Why fieldbus technology?

Cost pressure and the pressure of competition weighs heavy in all sectors of production and processing, and yet it encourages the activating of potential for rationalization. The automation of processes by using fieldbuses has proven itself and at the same time, the work involved in the electrical installation of operating equipment is also reduced. Serial fieldbus technology offers a wide range of advantages over parallel wiring.

The higher the degree of automation is in a system or machine, the more cabling work for parallel wiring, due to the number of I/O points. This means considerable costs for project planning, installation, commissioning and maintenance. The requirements for the cables are often very high. For example, special conductors have to be used for the transmission of analog values. The parallel field wiring thus becomes a serious time and cost factor.

Elimination of control cabinets - Just one cable for the complete network throughout the entire company structure

In comparison, serial networking of the components in the field using so-called fieldbus systems is considerably less expensive. The fieldbus replaces the parallel cable bundle with one single bus cable and links all levels from the field level to the control level. Independent of the type of automation equipment, e.g. programmable logic controllers (PLC) from different manufacturers or PC-based controllers, the fieldbus as the transmission medium networks all the components. These can be distributed anywhere in the field, since they are all connected decentrally on site. A powerful communications network is thus available for modern rationalization concepts.

The advantages of a fieldbus system

The advantages of a fieldbus system as compared to parallel wiring are varied: Less wiring saves time during planning and installation. The numbers of cables and marshalling distributors are reduced and the size of the control cabinets is cut. Self-diagnostics by the system with plain text messages reduce downtime and maintenance work. A higher degree of reliability and better availability as a result of shorter signal paths play an important role in particular for critical signals. Especially in the case of analog signals, protection against interference is increased. Open fieldbus systems are responsible for uniform data transmission and device connection from all manufacturers. The user becomes independent of the standard of individual manufacturers. Extensions and modifications are easy to carry out, guaranteeing flexibility, and in return, a secure investment in the future.