Advanced Process FunctionsParameter control and materials management – fast, simple and efficient

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Achieving the full potential

The SIMATIC PCS 7 Advanced Process Functions (APF) provide you with process-oriented capabilities that are integrated in SIMATIC PCS 7 control systems to auto-mate simple batch processes. The result is convincing; increased production flexibility, enhanced quality management, and minimized engineering time.

Flexibility is required in the process industries to adapt faster to market movements and to respond more quickly to market demands. Naturally, increasing of the range of products must not be at the expense quality. The reproducibility of individual production steps has to be ensured at all times. In order to overcome these challenges, the Advanced Process Functions (APF) are available to extend the capabilities of the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system. APFs can be used for the automation of batch-based processes with simple recipe structures such as lists or parameter recipes.

They were developed for small and medium-sized plant units with fixed sequential control requirements that require multiple sets of parameters. Additionally, the management of orders, storage locations, and material usage as well as the archiving of the associated produc-tion processes are the core tasks of the APF.

The right solution for every field of use Do you want to efficiently manage material, material lot and parameter set data? Would you like to profit from simple storage location management that includes storage location and material search capability as well as material booking processes? Are you looking for a tool that efficiently performs job planning and sequential control on the plant unit level? Is seamless and reliable archiving of batch-specific data from raw material intake through packaging for tracking and tracing also critical? Or are you looking for an interface with which you can create, enable and start batches during runtime in SIMATIC BATCH? The solution is Advanced Process Functions!

Raw materials in liquid form

Raw materials in powder form

Storage location management

Storage location management

Dosing

Mixer / reactor

Material transfer

Parameter managementMaterial lot

management

Material lot management

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Effective production management

Controlling jobs in plant units is a common typical of the production processes in many plants. Typically, jobs are processed independent of each other in plant units and coordinated in an overall production process.

Whether this includes parameter sets and input materials for mixing processes, end or intermediate products, or a parameter-set-based job controlling process steps with material treatment such as heating, cooling or separat- ing – you can use the functionality of the APF modules to achieve the desired results. The modules are based on standard software to support automation of the produc-tion process – from the raw materials intake to release for filling and packaging. The high-performance SIMATIC PCS 7 control system significantly contributes to process reliability, traceability, standardization, and effective engineering. With this as a foundation, solutions optimized with APFs can be created that are superbly customized to the requirements of the subprocesses.

APFs – the ideal extension of SIMATIC PCS 7The APFs build upon the standard functionality of SIMATIC PCS 7. The APF modules form a framework for the effective management of:

• Parameters • Jobs • Materials • Storage locations

• Production data

This combination enables flexible and reliable production on the basis of standard components with no additional hardware requirements.

The APF engineering tool allows designers to create function blocks, user archives and faceplate elements. The APF function blocks represent items such as materials, parameter sets and production tasks. They are easy to configure and can be integrated into the SIMATIC PCS 7 engineering system through continuous function charts. Using pre-defined OS graphics, job management, master data management, archiving and evaluation of data can be easily performed at SIMATIC PCS 7 operator stations.

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Material lot management

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The APFs build upon the standard functions of SIMATIC PCS 7 and form a framework for the effective management of parameters, jobs, materials and storage locations.

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A great combination: SIMATIC BATCH and APFsThe Advanced Process Functions can be utilized effectively in combination with SIMATIC BATCH. However, SIMATIC BATCH is not a prerequisite for using APFs. In fact, the functions of SIMATIC BATCH can be extended with APFs to do the following:

• Automatically synchronize of materials (including material classes/types) with the material master data of SIMATIC BATCH

• Flexibly divide of production jobs into individual batches for further processing in SIMATIC BATCH

• Specify job and batch names, flexibly calculate batch sizes, etc.

• Complete high-performance search function for materials and storage locations

• Manage archiving and reporting

Through this combination you can further achieve the goals for your plant, since plant units can now be used optimally. The processing times of batch processes are not only shortened, but also become more transparent: APFs improve the traceability of production processes and integrate simple MES (Manufacturing Execution System) functions into your SIMATIC PCS 7 system.

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Efficiency in engineering and operationThe goal of Advanced Process Functions is to optimize production by providing transparent information about jobs, materials and storage locations. In addition to these advantages in the operating phase, they also offer many benefits in engineering.

APFs consist of system-tested software modules that are characterized by flexibility and high reliability. Instead of relying on project-specific special solutions, you have a standard software solution for solving automation tasks that are integrated seamlessly into the SIMATIC PCS 7 environment. Thanks to their modular structure, APFs can be easily adapted to plant expansions or new product requirements.

This protects your investments in several ways:

• You do not have to create and maintain software modules. You can instead rely on an established system and extend the functional scope at any time.

