HMI/SCADA software for smart factories

26th February 2015
Posted By : Jacqueline Regnier
HMI/SCADA software for smart factories

COPA-DATA is releasing a new version of its HMI/SCADA solution, zenon 7.20, which is fully consistent with the principle of the Smart Factory: the software allows users to carry out targeted analyses and Big Data evaluations and provides all relevant information at any time and everywhere. In addition, companies can set up a cost-effective and scalable cloud solution based on zenon and Microsoft technologies.

A fundamental requirement for a smart factory is an ergonomic software solution that allows efficient engineering, a positive user experience and is highly scalable, secure and powerful in the process. With zenon 7.20, COPA-DATA is presenting a new software version that can meet these requirements.

"With zenon 7.20, we are offering a product that can be used for innovative industrial production plants that are characterized by a significant ability to adapt, resource efficiency, ergonomics and consistent, fully integrated value-adding processes," explains Reinhard Mayr, Product Manager at COPA-DATA. "The new version is notable in terms of mobile working with the Everywhere App by zenon, HTML5 support, enhanced security functions and efficient energy management. In addition, zenon 7.20 offers numerous improvements for our core industries, which make the work even more efficient, simple and user-friendly."

zenon Cloud Solution with Microsoft Azure

With the zenon Cloud Solution, companies can network their distributed production sites to one another and use zenon as a tool for company-wide optimisation. It is thus possible to collate historical data, and also real-time data throughout sites, to compare it to one another, to place it in correlation and to display it with a clear overview in the form of dashboards. Companies can also pursue approaches such as energy management, OEE, etc. at a global level. In order to be able to offer this solution, COPA-DATA is working in close cooperation with Microsoft. With the newly-available connection to Microsoft Azure in zenon 7.20, companies can build up a cost-effective and highly-scalable infrastructure.

zenon and Big Data – manage large amounts of data

When collecting plant data, there are quantities of data that need to be archived on a daily basis. This is cost-intensive and laborious – but often necessary for legal or regulatory reasons. With the zenon Big Data solution, COPA-DATA is offering a cost-effective and ergonomic storage solution for large amounts of data. This solution combines zenon with the Microsoft technologies cloud-integrated StorSimple storage (CiS) and Microsoft Azure. In this setup, zenon Historian is equipped with a connection to Microsoft Azure cloud storage. The archived data points are saved on a hardware appliance in the internal network, the CiS. This dynamic storage gateway ensures, with a current capacity of up to 120 TB, that the data in the Azure cloud storage is moved and safely archived there. In doing so, companies can access data at any time and use this for their evaluations.

However, large amounts of data can also be analysed very effectively on-premises or in hybrid environments. COPA-DATA has further optimised the analysis capabilities of zenon 7.20 in order to meet the requirements of Big Data projects.

zenon on all end devices

In zenon 7.20, COPA-DATA has further improved the graphical display for applications on tablets with Windows 8 and 8.1 and made the design more user-friendly. The new Notifier App for Android smartphones optimises and simplifies the acknowledgment of alarms. Another new feature is some additional password levels for Everywhere Server, in order to define which users can access the Everywhere Server with granularity. The new version of the Everywhere App by zenon is available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Windows Tablet.

Furthermore, COPA-DATA offers comprehensive support for the HTML5 standard and thus simplifies the creation of human machine interfaces (HMIs) using different platforms and end devices. A person configuring a project can create a screen in zenon Editor, compile it and then save it as an HTML client project on the Internet Information Server. The client (the local device, e.g. a tablet, smartphone) has access to a browser on the Internet Information Server and renders the HTML5 page. The person configuring the project thus only needs one engineering tool and there is less load on the server.

Increased security

COPA-DATA is continually working to improve the security functions and mechanisms in zenon in order protect companies as effectively as possible from data manipulation, data loss, and employees not handling business information with due care. Companies with zenon 7.20 can thus configure the communication ports using the Startup Tool. The files password.cmp and password.bin are signed for every project. If files from another project are loaded, the Editor stops and Runtime is ended. In addition, the remote transport password is now saved in encrypted form. Companies can also select strong encryption of remote transport communication as an option.

More efficient energy management in accordance with ISO 50001

The new version of zenon 7.20 offers metering point administration, which companies can use to get a complete overview of their counters and measured values. Users can have the serial numbers of products, the sites of the counters and the respective consumption of resources such as electricity, gas, water etc. displayed. All values can be recorded manually or automatically, whereby relative values can also be calculated. Thanks to the "create Analyzer report" function and the Analyzer connector, the zenon Analyzer reporting and analysis tool is now better integrated into zenon. There is also an improvement to load management in zenon 7.20: whilst a consuming device could only be turned on or off in previous versions, it is now possible to regulate consumption in a more nuanced manner.

Optimized Recipegroup Manager

The Recipegroup Manager (RGM) makes it possible to collate individual manufacturing parameters and commands into a list, which is executed in Runtime with a single function call. In the new version 7.20, the Recipegroup Manager offers significant performance improvements, which are beneficial for complex recipes in particular. Another highlight of the RGM: COPA-DATA has amended the new recipe value table to the RGM layout and now allows filtering, re-sorting, grouping etc. In addition, users can amend the table graphically. With the new version of the RGM, companies also have the possibility to interlock parameters or even a complete list for individual users or user groups. Recipe validation is a feature in the RGM that is already familiar. During validation the values from the recipe are compared to the values from the controller. Live validation is new for this function. If problems occur the user immediately gets feedback from the system and is made aware of the fault.

zenon 7.20 – an overview of other new features

  • High-performance graphics support: zenon 7.20 supports DirectX version 11.1 and thus offers modern and very powerful graphics support. The improved performance is most clearly evident when using faceplates and in the zenon Worldview and thus contributes to an improved user experience. In the zenon Editor too, the graphics are now displayed using DirectX and are thus equivalent to the display in Runtime.
  • Optimized SAP interface: With the new version, it is possible for SAP systems to call up production data – and not only for zenon as before. The advantage of this update is synchronized data handling and thus improved timing, because the SAP system gets the data from zenon in a targeted manner and only when required.
  • zenon Energy Edition: If companies use the Energy Edition of zenon, they can benefit from the new "Command Sequencer" module from zenon 7.20. Companies can use this to configure the sequence of commands. They can easily and intuitively compile command sequences using drag&drop in the PFC Editor.
  • zenon Energy Data Management System: With zenon 7.20, COPA-DATA is offering an attractively-priced solution package for energy management applications. The new offer includes zenon Operator, which is tailor-made for use in energy management, and zenon Analyzer, including a selection of reports that are relevant to the company for energy management in accordance with ISO 50001.
  • zenon Logic 8.7: The new software release also includes an update of the zenon IEC 61131 programming environment.
  • Enhancements for the following drivers: IEC 60870 (slave and master), DNP3, SNMPv3, IEC 61850, IEC 61850 Edition 2, S7 (TIA 13 import).

zenon 7.20 is fully compatible with previous versions. Existing projects can simply be transferred at the click of a mouse and without any loss of data.


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