Siemens Industry Inc.
Siemens’ virtual PLC (vPLC) extends the current S7-1500 PLC offering, which allows for more flexible and modular design of production plants. It’s a virtual controller that is completely compatible with TIA Portal. Users can rely on familiar tools and build on projects that are already created in TIA Portal. You can use OT solutions previously employed in an IT environment and benefit from their advantages without giving up familiar structures. Users can operate applications centrally and automate process steps in a data-centric and software-based way. The IT mechanisms allow you to optimize workflows and reduce costs with the SIMATIC S7-1500V PLC.
Highlights
Administration — The process of applying software updates to a PLC is streamlined because all software updates can be managed centrally with the Industrial Edge Management system. Different scenarios and configurations can also be tested virtually first before deploying changes. This eases administration measures and decreases maintenance efforts.
Hardware independent — The virtual PLC software can be easily downloaded and integrated directly into an IT environment. This ease-of-use gives operators the possibility of decoupling hardware and software requirements completely. The software will run on computers with Industrial Edge Run Time in the factory while the hardware remains directly on the shopfloor.
IT-OT Convergence — Virtual PLCs can also play an important role in IT-OT integration. IT-OT convergence is increasing every year across industries. The close coupling of IT and OT helps plants to make better data-driven decisions on performance, productivity, flexibility, and sustainability while maintaining more robust plant security.
The virtual PLC is no longer bound to hardware. You can access the controller and all functions of the SIMATIC S7-1500 PLC via a mobile device – flexibly, from anywhere.