Pilz introduces the Industrial PI, a flexible industrial PC aimed at the smart factory. The Industrial PI can be deployed to remotely manage machines and plants and send process data directly to a cloud environment.
Manufacturing industry is also becoming increasingly digitised. Pilz is capitalising on this with the Industrial PI, an industrial PC based on the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer mainly known from the consumer world. Pilz, however, has made the device suitable for industrial use.
Connecting machines and plants to the cloud
The Industrial PI makes it possible to digitise existing machines and installations. The device can be deployed as an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateway and links plant and machinery to the cloud. This allows systems to be managed and monitored from any location via the cloud.
To connect the Industrial PI as an IIoT gateway to an existing machines and installations, Pilz makes various communication modules available. These modules are available with the interfaces Profinet, Profibus, Ethernet/IP, DeviceNET, Ethercat, CANopen, Sercos, Powerlink, Modbus and serial. The modules can be connected to the Industrial PI by simply connecting them to the gateway using a plug.
Open source software
The Industrial PI features open source software. With this type of software, the source code of the final product is freely accessible, meaning that anyone may modify, copy or redistribute this source code as they wish without paying licence fees. Commenting to Maakindustrie.nl, Pilz says that by using open source software, the Industrial PI can be modified as desired to make it suitable for their specific applications. The company also states that the Industrial PI is freely configurable just like any other PC.
The Industrial PI features a sturdy housing and 24 V connection. In addition, the device complies with standard EN 61131-2 for programmable controllers. This standard guarantees that the system is protected against faults and also functions fully at temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 °C.
Cost
Pilz comments to Maakindustrie.nl that the price of the Industrial PI is not yet known. The price will be announced when the Industrial PC is officially launched. It is not known when the launch is scheduled for.
By: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Pilz
Source photo: WikimediaImages via Pixabay
