Rockwell Automation has released a new series of programmable automation controllers (PACs) that have been designed to boost system performance for process, motion, and safety applications.
The Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5570 Series PACs, available now, are said to improve the amount of information that can be exchanged between the control and supervisory automation layers; this allows more commands to be executed on process applications. For motion applications, the 5570 Series products provide high-speed axis and trajectory planning, the company said, making them ideal for synchronizing complex systems. To that end, each controller is capable of supporting more than 100 axes of motion, and communicates through Ethernet/IP and SERCOS network interfaces. For discrete applications, the new ControlLogix controllers provide two to three times faster scan times, and from 2 megabytes to 32 megabytes of memory.
In December, the automation platform vendor will roll out the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5572S and 5573S PACs for safety-related tasks including SIL3/PLe Category 4. Included is a new POINT Guard SIL3 analog input module designed to provide automation and safety functionality in the I/O system. Users can apply the POINT Guard module to measure temperature, pressure, and flow rate for analog safety functions, according to the company.
The new PACs use the common design environment and networking of Rockwell Automation’s Integrated Architecture system, the company said. In addition, all ControlLogix 5570 Series controllers are equipped with an on-board display that provides enhanced diagnostics and run-time information to ease troubleshooting and increase uptime. The controllers also have improved security features and faster data transference rates via a 1-gigabyte secure digital card.