Long Beach, Calif.—Keith Nosbusch, president of Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, Wis.) Control Systems Operating Unit, welcomed a record 14,000 pre-registered attendees and 120 exhibiting partner companies to the eighth annual Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley Automation Fair '99 here on Dec. 8-9. Highlights of the event included a variety of new products and services launched by Rockwell and its partners. Rockwell's releases included: the nine-item Allen-Bradley Guardmaster line of safety products for plant-floor protection; and Allen-Bradley 1756 ControlLogix I/O, based on the Ethernet TCP/IP and UDP protocol suite and off-the-shelf components, which permits real-time control capabilities using a non-proprietary version of Ethernet. Rockwell's new enterprise integration initiative is Manufacturing BusinessWare, which combines value-added services, software integration tools, and manufacturing software applications. BusinessWare integration tools and applications will be provided by Rockwell and its Encompass partners. The first two tools, RSBizware Historian and ComplianceTrack, are currently available and additional tools and applications will be available in the near future.

Rockwell also showcased its new Allen-Bradley PowerFlex family of ac drives, which are designed to meet motor control applications ranging from low power(0.37 kW, 0.5 hp) to medium voltage (3,000 kW, 4,000 hp). PowerFlex products have a similar programming structure with identical parameters in identical locations. Other features include nearly trip-free drive and motor protection; embedded communication options; increased processing power using microprocessor and digital signal processor (DSP) devices; and reflected wave reduction software. In addition, Allen-Bradley ControlNet-to-DeviceNet linking device 1788-CN2DN provides a seamless means of sharing data between controllers and discrete manufacturing devices. ControlNet is supported as the backbone of the control architecture with PC, PLC, or DCS attached. DeviceNet connects discrete devices on the plant floor to the ControlNet backbone. This allows an operator on a ControlNet HMI to configure DeviceNet sensors. ControlNet hardware controls all DeviceNet devices in real time.

New products from Rockwell's 120 partners at Automation Fair '99 included: Cognex Corp.'s (Natick, Mass.) VisionLinx communications software, which uses bi-directional communications to connect checkpoint vision systems to Allen-Bradley controllers; ControlSoft Inc.'s (Cleveland, O.) temperature control module (TCM), which is tied to its Mantra process control system; and Endress+Hauser's (Greenwood, Ind.) Cerabar M modular pressure transmitter, which provides gauge and absolute pressure of gases, vapors, and liquids, and its Liquiphant M, which is a liquid level switch with a 1.5-in. fork. Other exhibits included: Escort Memory Systems' (Scotts Valley, Calif.) LRP Series, a disposable RFID tag and reader/writer with an integrated DeviceNet bus module; and Hardy Instruments Inc.'s (San Diego, Calif.) data transmitters, such as HI 1746-WS weigh scale module, HI200DNWM DeviceNet weigh scale modules, remote I/O HI 2152/30WC weight controller, and HI2160RC rate controller. Also featured were: ProSoft Technology Inc.'s (Bakersfield, Calif.) MVI-56-MCM and MVI-56-MBP, which connect Modbus and Modbus Plus communication devices to Allen-Bradley's ControlLogix system; and Spectrum Controls' (Bellvue, Wa.) 50-kHz counter/flowmeter input module for the Allen-Bradley SLC500 PLC, which is designed for flow measurement, process frequency, and meter proving applications, and its 1771sc-IFE32, a 32-channel analog or 16-channel differential analog input module for the Allen-Bradley PLC-5 platform.