November 11, 2016 - Siemens has updated the software for its motion control system Simotion and, in the Version 4.5, has equipped it with object-oriented programming (OOP) and communication via OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture). Thus, mechanical engineers can now access Simotion data in a standardized way, across all automation levels – as far as the Cloud.
With the Simotion software V4.5 and the object-oriented programming OOP according to IEC 61131-3 ED3, complex applications can be broken down into manageable object structures to illustrate the structure of a modular machine, for example. Mechanical engineers can thus better standardize and reuse software modules and considerably reduce the programming and testing costs and susceptibility to errors. This allows them to implement large software projects considerably more efficiently than before.
In Version 4.5, the Simotion software now supports OPC UA, the standardized communication protocol for the cross-manufacturer exchange of data in automation technology. This allows access across all automation levels to the data of the Simotion Motion Control system – as far as the Cloud.
Authentication, authorization and encryption protect the communication. The OPC UA communication supplements the Profinet communication for such things as real-time applications with Simotion, where both protocols are used on a single cable, without any loss of performance.
