What's New in Automation Studio™ P7.1
Once more, Automation Studio™ P7.1 - Professional Edition pushes the
‘Trade-Oriented’ concept implemented in the software a step further, always
with the same objective : achieve higher productivity with less effort. The
designers, test and reliability specialists, trainers and maintenance
technicians and engineers will all appreciate the new features and functions
and add them to their toolbox essentials.
Contact us for a Live Online Demonstration of the new features.
*Some of the new features' availability is subject to the configuration of
the purchased license.
Online Manufacturers’ Catalogues
Manufacturers' Catalogs are now available online. There is no
longer a need to manage catalogue files or worry about updating
them. The web Catalogue components are always up to date. Simply
drag the desired components from your browser onto your
Automation Studio™ schematic to use them.
User-friendliness
Shortcuts giving access to the layout of the current document as
well as to its drawing scale have been added in the “Home” tab,
“Documentation” group.
Optimization
Optimizations to generate more compact blocks.
User-friendliness
Addition of a dialogue box confirming the unit system selection
when generating a new manifold block.
Custom Component Edition
To increase efficiency, the user can now edit the source
circuits of a custom component without having to return to the
original project. The user will be able to modify the symbol and
its animation, its logic and behaviour circuits.
To meet the needs of training and technical publications
departments, new line highlighting attributes have been added.
The highlighted line endpoints can be flat or rounded, the
corners can be square, rounded or chamfered, and the segments
defining component connectors can be highlighted or not.
Appearance of Fluid Components
To meet the needs of training and technical publications
departments, directional valve positions can be highlighted in
edition and simulation according to their activation status. A
library of additional objects can be provided on request in
order to complete components that do not yet support these
highlighting standards.
Appearance of Fluid Lines
To meet the needs of the training and technical publicatons
departments, new appearance attributes for each line type have
been added. Highlighting can now be activated in simulation, can
support patterns, and can be full or sectional.
Naming Rules
The naming rules are enhanced with new attributes. The user can
display the dimensions in fractional form in the names of the
lines, select the unit system, the precision, etc. The available
variables have been organized to more clearly indicate thier
use.
Export in Simulation Mode
To meet the needs of training and technical publications
departments, it is possible to export circuits in a graphic
format while the simulation is running.
Manual Override With Detent
Directional valve command to represent a manual override with
detent groove, according to ISO 1219.
Directional Valve Springs
An option has been added to adjust the spring compression screw
during simulation.
Directional Valve Power Curves
An option has been added to define the power curves of a
directional valve from the differential pressure or the inlet
pressure.
Downstream priority pressure compensator
This component is designed to be used downstream of an orifice
as a pressure compensator. When used to maintain a pressure
differential on an upstream orifice, this valve can maintain a
constant priority flow regardless of the downstream load.
Upstream priority pressure compensator, with static load sense
Upstream priority pressure compensator, with static load sense.
This valve is intended to provide priority flow in the required
amount while allowing excess flow to be used for auxiliary
functions and maintaining a constant pressure drop across the
control flow orifice, regardless of the load pressure.
Upstream priority pressure compensator, with dynamic load sense
Upstream priority pressure compensator, with dynamic load sense.
This valve is intended to provide priority flow in the required
amount while allowing excess flow to be used for auxiliary
functions and maintaining a constant pressure drop across the
control flow orifice, regardless of the load pressure. The
dynamic load sense feature generally provides a better response
time. Additionally, it increases the spring differential on the
control flow orifice by a ratio that depends on the orifice
sizing.
Viscometer and Density Meter
A measurement component has been added in order to access the
measurement of the kinematic viscosity as well as the density of
the oil in a node of the circuit.
Proportional Pressure Regulators
Models are made sensitive to back pressure.
Coolers
An option has been added to define the dissipated power
according to the inlet temperature, the outlet temperature or
the average of these 2 values.
Liquid Collector Exhaust Pressure Type
This component uses pneumatic pressure and flow to collect and
reuse hydraulic fluid that has leaked into the system.
