Controls Go Green: SERCOS and Energy Consumption

With Earth Day approaching this weekend, now is a perfect time to talk about the energy profile aspect of SERCOS III. As you know by now, the latest SERCOS system aims for all-inclusive, “plug-and-play” control, with full integration from the machine level, through I/O, drives, sensors, and controls. An article from Sustainable Planet provides an overview of SERCOS Energy, the portion of SERCOS that outlines energy consumption requirements. In a nutshell, the level of control that SERCOS enables, allows for targeted, intelligent component energy management, and unprecedented energy use optimization.

By planning for both expected and unexpected production circumstances – the former, lunch breaks, and the latter, machinery malfunctions – SERCOS Energy features predefined energy saving states that can be scheduled or manually kicked in. Think of your computer going into Sleep Mode, or fully shutting down after an extended period of inactivity. That’s the basic principle behind SERCOS Energy, with highly targeted and carefully defined events and triggers. For more information, be sure to read the article, or see the SERCOS white paper.