3 Fundamentals of press design

104 Fundamentals of press design
Fig. 3.5.8 Components of a servo drive system
control systems with greater networking capability through standard
networks for the exchange of control, production and process data as
well as the capability for diagnosis and intervention in the control system
through public telecommunication networks. The PLC alone is not
able to cope with these demands, although its continued existence as a
subordinate, fast machine control concept is still justified.
Practically all the components required for realization of the above
functions are available in the industrial computer. Alongside its computing
performance, the industrial computer also profits from the
open-ended software world. Furthermore, despite the steady rise in performance
limits, the costs of the technology are falling in many cases.
In view of this trend, control structures featuring distributed intelligence
and higher-level industrial computers interlinked with fast communication
systems are certain to gain increasingly in popularity.
Added to this is the increased use of distributed input/output modules
and sensor/actuator communication systems with a view to reducing
the necessary installation and wiring input. Methods of programming
the control software will become more standardized and simplified in
the future, for example by the introduction of the international standard
IEC 1131.
Metal Forming Handbook / Schuler (c) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1998