Mechanical engineering is characterized by many challenges today. Increasing digitalization brings an increase in the speed of change, while the lead time for the introduction of new products steadily decreases. The productivity rate of a machine should be as high as possible, flexibly convertible to other product lines, with reduced downtimes.

Siemens delivers strategies for future-proof automation solutions

Using a modular machine design with a central control level and distributed I/O offers flexibility and future-proofing. Ensuring excellent connectivity of all machine components is crucial. Optimal communication must work across different protocols. Automation should accurately record and evaluate all production data, forming the basis for machine optimization. Diagnostic systems can support this, with integrated HMI devices transmitting results or instructions to operators. Ideally, all hardware and software components should be integrated and communicate on a single level.

Siemens offers components to achieve these goals at all levels of an automation solution:

• For the distributed I/O, components from the ET 200 series communicate with higher-level controllers from the SIMATIC S7-1500 series, as both are configured with the TIA Portal software framework
• The interface module MultiFieldbus supports the communication protocols Profinet, Modbus TCP and EtherNet/IP
• The SIMATIC FDE Gateway optimizes data communication between OT and IT levels
• Diagnostics software like ProDiag
• SIMATIC HMI devices for the visualization of the plant status.