SPONSORED FEATURE
Vario-X: The days of the control cabinet are numbered
Murrelektronik launches the first completely decentralised automation platform. Bringing all automation components into the field without control cabinets, Vario-X combined with a digital twin saves time and money in all project phases: planning, installation, operation and service
I
ncreased digitalisation, shorter development times, complex customer requirements and a shortage of skilled workers – the world of automation is changing at breakneck speed. Murrelektronik is addressing all these challenges with its newest innovation: Vario-X – a modular, highly-fl exible automation platform that allows all automation functions to be implemented completely decentrally (i.e., without a control cabinet) for the fi rst time. “At its simplest level, Vario-X achieves 100% decentralised automation without control cabinets and without compressed air. It is alsoo fully-networked, pluggable and cost-effi cient,” says Paul Culley, Sales Engineer for Murrelektronik UK. “Vario-X ensures reliable voltage, signal, data management and seamless integration of decentralised servo drives. It can also be integrated into larger control systems as a node on a network, allowing simple zoning of machines.”
Modular format At the heart of Vario-X are robust, IP67- rated, waterproof and dustproof modules, which include power supplies, controls, disconnect switches, safety technology and I/O connections. They can easily be assembled side by side on a rugged backplane with integrated mechanical mounting profi les. Once assembled, the Vario-X solution can easily be attached to all common mounting systems without further protection. Equipped with a multicore CPU, Vario-X meets all control requirements and is easily integrated into all higher-level Industrial Ethernet networks as an open control platform.
100% cabinet-free automation The installation and cabling of devices is plug-and-play with standard M12 and MQ15 connectors, eliminating wiring errors and reducing assembly time. This also eliminates expensive and time-consuming installation work in the control cabinet – populating components,
22 May 2023 | Automation
stripping and landing wires, labelling and grounding individual components. To extend the modular concept for your machine control, additional stations can easily be distributed around the machine and connected to each other, like adding an additional power supply to support localised servo motors. Likewise, remote IO modules can be connected directly to Vario-X to process and control sensors and actuators without a backplane or cabinet I/O. This limits control hardware variants and vastly streamlines the cable architecture.
“Not only does the solution save on panel cost, transportation and space, the ability to install it on-site with quick MQ15 and M12 connectivity completes the commissioning process in a fraction of time,” says Culley.
Turning off the air in production Vario-X is driving forward the electrifi cation of manufacturing processes and off ers a much more effi cient alternative to pneumatics. With an effi ciency of only 10-20%, far too much energy is wasted by using compressed air as an energy source, due to countless leaks in the system and ineffi cient actuators. Replacing pneumatics with electrics – swapping an air cylinder with a servo motor – brings massive advantages.
Digital twin Vario-X is not only a collection of backplanes, modules, cables and I/O;
a system automated with Vario-X has a digital twin from the start – a portable 1:1 image of the virtual system that contains all the functions and parameters of the physical system – even in the design phase, before the fi rst mechanical component has been ordered or assembled. For this purpose, Murrelektronik creates a kinematic of machines and systems in a unique software, where movements and processes can be simulated. With the digital twin, the same virtual kinematic is then run to control the real machine. The digital system can also be “placed” directly into the manufacturing process with augmented reality on a mobile phone or tablet, so that all movement sequences and functions can be viewed virtually while assembling the machine or in production. “Allowing off -site testing of a machine in a digital environment allows repeated testing and resetting of functions, without wasting materials. It is also a much quicker process,” says Culley.
In addition, machine builders can use the digital twin as a 3D blueprint, for example via an augmented reality app or virtual reality glasses. This often works much faster than understanding a plan drawn in 2D.
CONTACT:
Murrelektronik
www.murrelektronik.co.uk; 0161 728 3133
automationmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
