The automation of industrial processes and systems demands innovative solutions that offer lasting improvements in productivity and thus greater operating efficiency. Antares plus meets the requirements of industry for highly flexible, reliable and economical automation solutions with remote I/O systems. The system is certified for use in potentially explosive areas, such as in the chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and oil and gas industries, where flammable gases, fumes, or dust are present, and where, in turn, a variety of sensors (for temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc.) and actuators (for motors, valves, etc.) must be analysed, controlled, or regulated. Antares plus simplifies these processes with direct use in the field, generating significant potential savings.
Easy project implementation
The remote I/O system is installed directly in the Ex area in zones 1 and 2 or zones 21 and 22. The system is certified in accordance with the current Atex and IECEx standards. Thanks to the intelligent certification system, flexible system certification can be achieved, particularly for zones 1 and 21. Previously, the remote I/O systems available on the market were clearly planned and installed in certified Ex e enclosures with strict certification. Expansions or changes after planning or construction were not possible without re-evaluation of the assembled unit. Antares plus offers its own certification for every module as well as flexible system certification. For the first time, plant engineers can now freely plan and design their system and install it in a mechanically protected, standard industrial enclosure. An Ex system type plate is included in the manufacturer�??s delivery. Assembly and installation follows the general installation procedure for potentially explosive environments. A certified protective enclosure is only necessary for construction in dust Ex areas, for which we also deliver a suitable system type plate. Due to its highly efficient power management system, it offers efficient and compact I/O configurations. Up to 32 multichannel modules can be supplied via a single rail control unit (RCU), resulting in a very large number of input/output channels. The RCU is the central unit of the system, with host communication, Ethernet switch, power management, and I/O data management. In addition, an SD storage card stores the configuration data as a backup. The support of numerous open communication standards, from fully redundant Profibus-DP to Ethernet standards such as Profinet, MODBus TCP, and Ethernet/IP, guarantees convenient integration. Standard bus systems can also be coupled directly to the system, so that additional explosion-protected components (isolating amplifiers) are no longer required.
Maximum system availability
Thanks to their compact design, the I/O modules can be installed on standard mounting rails with minimum space requirements. The internal bus connection is achieved by simply plugging the modules together. All I/O modules offer type Ex i ignition protection. Sensors or actuators located in zone 0 or zone 20 can also be connected. The module for incoming signals supports a also pluggable connection. The onboard diagnostics of every I/O channel is displayed on the module with LEDs, thus providing operators with a visual on-site status overview. The additional extension module allows the construction of I/O modules over several mounting rails or connection to another field enclosure in which only I/O modules are configured. A variety of discrete and analogue I/O modules with high channel densities are available. The analogue module channels can be freely parameterised as input or output. These modules also offer full Hart communication and transparency.Genuine communication redundancy via Profibus-DP is ensured the uninterruptible operation with the host system. This guarantees availability at all times. Furthermore, the RCU and all I/O modules are hot-swappable, so that there are no downtimes.
Intuitive project planning
The Antares plus designer software is an in-house development from Bartec. Thanks to its intuitive operation, the system can be planned and configured with just a few mouse clicks. Users can already see their real system design in true-to-scale images as it is being created. During creation, the program monitors the maintenance of specific threshold values such as distance, power management, and the maximum data length on the Profibus. Additional functions, such as the generation of parts lists and automatic query by email, are also available. The software is also equipped with a Constructor (project and system generator) which calculates the necessary inputs and outputs, including the necessary reserves for the most cost-effective, and therefore optimum, system.hall 11.1 booth E76