• Since no further hardware costs are incurred in addi- tion to the SIMATIC PCS 7 system and the software costs are also manageable, you profit both as a plant operator and as a system integrator from low system and lifecycle costs.

Increased efficiency in engineeringAPFs increase efficiency starting in the engineering phase: Required archive tables and associated function blocks for the automation systems are created with the APF engineering tools. This makes tedious manual creation of database tables and the programming of function blocks as well as the interface between the two necessary. APFs are less prone to error which reduces commissioning times to create greater efficiency. The user interface of the engineering tool has a similar structure to that of the SIMATIC PCS 7 engineering system.

More transparency and quality in plant operationsThe APFs offer many benefits in plant operation. The application of the individual modules contributes to increased transparency, higher product quality and ultimately to higher plant efficiency. Production becomes more transparent and traceable due to the recording of all the production-relevant setpoint/actual data and a project-specific logging. Thanks to consistent parameters and reproducible production steps, the production sequences become more reliable, and batches can be traced reliably through access to archive data: All of the production and production-relevant data are recorded step-by-step.

Flexible and clearly structured job management

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Your advantages at a glance

• Low-cost, modular standard software: The software is established in the market – the functional scope can be extended as required.

• Reduced commissioning times: Manually created database tables and the programming of function blocks become un- necessary, resulting in the minimization of errors.

• Optimized production: Plant operation is logged, making it more transparent. Consistent parameters make the processes more reliable, batches can be traced.

• Flexible and transparent management: Job orders can be managed individually for each plant unit. Control over material and storage locations assures efficient production.

The APFs allow flexible definition and online management of production and material parameters. This flexibility is continued during job management: The operator can manage, start, stop or modify jobs for specific plant units. Online information presented in a clear structure provides a reliable basis for rapid decisions. Full control over materials and storage locations ensures an optimized control strategy – thus safely avoiding faulty production through incorrect parameters or incorrect storage. The operating philosophy of the APFs is based on that of SIMATIC PCS 7 and is consistent across all modules.

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Modules for all requirements

The modules cover a wide range of requirements – from parameter management such as mixing times through the planning and controlling of jobs in plant units through the evaluation of production data.

Parameter management: Management of production parametersParameter management provides central management of production parameters. These can be parameter sets in the form of input material lists with setpoints, such as mixing times. They can also be parameter sets for plant control, such as for a heater. Combinations of the two are also possible.

Parameter management includes an OS editor for editing the parameter sets, as well as an interface for loading and comparing data. It is possible to define parameter set groups during engineering. Separate parameter set groups can be created for multiple control systems. The structure of the groups can vary and can contain up to 100 parameters each.

Job management: Planning and controlling plant unit jobs Job management makes function blocks and faceplates available for the planning and controlling of plant unit jobs. It is possible to create up to 10 jobs and to start, hold, etc. an active job and control it.

The creation of a job can be influenced by the operator or via the automation system. A parameter set is assigned to the job during creation. If required, a job setpoint can be set. The parameter set is displayed and edited via the parameter management faceplate. If there are several planned jobs, the sequence can be changed by the operator or via the automation system. The function blocks serve as a control interface to the process that, for example, can be mapped by an SFC step sequence. The parameter set data for the active order are available at a defined point in the automation system and can be used for the process sequence.

Material management: Management of material master dataMaterial management unites material master data management with material lot management. This can include information such as the storage life, density, bulk weight, minimum/maximum storage temperature, etc. The properties can be used in the process for decisions about the selection, for calculations or also purely as information. Materials are divided into classes and types for a better overview and handling:

• Material classes allow separation into solid or liquid materials and can differ in up to 100 parameters.

• Material types are often used to facilitate identification of storage locations, which is why classifications such as raw materials, intermediate or end products are used.

Material management

Order management

Parameter management

Storage location management

Archive management(Data archiving for

material, parameter, job and

storage location management)

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Material lot management: Creation and description of material lots The term “material lot” is used in APFs to define a subset of a specific material (raw material as well as intermediate products resulting from production steps) at a specific storage location. Material lot management makes it possible to create material lots and to describe them with properties in the form of parameters. Up to 100 parameters, such as minimum storage life date, supplier number or similar parameters, can be defined during engineering. All the lots have a unique identifier through which all material movements are documented.

Storage location management: Management of material lot quantities and location of the material lots The quantity or the partial quantities of a material lot and storage location, where the partial quantities of the lot are located are managed through storage location manage-ment. In addition, the storage location management allows you control properties, contents, process informa-tion and status information of storage locations. Through the book-in and book-out functions storage locations are supplied with information about the material lot. This means that combined utilization of material lot manage-ment and storage location management is beneficial. All of the information about a storage location is available both on the faceplate and in the function blocks. Suitable storage locations are easy and quick to find. The system also supplies you with current storage reports.

