Software update for planning and simulation tool

The new software provides the user with efficient network planning and validation – configuration data of a planned automation plant can be imported from ECAD systems (Electronic Computer-Aided Design) or the TIA Selection Tool using the "AutomationML" (Automation Markup Language) data exchange format. After simulating the network nodes, the network load and a possible adaptation an export via "AutomationML" for further processing e.g. in the TIA Portal is available. This ensures planning reliability and fail-safety even during times of rapidly increasing data quantities. Sinetplan V2.0 enables additional existing TIA Portal projects V15.1 to be imported and simulated and modular switches to be configured. Sinetplan V2.0 provides a transparent, virtual representation of the planned network and opens up new opportunities for optimizing the network, utilizing network resources in the best possible way, and planning reserve capacities. Commissioning problems and failures during productive operation to thus be avoided. This increases production availability and contributes toward improving operational safety.
Sinetplan V2.0 offers the option of documenting the simulation to make the acceptance of the plant more transparent.

Background information
Digitalization and simulation are becoming ever more important in the automation environment. The advantages are obvious when commissioning a virtual plant before it becomes a reality. This applies both to a virtual product and to the digital twin of automation sequences.
As both networking and data volumes are significantly increasing to an equal extent in this context, it is of crucial importance to map the communication virtually instead of having to make costly structural changes to the real plant at a later date.

A flawed design or overload of a Profinet network can lead to impairment of the entire application and, in the worst case, to production losses. The Sinetplan network planner from Siemens enables a Profinet network to be tested for operational reliability during the planning phase: To check whether a network has a suitable topological structure, what reserves the selected topological structure offers, and how the network can be protected against unforeseeable peak loads (bursts). The tool also calculates the network utilization during time-critical, cyclic Profinet IO data traffic as well as acyclic, TCP/IP-based data traffic from, for example, remotely operated servers, cameras, PCs, or web server accesses. According to the topology and the connected network nodes, the network loads are simulated and critical points where the network utilization is too high are indicated. For example, it calculates worst case queue assignments of the ports and the connections. The network topology can then be replanned and a new simulation started with minimal effort. The results of the calculation and simulation can be saved in a detailed report.

You can find further information at www.siemens.com/sinetplan

For further information on Siemens at the Hannover Messe 2019, please see www.siemens.com/press/hm19 and www.siemens.com/hannovermesse