Schneider // So Machine

The SOMACHINE programming software has a very good price especially since it incorporates the VIJEO design HMI software that is very good. I am not sure how B&R got in this thread but their software is expensive.

Karsten said:

The SOMACHINE programming software has a very good price especially since it incorporates the VIJEO design HMI software that is very good. I am not sure how B&R got in this thread but their software is expensive.

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I paid $1600 and some change for their software.

Then the pricing is very different between the US and EU. $600 för a single user license.

SoMachine Motion v4.4 sp1

Where can I download a SoMachine Motion v4.4 sp1 full version?
Very need.

If you're looking for some very cost effective and super reliable PLC's why do you not look at the Allen Bradley Micro800 series? Their new Micro870 with 100's of IO.

I use the Micro820 for a lot of my projects, I've never had a single problem and all my units are in the oilfield, (Bad power, bad weather conditions, H2S gas, Severe Temps, Abuse from operators, Etc) and I pay $189.00(USD) per Micro820.

I just can't find any other PLC on the market that can touch this unit.

The new CCWv12 is super simple to use and if you get the developer edition($415.00) you can do online edits, create your own "User Defined DataTypes", you can mix your language "Ladder, Structured Text, and I have done both.

I've never not been able to make a project to run machines or other demands.

As always this is just my opinion.

Karsten said:

The SOMACHINE programming software has a very good price especially since it incorporates the VIJEO design HMI software that is very good. I am not sure how B&R got in this thread but their software is expensive.

Click to expand...

I just paid more than $1100 for a single seat of a single version of Vijeo last week. That was just Vijeo, not SoMachine or SoMachine Motion and it won't work for any other version of Vijeo, just the one version. We used the prior version for about 4 years.

I paid less much, much less for a 1 year, single-seat license for Automation Studio which is the only software required (does PLC, HMI, Safety, etc) and includes all past versions. Assuming you'd have to re-purchase the non-subscription licenses every 5 years to get new versions, Automation Studio is still cheaper than Vijeo and SoMachine Motion.

B&R is in this thread because it is a major alternative to Rockwell and Siemens, offing improved performance, larger machine control portfolio, and reduce cost. The only comparable offering from Schneider-Electric is their LMC stuff which is PacDrive (formerly ELAU) and PLCs that are made by B&R and private labeled by S-E.

To add to that, any time I talk about B&R capabilities to our guys they always say “Why in the hell are we using AB?”

All networked B&R components are auto-addressed, no IP or node switches needed. All parameters and firmware are installed in the PLC. If a drive is swapped, all configurations and address are set automatically. Be it a servo drive or VFD. If the HMI goes out, install a new one, and on bootup click “Load Project From PLC”. Done.

The maintenance guys don’t need a laptop to replace any component, don’t need to mess with BOOTP or addresses, or worry about getting parameters correct when changing a drive.

“AB does that too with ADC.” Yeah, they do. After a myriad of checkboxes, exact match settings, storing to sd-card, firmware flashing, and a managed Ethernet switch with another set of configurations and IP persistence.

B&R does it out of the box, no need to enable it. Also, if you need a DHCP server, the B&R PLC can do that too.

Some years ago we found that Rockwell was becoming expensive and the tech connect costs were over the top. I was also told that Rockwell (AB) reduced their outlet base i.e. small PLC's were removed from RS Components, We also found that we had a lot of failures on HMI's, PLC Cards and Inverters (quite a harsh production environment.
We also had Siemens and Mitsubishi on site although Siemens was very reliable it is also expensive especially the 400 series.
We plumped for Mitsubishi as we had quite a lot of the smaller PLC's. although Mitsubishi documentation is not up to scratch (typically Chinenglish) their support was great. the larger PLC frames like Q series did everything we required and as far as reliability goes second to none. In 12 years we only had one processor go down, and one analogue card. In both cases these were completely encrusted in green corrosion on the printed circuit boards (absolutely astounded that they worked for so long). The replacement of HMI's & Inverters from Rockwell) reduced the failure rate from approximately 3 units a month to less than one every 3-4 months. (this was based on approximately 47 HMI's and 67 inverters).
I believe that most PLC's of well known types have overall good reliability but in recent years have noticed the reliability of Rockwell (AB) seems to have got worse and their pricing policy, support definitely over the top.