{"id":19344,"date":"2021-04-28T10:18:05","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T09:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=19344"},"modified":"2021-04-28T10:18:07","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T09:18:07","slug":"modular-connectors-for-modular-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/modular-connectors-for-modular-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"Modular connectors for modular automation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jonathan Parry discusses how modular automation will benefit from the advent of modular connectors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modular automation is changing the way plants operate. Sectors including pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and food and beverage have seen an increase in the demand for customisation and smaller batch sizes. Processing plants, for example, while efficient, are less agile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As consumers, we love to have choices, but don\u2019t always realise the implications this will have on the ability of plants to adapt accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large-scale plants are typically at their most efficient when they\u2019re producing items with less variation and at scale. When customers require factories to scale production up or down, or completely change their final product, the whole production line may need to be reconfigured. Configuration of equipment is time consuming, inefficient and complex.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modular automation: the basics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modular automation works like building blocks, where plants can replicate modules and use them to scale production to meet consumer needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an in-depth analysis on modular automation by ABB<\/a>, \u201cBy changing a few modules, a completely new product can be produced.\u201d Not only does this simplify engineering, it speeds up time-to-market. The company also explains that, \u201cA module type package (MTP) standardises the interface between the control level and module,\u201d so that different process equipment can interact with other systems quickly and without errors.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because recipes in the food industry need to be regularly changed, modular automation can be used to modify recipes from a function library without production stoppages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why modular connectors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout a plant, each point of power, sensor data and control communication is transferred via a connector into a control or power panel. The result is hundreds of fixed point-to-point contacts that cannot be easily moved around should production requirements change. A modular connector is a multipurpose connector that can simultaneously provide multiple sources of connectivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jonathan Parry is Senior VP and MD Europe, at PEI-Genesis\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Modular connectors work with open automation to make plants more flexible to consumer demands. For example, PEI-Genesis supplies the Harting Han-modular connector series, a modular connector that combines power and signal circuits into one connector. The connector can be customised with over one hundred off-the-shelf modules, combining various multi-media types into a singular rectangular connector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For engineers, this means they can take advantage of modular automation without the hassle of extra cabling and the complexity of manually wiring each module.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open automation and modular connectors prove that customer choice doesn\u2019t have to be a headache for automation environments. This type of flexibility allows manufacturers to easily reconfigure their plant to meet changing consumer demands, without the prospect of extensive downtime and significant complexity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Parry is Senior VP and MD Europe at electrical connector supplier PEI-Genesis<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Parry discusses how modular automation will benefit from the advent of modular connectors Modular automation is changing the way plants operate. Sectors including pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and food and beverage have seen an increase in the demand for customisation and smaller batch sizes. Processing plants, for example, while efficient, are less agile. As consumers, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,1],"tags":[9307,9308,8737],"class_list":["post-19344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-design","category-process","tag-modular-automation","tag-modular-connectors","tag-pei-genesis"],"yoast_head":"\nModular connectors for modular automation - Engineer News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jonathan Parry discusses how modular automation will benefit from the advent of modular connectors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/modular-connectors-for-modular-automation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Modular connectors for modular automation - 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