The FINANCIAL — Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. and Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd. announced on November 16 that they have developed next-generation industrial controllers that achieve high performance and simple configuration with open technologies, to accommodate global rollout and the Internet of Things (IoT), which is the latest trend in the industrial world.
The middle range version of these next generation industrial controllers will be offered by HIES, and the high-end version by Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions. Sales are set to begin in stages from April 2016. The controllers will be marketed to a broad range of industries; most notably, the packing machinery, material handling equipment, machine tool, semiconductor/liquid crystal manufacturing equipment, and instrumentation fields, according to Hitachi.
In recent years, in the manufacturing industry, along with the globalization of the supply chain, there has been a demand for a revolution in production and services using IoT. In that backdrop, many companies are conducting activities in the field of automation systems, focusing mainly on Programmable Logic Controllers, which control various plant facility devices, and IPCs (industrial PCs), which are responsible for gathering data from facility devices and communicating with servers and other higher level information systems. In addition to controlling facility devices, by seamlessly transmitting information on facility devices to the cloud and analyzing that information, these companies are striving to optimize entire plants and the supply chain as a whole.
In the past, however, because automation systems have been constructed by combining unique networks with PLCs running original programming languages that differ from one manufacturer to the next, it has been difficult to ensure affinity in communications with facility devices in the context of IoT, and to secure engineers with sufficient expertise for global rollout.
In order to respond to these issues, the Hitachi Group created a series of next-generation industrial controllers to accommodate IoT and global rollout. Following are the main characteristics of the recently developed industrial controllers.
(1) Open Technologies
By adopting a programming language that is in conformance with IEC61131-3 international standards, the new controllers make it easy to secure programming engineers throughout the world, and supports the construction of global production systems. Furthermore, the adoption of EtherCAT, an open industrial network that has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, enables connections with many facility devices that support EtherCAT, providing an environment in which data can be transmitted seamlessly to the cloud.
(2) High Performance
By leveraging CPU performance that has been characterized by increasingly rapid processing speeds in recent years, and by incorporating CODESYS, a software PLC, a single CPU in the controller is able to simultaneously execute sequence control*7 (controls implemented according to a previously determined order) and advanced motion control synchronized with sensors.
(3) Simple Configuration
Hitachi has developed a series of next-generation industrial controllers as PAC*8 (programmable automation controllers) with both PLC and IPC functions. These controllers have a smaller footprint than existing systems, and contribute to reductions in the cost of introduction, development, and maintenance.
The introduction of these next-generation controllers supports the shift to open technologies in the customers’ automation systems, while at the same time reducing costs and the burden on engineers, thereby achieving compatibility with IoT and simplifying global rollout.
Hitachi is strengthening its global competitiveness in the industrial device business – for example, by establishing the Industrial Products Company on May 1 of this year – and is devoting its energy toward expanding business in the IoT field through open innovations. The industrial controllers scheduled for release next spring were developed based on these policies. By actively marketing products, Hitachi, HIES, and Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions will contribute to the development of industries throughout the world.
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