Lubricator
The addition of a lubricator, which will allow constant and
automatic lubrication to the correct level, is a necessity for
most pneumatic components to work correctly and have a
satisfactory life span.
Curve Modelling Restrictors
Pressure drops modelled by performance curves as a function of
flow rate and variable opening - for air with simplified
pneumatic modelling.
Block Components
New block components have been added to handle matrix operations
and complex numbers.
2-Quadrant Curves in the Electric Motor
Added a two-way model. A new simulation model that takes into
account the Torque-Speed characteristic Curve in the forward and
reverse rotation has been added. In addition, a motor with 2
mechanical shafts is now available in the library.
4-Quadrant Joystick
Joystick to generate 4 control variables.
Temperature Generator
A slider was added to make it possible to change the temperature
during the simulation.
Environment Variable Generators
Components with temperature or light as a simulation variable
now use the environment variables of the essential subdivision
where the component is located.
Lack of current or inrush brake
Asynchronous motor 6 connectors
Transistor
Behavioural improvement. A capacitor has been added to stabilize
the voltage between the collector and the emitter and between
the drain and the source.
Ladder for Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-R Series PLC
Hydraulic Manifold Block Workshop
Create and edit manifolds in Automation Studio™ with the new
Hydraulic Manifold Block workshop.
An Auto-Create function can quickly propose up to 100 manifold
solutions based on your Automation Studio™ schematic and set
constraints. You are then able to tweak the proposed designs to
your liking.
Take pressure and flow measurements at any point in time during
simulation.
New & Updated Manufacturers' Catalogues
Many Manufacturers' Catalogues have been added and updated. The
new technical data allows compatible manufacturer's components
to be used within the Hydraulic Manifold Block workshop, and
enables direct integration of the pre-configured and documented
manufacturers' components into your Manifold Block in Automation
Studio™. The manifold compatible components are identified in
the Catalogue Manager.
-
Automation Studio™ Electrical - Variable Frequency Drives
NEW
-
CKD Corporation SOON
-
Continental Hydraulics Valves
NEW
- Cy.Pag. NEW
-
Danfoss Orbital Motors
UPDATED
-
Doosan Mottrol NEW
-
Eaton Sectional CLS & CMA Mobile Valves
UPDATED
-
Humphrey Products NEW
-
IMI Precision / Norgren
SOON
-
Koganei UPDATED
-
Linde Hydraulics
UPDATED
-
Mitsubishi Electric
SOON
-
Shanghai Guorui Hydraulic Technology co (GRH) POWER Valves
NEW
-
SMC Pneumatics NEW
- Tecnord SOON
- Wandfluh NEW
-
Zhejiang Gaoyu Hydraulic Machinery Co Ltd
NEW
Additional Manufacturers' Catalogue components are added and
updated on a weekly basis.
Online Manufacturers' Catalogues
The Automation Studio™ Web Catalogues lets you drag & drop
components directly from the web browser interface to your
Automation Studio™ schematic. These components are always the
most up-to-date version. Therefore, there is no need to locally
manage multiple manufacturers' catalogue files. The Web
Catalogues for Automation Studio™ will be made available shortly
after the release of Automation Studio™ P7.
New Hydraulic Components
- Planetary gearboxes
- Differentials and torque converters
- Separate control surface valves
- Pressure compensated flow dividers
- Jumps with label frame
Improved Hydraulic Components Simulation Models
- Hydraulic motor plates can now have a limited stroke
-
Added an exchange surface area for the external dissipation of
hydraulic heaters
- Improved curve tracking in pressure regulators
- Pressure compensated flow dividers
- Improved manual directional valve commands
Support of Transmission Shafts in the Mechanism Manager
The Mechanism Manager now accepts rotating drive shafts. This
implies that all rotating elements, such as hydraulic,
pneumatic, electric motors and gearboxes, etc., can now be
simulated in the Mechanism Manager.
New Pneumatic Components
- Compressors
- Vacuum generators
- Vacuum cups
- Normally closed flow sensors
Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
Quickly obtain and communicate system failure information,
thanks to the new FMECA module of Automation Studio™. It is
based on, but not limited to, [IEC 60812] Failure Modes &
Effects Analysis. This can greatly reduce troubleshooting time
and increase system reliability.
