Enabling communication between the factory floor and IT systems

The Anybus .NET Bridge enables factory-floor data from PROFINET, PROFIBUS, EtherNet/IP or EtherCAT to be presented to .NET applications.

As a .NET programmer, you can get data directly from a PLC system and use this data in applications for statistics, analysis or maintenance. 

PLC programmers can provide real-time data without interfering with critical applications.

How it works

The information exchange between the Operational Technology (OT) side and the Information Technology (IT) side is  made with messages defined in a spreadsheet template (Excel). Using the spreadsheet, the Anybus .NET Bridge Code Generator creates C# files for the .NET programmer and PLC files for the PLC programmer.

The configuration software also includes two simulators — a PLC simulator for the .NET programmer and a .NET simulator for the PLC programmer. A function block (provided by HMS) manages the handshake on the PLC side and provides an easy-to-use interface for the PLC programmer.

For applications where minimum delay and maximum performance is required, the .NET Bridge can be used in streamer mode where data streams are exchanged directly without any handshake. In this mode, data need to be mapped manually in the PLC and in the .NET application.

Send data from a custom-built PC based measurement system into a production PLC

Many production areas have custom built measurement systems developed in the .NET framework. The gateway enables direct transfer of the measurement data from the PC into the PLC. The typical solution today is to implement a simple protocol such as Modbus on both the PC and buy an additional in-rack module on the PLC. HMS gateway allows you to skip this step and integrate data directly in the .NET application and PLC programming environment. 

Transfer production KPI parameters from the floor into a real time tracking system

Many production facilities are collecting production KPI data from machines on a weekly basis using USB sticks and Excel sheets. The Anybus gateway makes it simple to send for example OEE or quality data directly into an application for real time KPI monitoring. 

Transfer a Recipe from a .NET application running on a Windows based server hosted by your IT department to a PLC on the factory floor

In this scenario, the recipe application is a custom-built application that is running on a virtual server that is maintained by the IT department. The .NET Bridge makes it simple transfer structured data types from the .NET environment into a PLC.