Product category:
Education, Training, Courses
News Release from: The Profibus Group | Subject: June 26-27
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 June 2007
Network of Profibus expertise and
training on show
The Profibus International User Conference, scheduled for 26-27 June at Coombe Abbey, is an ideal introduction to Profibus techniques for any plant engineer or contractor
While the lectures and Exhibition show the experience available in suppliers, and further ideas are offered in the case studies, the tasters of the training courses available provide concrete information on how to achieve a Profibus system, and what training is available to provide further support The Profibus organisation, both in the UK and Internationally, has invested in the establishment of competence centres, ie centres of expertise that provide training at all levels, whether for installers, users, maintenance engineers or system designers
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 11 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Profibus training courses available
There are still a few places available on a first-come, first-served basis on the August training courses for Certified Profibus Installer + Engineer/Commissioning courses
The major UK centre is at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), who have been actively involved in Profibus training since 2001.
This training takes place in formal courses at MMU, but is also organized on site, where larger projects have many engineers to train, and the courses have been presented abroad as well, in tours of South Africa and Australia recently.
Profibus International currently has nine accredited training centres like MMU across the World: the other significant centres are found in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the USA.
Further reading
25 million Profibus nodes now installed worldwide
The latest market figures confirm that in April 2008, the number of installed Profibus nodes in ALL manufacturing plants, which includes process plants, broke the 25 million barrier
The background to the new IO-Link
With an aim to improve the total cost of ownership of machines and plants, manufacturers and operators are continually on the look-out for optimisation potential.
IO-Link - The fieldbus gap is now filled!
IO-Link aims to revolutionise the sensor and actuator interface: Profibus introduces IO-Link, that allows all sensor and actuator data to be available throughout the entire plant
These are not the only centres of expertise created by Profibus International to support project work and users of the technology, there are the 30 or more Profibus Competence Centres to provide wider local support and demonstration facilities.
As a result of the MMU courses in the UK, there is an established base of qualified engineers, installers and technicians trained and certified on Profibus systems - for example there are 200 registered Profibus Engineers and nearly 600 qualified Profibus Installers, all listed on the Profibus website - so there is an extensive network of support and experience available.
The active involvement of Profibus and MMU in the industry means that courses are being developed to meet changing demands, and in 2007 MMU launched a Profibus Commissioning and Maintenance Course, a 2 day course to add to the Profibus Installer qualification, providing further knowledge covering the practical aspects of fault finding on "operational" Profibus networks.
This course explains how to interpret the diagnostic messages used in the Profibus protocol, helping engineers use Profibus tools and storage scopes to diagnose and locate cable, network or device faults, the most common commissioning problems.
By the end of 2007 over 100 engineers will have attended this new course, taking the expertise into their work, and making Profibus installations simpler and easier to commission.
The real advantage of this support network is the availability of contacts for consultation or assistance when site problems prove more difficult than expected! At the Profibus International User Conference, MMU will provide taster sessions demonstrating the training available, which enables engineers to be qualified as Profibus Engineer and Profibus Installer, and theses will also show the continuing development of the training and support network for the technology.
For further information on the Profibus International User Group meeting in June, please consult the website, or use the Processingtalk reader response service.
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