In modern industrial automation production, PLC plays a core role, it can process and control various input signals, and carry out corresponding output control according to the preset logical relationship, so as to achieve accurate control of the production process. However, with the rapid development of the Industrial Internet of Things, traditional PLC devices are gradually exposing their limitations in terms of data interaction and communication.
TDE series products are data acquisition gateways with intelligent edge computing at the edge end of the digital network star industrial cloud platform launched by Tiantuo Sifang, which can easily realize remote data collection, program remote ** and remote maintenance of field equipment. It supports 300+ industrial equipment driver protocols, 2 RJ45 Ethernet and up to 5 serial communication interfaces, which can meet the networking needs of most industrial controller equipment. At the same time, it supports Ethernet broadband, 4G 5G, and WiFi Internet access. Remote configuration, diagnosis and management can be realized through the digital network star industrial cloud platform.
It is capable of data communication and protocol conversion between the PLC and the external network. Through the TDE gateway, we can connect the PLC equipment to the cloud platform, other PLC equipment, sensors, actuators, etc., to achieve remote monitoring, data analysis, fault diagnosis and other functions.
A manufacturing enterprise has multiple production lines, and the equipment on these production lines needs to interact with the ** control system. The traditional method is to connect by hard wire, which is not only complex in wiring, but also has poor scalability. In order to improve the situation, the company decided to introduce the TDE gateway.
Choose the right PLC gateway
First of all, we need to choose a suitable PLC gateway. Considering the complexity of the company's production line and the need for future expansion, we chose the TDE gateway with strong data processing capabilities and high stability. The gateway supports a variety of communication protocols and enables data conversion and transmission between different devices.
Implementation steps
1. Equipment connection and configuration: connect the PLC equipment on the production line to the industrial Ethernet network through the gateway. This involves the physical connection of the device, the configuration of the IP address, and the setting of the communication protocol.
2. Data acquisition and transmission: The PLC gateway collects the working status, production data and other information of each PLC equipment in real time, and transmits it to the control system. At the same time, the control system can also send control instructions to the PLC equipment through the gateway.
3. Data analysis and processing: In the first control system, we use professional data analysis software to process the collected production data to optimize the production process and improve production efficiency.
4. System expansion and upgrade: Considering the possible increase of equipment or system upgrade in the future, we have reserved enough expansion space at the beginning of the design. This is due to the PLC gateway's powerful data processing capabilities and flexible configuration options.
Effects & Benefits
After the introduction of PLC gateway, the enterprise has realized the intelligent and networked management of the production line. The specific effects are as follows:
Real-time data: Through the PLC gateway, the real-time collection and transmission of data is realized, so that the management personnel can understand the operation status of the production line in time.
Remote control: Even if they are not on the production line, the management personnel can remotely control the production line through the first-class control system, which improves work efficiency.
Fault warning and location: Through the analysis of data, possible equipment failures can be warned in advance, and fault points can be accurately located to reduce downtime.
Production optimization: Through the analysis of large amounts of production data, companies can optimize production processes and improve production efficiency.
Future scalability: With enough room for expansion, it becomes easy and fast for enterprises to add new equipment or system upgrades in the future.
Through the production case, we can see that the PLC gateway has played a huge role in the production process. It not only simplifies the connection of devices and improves the real-time data transmission, but also facilitates future expansion and upgrades of enterprises. With Industry 40 and the advancement of intelligent manufacturing, we have reason to believe that PLC gateways will play their irreplaceable role in more fields.