Yokogawa introduces UTAdvanced digital indicating controller

Yokogawa Electric UTAdvanced controller family improves measurement, display, operation, control, and networking functions, enhances the efficiency of user design, and saves money by eliminating the need for peripheral devices and associated wiring. This embedded instrument replaces company's Green series controllers for machine builders.

By Control Engineering Staff May 14, 2009

Yokogawa Electric Corporation has released UTAdvanced, a digital indicating controller with a sequence control function based on the ladder logic programming language. Replacing Yokogawa’s Green Series UT420, UT450, UT520, UT550, and UT551 controllers, the UTAdvanced family is said to provide greatly improved measurement, display, operation, control, and networking functions that enhance the efficiency of user design and save money by eliminating the need for peripheral devices and associated wiring.

There are two models in the Yokogawa UTAdvanced Series: The Model UT55A in a quarter-width DNA format, and the Model UT52A in a one-eighth width case.

Indicating controllers are embedded instruments which measure and display various types of data such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate, as well as data on equipment operation. They control the operation of comparatively small-scale stand-alone devices like industrial furnaces and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

According to Yokogawa, devices and panels with indicating controllers typically also have a data-acquisition unit, programmable logic controller (PLC), and single-functional peripheral devices such as a switch or timer, resulting in a complex system configuration. Conventional indicating controllers can simplify this system configuration by using a calculation function, but programming tends to take longer because the languages used by manufacturers are incompatible. In addition, the indicating controllers, PLCs, and data-acquisition units have different communication protocols, forcing engineers to connect these devices via a converter and write a dedicated program to network the devices.

It was in response to these challenges, and the ever present need to reduce production costs, that Yokogawa developed the UTAdvanced models. Units come standard with a sequence control function based on the ladder logic programming language. Built-in switch, relay, lamp, and timer functions are provided by ladder sequence function, eliminating the need for peripheral devices and wiring to these devices.

There are two models in the UTAdvanced Series : The Model UT55A in a quarter-width DNA format, and the Model UT52A in a one-eighth-width case. The units incorporate a color LCD display, along with new guidance screens and navigation keys that speed up the design process and help prevent operator errors.

The UTAdvanced open system architecture complies with the Ethernet protocol and will soon also comply with the Profibus DP protocol. In addition to eliminating the need for dedicated communication programs and converters for connecting to devices such as a data-acquisition unit or PLC, this makes it easy to develop optimal multi-vendor systems for users.

Major target markets include machining facilities in the semiconductor, automotive, electrical equipment, machinery, chemical, and food industries, as well as in-plant equipment such as air conditioners and power supplies. Applications include the measurement, display, and control of temperature, pressure, and flow rate in research, development and manufacturing operations such as heat treatment, washing and sterilizing processes.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation test and measurement equipment .

– Edited by Renee Robbins , senior editor Control Engineering News Desk

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