B&R is adding a high-end PC to its mobile automation portfolio. The new PC offers significantly more processing power and memory, giving it plenty of resources to implement autonomous functions for agricultural and construction vehicles or self-driving transport systems.

The PC is specially designed to perform in harsh environments. The housing temperature can be between -40 degree Celsius and +85 degree Celsius. The PC is also highly resistant to shock and vibration. Inside the mobile PC’s IP69K housing is a powerful Intel Core i7 processor. It also has 16 GB RAM and 480 GB flash memory, making it ideal for applications that are computationally intensive or involve larger volumes of data.

The increased computing power is needed for tasks such as accurate path planning in autonomous agricultural vehicles. More efficient, more precise vehicles deliver increased yield.

The PC’s high performance makes it optimally suited for smart machines that communicate with each other, process data and send it to the cloud. Tractors and implements can optimise harvesting efficiency, for example, by exchanging information such as speed and load capacity. B&R supports well-established communication protocols like OPC UA and MQTT.

B&R increases machine availability with modular cooling concept for ACOPOS P3
B&R’s ACOPOS P3 servo drive is now also available with feed-through heat sink or cold plate cooling. The new cooling solutions dissipate up to 60 per cent of generated heat outside of the control cabinet. This makes it possible to use much more compact cabinets, since fans and air conditioners can be reduced or eliminated entirely. Operation and maintenance costs are reduced.

This new ACOPOS P3 cooling solutions are suitable for a large number of axes in all power ranges. With the elimination of fans and air conditioners that bring outside air into the control cabinet, there is also substantially less dust that gets sucked in along with it. This significantly reduces the need to stop the entire machine for maintenance tasks like replacing air filters. Machine availability goes up.

With feed-through cooling, push-through heat sinks conduct up to 60 per cent of dissipated heat directly to the air outside of the control cabinet. Costly cooling of the control cabinet itself is not necessary. The heat sink offers IP64 protection and is compliant with standards EN 60529 and UL 50 Type 12. The fan installed in the push-through heat sink offers IP54 protection.

Cold plate cooling uses a water-cooled plate to dissipate virtually all heat generated by devices via the coolant. As a result, control cabinets need far fewer fans and climate control units, reducing costs. Cold plate mounting works in conjunction with a machine's own cooling circuit.

New APROL function guarantees secure import and export of engineering data
B&R is constantly adding new security functions to its process control system APROL. This allows users to protect their projects from cyber threats in the best possible way. A new function enables automatic encryption of engineering data, guaranteeing the highest level of security during import and export. In larger projects, tasks are often split up between team members scattered around the world. To guarantee the securest possible exchange of engineering data, all configuration data must be protected by encryption.

The new APROL function "Data security for import and export" allows data to be encrypted with minimal effort. After commissioning, the entire project is handed over to the responsible archivist in a tamper-resistant manner. Subsequent manipulation without a password is impossible. Users benefit from a high level of data security and save a lot of time since manual encryption and decryption is no longer necessary.

B&R among first members of new EPLAN Partner Network
As electrical engineering solution provider EPLAN launches its new partner network, automation specialist B&R is among the first on board. Today more than ever, such coordinated integration brings users added value in the form of more efficient engineering and faster time to market.

Each a leader in its respective domain, B&R and EPLAN are already joined by nearly a decade of cooperation that allows seamless interaction between their engineering environments. The new EPLAN Partner Network (EPN) further solidifies that relationship and ensures users more powerful round-trip engineering solutions going forward.

Efficient integration between B&R’s Automation Studio engineering environment and EPLAN's Electric P8 ECAD platform is made possible by a round-trip connector. These two platforms provide unparalleled support for the automated exchange and synchronization of hardware configurations, I/O mappings and process variables.

Developers can start projects with either software or electrical planning, work in both disciplines simultaneously, and easily compare and merge projects. Parallel engineering and automated interaction between the tools accelerate time to market and prevent errors due to manual changes.

B&R knows that one of the keys to successful development is using the best tools available. With the connection to EPLAN, B&R customers enjoy easy access to industry-leading electrical design software for their machines, plants and control cabinets.

B&R is an innovative automation company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. On July 6, 2017, B&R became a business unit of the ABB Group. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and factory automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With Industrial IoT communication standards like OPC UA, POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations.