Module is PID slave to PLC controllers

Paul Boughton

The ability to measure, display and control temperature values accurately is crucial to industrial applications such as plastic extrusion, injection moulding, thermoforming and food processing.

Engineers must therefore consider many features when selecting a temperature controller.

Eurotherm is launching a cost-effective, compact DIN rail RFS single-loop controller for use as a slave PID loop to a programmable logic controller (PLC). Many users prefer a single-loop controller to manage each zone of a process; it gives them the ability to link the temperature controllers and zones to a supervisory controller for co-ordination and remote single-point monitoring.

The RFS combines all of these qualities and more: not only is it cost-effective, but it also has fast response times with single-point monitoring using the Modbus communication interface, plus it has in-built intelligence.

It has been designed using a Smart PID self-tuning algorithm equipped with soft start and a non-linear cooling function for use on water-cooled extruders. The smart tuning automatically adjusts the unit to existing process dynamics to avoid disrupting the current operating conditions.

Smart temperature controllers can be programmed to provide a variety of outputs in response to changing conditions. There are three outputs with the RFS providing a heat-plus-two-alarms or heat/cool-plus-one-alarm configuration. A complete set of process protection alarm functions - with high and low limits, and band and deviation - is also included.

All inputs and outputs can be read directly over the Modbus interface and the master can write to RFS outputs not assigned as alarm or status functions, to simplify troubleshooting and enable remote diagnostics.

The RFS is easily configured using PC wizard software and the parameters can be modified at any time.

DIN rail-mounted RFS single-loop PID controller

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