GE Fanuc Automation, part of the global GE Infrastructure business platform, has recently introduced the new PACSystems RX3i controller - the latest addition to the innovative PACSystems family.
The PACSystems solution features a single control engine and universal programming environment, which provides application portability across multiple hardware platforms to deliver a true convergence of control choices.
This is according to Daniel Coetzee, business manager for GE Fanuc Automation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"Featuring the same control engine as the PACSystems RX7i, the new PACSystems RX3i offers a high level of automation functionality in a compact, cost-effective package," states Coetzee.
"GE Fanuc is delivering on its promise for application portability with the launch of the PACSystems RX3i," he comments.
According to Coetzee, this same control engine provides high performance on several different platforms, allowing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users to choose the exact control system hardware that best suits their needs.
"Through this innovation, the GE Fanuc PACSystems family addresses major engineering and business issues - such as higher productivity and communications openness," Coetzee explains.
"This flexible technology can help users boost the overall performance of their automation systems, reduce engineering costs, and significantly decrease concerns regarding short- and long-term migration and platform longevity," he adds.
Craig Resnick, international research company ARC's research director of manufacturing advisory services says: "PACs such as the RX3i and the RX7i address the integration issues confronting OEMs and end users by extending the domain expertise of automation systems, resulting in increased return on assets, reduced lifecycle costs, and a lower total cost of ownership for manufacturers.
According to Resnick, machine builders and OEMs want fewer components in their solution and ones that contain multiple-discipline development and functionality. This integrated, common development environment, with one programming and engineering tool for the complete system, can apparently lower project development and implementation costs.
"Use of PACs will continue to shift the emphasis toward open communication standards and software integration, with less focus on the hardware," Resnick predicts.
In addition to the above observations, GE Fanuc Automation's Coetzee makes the following points about the RX3i:
Performance
Compatibility and Flexibility
Protecting Users' Installed Investment
Universal Development Environment
With tag-based programming, a library of reusable code and a test edit mode for improved online troubleshooting, CIMPLICITY Machine Edition is a user-friendly environment that can increase design flexibility and improve engineering efficiency and productivity.
Editorial Contacts:
Francesco Della Rosa