PANDUIT JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY DESIGN TRENDS DesignerLink USGBC NEWS Behind every achievement or milestone, there’s a leader. In this case, it’s a group of them. USGBC is excited to announce that we’ve been working with a dedicated group of industry professionals from the manufacturing sector to create more opportunities for greener, healthier, more efficient manufacturing facilities Read full article. AIA NEWS Business conditions continued to improve at architecture firms in September, with the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score rising to 54.3. (Any score above 50 indicates billings growth). Read full article. Industry Business Trends ‘Convergence Revolution’ is Transforming Production Automation has been an important tool for increasing efficiency and output. For the last 40 years in the industrial space, automation has been one of the most important tools for increasing efficiency and output. Consequently, industry has become very intimate with the operation, maintenance and management of automation. With particular emphasis on how these systems take advantage of networking to become more efficient. But automation is just one element in a portfolio of plant- and enterprise-level disciplines which, when they converge, exponentially increase production agility and innovation. This convergence is fueled by network- and connectivity-centric technologies that break down traditional walls and eliminate silos. Increasingly sophisticated integration and collaboration is establishing an intelligent manufacturing ecosystem that extends from the production floor to the top floor. Ultimately, and most important, the convergence revolution is protecting and maximizing manufacturing output. This article looks at multiple “intelligent manufacturing” disciplines merging with each other in a seamless, barrier-free communication and production environment that enables operators to produce more efficiently, remove costs, and optimize an increasingly lean workforce. Read full article. this issue Industry Business Trends P.1 New Resources P.2 What Can a Micro Data Center Do ? P.3 Optimize Industrial Communication Linkage P.4 Design and Implementation Guide P.6 Learn More about Panduit P.7 ISSUE Q4 2013 05 www.industrial-ip.org
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Upcoming Industry Events
Society of Architectural History 67th Annual Conference April 9—13, 2014
The Society of Architectural Historians will hold its 67th Annual
Conference in Austin, Texas, a rapidly growing city with a diverse
architectural and cultural heritage. The conference will feature 35
paper sessions, the SAH Austin Seminar, Graduate Student Lightning
Talks, tours of Austin's architecture and landscapes, and other
events.
The international conference offers the opportunity to present new
research, exchange ideas and network with people and organizations
from across the globe, including architectural historians, art
bonding, power and copper/fiber cabling—yet is sized to serve the
demands of a manufacturing environment.
The MDC is a new concept, representing the next phase in the
transition from tower computing systems in a manufacturing
environment to rack and cabinet-based deployments, with the ability to
serve a variety of enterprise purposes. For example, the MDC can act
as a stand-alone system that runs manufacturing applications such as:
Process and event monitoring, process historian, production
tracking and overall equipment efficiency (OEE) reporting.
Control network, outer loop control, recipe download.
Quality control, material handling, maintenance, lot tracking, and
asset management.
ERP integration (scheduling, reporting, material consumption,
etc).
Read full article.■
Your customer’s EtherNet/IP industrial network is the fundamental
backbone for collecting data and transmitting it to points of use for
control and monitoring. FactgoryTalk® and PlantPAx™ applications
range from tracking product quality, improving preventive maintenance
schedules, managing and monitoring processes, improving safety, and
identifying constraints to boosting productivity. Therefore, a dependable
and secure network is critical for maintaining uptime, reliability and
safety.
When office-grade IT equipment is deployed in the industrial space,
additional environmental protection is required. Automation vendors are
integrating standards-based Ethernet connectivity at all levels of
manufacturing, starting at the bottom with sensors or I/O blocks to
programmable automation controllers (PACs) and up to manufacturing
servers, switches and storage.
Therefore, it’s essential to ensure the linkage between manufacturing
systems is secure, protected from environmental factors such as heat
or dirt, and optimized to speed diagnostics—all while reserving the
ability to isolate the networks when security threats to production arise.
The centerpiece that brings this all together is a Micro Data Center
(MDC), a partial, single or multiple rack/cabinet that houses rack-
mounted servers, switches, storage, uninterruptible power supply
(UPS), backup systems and DIN-rail mounted devices. Poor industrial
network installation can generate unacceptable downtime risks.
New Resources Unified Physical Infrastructure Solutions for Industrial Automation
Introduction to the Micro Data Center
The industrial network is the fundamental backbone
for data collection and transmission to points of use.
Industrial network applications range from the ability
to trace quality of production lots, improve
preventive maintenance schedules, manage and
monitor processes, improve safety, and identify
constraints to increase productivity. These
applications are supported by a reliable and secure
network to keep production flowing and business
communication running smoothly where downtime
is measured in minutes and in thousands of dollars
from missed customer commitments.
Office-grade IT equipment often is deployed in the
industrial space, with additional environmental
protection required. Automation vendors are
integrating Ethernet connectivity at all levels of
manufacturing starting at the bottom with sensors to
PLCs and up to manufacturing servers and switches. Crucial to success is ensuring that the linkage
between these systems is secure, environmentally protected, and optimized to speed diagnostics and
problem solving; reserving the ability to isolate the networks when security threats to production arise.
The centerpiece that brings this all together is a Micro Data Center (MDC). An MDC is a partial, single, or
multiple rack/cabinet that houses rack mounted servers, switches, UPS, Backup Systems, and DIN rail
mounted devices (see Figure 1). The Micro Data Center is designed to provide the link between the
Corporate and the Industrial Networks in order to:
Maintain network uptime
Provide the ability to segregate networks
Manage network security
Speed changes and troubleshooting
Provide ease of installation
This White Paper reviews the elements of an MDC and investigates the benefits of deploying this
technology in an Industrial Automation environment.
Download full white paper.
What Can a Micro Data Center Do For Your Manufacturing Customers?
A Micro Data Center (MDC) is a partial, single or multiple rack/cabinet that houses rack-mounted servers, switches an uninterruptible power supply, backup systems and DIN-rail mounted devices.
