Schneider Electric Announces MachineStruxure™ - Automation Solution To Optimize Industrial Machines For Cost, Performance, And Energy Efficiency

Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, recently announced its MachineStruxure™ architecture, a comprehensive automation solution for industrial machines. Based on flexible hardware platforms and a comprehensive single software suite, MachineStruxure helps original equipment manufactures (OEMs) design machines that are optimized for cost, energy efficiency and performance. Offering tested, validated and documented architectures, the system is the latest addition to Schneider Electric's comprehensive EcoStruxure™ energy management architecture portfolio. EcoStruxure connects five domains of business expertise – power, data centers, process and machines, building control, and physical security – within an open and flexible technology architecture that delivers up to 30 percent savings in energy efficiency.

"Our OEM customers are experiencing a level of global competition which is becoming increasingly fierce," said Andrew Gravitt, Senior Vice President, Industry Business, Schneider Electric. "In an environment in which design lead times are shrinking while customers expect more efficient, productive and reliable machines, effective automation solutions can make all the difference in controlling costs, reducing time to market, and delivering a superior product."

Leveraging the benefits of four machine control platforms all housed under the new SoMachine™ software suite, MachineStruxure reduces design time and time to market, optimizes machine performance and energy efficiency, and increases profitability. SoMachine, a modular and reusable software suite developed by Schneider Electric to curb industrial machine engineering times, enables the MachineStruxure system to cut design and implementation time by up to fifty percent by streamlining the controller design and development process. As a single software package used to program all machines, SoMachine allows the design, commissioning, and maintenance of logic, drive, motion, and HMI controllers in a single environment. Through a solid base of tested, validated and documented architectures and function blocks, SoMachine further simplifies development and commercialization through a variety of integrated expert functions, including smart coding, commissioning screens, and variable tracing.

The ready-to-use architectures and function blocks integrated within SoMachine are designed for all types of generic or process-specific applications including hoisting, packaging, and material handling, and can easily be adapted to specific requirements, accelerating the design, implementation and installation process. Created from predetermined equipment lists, the architectures are laboratory tested by Schneider Electric experts to ensure correct operation in all possible configurations, validated to guarantee functional compatibility of the automation components fitted to the machine, and documented to save installation time and autonomy.

MachineStruxure also offers OEMs additional flexibility through a choice of four new hardware control platforms:

• The Magelis® XBT GC HMI controller helps manufacturers increase production efficiency, while simultaneously reducing initial and ongoing costs, through combining the latest human machine interface technology with control system functions.
• The Altivar® IMC integrated controller card for Altivar 61 and 71 Variable-Speed Drives features a flexible machine control platform that leverages Ethernet accessibility, Schneider Electric's SoMachine programming software, and the CANOpen Configurator to provide a comprehensive drive solution that is 30 percent less costly than a conventional PLC-based controller.
• The Modicon® LMC058™ controller is both a motion controller and a programmable logic controller (PLC) in one product, the newest compact and expandable programmable automation controller from Schneider Electric developed for machine builders in packaging, conveying and/or storage, textile, and woodworking.
• The Modicon® M238™ and M258™ programmable logic controllers (PLCs) simplify machine installation and development, increase power and flexibility, more effectively manage control equipment and improve machine performance. The Modicon M238 is geared towards small automation systems, and the M258 is developed for OEMs in packaging, conveying/storage, textile and woodworking.

With the launch of MachineStruxure, Schneider Electric becomes the only manufacturer boasting embedded intelligence within four platforms – logic controllers, HMI controllers, drive controllers, and motion controllers. Through this embedded intelligence, MachineStruxure optimizes machines for energy efficiency. Based on architectures modeled from EcoStruxure's intelligent energy management solutions, OEMs that use MachineStruxure benefit from reduced project development, operation and production costs, while gaining real-time visibility of business performance, improved compliance and ROI. Additionally, because it is a common software suite, an OEM can move from one application to another easily, capitalizing on machines already in development and reducing redundancy.

"Drive elements and motors account for 70 percent of industrial electrical consumption, but it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of machines significantly simply by putting automation solutions into place," added Gravitt. "As a global leader in energy efficiency for automation and control, we're responding to customers' needs through these solutions, which can increase energy efficiency by up to 30 percent today."

MachineStruxure is one of the building block of EcoStruxure, Schneider Electric's solution architecture which enables intelligent energy management solutions for customers seeking to optimize energy efficiencies across multiple domains of their business, first announced in November 2009. MachineStruxure is currently available worldwide.

About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company's 114,000 employees achieved sales of more than $25B in 2008, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations "Make the most of their energySM".

For more information visit www.schneider-electric.us

SOURCE: Schneider Electric