The Golden Comprehensive Course in Automation

Thematic review of the Siemens Golden Age headline

Siemens S7-300/400 PLC

Among the important types of Siemens PLCs worldwide and in Iran, we can mention the two families of Siemens PLCs: S7-300 and S7-400.

Figure (5) Image of S7-300 PLC

Figure (6) Image of PLC S7-400

 These PLCs have been widely used in domestic industries as controllers for industrial production lines. Today, it is necessary for specialists (usually with different electrical backgrounds) to learn how to program and work with these PLCs because we still encounter this type of PLC in many industries and projects.

WinCC SCADA software

WinCC SCADA software is one of the important and powerful Siemens software for designing computer-based monitoring systems. Using this software, you can convert a regular or industrial computer into a monitoring system and through it send control commands to the PLC and display process or production line information graphically.

Figure (7) WinCC SCADA software

Figure (8) Runtime environment related to WinCC SCADA

TIA Portal  software

TIA Portal is a comprehensive and new automation software from Siemens that has many features and has replaced older Siemens software in new projects. Using this software, the following equipment can be programmed:

• Types of PLCs with ET CPU-S7-1500-S7-1200
• New PLC S7-300 and PLC S7-400 models
• New Siemens HMI models
• New Siemens drive models

Figure (9) S7-1500 PLC and TIA Portal software

Figure (10) TIA Portal software environment

PLC S7-1200

It is considered a small and medium-range PLC among Siemens PLCs and is widely used in industrial projects in domestic industries. This PLC has replaced the Siemens PLC S7-200, but its capabilities go far beyond the S7-200.

Figure (11) Image of PLC S7-1200

PLC S7-1500

It is considered a powerful PLC among Siemens PLCs and has many features and capabilities. In projects outside DCS, it can be used as a replacement for PLC S7-300/400. This type of PLC is widely used in projects abroad (especially in Germany).

Figure (12) Image of PLC S7-1500

ET200SP CPU

It is considered a mid-range PLC, with capabilities greater than the S7-1200 PLC and less than the S7-1500. This type of PLC is also programmed using the TIA Portal software.

Figure (13) ET200 SP CPU image

Siemens Touch Panels (HMI)

In industry, it is necessary for the production line operator to be able to apply the desired commands to the control system and also view the process information. For this purpose, it is necessary (usually) to place an operator panel next to the production line. In the past, hardware panels including keys, knobs and lamps were used for this purpose, but now graphic operator panels called HMI are used. HMI has its own processor and can be programmed by various software and connected to the PLC.

Figure (14) Some examples of Siemens HMI

Siemens, as one of the leading companies in the field of industrial automation, has been manufacturing and offering a variety of HMIs with medium to advanced capabilities. Previously, Siemens HMIs were programmed using WinCC Flexible software, but today, new Siemens HMIs are programmed using TIA Portal software.

 Profinet industrial network in TIA Portal

One of the relatively new networks in the industry is the Profinet network, which supports the applications of networks such as Profibus and Ethernet simultaneously. This network can establish communication between monitoring and control systems at the Plant level or between several control systems. It can also establish communication between PLCs with equipment such as Remote I/O (in Siemens, ET200) and drives, etc.

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Figure (15) Comparison of Profinet and Profibus networks

Zinamix G120 drive

One of the important drives from Siemens in industrial projects is the Sinamics G120 drive. This drive is programmable by TIA software and in some models it also has Profinet network connectivity.

Figure (16) Zinamix G120 drive

Modbus industrial network

Modbus is an industrial standard network that was initially created by Modican in 1979 and gradually developed. Today, Modbus has various protocols, each of which has its own specific functionality. Among them, the two protocols RTU and TCP/IP (also abbreviated as Modbus TCP) are more widely used in industry and many PLCs have communication ports related to them.

Figure (17) Using Modbus industrial network in Siemens systems

Motion Control

One of the most widely used equipment in industrial systems (mechanized systems) is the servo motor and servo drive, which is used for precise motion control. In this regard, Siemens has produced various servo motors and servo drives, one of which is the V90 family servo drive.

Figure (18) Zinamix V90 servo drive and its servo motor

SEW drive

One of the most widely used drives in industries for heavy work is the SEW drive, which is widely used in the automotive industry, the packaging sector of petrochemical industries, the home products manufacturing industry, and so on in Iran and Germany.

Figure (19) SEW drive available in the school

PID Control

PID as a control method in closed-loop systems for precise quantity adjustment ­  Process parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow, level, etc. Siemens PLC types for PID control have various blocks and functions that are essential for industry professionals to learn.

Figure 20

Eplan software

Eplan software is a very powerful and multi-purpose software for drawing control and power circuit diagrams, PLC card wiring diagrams, electrical panel design, etc. In projects where PLC is used, it is necessary for the learner to be able to design PLC control circuit diagrams, etc. and actually deliver them to the employer. Therefore, in this part of the golden period, we will work with Eplan software.