The latest release of the Studio 5000 integrated development environment from Rockwell Automation can help get smart machines to market faster with enhanced security. The software includes new digital design capabilities to reduce machine design, testing and commissioning times. It also introduces CIP Security support to bring industry-proven security technologies into the automation space. 

To accelerate design projects, the Studio 5000 Logix Designer application now uses an AutomationML open data exchange. This allows the application to exchange data with engineering tools, such as EPLAN Electric P8. Now, engineers can design their system once and import that design data between tools, saving hours of rewriting and remapping work per project.Also, a new Simulation Interface product uses the Functional Mock-Up Interface (FMI) standard to allow data exchange with modelling software, such as MATLAB and Simulink. Engineers can use this to virtually test machines and resolve issues before commissioning, potentially reducing on-site delivery times from weeks to days.

 “The Studio 5000 software is taking the industry into a new era of digital machine design,” explains Christo Buys, Business Manager for Control Systems at Rockwell Automation Sub-Saharan Africa. “Engineers can use these data-exchange capabilities to reduce rework and save time from design to commissioning. Opportunities for savings will only continue to grow as we integrate more PartnerNetwork programme members into our design software.”

Other improvements that the latest Studio 5000 software release can deliver include:

Enhanced Defence-in-Depth Security:

The Studio 5000 software will allow companies to use CIP Security to better protect their industrial communications with authenticity, integrity and confidentiality. The FactoryTalk Policy Manager tool, available in early 2019, will allow administrators to centrally manage secure communications policies within the Studio 5000 environment in compatible hardware. This will allow a CIP securable device to defend itself against a network or communications attack.

Enhanced Usability:

New support for 64-bit math in the Studio 5000 software can help engineers be more precise in their calculations and, therefore, their applications. New enhancements to Logix tag-based alarms, such as new instructions and greater alarm visibility, can also help end users optimise productivity by more quickly identifying and troubleshooting problems during production.

Expanded integration of the Application Code Manager tool, allowing engineers to access it from third-party design software, provides further time savings.