Drives & Controls Magazine February 2023

additional power supply to support localized servo motors. Likewise, remote IO modules can be connected directly to Vario-X to process and control sensors and actuators without a backplane or cabinet I/O. This limits control hardware variants and vastly streamlines the cable architecture. "In my earlier career, as a Controls Engineer in automation for over twenty years, I would have dreamed for a solution like this.” Paul Culley adds “Not only does it save on panel cost, transportation and space, the ability to install on site with quick connect MQ15 and M12 technology, completes the commissioning process in a fraction of the time!” Turning off the air in production Vario-X is driving forward the electrification of manufacturing processes and offers a much more efficient alternative to pneumatics. With an efficiency of only ten to twenty percent, far too much energy is wasted by using compressed air as an energy source due to countless leaks in the system and inefficient actuators. Replacing pneumatics with electrics – swapping an air cylinder with a servo motor – brings advantages to all those involved: the engineer who can reduce the inefficient, low resolution and relatively expensive pneumatics in his machine, the production planner who can focus on one physical energy source – electricity, the employees who can finally operate in a noticeably quieter work environment and, by reducing energy use to help our planet. Digital twin for planning, installation, operation and service Vario-X is not only a collection of backplanes, modules, cables and I/O. A system automated with Vario-X has a digital twin right from the start: a portable 1:1 image of the virtual system that contains all the functions and parameters of the physical system – even in the design phase, before even the first mechanical component has been ordered or assembled. For this purpose, Murrelektronik creates a kinematic of machines and systems in a unique software, where movements and processes can be simulated. With the digital twin, the same virtual kinematic is then run to control the real machine. The digital system can also be "placed" directly into the manufacturing process with augmented reality (AR) on a mobile phone or tablet, so that all movement sequences and functions can be viewed virtually while assembling the machine or in production. "Allowing offsite testing of a machine in a digital environment allows repeated testing and resetting of functions, without the need for materials waste. This is also a much quicker process, and one that most end users are now happy to accept factory test results from" Paul Culley summarizes the advantages of the digital twin. In addition, Machine Builders can use the digital twin as a '3D blueprint', for example via augmented reality app or virtual reality glasses. This often works much faster than understanding a plan drawn in 2D. Paul Culley, is leading the launch of Vario-X to customers in the UK. To arrange a demonstration or to discuss howVario-X could be integrated into your machine or plant installation contact Murrelektronik on 0161 728 3133 or email paul.culley@murrelektronik.co.uk Visit the Vario-X Infopoint here: