In order to improve the visualization and management efficiency of the production process, the rolling workshop of a steel company in Changzhou decided to introduce LED display and Siemens S7-1500 PLC. The LED display will display the working parameters of each link of the rolling system in real time, such as the date of the rolling, the steel grade, the operation of the spinning machine equipment, etc. Through the introduction of Siemens S7-1500 PLC, it is hoped that real-time collection and display of equipment parameters can be realized.
In practice, a major problem was encountered: the Siemens S7-1500 as a PROFINET master supported the PROFINET Ethernet protocolWhereas, the LED display only supports the Modbus protocol. The two protocols could not communicate directly, which became a problem for the implementation of the project. In response to this problem, the following solutions are proposed:
On the PLC side, we convert the PROFINET protocol to the Modbus protocol. This is achieved via a PROFINET to MODBUS gateway, which allows the PLC to process both protocols simultaneously and transmit data via the PROFINET to MODBUS gateway. On the LED display side, we convert the Modbus protocol to the PROFINET protocol. This requires converting the Modbus protocol to the PROFINET protocol, so that the LED display can receive the signal from the PLC and display it through the PROFINET to MODBUS gateway. With the above solution, we have successfully realized the conversion and data transfer between the PROFINET protocol and the MODBUS protocol, so that the LED display can display the data from the Siemens S7-1500 PLC in real time.
By using PROFINET to Modbus gateways, the operational efficiency of the rolling mill has been significantly improved. The staff can adjust the equipment settings according to the parameters on the LED display in real time to optimize the production process. At the same time, the introduction of LED display has also greatly improved the transparency of the workshop, making it more convenient for on-site managers to understand and monitor the production situation. The successful implementation of this project also provides a useful reference for other similar industries.
This case study shows how the technical difficulties can be overcome by using the Profinet to Modbus gateway solution to achieve conversion and data transfer between the Profinet protocol and the Modbus protocol. This not only improves the operational efficiency and management level of steel companies, but also provides a useful reference and reference for other similar industries. At the same time, we also recognize that the need for cross-protocol communication is becoming more and more common in the field of industrial automation, and solving these problems requires in-depth technical research and practical experience. For enterprises, choosing the right communication protocol and solution will have a significant impact on productivity and cost control. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to technology research and development and innovation in our future work to meet the changing market demand and improve the competitiveness of enterprises.