Advantech launches new generation of PACs

The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech has introduced its latest PAC product line: the Apax-5000 series.

This new generation of PACs integrates control, information processing and networking in a single control system with a dual-controller architecture.

Advantech claims that the Apax-5000 series fulfils versatility, flexibility and scalability needs to satisfy industrial automation industry applications.

The Apax-5000 series consists of controllers, input/output (I/O) modules, backplanes and power modules.

To reduce operational risks, Apax-5000 features two standalone central-processing-unit (CPU) modules working together and responsible for different tasks.

One provides high computing power for HMI/SCADA, recipe, database and communication tasks (Apax-5570XPE or Apax-5571XPE), while the other is dedicated for Softlogic I/O tasks (Apax-5520KW).

This means that if the HMI/SCADA controller crashes, the I/O processing will not be affected and will work as normal.

Engineers can check the HMI/SCADA controller and maintain it without having to worry about the I/O processing tasks, according to the company.

Separating HMI/SCADA and I/O processing tasks can prevent unexpected stoppage, decrease operational risks and ensure higher reliability for critical control tasks.

Aside from the dual-controller architecture, the Apax-5000 controllers also support backup functions.

The same I/O processing program can be stored on two controllers - one will execute the I/O processing and, if that controller fails, the second controller will automatically take responsibility for I/O processing within 1.5 seconds.

Users do not need to write programs for this mechanism and the backup system enables reliability for critical applications.

The Apax-5000 I/O modules are equipped to be either local I/O or remote I/O through their Ethernet bus backplane.

The Apax-5000 offers one and two slot backplanes (Apax-5001 and Apax-5002).

Each Apax-5002 backplane offers one expansion port.

Using a standard Ethernet cable to connect the expansion port on the two backplanes, a remote expansion with local-bus speed is built with a distance up to 100m.

Any standard Ethernet switch can be used between the two backplanes.

The implementation of Ethernet switches is intended to enhance the flexibility of I/O expansion and to increase the expansion distance.

For example, if there are three Ethernet switches between two I/O stations, the expansion distance can be at least 400m.

When fibre-optic ports are available on the Ethernet switch, the distance can be much longer.

Users can build line, tree or star topologies for I/O expansion - all with fast local-bus speed.

Users can depend on what architectures they need and make up their own local and remote I/O through the flexible Apax-5000 I/O modules.

The Apax series offers complete scalability functions that the system can upgrade by changing controller with difference processor (higher performance).

This means users do not need to rewrite any program if they want to upgrade the system.

Changing CPU modules with different processors with the same I/O modules can meet the different requirements of control tasks, such as Apax-5570, Apax-5571 and Apax-5520.

Users can save the investment for I/O because they can leverage the same I/O modules.

The Apax-5000 I/O modules are designed to be hot-swapped when the system is powered on and running.

Engineers can change modules without shutting down the whole system.

This is claimed to save system management and troubleshooting costs.

All the Apax-5000 I/O modules adopt clamp-type terminal blocks, which have higher resistance to shock vibration without wire damage or measurable contact interruption and save wiring maintenance costs.

The Apax-5000 series is suitable for any batch process production environment, such as food and beverage, pharmacy, machinery control (compressors, chillers and control applications) and critical environment management systems including pressurisation and vacuum applications.

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