PLCnext industrial control: classic and modern

Programmable logic controller

Mara Hofacker, 23.11.2018, 11:34

PLCnext industrial control: classic and modern

RS Components has added the first programmable logic controller (PLC) on the technological basis of the PLCnext open control platform introduced by Phoenix Contact to its product range.

PLC on the technological basis of the PLCnext open control platform introduced by Phoenix Contact. © RS Components

Designed for use in decentralized modular control applications in industrial automation and in research areas of mechanical engineering, the new PLCnext industrial control system combines the robustness and safety of a classic PLC with the openness and flexibility of IIoT smart devices. The AXC F 2152 industrial controller has a dual-core 800 MHz ARM Cortex processor with 512 MByte memory.

The controller is housed in a robust, compact housing measuring 127x45x75 mm and also contains an OPC UA server, a fieldbus manager, diagnostic logger, trace controller and automatically accesses Phoenix Contact's cloud, the Proficloud, via a direct connection.

Young engineers and technicians today tend to be well versed in high-level development environments. However, they often do not have the PLC programming skills of previous generations. The PLCnext platform is an extension of classic IEC 61131-compliant PLC programming. It enables developers and technicians to program using a selection of high-level languages. Open source software and apps can be flexibly integrated into the system. The real-time performance and data consistency associated with proprietary, device-specific PLC coding are maintained. At the same time, the limitations of this approach are avoided.

The PLCnext Engineer engineering software platform uses automation modules and object-oriented programming to provide a single optimized user interface for all engineering tasks. This saves time and costs during training and project work. Consistent operation worldwide is ensured by IEC 61131-3 compliance, while functional safety programming is certified according to IEC 61508.

You might also be interested in

Elektronik-Entwicklung

RS Components erweitert Teilebibliothek

RS Components hat eine umfangreiche Erweiterung seiner PCB Part Library angekündigt. Diese Teilebibliothek dient als wichtiges Werkzeug für Ingenieure, die Leiterplatten entwickeln.

Single-Board-Computer

Klein, stark und echt gut

Single-Board-Computer erfreuen sich immer größerer Beliebtheit – mittlerweile auch in der Industrie. Denn sie sind ausgereift, leistungsfähig und ersparen den Herstellern viel Entwicklungsarbeit.

ESTIA aims to strengthen Europe's cloud

New tech alliance for EU sovereignty

Twelve companies, including Dassault Systèmes, are founding the European Sovereign Tech Industry Alliance (ESTIA). The initiative aims to strengthen Europe's technological independence and define requirements for sovereign cloud services. The start...

AI sovereignty for Germany?

Deutsche Telekom and Nvidia launch one of Europe's largest AI factories

With the Industrial AI Cloud in Munich, Deutsche Telekom and NVIDIA are creating one of the largest AI factories in Europe. Companies can train AI models, carry out simulations and access 10,000 GPUs.

Streaming of production data

Leveraging data potential with AI and streaming

Huge data treasures are still lying dormant in many manufacturing companies. And yet it is high time that these treasures were unlocked. There is often a lack of resources and capacity to make data usable in real time. Streaming production data can...

Noise mapping

More awareness of noise

Dematic offers solutions that are tailored to different cloud environments and reduce environmental impact through reduced material consumption and improved energy efficiency.

AI-supported solutions

Generative AI in the automation environment

The mechanical engineering and automation industry is undergoing profound change. This transformation is being driven by more volatile global trade, geopolitical crises and increasing market pressure, which demands greater agility, technological...

Hybrid cloud storage

Rigid data structures have had their day

The traditional data center is no longer the center of data. A hybrid cloud storage approach enables manufacturing companies to both meet the current requirements of data-intensive processes and future-proof their infrastructure.