Schneider Electric's Unity Collaborative Automation Platform is a set of software products and associated hardware designed for distributed automation applications. Unity products are designed for control engineers, system integrators, and IT development engineers. The software's open design and interoperability with other systems and devices, provided by using XML, allows collaboration among engineers, operators, and product designers throughout the product lifecycle management process. Unity's three software products are:

Unity Pro programming, debugging, and operating software for PLCs. Based on Schneider's PL7 and Concept software, Unity Pro allows creation of links to any document or tool, in local or remote mode, for access to diagnostic help tests or a database in real time.

Unity Studio, based on Microsoft Visio, is software for developing and structuring distributed automation applications. Unity Studio incorporates Unity Pro, PowerSuite for drives and motors, XBT-L1000 for user interfaces, and OPC Factory Server (OFS) for real-time communication. Unity Studio allows users to develop their own environments for data exchange, accessing tools such as mechanical or electrical CAD, production management, process simulators, drives, etc.

Developer's Edition includes added software for IT and systems development engineers working with VBA, VB, or C++. Developer's Edition offers access to all Unity Pro and Studio object servers, so tools can be interfaced by a supplier in partnership with Schneider, such as electrical or mechanical CAD, supervisory software, MES and ERP, batch, etc., or designed and implemented by the user. www.us.telemecanique.com

• Integrated software and hardware suite combines IT, control technologies
• Standard architecture simplifies project management and collaboration
• Reusable component libraries, automatic documentation generation reduce design time