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Plex Integration FAQs

Where do we start?

The first thing to do when putting together the POL plant floor integration system is to figure out what the goal is of the system. Here are a series of questions that must be answered in order to architect the system:
  1. What type of information do you plan to get out of the plant floor equipment?
  2. What are the events that will initiate data being sent to POL?
  3. Will data be bi-directional – in other words will you be instructing the machines from the Plex Control Panel as well as sending data to it?
  4. Do you have a network infrastructure in place to gather the data you need from the plant floor equipment?

What extra hardware/software do we need?

Each integration will require at least one computer to act as the server. The machine requirements are fairly minimal; it must run Windows XP Professional and have a minimum of 1GB or RAM. One server machine will be capable of integrating multiple machines. The software that will collect and disperse the Plex data will be provided by Kors Engineering and is based on the Niagara AX platform, developed by Tridium. In addition to the base software, a driver must be installed that can talk to the equipment on the floor. The driver must be either OPC or Modbus. If your equipment will be receiving commands/data from Plex, you must have an Internet firewall configured to allow incoming data from the Plex servers.

How do I get data to/from my plant floor equipment?

This one is a little tricky sometimes. In an ideal world, all of your plant floor equipment would be modern controllers with an Ethernet port and readily available OPC drivers. If that’s the case, you are almost done. If not, we will have to figure out the best way to get the data you require from the equipment you have. It may be possible to use alternate, proprietary networks like Data-Highway+, Modbus+, DeviceNet, Profibus, etc. by adding a special card and driver to the server PC. Or, in a lot of cases, it may be easiest to add small, Ethernet based I/O modules onto the existing equipment to pick up a handful of data points in parallel with the system controls. In any case, we would recommend drawing out your system and talking with us about the best way to get the data needed.

What does Kors Engineering provide?

Every customer’s needs will vary based on in-house capabilities. At a minimum, Kors will meet with you to architect the system and provide the necessary server software with the components needed to integrate with Plex. Typically though, we will also come onsite and perform a pilot installation on at least one machine to get the system model and logic built and tested. Once a working model is installed, it is very straightforward for the end user to be able to roll out the system to the rest of their equipment. In this case, the onsite installation will include training time to show how the software works and how to add more machines. If additional integration services are required, Kors Engineering is a full service system integrator and can quote additional field work as necessary.

I have an existing SCADA server, can we use that?

Well, you can but it may cost more in the long run. What Kors Engineering has created are a series of reusable components developed specifically for integrating with Plex. Using these modules makes the system integration very straightforward. The system can be deployed with NO custom code or scripting. To use an existing system based on another HMI or SCADA package is possible, but the functions that perform the actual Plex interface will have to be written within that software and will require additional development cost and time.