1 or higher.
SINAMICS G120X GSDML file	1	The GSDML file is used for the communication configuration between PLC and drive in TIA Portal.

Table 6-2> Motor Driver Hardware and Software Components

Reference material>
SIMATIC Robot Integrator for YASKAWA - Getting Started - ID: 109772216 - Industry Support Siemens

Speed Control of SINAMICS G120X with SIMATIC - ID: 109772227 - Industry Support Siemens

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７ RcdWin Supports Touch Panel

To set the extrusion speed, I connected the ET200SP of the OPC UA server and the touch panel (SIMATIC HMI KTP400 Basic) with PROFINET. Figure 7-1.
The extrusion speed can also be set from a personal computer using EM. Figure 7-2. Since the touch panel is small, there are less restrictions on the location. It may be easier to use for people who are not good at keyboards and mice.
There are some things to be careful of when allowing you to enter the extrusion speed from two places. With a dial-type extrusion speed setting device, a signal that distinguishes between remote and field is required. Not required when setting the extrusion speed on the touch panel.


Figure 7-1 shows RcdWin touch panel support.
Figure 7-2 shows RcdWin and EM.
Figure 7-3 is a network diagram connecting RcdWin, EM, EDA, OPC UA server, a press PLC, and a touch panel.
Figure 7-4 shows the data flow when OPC UA and S7 Communication are used for the network of RcdWin, touch panel, and Press PLC.
TIA Portal can use structures and DB (Data Block) for network data. Therefore, the data flow can be represented by a simple diagram.




Figure7-1＞RcdWin touch panel support

The PLC on the left is S7-1200 1212 AC / DC / RLY. I'm simulating an extrusion machine PLC to test the network. The meaning of AC / DC / RLY is
AC: Power supply is AC
DC: 24V DC Inputs 0.5-amp Max / channel,
RLY: relay outputs, 5-30V DC or 5-250V AC, 2 amps Max / channel.
The DIP switches on the top of the PLC are 24V DC Inputs. The 0th and 2nd on the left side are ON.
For RLY Outputs, when relay outputs 0 is turned on, the bottom LED 0 is turned on. It means that the PLC is in operation.
The ET200SP OPC UA server is on the control panel in the back.
The touch panel (KTP400 Basic) is on the right side of the S7-1200. The Start and Control lamps are on.
It corresponds to 0 and 2 ON of the DIP switch of S7-1200. PcOn is the RUN state of RcdWin on a computer.

The extrusion speed and mold can be changed with a personal computer and a touch panel. However, there is no need for a signal that distinguishes the computer from the site.
This is because the value set in one is automatically sent to the other. A signal is required when using a dial-type speed setting device.

Figure7-2＞Isothermal extrusion with RcdWin and EM

On a personal computer, you can check the extrusion status graph with RcdWin and set the extrusion setting speed with EM at the same time.

A description of the graph.
・Using a billet taper, a billet with a temperature gradient is used to perform constant velocity extrusion and isothermal extrusion at the same time. By using the billet taper, isothermal extrusion has become easier. You can make fine adjustments only when you need it.
・ When the pressure exceeds the relief pressure, the extrusion speed hardly increases. Therefore, the control voltage is lowered to save energy. The thermal relay is turned on for long-term full-load operation. Manufacturing will be interrupted and the product will be defective. In addition, long-term full-load operation is dangerous for workers because the profile pops out. Prevent them. It may be a little slower to start up, but it will improve productivity as a result of energy saving effect and trouble prevention.
・As you can see in the figure, the set speed is dynamically fine-tuned near the extrusion set speed. This is to prevent overshoot. Normally, the operator changes the extrusion set speed, but RcdWin does it automatically. It will save labor. It is no longer necessary to adjust the PID parameters used to prevent overshoot.

Figure7-3＞A network diagram connecting RcdWin, EM, EDA, OPC UA server, a press PLC, and a touch panel

This is a typical network diagram when using RcdWin, EM, EDA, and a touch panel. With PROFINET, you can now use the same cable for your office and factory LANs. The simplification improves maintainability.

Figure7-4＞The data flow when OPC UA and S7 Communication are used for the network of RcdWin, touch panel, and Press PLC

TIA Portal can use structures and DB (Data Block) for network data. Therefore, the data flow can be represented by a simple diagram.

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