Importance of Computer Network
here has been attention around the communications technology involved in Factory Automation. The current buzz however involves a technology that created a similar discussion in the Automation world fifteen years earlier, "Ethernet". There hasn't been so much written in regard to this network technology since the great MAP (Manufacturing Automation Protocol) debate of the mid 80's. Who can remember MAP and its promise as the first interoperable real time network for automation? Surely a token passing deterministic master-less network architecture with predictable performance for each node and the instant ability to recover the token from a wacked out controller, was what many defined as being required. Driven by some of the largest of end user companies this technology promised to provide real time deterministic interoperation among devices. Automation vendors put some of their brightest talent on the project with anxious enthusiasm. The sophistication and complexity of achieving this end at the time however had driven up costs to a prohibitive level that there were only a limited number of installations by the end of the eighties and its future was limited. I guess this was sort of like the super sonic Concorde.
Entering into the nineties we saw the ISP (Interoperable Systems Project) vs. FIP battle rage on in which automation companies lined up on either side for the ultimate show down. For several years the groups continued to develop the architecture of the ultimate Automation network. It was a hot summer in 1994 and after several years of development the moment of truth had arrived. Was there going to be a Networking winner? ARC called a convention of competing network technologies in a hotel along the Charles River in Boston, which had drawn a who's who in the networking world. The big announcement was that the battle ended without a shot being fired and there was no loser and in some minds no winner either. Certainly disappointing for those attending in the city that started the American Revolution. Instead the two competing factions would join together to form a new initiative now called Foundation Fieldbus. This however was not the only network moving on at the time. There were several others networks gaining popularity being designed into the architectures of the Automation companies who were unwilling to wait several more years. The need for network connection of devices was too compelling to wait. Devicenet / Controlnet, Profibus, LonWorks, and Interbus S were in the early stages of wide spread usage in their respected homelands. Some of the FIP proponents as well especially companies in France continued now under the new name WorldFIP. This however did not spread throughout the world as the new name suggested. Each Fieldbus offered a specific advantage for certain industrial applications, but there was to be no ultimate winner. During the meeting in Boston there was no discussions at all with respect to Ethernet which was clearly absent and presumed dead.
Ethernet was however being reborn in the newly emerging world of the Internet. It seemed that speed and bandwidth was not the exclusive concern of the Automation industry. Websites were popping up everywhere and traffic on the Internet was a multi-billion dollar concern. Companies such as Cisco, 3Com and Lucent all recognized the importance of the new network infrastructure. As switch technology and speed improvements to 100 and 1000 Mbits were made available usage grew and prices started to tumble downward. The use of Ethernet was not totally absent from the Automation world, as it was becoming a popular choice at the higher levels connecting SCADA and Process Managements systems together. Commercial Technologies and in particular Microsoft windows software and to a limited extent PC based control was proving that it certainly had a place on the Factory Floor.
The next introduction of the new Ethernet for Automation occurred in the Board of Directors meetings of Foundation Fieldbus. Foundation Fieldbus's Board consisted of executives from 11 of the top Process and PLC companies representing American, European and Japanese companies. As a member of the Board it was extremely interesting to participate in these sometimes heated and closed discussions. During this time period the concern of many of these companies was continuing to work on yet another unique network architecture. Through the persistence of Board members such as John Berra President of Fisher Rosemount and Bruce Robinson (President of Foxboro at that time) and with support of most, Ethernet became an option for the high-speed element of FF program (at that time referred to as H2, now known as HSE for High Speed Ethernet). In March of 1998 in Houston, the Board voted to adopt 100 Mbits Ethernet as the platform to transport the protocol and function blocks of the Foundation. This announcement prompted many if not all the existing Fieldbus technologies to announce an initiative to either transport or link to Ethernet TCP/IP.
With all these announcements there is still a great deal of concern as to whether this technology will be robust enough for Automation. I recall a similar concern was heard back in the late eighties in regard to Windows! There are certainly issues of connectors, topology and EMI, which will have to be addressed. The ability to solve these issues will allow expansion of this technology further downward. The question is not whether they will be solved but when. Several aspects are currently being tested quietly in R&D centers for incorporation into product releases when appropriately addressing the application requirements of the specific company. Seimens recently announced an entire product family of Industrial Ethernet products focusing on many of these issues. Rockwell will have most if not all their products with an Ethernet connection by the end of the year. Schneider Automation's "Transparent Factory" iniative is completely aligned to the adoption of Ethernet and Web Based technologies for the industrial environment. GE-Fanuc was not a stranger to Ethernet and has offered Ethernet for many years on many of it's products.
Assisting the push for low-end scaleable solutions is the recent focus of the Commercial market facilitated by Microsoft for a "Universal Plug and Play" (UPnP) development targeted at the home and appliance market. This market, which is orders of magnitude larger than the industrial space, will further fuel technological developments. Clients devices will not be just PCs but everything from PDAs and Cellular Phones to set top boxes. UPnP is not being ignored as a recent conference in Redmond WA had several major Automation companies present. Like Windows, OPC, and PC based control we should expect benefits coming from this development as well.
The recent announcement of GE coupling with Cisco to focus on solving many of the networking issues of the factory is yet another milestone not to be minimized. Many believe that the major new frontier for automation is not making individual machines run faster but allowing Enterprises to run faster. As we move in the next phase from Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing to Make to Order (MTO) the ability to integrate departmental communication including the plant floor is vital. Mass customization and deployment of e-commerce B2B will be the weapon for competitive positioning of corporations.
We at ICT are currently assisting many of the Automation companies in interfacing current and installed products by interfacing the installed Protocols to Ethernet. A fact to remember is that Ethernet and TCP/IP are not a Magic solution to solve all the issues of networking. The various applications that make up the complex space called Industrial Automation will require the proper selection and installation of the appropriate technology. This industry is conservative with the livelihood of major corporations are resting on the ability to produce product. It is the ability to build and leverage these various networking technologies that will provide significant improvements on the plant floor.
