B&R exec elected to OMAC Packaging Workgroup

May 30, 2007
B&R Industrial Automation Corp.
News

Summary

Markus Sandhoefner, Sales Manager with B&R, was elected as a representative to the board of directors of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup.

May 30, 2007 - B&R is very pleased to announce that Markus Sandhoefner, Sales Manager with B&R Industrial Automation Corp. in Atlanta, GA, has been elected as new technology provider representative to the board of directors of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup (OPW). The election took place during the OMAC user group conference in Orlando, FL on February 14, 2007. “With numerous members of the Packaging industry the OMAC plays a vital role with regards to the standardization of technology for innovative packaging solutions. I am excited to further drive this initiative as board member of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup,” says Sandhoefner. The OMAC (Open Modular Architecture Controls) Users Group was formed in 1994 to create an organization through which end users, OEM’s and technology providers and integrators can work together. Current members of the OPW Executive Committee include Rick VanDyke (Frito Lay), Mike Lamping (P&G) and Garth Basson (SABMiller) on the user side, Colin Warnes (ADCO) and Wolfgang Buchkremer (KHS) from the machine builder side as well as Bill Henderson (Siemens) and Markus Sandhoefner (B&R) as technology provider representatives. The main objective of the OMAC Users Group is to establish open architectures and components that allow “interoperability” in order to provide the end user with the most efficient solution for their machine requirements. The main tasks of the board members of the OPW therefore include the approval of OMAC OPW guidelines, set targets and strategies as well as define and review the objectives for the OPW each year. B&R has been supporting the OMAC Users Group especially the OMAC packaging workgroups PackConnect and PackSoft since May 2003. The PackSoft workgroup defines the basic requirements of general motion control needed for packaging applications. In this regard, B&R has integrated PLCopen Function Blocks which are among the main focal points of the PackSoft team. The PackConnect workgroup defines the control and architecture platforms and connectivity requirements for packaging automation systems. According to Markus Sandhoefner, “B&R’s ETHERNET Powerlink technology could greatly contribute to the simplification of communication interfaces between controls, I/O’s, HMI and servo drives. B&R’s decision to open the ETHERNET Powerlink technology to the public enhances the progress of standardization and interoperability for all communication tasks. It is therefore one of my goals as board member of the OMAC packaging workgroup to include Ethernet based deterministic, real-time communication systems in future OMAC guidelines”.ETHERNET Powerlink (EPL) is the only market established real-time Ethernet protocol with micro-second accuracy that allows deterministic data transfer. It is based exclusively on international standards and there are over 210,000 EPL nodes in use in more than 28,000 series production machines around the world. Current implementations have reached 100 µs cycle times with a timing deviation (jitter) below 1 µs.ETHERNET Powerlink Standardization Group (EPSG)The ETHERNET Powerlink Standardization Group (EPSG) was founded in June 2003 as an independent association. Originating from a group of leading automation companies, its focus is to leverage the advantages of Ethernet for high performance real-time networking systems based on the ETHERNET Powerlink real-time protocol, introduced by B&R at the end of 2001. Today, more than 400 leading companies all over the world are supporting ETHERNET Powerlink. Companies include Baldor, Wago, Festo, Lenze, ABB, Parker, B&R and many more. Learn More

Did you enjoy this great article?

Check out our free e-newsletters to read more great articles..