The consumer world is comfortable with frequent upgrades of their personal items like mobile devices, televisions, and associated apps and software. Industrial automation systems, however, are built to run for decades before they are eventually ripped and replaced, often at high cost and risk.
Emerson has developed newer industrial edge controllers making it far more attractive to upgrade these industrial systems and protect existing investments. My article in Control Engineering, "Modern Controllers Ease Upgrades," examines the design considerations and benefits of this type of upgrade.
The Need for Controller UpgradesIndustrial automation systems must eventually be upgraded or replaced for many reasons:
Old cars may be sought after classics, but legacy automation systems can cause a downward spiral of inefficiency, cost, and wasted effort.
Migration or Upgrade?Rip-and-replace migrations discard all existing hardware and software in a drastic change, re-engineering and replacing it from scratch to maintain like-for-like functionality, and perhaps add some improvements. This type of upgrade approach involves rethinking the system and applying contemporary means and methods at a controlled pace.
Four Potential Upgrade ProblemsTypical challenges for performing any type of migration or upgrade include:
Each of these issues introduces risk and is hard to completely evaluate in advance. This is why proven code conversion utilities enabling one-click upgrades are so important.
Five Key Upgrade BenefitsThe benefits of upgrading to the latest industrial automation hardware and software are many:
Beyond duplicating basic functionality, new systems can deliver extended diagnostics and improved connectivity, making it easier to analyze data and implement remote visualization.
Controller Upgrade ExampleMany existing end users have General Electric 90-30 PLCs in operation. The latest Emerson PLC offering is the PACSystemsTM RX3i platform, which also includes the sophisticated edge controller. Emerson designed the newer platform with the same connectors, footprint, and mounting holes as the older platform. Robust software conversion utilities allow existing code to operate in the new platform, with no errors during the code conversion process.
Using this approach, an automotive manufacturer planned a three-day outage for their first full system upgrade involving 150 variable frequency drives (VFDs) and 32 nodes of legacy I/O. The actual upgrade took six hours, and subsequent upgrades were performed during lunch breaks. One of the main reasons for this easier than expected upgrade was code conversion with no errors, a benefit not fully believed until witnessed by the manufacturing personnel.
Modern Controllers Ease UpgradesAny industrial automated system remaining in operation long enough will become a candidate for a control platform modernization.
One typical option, while expensive and risky, is a drastic migration where hardware and software are completely revamped. For a more balanced approach, end users should look at automation platforms offering a hardware and software upgrade path enabling a rapid execution and providing extended future capabilities.
This type of upgrade path provides the best solution for avoiding mounting costs and reducing risk by ensuring a quick cutover. The new platform is future proof, making it feasible to add other improvements down the road, such as remote access.