Siemens Showcases TIA Portal v18

Summary

The new version of TIA Portal boosts engineering efficiency with optimized functionalities for multi-user engineering, allowing users to work in teams and parallel on projects and build and manage shared libraries. In addition, access rights can be assigned individually or by group, making collaboration more flexible.

Siemens is expanding the TIA Portal, an all-in-one engineering ecosystem with IT-oriented workflows, by integrating Simatic Automation Xpansion (Simatic AX). This integration provides IT professionals with a familiar development environment based on Visual Studio Code and version control via GitLab. Object-oriented libraries can be created in Structured Text and integrated. OT and IT users can use the engineering platform without reskilling. This development is a decisive step towards IT/OT integration and counters the growing need for more skilled workers in the OT world. Simatic AX is available as a cloud-based service, allowing projects to be easily downloaded and updated at any time and place.

Version 18 of TIA Portal also offers simple and holistic engineering of 5D/6D kinematics, enabling motion control functions across six interpolating axes. This flexibility allows companies to expand, convert, or modify production facilities - without interfering with running systems. The scope for TIA Portal and Simatic controllers has also been further extended, with the Simatic S7-1500 and the Simatic ET 200SP providing higher computing and communication performance and supporting R1 redundancy. This functionality ensures the maximum availability of applications and helps solve future automation challenges. 
In addition, the R1 redundancy can be quickly and flexibly integrated into existing networks with no programming effort, making it one of the most straightforward solutions on the market that can be used in various applications - factory automation, logistics, or infrastructure. The new hardware also supports the latest security standards, with the Version 18 release focusing on state-of-the-art security improvements.

In short, TIA Portal version 18 offers even more efficient and flexible automation engineering thanks to enhanced team-collaboration functionalities, IT/OT integration, the advanced engineering of kinematics, and maximum availability through R1 redundancy. As a result, it's a tool well-suited for industrial companies looking for efficient automation engineering that can be quickly modified to meet new requirements, shorten time-to-market, counterbalance the lack of skilled workers, and most importantly, always remain competitive.

About Siemens

Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.