The September Technology Evening was kindly sponsored by ifm and Freddie Coertze, field technical support engineer, gave an interesting presentation entitled: 'Focus on the essentials: automating with AS-Interface'.
Howard Lister (right) thanks Freddie after the presentation.
Freddie showed his audience why the Actuator Sensor Interface (AS-i) had been developed, and how it fits into the hierarchical control structure that is applied to current generation networks used for industrial measurement and control. AS-i was developed to be easy and economical to apply to systems including safety applications, and is not specific to any one manufacturer but it ensures compatibility between devices when correctly applied. Standards and specifications to which all manufactures must adhere are set by the AS-I Association to which many globally known manufacturers belong, and the Association provides a central communication platform worldwide for manufacturers, users, institutions and universities. Hardware components were displayed and the way that they would fit into the network structure and their function explained.
Use of a live demonstration and diagnostic system showed clearly how the system reacted immediately to a short circuit on the cable. It also showed clearly the need for cable lengths not to be exceeded; how the use of a bus terminator could extend the cable length from 100 m to 200 m, and how a system could ultimately be extended up to 1 km between extremities. Examples of practical problems, such as plant changes causing a system that had worked perfectly to fail because cables had been modified or re-routed, were highlighted as points to watch out for if an AS-I system suddenly failed. There were a number of questions, all of which were answered clearly and concisely prior to Howard Lister thanking ifm and Freddie for an interesting presentation and also for sponsoring the evening. The usual delicious food served by the Durban Country Club (chicken curry this month) was the perfect backdrop for some good networking.
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