Industrial Automation

The proliferation of smart machines is bringing increased autonomy and operational efficiency to manufacturing, mining, SCADA, and Oil and Gas systems. In serving this sector, Dedicated Systems recommends RTI Connext DDS, offering benefits that include simplified integration of large systems, more secure and distributed SCADA, and improved optimisation with cloud-based analysis and real-time feedback to operational systems.

Autonomous industrial applications leveraging RTI products to date include …

• Komatsu Mining Corporations predictive maintenance and intelligent capabilities – using RTI DDS Connext for its modular infrastructure to achieve a flexible architecture and real-time data analytics; and
• Oil and gas exploration ventures – controlling autonomous robots on the drill floor, replacing dangerous manual operations with interconnected systems of advanced robotics and software.

With a continuing demand for improved performance and flexibility in Industrial Automation computing solutions, General Micro Systems (GMS) is positioned to deliver the optimum CPU technology available on the market courtesy of their operational model of technology independence, utilising the best CPU technology available, balancing price, performance and power while delivering quality and customer support over several decades.

Fielding capable, rugged, compact, powerful, precise and reliable computer systems – they are a preferred choice of Dedicated Systems for the industrial markets of oil, gas and mining. Indeed, GMS leads the oil, gas, and mining industry in computer innovation through their commitment to providing the latest technologies in a form compact and rugged enough for exploration.

GMS solution features servicing the oil, gas and mining industry to date include …

• Solar powered devices;
• Operation submerged in liquids;
• Spark proof and corrosion resistance; and
• Ruggedisation to withstand severe elements.

The ongoing rapid integration of new technologies into industrial equipment and automated plants demands efficiency in prototyping and fully automated testing. Dedicated Systems recommends Speedgoat as specialists in state-of-the-art real-time systems designed for real-time testing using Simulink® and Simulink Real-Time™ – the real-time operating system from MathWorks.

The combination of MathWorks and Speedgoat provide the ability to follow a Model-Based Design workflow from concept to hardware-in-the-loop hardware verification using industry-standard tools while using various analogue and digital I/O together with standard communication protocols. Automation engineers are afforded a platform to efficiently develop robust motion control algorithms and test complex applications. Manufacturers of industrial control systems are able to deploy model-based designs in real time, interfacing with any capable device in a manufacturing plant.

Speedgoat applications to date include …

• Manufacturing automation – the implementation of smart automated production lines with high-precision robotics;
• Heavy machinery – the integration of high-precision inclination and motion sensors, autonomous technology and electrification;
• Motion control equipment – the design and verification of motion control algorithms and connection and simulation of motor drives, encoders, and resolvers; and
• Process technology – the enhancement of quality and safety in automated processes.

The expansion of intelligent machine-to-machine (M2M) devices is bringing increased benefits in remote management, real-time analytics, diagnostic functions and reduced operational costs to Industrial Automation. However, the integrity of these benefits relies on identifying and removing possibilities of software exploitation or failure.

For software assurance, Dedicated Systems chooses the industry leading CodeSonar® by CodeSecure as its static code analysis tool (SAST) of choice. CodeSecure helps customers solve the most challenging software issues, safeguarding embedded mission-critical devices from failure and cyber-attack through rigorous analysis processes and tools that expedite development, verification, and deployment.

CodeSonar® benefits include …

• Reduction of business risks through real-time visibility into source and binary code, allowing teams to examine complete applications and eliminate defects early in the software development lifecycle;
• Unlocking hidden defects from your supply chain that could lead to system failures, poor reliability, system breaches, or unsafe conditions; and
• Standards support via IEC 61508, ISO 26262 and EN 50128 certification underpinning safety critical software development for autonomous applications.

Dedicated Systems recommends United Electronic Industries (UEI) I/O systems for your advanced data acquisition, data logging, and programmable control systems for Industrial Automation in the Oil and Gas industry.

UEI has a proven record of support in Oil and Gas covering exploration, drilling, processing, refining and distribution. Their engineers are experienced in developing solutions to meet accuracy and reliability requirements in extreme temperatures, pressures and other environmental conditions of the industry. UEI products provide instrumentation for crude oil, natural gas and shale oil fracking production, in addition to all processing phases – Upstream, Midstream, Refining and Petrochemical.

UEI solution features include …

• Military-grade chassis designed to meet common requirements of MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-810, and sealed to IP66 / NEMA6 standards;
• COTS chassis platforms for the extensive UEI range of analogue and digital I/O boards; and
• Extensive software compatibility across operating systems, programming languages and application packages – including VxWorks.

Interface Concept develops and manufactures COTS, modified COTS, and boards and systems that are based on industrial standards (3U/6U VPX, cPCI, VME, FMC, XMC, PMC) and high-end technologies. Dedicated Systems recommends Interface Concept as quality suppliers to the Industrial Automation market for compute-intensive or command and control applications.

Interface Concept provide specification-driven custom solutions, long-term product support, obsolescence management and product support in operational conditions. A key aspect of their customer focus is technical support – ensuring customers fully leverage solutions as product complexity grows.

The High-Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC) range of Interface Concept products used in critical industrial control systems includes …

• Rugged Ethernet switches,
• High performance single board computers,
• FPGA processing boards, and
• Graphic and storage modules.

With a growing global market in Industrial Automation, businesses must be agile, efficient, and cost-effective with their solutions. Wind River® are the preferred choice of Dedicated Systems in the provision of innovative software solutions that meet business with safety, security, and reliability built in.

For over 30 years, leading industrial companies have relied on Wind River® to provide the highest level of reliability for their products.  Wind River® solutions are supporting businesses to steer through the digital transformation, fuelled by the Industrial IoT and new Industry 4.0 capabilities, meeting evolving market demands and competitive challenges by being connected, automated, and data driven.

Wind River® use cases include …

• Omron – VxWorks or Wind River Linux provided the implementation of fast, highly accurate automation technology combined with a flexible development and programming environment; and
• Rockwell automation – Achieved economies of scale by standardising on interfaces, code, and tools from Wind River.