Jack Mans, Plant Operations Editor

March 11, 2015

2 Min Read
New engineering design tools speed development of automation solutions
Rockwell.jpg

 

Rockwell Software Studio 5000 unified engineering and design envi298720-Rockwell_jpg.jpg

Rockwell.jpg

ronment , from Rockwell Automation, provides a framework for engineering collaboration. It sets the foundation for design tools that allow engineers to enter configuration and programming information only once, and then leverage it across their entire control system architecture from design to operation to maintenance. 


"The Studio 5000 environment brings the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system to the next level, building on the superior usability of Rockwell Software RSLogix 5000 software, further improving the user experience, and the design and productivity of automation systems," said Kevin Zaba, vice president and general manager, Control and Visualization Business, Rockwell Automation. "Optimally integrated hardware and software means users can define data once and easily use it across the Integrated Architecture system. The data and tag structures are natively recognized and automatically picked up by the other system components, improving development efficiency and reducing programming errors. A unified engineering and design environment also communicates and performs at higher speeds. For customers, the result is improved productivity, shorter design cycles and a faster time-to-market." 


The debut of Studio 5000 software includes the Logix Designer application for programming and configuration of Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5570 and CompactLogix 5370 programmable automation controllers. Later versions will provide applications for other engineering tasks, such as HMI development, library management for reusable components, information integration and more. 


Maintaining the familiar, user-friendly workflows and interfaces from the RSLogix 5000 design and configuration software, the new Studio 5000 environment creates an optimal level of integration within the Integrated Architecture system. Optimal integration is accomplished by embedding features such as program comments and descriptions, and a new alarm log, directly in the controller. 


The new environment taps additional memory storage capacity in the latest generation of Logix controllers so program comments, for example, that describe the functionality of each line of code, can be maintained directly in the controller without reducing available user memory. Now, a complete project can be stored in the controller, with comments correlated for multiple users, reducing time and effort related to maintenance and troubleshooting. 


Additionally, the Studio 5000 environment creates a controller-based (versus HMI-based) alarm log. Storing this information in the controller means alarm data will not be lost if there is a communication or network failure between the HMI and the controller. Additionally, support for the ISA 18.2 state model allows for simpler creation of alarming systems that align with this widely accepted recommendation. The Studio 5000 unified engineering and design environment is available globally under the same catalog number as RSLogix 5000 software.

 

Source: Rockwell Automation

 

.

About the Author(s)

Jack Mans

Plant Operations Editor

Sign up for the Packaging Digest News & Insights newsletter.

You May Also Like