Distributors of Programmable Logic Controller Equipment
AGE Technologies are distributors of programmable logic controller and automation system equipment manufactured by various companies. These PLC and automation system manufacturers include Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation).
One of the programmable logic controller equipment distributed by AGE Technologies is the SIMATIC S5 PLC, as it is manufactured and sold by Siemens AG. It is an automation system based on programmable logic controller. Such automation systems control process equipment and machinery used in manufacturing. The SIMATIC S5 PLC has a huge installation base in factories worldwide.
Structured Programming of the SIMATIC S5 Programmable Logic Controller
The SIMATIC S5 PLC, otherwise known as the SIMATIC Step 5 PLC, allows the creation of both structured and unstructured programming, ranging from simple AND/OR operations, to more complex subroutines. An S5 program may therefore contain thousands of statements.
The S5 PLC offers some structuring facilities, in order to maintain maximum transparency. These include:
A linear operation sequence is divided into sections and packed into individual blocks;
Within blocks, fine structuring is possible by programming subtasks in individual segments; and
A complete program as well as individual blocks or segments and individual statements are provided directly with comments.
Blocks of the SIMATIC S5 Programmable Logic Controller
The SIMATIC S5 PLC has 5 types of blocks available:
Stores data required for processing the control program;
Contains frequently occurring and complex program parts;
Programs sequential controls;
Contains the control program structured according to functional or process-oriented characteristics; and
Manage the control program.
Representation Methods of the SIMATIC S5 Programmable Logic Controller
The SIMATIC S5 PLC is represented in three different ways:
- Function Block Diagram (FBD)
Graphical representation of the of the automation task with symbols to DIN 40700/DIN 40719;
Graphical representation of the automation task with symbols of the circuit diagram; and
The program consists of a sequence of mnemonic codes of the commands executed one after another by the programmable logic controller.
Operations of the SIMATIC S5 Programmable Logic Controller
The SIMATIC S5 PLC differentiates between the following types of operations:
These can only be executed in STL. System operations have direct access to the operating system.
- Supplementary operations and complex functions
These can only be executed in STL. Examples include jump functions, increment/decrement, word-by-word logic operations, testing functions, and substitution statements.
These can be performed in STL, LAD, and FBD. Examples include module operations, arithmetic operations, comparing, counting, loading and transferring, saving, and linking.