What’s That Term? Decoding Software-Defined Automation vs. Function Integration
The goal of automation is to improve efficiency, flexibility and accuracy and speed up processes by reducing human intervention. Software-defined automation brings flexibility and function integration provides efficiency. But what relevance does these terms have in automation?
Machine Design asked Eric Rice, product marketing manager, Festo, to explain the terms and contextualize how it is used in his work environment.
1. Software-Defined Integration Boosts Connectivity
In a word, software-defined automation refers to managing and controlling automation processes mainly through software, as opposed to being tied to fixed, hardwired hardware.
One aspect of software-defined automation is the decoupling of hardware and software. according to Rice: “By decoupling those, it allows a user to use a specific software solution and have multiple options for hardware.”
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Rice said he favors this approach for enabling more flexible and scalable automation. Updates, new features and logic can be managed with code and systems can be reconfigured without costly physical changes.
“What that means for Festo is that we use Codesys as our software environment,” he explained. “Our PLC environment and Codesys can run on a variety of hardware—Festo hardware as well as other manufacturers hardware. What we see is that some of our customers who embrace Codesys and start to work with it open their options in terms of what hardware solutions they can use from within the market. And that means greater freedom for them, greater opportunities to reduce their costs, their bills and materials and just more flexibility.”
Festo’s PLC development environment Codesys supports programming with IEC-61131-3 standard languages. Festo notes that it streamlines the process of configuring, programming, commissioning and maintaining pneumatic and electrical automation systems.
2. Function Integration Streamlines Systems
Function Integration means combining multiple functional elements or features (often at the hardware or component level) directly into a single unit or solution. This approach usually leads to tight coupling of functionalities, which can simplify physical design but is less adaptable than software-driven methods.
Typically, dedicated components have specific functions. “Function integration is taking that same functionality and those components and combining them into a single solution,” said Rice. For example, vacuum generation and inputs for your cylinder switches. Traditionally those have been separate modules, separate hardware components on a machine. Function integration at Festo means that we take those components, we put them into a single solution, saving you time and resources and specifying that functionality into your machine.”
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By way of example, Rice pointed to a valve terminal showing a few different functions that traditionally are done independently. “These slices on the valve terminal here are vacuum generators,” he noted. “Oftentimes the traditional way to do that is to have separate vacuum generators on the machine.”
Festo installs digital inputs for the cylinder switches, added Rice. “Traditionally the input modules for those cylinder switches would be mounted elsewhere on the machine, but by putting them right here on the sub-base of the valve manifold, we’re able to integrate those functions into one solution, one part number.”
