Control PC for Modern Automation

Industrial, Reliable, Flexible Control PC in Modern Automation

PC in automation started as small-scale control pc systems in areas such as data acquisition, process monitoring and batch control. This continues to be the case. However, during the last decade, the control PC has been implemented in mission critical real time control application such as the nuclear sector, automotive, aerospace. While the PLC will always have its place, a control PC is has made and continues to make headway as a viable control PC platform for these reasons:

• Control PC systems can right sized for the application from physical dimension, CPU, RAM, deterministic RTOS, embedded or non embedded.
• PC hardware has come a long way in terms of reliability, end of life cycles, ingress protection, thermal management, stability since the early days. PC survivability in hostile environments is ubiquitous today.
• Control Software today allows for millisecond real-time response, monitoring and responding to thousands of IO points.
• A control PC is expandable and if designed properly is field IO, instrumentation and field device independent.
• Some control applications require additional data manipulation and storage and reporting characteristics that may be difficult to implement in a PLC.
• The PC is so common place today, environment rich for programming, fast and economical.
• Industrial computers are mainstream in manufacturing and hostile enviroments
• The Bios programs have improved significantly in the past decade for fast boot, WAL and the like.

As commented on Control Design.com:
“What is compelling about control PC solutions is that many packages come with high determinism through a real-time extension being deterministic down to 1 ms. That allows one control pc package—like a touchscreen packaged with a CPU motherboard that includes all the connectivity—to offer multiple-function control pc platforms, all in software and user-configurable. These control pc packages offer the entire machine-control functionality:
1. OIT through the TS
2. HMI through software
3. SCADA software
4. Real-time PID software
5. IEC-compliant software
6. Soft motion control
7. Networking through multiple ports—serial, Modbus/TCP, Ethernet.
All this in one package is far less expensive and far more functional than the brand PACs.”

A control PC that is hardware independent

Computing is key for modern automation that requires flexibility for real time data for real time human and machine interaction. Reliability, flexibility and operability are the buzz words of today’s factory floor.

A truly versatile platform for industrial process control applications and automation. The APC is based on the IEC 61131 international automation programming standard. Using Isagraf as the foundation the control PC is a hardware independent process controller and is ready for deployment in real-time applications.

Features & Benefits:

• Easily control thousands of points per second.
• OEM, integrators and end users alike can build their environment comfortably
• Open architecture environment standardized to international requirements.
• Gain a wider breadth of operability and integration.
• Reduce your implementation time, increase reliability and return on investment
• Normalizedcontrol software for easier management and redeployment

Brief on how the Control PC is built out

Designing the user application for the control PC is accomplished by building and combining function blocks with the Isagraf workbench application builder. The Isagraf work bench sits on an control engineering PC and is used to create run time user applications which are downloaded to the advanced control PC. Since the PC system programs are created from source files they can be saved to a library and redeployed on new projects.

The hardware is stable and reliable. Manufacturing chains are such today that a 10 year EOL cycle is entirely feasible for those that require this longevity.
A control PC as a process controller is a proven platform for the OEM, machine builder, integrator or end user.