B&R products excel at solving challenges through innovative solutions while offering an attractive price-to-performance ratio.

In industrial automation, B&R Automation is a beacon of adaptability and efficiency. Discover how their X90 mobile controllers and data-driven strategies are reshaping manufacturing.

How does B&R Automation maintain adaptability and efficiency across industries?

The right combination of today’s most advanced automation technology that is fully interconnected and integrated gives manufacturing systems unprecedented powers of adaptability. B&R continues to open new possibilities in mobile automation with its innovative X90 mobile controllers. The comprehensive set of standardised components is perfect for implementing flexible automation concepts. The heart of the X90 mobile control system is a powerful ARM processor and multifunction I/O channels. Basic features include interfaces for CAN, Ethernet, and the real-time POWERLINK bus system. With the X90 mobile controller, B&R offers adaptable automation solutions designed specifically for the critical ambient conditions often present in construction vehicles and outdoor applications. The manufacturers’ technology adaptations have seen steep growth with the rise in consumer demand. To cope with the ongoing demand and ever-growing growth, B&R has consistently implemented niche technology in the products to combat the machine demands. Today, the market expects to get the products personalised to fit the preferences with no compromise on the safety of machines. With the adaptivity a machine is built today, there’s no compromise between flexibility and performance. To build a product with an acute knowledge and requirement of market demand, an automation partner who understands the market and its demand comes at great will. Adaptability leads to higher throughput and greater productivity, decreasing the machine footprint; thus, automation provider is helping manufacturers build machines suitable to market demands.

How do you strategise utilisation data to optimise processes efficiently?

B&R has added a full-scale PC for mobile machinery to its portfolio. The powerful PC for mobile machinery is equipped with an Intel Core I processor and offers IP69K protection for deployment in harsh environments. Its high performance makes it optimally suited for smart machines that communicate with each other, process data, and send it to the cloud. We all know the importance of data in today’s world and how collective data helps machine manufacturers calculate and view energy consumption and makes it considerably easier to implement energy management systems as defined in ISO 50001. Evaluation and visualisation of historical data allow energy consumption to be analysed at various levels of detail to identify cause-and-effect relationships accurately. The powerful industrial PC can even be used for big data analysis and machine learning while at the same time serving as a full-fledged industrial controller. This high-performance variant has an Intel XEON processor to manage resource-intensive tasks like machine learning. Using standard protocols, centralised data acquisition from machines and plants enables comprehensive online performance monitoring and visualisation. Consistent archiving ensures long-term documentation for quality control. These integrated reports provide a detailed analysis of all process data to optimise production processes. The combined display of ongoing data, alarms, and events makes it easy to trace cause and effect.

Which technologies help you maintain consistency and reliability across the machining process?

B&R products stand out for their ability to address complex problems with innovative solutions while maintaining an excellent price-to-performance ratio. Given that construction equipment and system machinery are often stationed in isolated areas, service and maintenance can be burdened with significant travel costs. However, with remote diagnostics and maintenance, professionals can easily access, control, and rectify errors from a distance.

This is made possible by integrating VNC, a Web server, and remote programming, enabling comprehensive services throughout every stage of a machine’s operational lifespan. Hardware diagnostics, value adjustments, and assisted machine operations are efficiently managed, ensuring consistent tracking and enhancement of machine performance.

Furthermore, including a model predictive controller facilitates regulating various interconnected physical parameters simultaneously. It employs models that mirror real-time processes, empowering operators to counteract disturbances effectively and refine the system components’ dimensions. The availability of advanced process control modules plays a crucial role in amplifying throughput and escalating overall efficiency, ensuring that machines operate at their peak capability at all times.

Can you shed some light on your critical solutions used across industrial applications for machines and equipment?

B&R products are tailored to fit every industry. Automation Studio is a single tool used for development and, at the same time, provides a wide selection of diagnostic tools for reading system information and optimising the system. Using the System Diagnostics Manager, extensive information about the target system can be read using a standard web browser without installing debug software. The map technology blocks provide an array of tools for every project stage. A standard programming block for every aspect of an automation project minimises training needs, solidifies overall integration, and eliminates communication problems between engineering disciplines. The visualisation system integrated into Automation Studio is an effective tool that can be used to create line displays and control integrated or remote XGA displays with keys and/or touch screens. This integration eliminates the need for external visualisation tools, introducing cost savings for integrated machine visualisation.