B&R Industrial Automation Group, Roswell, Ga., recently joined the OMAC Packaging Workgroup (OPW) board of directors with the election of Markus Sandhoefner, B&R sales manager, as a new technology provider representative.

The OMAC (Open Modular Architecture Controls) Users Group was formed in 1994 to create an organization through which end users, OEMs, technology providers, and integrators can work together. The main objective of the OMAC Users Group is to establish open architectures and components that allow interoperability, in order to provide end users with the most efficient solutions for their machine requirements. Board members work to approve OMAC OPW guidelines, set targets and strategies, and define and review OPW objectives each year. B&R has supported the OMAC Users Group, especially the OMAC packaging workgroups PackConnect and PackSoft, since May 2003.

The PackSoft workgroup defines the basic requirements of general motion control needed for packaging applications. B&R has integrated PLCopen Function Blocks, which are among the main focal points of the PackSoft team. The PackConnect workgroup defines the control and architecture platforms and connectivity requirements for packaging automation systems.

According to Sandhoefner, "B&R's Ethernet Powerlink technology could greatly contribute to the simplification of communication interfaces between controls, I/Os, HMI, and servo drives. B&R's decision to open the Ethernet Powerlink technology to the public enhances the progress of standardization and interoperability for all communication tasks. "

Ethernet Powerlink (EPL) is the only market established, real-time Ethernet protocol with microsecond accuracy that allows deterministic data transfer. It is based exclusively on international standards and more than 210,000 EPL nodes are in use in more than 28,000 production series machines around the world. Current implementations have reached 100 µsec cycle times with a timing deviation (jitter) below 1 µsec.

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