Renewable Energy Custom Library
The new Renewable Energy library is made with illustrated
components. It enables to create and simulate circuits with
look-alike components from real-world applications. Some
components even animate during simulation, creating an optimal
experience for training activities.
PLC Custom Library
This library was created to enable trainees to actually wire up
the PLC (Allen Bradley, Eaton, Koyo, LS Electric, Mitsubishi,
Omron, Siemens, etc.), write the Ladder Logic and run the
simulation to see the inputs and outputs being triggered on the
PLC according to their ladder diagram.
DC Electrical Custom Library
This illustrated library is intended for DC electrical circuits.
Components can be connected directly or by using the breadboard
to create and simulate your circuit.
Residential Electricity Custom Library
Trainees can now quickly build residential electrical circuits
using common components which they are familiar with.
Hydraulic Cross-Section View Library
Create your circuit using hydraulic components with a
cross-section view that is animated during simulation. Trainees
can now quickly visualize the flow movement in the circuit.
Hydraulic Cylinders with Load Custom Library
This custom library allows to quickly vary the cylinders load
during simulation and instantly see how it affects the system.
Terminal Strips Builder
New terminals with jumper channels management of different
categories were added:
- Feed-Through
- Ground
- Feed-Through with Ground
- Knife Disconnect
- Disconnect
- Sensor / Actuator
- Fuse Holder
- Distribution Blocks
Simplified terminals are still available. The new builder allows
complete management of the terminal strips, including the
accessories management and the part numbers. Terminal strip
export and import functions are also available.
New Semiconductor Devices
New semiconductor components have been added to the
Electrotechnical library, such as:
- Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
- Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)
-
Metal-Oxyde-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)
- Thyristors
Thyristors, bipolar transistors and field effect transistors
have been introduced. The thyristor can be controlled by a
variable or by an external circuit and the transistors have been
designed to operate in both switching and amplification mode.
Improvement of the Battery Component
-
The ageing effect on the battery capacity is now taken into
account
-
OCV hysteresis effect is taken into account by differentiating
OCV vs SOC curves during charge and discharge
-
New advanced model taking into account the voltage transients'
behaviour during charge and discharge
-
Predefined battery parameters for the different available
battery types
AB-500 and AB-5000 Compatible Functions and Addresses
These new libraries are an update from our original library that
did not include all the major functions. These two new libraries
enable you to create control circuits using addresses (AB-500)
or tag names (AB-5000).
Additional Math Block Components
Adaptors in (math) blocks enable the creation of complex
behaviours for fluid power and electrical components.
New Discussion Forum
Many customers want to share their schematics with other parties
or simply share their experience. The new Forum allows access to
demonstration files, custom libraries and other information that
can be helpful to your applications. We hope that you will also
share your experience with everyone. If you don’t have an
account in the Forum,
register here
Virtual Systems Using Unity 3D
Virtual systems created using Unity 3D allow for a training
experience with a high level of realism. These systems can be
controlled within Automation Studio™ using Electrical Controls,
PLCs and/or Sequential Function Chart. Access the Forum to
download the files and procedure to install the Unity 3D models.
New virtual systems are frequently added.
Online Help
You can now access Automation Studio™ help documentation online.
The online help documentation is constantly improved and updated
based on users' support cases and feedback. Also, the software
installation file size is reduced.
Mouse Options Configuration
The new mouse button configuration menu allows users to set
their desired mouse buttons behaviour in Automation Studio™.
Smaller Simulation Pace
New simulation steps of up to 1 micro-second are available to
allow finer simulations. This feature is particularly useful to
simulate high frequencies phenomena (up to 100kHz), especially
in the electrical workshop.
Conservation of the Internal Identifier of a Component When
Replaced
Component internal identification can be maintained when
replacing the component. This is useful for systems that have a
unique identifier for each component.
