"Our 'IndustrialPhysics' supports the development process of a machine or system along the entire value chain, enables efficient virtual commissioning and also ensures smooth operation during ongoing operation," explains Dr. Georg Wünsch, founder of Machineering. The 2.2 release presented at the trade fair introduces numerous new features: For integration into the TIA portal from Siemens, the software now offers an importer for the Profinet interface. The advantage, according to Dr. Wünsch: "Hardware configurations of the TIA Portal can thus be easily transferred for Profinet emulation." After the company implemented the controller connection to the Siemens Sinumerik CNC controller last year, the standard connection to the Siemens Simotion D motion controller has now also been implemented: I/O variables are created and users can easily import and export them with the help of so-called ControlTags. "For example, an I/O list can be exchanged bidirectionally with Eplan and used for both visualization and the implementation of circuit diagrams," says Wünsch.

New licensing models

"We are now also offering our customers new licensing models," explains Wünsch, "which are available in three variants." Variant 1 uses the classic node-locked model, i.e. it is linked to the respective workstation computer and is therefore activated directly for this specific workstation computer. The second variant is so-called pseudo-floating: here, a license is manually transferred from a server to a local computer or back. In this way, the license is released again for employees at other workstations or locations. As it has been shown in practice that it can happen that a log-off process is forgotten, Machineering offers a real floating license model as a third variant. Here, a user logs in from any workstation, uses 'IndustrialPhysics' and the license is automatically released again when the application is closed.

The 'Field Box 1' introduced last year has also been further developed: Users can now also use Ethercat for fieldbus emulation. Specific standard drive telegrams have been implemented for the emulation of Profinet devices so that a PLC can communicate with emulated drives as if they were actually present. Machineering has also set up a new update service for the 'Field Box 1', which allows the user to install new firmware on the 'Field Box 1' via a web interface.