Archive management: Storage and evaluation of production dataArchive management provides the storage and evaluation of production data. This enables the archiving of data such as the setpoint/actual values of dosing or material transfer processes or also parameters of cleaning proce-dures. Similar to parameter management, user archives and function blocks are generated rapidly and easily by means of an engineering tool.

It is also possible to define groups that differ in the data record structure. The data records of each archiving group can consist of up to 100 words. Archiving management provides methods for exporting, deleting and backing up data during runtime. Archived data records can be displayed on the operator stations. Project-specific report and batch records can be generated automatically.

Parameter management serves the central management of parameter sets for the production.

In materials management, materials are divided into classes and types for a better handling.

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APFs and SIMATIC BATCH – the solution for demanding recipe control systems Use the combination of Advanced Process Functions and SIMATIC BATCH for demanding recipe control systems together with SIMATIC BATCH: With its well- structured storage location and material management capabilities, the APFs represent a practical extension to SIMATIC BATCH.

APFs support you in searching for materials or storage locations and other branch-specific tasks – for example, when tracking and tracing data have to be generated and made available. The APFs also make master materials available for SIMATIC BATCH. Synchronization of material master data (including material classes/types) between SIMATIC BATCH and the APFs occurs automatically.

The jobs can be separated into individual batches in an “Order Creation Dialog” for further processing in SIMATIC BATCH. Together with SIMATIC BATCH OCX controls, it is easy to create OS pictures for batch operation.

Through the runtime interface, batches can be created in SIMATIC BATCH using scripting. These interfaces can also be used for higher-level systems (for example enterprise resource planning systems) in order to integrate data into tag management. By using this programming interface, you can generate batches in SIMATIC BATCH from jobs that were created in higher-level systems. The interface can be used not only to create batches externally, but also to enable and start them. Batch header parameters such as job and batch name, recipe, formulas for the batch, batch size, batch starting mode and starting time can also be entered using APFs.

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Efficient engineering – for rapid commissioningAPFs ensure twofold efficiency in engineering: On one hand, engineering tools make tedious manual work unnecessary. On the other hand, engineering and operation are the same for all APF modules – this applies to material and parameter management as well as to job and archiving management. This saves time and enables faster commissioning.

First, project-specific attributes are entered into the configuration database for all of the APF management modules in the engineering tool. From there, the system automatically generates archive tables and function blocks for communication between the automation and user archives. In order to realize access by the automation system to the user archives, you simply generate function blocks via the data stored in the engineering tool and interconnect these with the function blocks of the user archive.

During process control, you use pre-configured picture objects (process pictures and faceplates) that are con-tained in the APF software package to perform operator control and monitoring of the data configured using the APF engineering tool.

Tedious manual creation of database tables, programming of function blocks and programming of the interface between both become unnecessary. Suitable editor screens and faceplates for function block instances in the automation system are prepared by the system and are generated dynamically during runtime.

Structure data

Jobs Properties Records Fields Formats Field lengths Connections

Parameter sets

Materials

Storage locations

Faceplates

Tables

Communication blocks

Requirements + constraints

-> Concept

Definition structure data

Engineering tool generation

Entry of project data: materials, storage locations, etc.

Operation: Parameter sets Jobs Bookings

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Siemens AG Process Industries and Drives Automation and Engineering 76181 Karlsruhe GERMANY

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Advanced Process Functions – your advantage!

Cost-effective, modular standard software

Reduced commissioning in engineering

Flexible and transparent management

Optimized production

APFs – Everything you need to know!

Subject to change without prior notice Article No.: PDPA-B10064-00-7600 Dispo 06303 73935 W-FPN16-PD-PA223 WS 10152.0 Printed in Germany © Siemens AG 2015

The information provided in this brochure contains merely general descriptions or characteris-tics of performance which in case of actual use do not always apply as described or which may change as a result of further development of the products. An obligation to provide the respective characteris-tics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of contract.

All product designations may be trademarks or product names of Siemens AG or supplier com- panies whose use by third parties for their own purposes could violate the rights of the owners.

Industrial Security

Siemens provides automation and drive products with industrial security functions that support the secure operation of plants or machines. They are an important component in a comprehensive industrial security concept. Our products are constantly being developed further under consideration of this aspect. We therefore recommend that you keep yourself informed with respect to innovations and updates of our products and only use the most recent versions. You can find information on this at: http://support.automation.siemens.com. There you can also register for a newsletter specifically about these products.

For the secure operation of a plant/machine, it is also necessary to take suitable protective measures (e.g. cell protection concept), and to integrate the automation and drives components into a compre- hensive, state-of-the-art industrial security concept for the entire plant/machine. Any third-party products that may be in use must also be taken into account. You can find additional information at: www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity

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