Distributed Control System SIMATIC PCS 7: Room for new perspectives

In any facility, space comes at a premium. And at a cost. Our response is the SIMATIC ET 200SP HA. The modular periphery system comes with a highly scalable structure which makes it possible to precisely align expansions in the control panel with actual needs. On demand it can be installed directly in the field. Tool-free connection using push-in terminals and fixed wiring cuts the costs of engineering, assembly and wiring. The SIMATIC ET 200SP HA reduces the footprint of the entire system, saving costs in terms of space, air conditioning, power requirements, etc.

When processing signals of areas where fire or explosion hazards may exist, intrinsically safe I/Os are required to avoid ignition sources and ensure the safety of personnel and equipment of a plant or machine. On I/O level, SIMATIC ET 200SP HA with its newly released Ex-I/Os provides optimum solutions that now also fulfill the requirements for Ex-applications. The new Ex-modules can be installed up to ATEX zone 2 and connected via intrinsically safe circuits Ex ia to field devices up to zone 0. 

The integration of field devices is no longer a time-consuming exercise: the new SIMATIC CFU (Compact Field Unit) initializes field devices automatically. What used to take 30 minutes - now takes less than one. That’s Plug & Produce. The SIMATIC CFU combines a digital fieldbus with traditional I/Os and is suitable for direct field use, through to Ex-Zone 2. This substantially reduces the footprint of the entire I/O system. The device also reduces the risk of errors in operation, makes plant expansions or modernizations easier, and cuts the costs of the hardware FAT.

SIMATIC PCS 7 version 9 comprehensively supports PROFINET. PROFINET provides the prerequisites for powerful, plant-wide communication in real time, which is indispensable in the era of Big Data. Furthermore, it is key to the end-to-end diagnostics, monitoring and evaluation of process-relevant data. PROFINET also lets you create flexible and easily scalable network structures. There are further advantages: cost savings across the entire plant life cycle because your wiring costs are so much lower, and because freely scalable redundancy lets you set your plant availability individually.