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Networked Drive System control is a primary piece of the puzzle to meet the complex requirements of customers in the Chemical, Beverage, Food, Pharmaceutical and other important Drive System markets. Networked Drive System Controllers must be quickly integrated into a customer’s automation system. They offer reduced wiring saving time, labor and materials. Many have semi-automatic software integration saving even more integration time. Plus a networked Drive System controller can provide diagnostics and operational feedback increasing system quality, productivity and uptime.
If it’s not currently a requirement in your specific market today, it soon will be. |
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It’s no secret that proprietary fiefdoms have dominated the automation business ever since people started networking sensors. Hundreds of protocols have come and gone, and many of the dominant ones have served to protect the turf of the major control manufacturers.
This has resulted in considerable angst from two groups: 1) users, who are tired of being locked into a whole series of decisions just because they bought a DCS, PLC or other control system; 2) smaller vendors, who often make innovative, advanced products, but are locked out by proprietary protocols.
Networking is a very important to the Drive System Control industry, not only because it opens markets previously closed to smaller manufacturers but because it is backed by some of the biggest names in process and discrete automation. This gives network-enabled Drive System Controllers an automatic advantage in the marketplace.
Traditional, hard-wired Drive System Controllers and field devices can no longer meet the needs of the demanding plant environment in the 2000s. The disadvantages of high installation costs and additional downtime are reinforced by the fact that hardwired field devices are unable to provide detailed operational information. Digitally networked systems are proving inherently more reliable, and offer advanced functionality and diagnostics. |
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