Other Customer Requested Improvements & Bug Fixes
- Performance improvements
-
Fixed the radial speed variable of the transmission power units
-
Fixed discrepancies of the output pressure value of the
"Pressure and Temperature Flow Control" component
-
Fixed the flexible lines acting as a plug after a while in
simulation
-
Fixed the behaviour of unloading valve with check and drain
-
Changed the image shown in the component properties of the
"Bidirectional Motor with Shaft"
-
Fixed the Curve Export API not exporting all curves
-
Fixed an incorrect pressure at port 2 of the pneumatic "Remote
Pressure Reducing Valve" component
-
Fixed unhandled exception error in PLCs when the '&' character
was inserted in the description
-
Fixed BOM order changing when a model is saved
-
Fixed an issue with the BOM and lines when exporting to PDF
Manifold Block Workshop
New features are available with SR1 improving your experience
during the design, documentation and simulation of your manifold
blocks:
-
Improvement of routing algorithms and in particular those of
oblique channels;
-
Addition of CETOP-type components and interfaces in the
generic library;
- Ability to create a custom title block;
- Revision table available in the technical drawings;
-
Customization of the number of decimal places that can be
displayed on technical drawings;
-
Improvement concerning the dimensions on the technical
drawings (offset, movement);
-
Ability to adjust the position of the shapes on the cavities
of the generic components.
Installation and Circuits
The limit of 30 types of lines in installation circuits has been
raised to better meet user needs.
New Hydraulic Components
- Instant temperature regulator;
- Mechanically activated check valves;
-
Sequence valves normally open, with internal drain and
external drain;
- Cartridge valves normally open;
- 3-way sequence valve normally closed;
- Restrictive pressure compensator positioned downstream.
Improved Hydraulic Component Simulation Models
-
Addition of a pressure drop curve in the flow transducer;
- Improvement of the proportional flow regulator.
Mechanism Manager
Support for mechanically linked jacks in the mechanism manager.
Troubleshooting Module
-
You can now declare several parameters for the same failure,
thus being able to model a minor, moderate or major failure.
- You can now report unidirectional internal leaks.
Wire Management
Wires can now be individually set as perfect without changing
the global setting.
Ease of use
-
A dialogue box prompts for the choice of unit during the
assignment operation to facilitate the interpretation of the
value of one variable assigned to another;
-
It is possible to hide the identifier of dynamic measuring
instruments.
Fluid and Line Manager
Pipes and wires whose properties are used by the simulator are
displayed in blue.
Managing properties’ preferences is also possible.
Configuration Export
Software settings can now be imported and exported for uniform
computer configuration.
Illustrated Libraries
A new command opens illustrated libraries directly from the
application.
Project Manager
The page numbers of documents can be displayed in square
brackets in all dialogue boxes that show the list of documents,
such as the Project Explorer.
Video Recording
The video recording tool offers the possibility to replay its
video to validate the content, to save it or send it immediately
after creating it.
Hyperlink
When a hyperlink type custom property is displayed on the
diagram, it becomes clickable.
Service Release Number
The service release number for your version has been added in
the dialogue box opened by the "About" command.
Ticket Request
A command has been added in order to be able to request
assistance from Automation Studio™ in the Support tab. It will
then be sent automatically to a support agent.
Viewer
Export your Automation Studio™ projects in a brand new format
suitable for the free Automation Studio™ Viewer. This file
format removes properties from documents and components that the
designer does not want to share. This file format can only be
opened with Automation Studio™ Viewer, making it easy to share
while maintaining a high level of confidentiality.
Electrotechnical inputs / outputs
These new black box components (Universal input, Universal
output, Input converter and Output converter) make it possible
to efficiently model and simulate Electrotechnical components
that have versatile inputs and outputs such as controllers,
sensors, etc.
Library of preconfigured PLC Cards
A new specialized library of PLC input and output cards offers
you the possibility to quickly expand your range of teaching
materials for educational activities in automation
Additions in the Hydraulic Block Manifold module
Improvements have been made to automatic routing, options for
displaying dimensions on technical drawings and automatic
management of stackable CETOP valves. It is also possible to
decide whether the routing algorithm can use oblique channels or
not in the case of a "Counterbalance valve" type assembly.