An integrated engineering environment supports the complete life cycle of the automation project, from planning, through configuration and library management, to commissioning and operation. This minimizes system ownership costs.
xStream Engineering
xStream Engineering addresses the need to reduce project time by “de-coupling” automation tasks from each other.
Software configuration can be done in parallel with hardware configuration using the “signals” concept. Signal names are used in both applications and I/O channels and can be imported directly from I/O lists.
Late binding provides support for late changes.
xStream Engineering also includes the Ethernet I/O Wizard tool that can be installed on an Ethernet I/O Field Kit mobile PC to:
- read the “as-built” configuration from the field,
- configure and check the Select I/O directly in the field,
- generate the I/O structures for import into Control Builder.
Parallel project execution means:
- software configuration and hardware configuration start together without dependencies,
- no real need for hardware freeze,
- no need for traditional FAT, software and hardware are tested separately,
- application and hardware meet for the first time late at site just before commissioning.
