Technology Watch Library
Premier Integration Simplifies Drive Configuration and Maintenance
Integrated drive configuration with RSLogix 5000 reduces development time by as much as 70 percent.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators and end users are always searching for ways to make drives easier to install, operate and integrate into their overall automation systems.
For these users, adding a drive to a control system typically has involved learning to work with different software programs and manage separate drive configurations. A new approach from Rockwell Automation® aims to change this.
Called “Premier Integration,” this approach provides an array of programming tools to better integrate Allen-Bradley® drives with other Allen-Bradley products. These tools streamline drive commissioning, installation and maintenance, helping to reduce cost, time and errors.
Drive Programming Challenges
Traditionally, drives and controllers are treated as separate entities in the programming world: users require one programming application for the controller and separate configuration software for the drive. More likely than not, users refer to a manual because there is no way to set up the network
I/O connections to the drive without it.
In addition, configuration is often done at two different times by two different people. Greg Mears, Rockwell Automation product manager of Drive Software and Premier Integration, explains, “The potential for user error is great and can result in no I/O connection being allowed due to a configuration mismatch.”
Furthermore, the resulting tag names are generic and require individual tag descriptions so that anyone looking at the controller program can understand it. Also, the resulting tags are often of the same data type, such as integer or double integer. If drive parameters reflect a mixture of data types, then additional controller programming is required to convert to the desired data types.
“Such challenges,” says Mears, “result in development, startup and operational delays.”
A Smarter Approach
Rockwell Automation’s Premier Integration enhances drive programming and commissioning of PowerFlex® AC drives. It does so by providing profiles, parameters and standardised tags that users can easily install from a pick list. In addition, copy and paste programming makes configuring multiple drives effortless. The catalyst for these capabilities is RSLogix™ 5000 v16 (and higher) software.
Mears explains that drive Add-On Profiles (AOPs) speed the configuration process. Users configure both the controller and drive side of the network I/O at the same time and in the same place - RSLogix 5000. This eliminates user configuration errors due to mismatches.
And, since the configuration software is part of the AOP, additional information about the drive is known. For example, descriptive drive tag names, such as *.AccelTime1, are automatically created, eliminating the need for users to manually add descriptions. The tag names match the drive parameter names, effectively providing standardised tags that are the same from one program to the next. The proper data types are also automatically generated for each tag, eliminating the need for users to program data conversion logic.
Mears also explains that all drive configurations are stored in the RSLogix 5000 *.acd file, so users have a single backup file of their Logix/PowerFlex drive system. When the *.acd file is downloaded to the controller, the drive configuration settings are stored there, too. This gives users a single repository of the configuration settings for their networked drives. In the event of a failure, replacement and restoration of the original drive configuration is a much easier process.
Easier Automation
Premier Integration encompasses other tools to speed automation, as well. They include:
- Startup Wizards. These provide a simple, step-by-step process to program drives. Drives can be used on a variety of applications, ranging from fans and pumps, to conveyors, to winders, etc. As a result, a drive can have hundreds of parameters. Graphs, images and descriptive text assist users through the commissioning process. They reduce drive startup and commissioning time as well as improve setup accuracy by eliminating a significant amount of manual configuration with the end device.
- Add-On Instructions (AOIs). These allow users to encapsulate their most commonly used logic as sets of reusable instructions. Mears provides one example, the use of PowerFlex faceplates in FactoryTalk® View. The AOI is used to handle program control (automatic) versus operator control (manual).
According to Mears, “AOIs give users the ability to customise instructions to fit their needs and help to provide a standardised way of doing so.” This reduces the development and validation effort and promotes consistency among projects since there’s no need to constantly reinvent commonly used control algorithms.
- Faceplates with AOIs. PowerFlex flaceplates are preconfigured HMI objects that can be imported into a user’s HMI display. They allow for operator control, monitoring of metering data, parameter adjustments and fault description/corrective action – and can be downloaded for free from the Rockwell Automation Sample Code website.
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