Lab-scale process control system

Paul Boughton

The Industry Automation Division of Siemens is launching new components for use with its Simatic PCS 7 Lab process control system aimed at laboratory applications. This process control system is based on a compact Box PC.

Sealed to IP67, the ET200pro distributed I/O device has now been integrated into the overall system and can be installed directly in lab equipment. Scales, mixers and other equipment can be simply connected to the ET200pro thanks to its host of serial interfaces and analogue and digital channels. There are now also special drivers for connecting such lab equipment as well as an SER module for supporting eight additional serial RS-232C devices.

Areas of application for the Simatic PCS 7 Lab include labs in the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverages industries, especially in breweries and dairies, as well as in the production of edible oils and sugar.

The Simatic PCS 7 Lab system now comprises five components: PC module, power module, serial module, ET200-M I/O module and ET200pro I/O module. The distributed configuration in a stable housing enables the system to be used in changing locations. At the heart of PCS 7 Lab is the PC module, a compact Box PC equipped with an automation system, an operator system and an engineering system. In the standard configuration, the PC module comes with an ET200M I/O module or an ET200pro I/O module. The components are pre-installed and can be supplemented with software packages such as Simatic Batch or Simatic PCS7 Asset Management.

Simatic PCS 7 Lab runs on the system software of the scalable Simatic PCS 7 standard process control system. PCS 7 Lab can therefore be easily expanded to meet growing demands in the lab, or the automation system developed in the lab can be transferred to a production plant controlled with the standard PCS 7 without any break in compatibility.

Simatic PCS 7 Lab

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