AIS's "Design for Open Touch Panel PC Manufacturability Services" Feature Industrial Communication Interface Options with Industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus Technologies

American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS), an Open HMI Panel PC & Industrial PC (IPC) manufacturer, announces their “Design for Smart Touch Panel PCs Manufacturability Services” (DMS) supporting Industrial Ethernet (IE) and Fieldbus communications technologies. AIS’s Open HMI and Industrial displays new product development and engineering service features open platform, PC-based HMIs with industrial communication interface options for real-time, greater bandwidth and larger data packages that provide communications with more intelligent industrial devices. AIS also offers a cadre of new product development, engineering, quality, certifications and standards testing services for OEMs and end-user customers in factory, industrial, commercial and process automation industries.

AIS’s Open, PC-Based HMI Platforms Pave the Way for Improved Network Communications Flexibility & Connectivity for Automation Users

AIS’s new open HMI Touch Panel PC offering has expanded its industrial network capabilities and protocols delivering high performance real-time Industrial Ethernet including: EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, and PROFINET connectivity. For Fieldbus network communications AIS’s new product designs also offer:  CANopen, DeviceNet, and PROFIBUS, supporting traditional Fieldbus as well as all established Real-Time-Ethernet systems. Nelson Tsay, President of AIS adds, “By extending the range of our available industrial communications interface options for greater network integration and connectivity, our series of open platform, PC-based HMIs provide our customers maximum flexibility for industrial Ethernet communication, while offering innovative concepts for those wanting a single platform and network for their entire plant or factory.”

AIS’s Open, Industrial Touch Panel Designs Are Equipped to Meet the Insatiable Demand for Faster & More Robust Data Transfer, Communication and Network Integration

While three quarters of all the connected nodes in the industrial world are still traditional networks, utilizing protocols such as DeviceNet, PROFIBUS, Modbus, and others, Industrial Ethernet is gaining ground fast. According to industry research, Ethernet nodes in process industries are set to almost double from 2011 to 2016. With this growth forecast in mind, industrial Ethernet will account for almost half of networked nodes connected in process industries in 2016. The study also confirms that ProfiNet and Ethernet/IP have a leading position, both having a market share of 30% of the globally established Industrial Ethernet solutions.

The leading group includes ProfiNet, Ethernet/IP and Modbus TCP/IP. Together, this group covers more than three-quarters of the market. Regardless of which industrial communication network technologies prevail or gain in popularity over the coming years, as an early pioneer of open, PC-based control and monitoring solutions, AIS’s flexible, PC-based HMI solutions are equipped and ready to help users select integrated network solutions best suited for their specific automation application. Furthermore, AIS is dedicated to developing visualization and touch screen interfaces that will meet the fast paced and growing demand for improved industrial network communications and their HMI products support a wide variety of Fieldbus and Real-Time Ethernet industrial network technologies and applications.

AIS Incorporates Communications Interfaces Supporting All Real-Time Ethernet and Fieldbus Systems for PC Based Automation

Ethernet in industrial automation offers high data transfers throughout the communications pyramid from the factory floor to the enterprise. However, the need for determinism and minimal jitter requires additional components which may dictate specific PC components are selected with long availability. Fieldbus is an established technology that will coexist along with Real-Time Systems. AIS’s new open HMI technologies will incorporate communications network protocols and interfaces that will provide users a unified standard for all Real-Time Ethernet and Fieldbus systems. In addition, this commitment to offering a wide variety of communications protocols safeguards customers’ investment in AIS’s open platform touch panels and Industrial PCs, as they can be assured their solutions are flexible enough to meet their current needs, revisions or changes in the future.

Seamless Integration of Industrial Networks with a Choice of Network I/O Options

Real time distributed control via industrial networking interfaces and communications are a critical piece to efficiently connecting automation systems and components on the factory floor. As a provider of open platform solutions, AIS delivers an extensive range of industrial, wireless, Ethernet and fieldbus devices for all common I/O and fieldbus systems which facilitates integrated networked automation systems. A wide selection of I/O options means that you can choose the bus system best suited to your application. AIS is dedicated to support the following Fieldbus and Real Time Ethernet industrial networks: