November 11, 2013 – Control Station PID Tuning Software Caters To Multi-Vendor Environments

New Version of Tuner Plus Released in Conjunction with Automation Fair

November 11, 2013  Control Station announced the newest release of its award-winning LOOP-PRO TUNER Plus PID controller tuning and loop diagnostic software. The Allen-Bradley Edition now supports all major commercial PID controllers through a combination of online and offline data access. The expanded functionality equips licensees with a single process optimization tool for use in multi-vendor environments.

Tuner Plus accesses real-time process data associated with controller branded by Rockwell Automation, and it now accepts historical data from other controllers. Live data can be accessed via OPC through use of either RSLinx or FactoryTalk. Tuner Plus automatically recognizes the block structure of controllers branded by Rockwell Automation and it captures controller attributes essential for tuning. Historical data can be used in the modeling and tuning of other PID controllers.

This capability addresses a clear need among process manufacturers and we’re pleased to introduce it in conjunction with Automation Fair, noted Rick Bontatibus, Control Station’s Vice President of Global Sales.

A majority of production environments utilize PID controllers from multiple vendors. TUNER Plus specifically addresses these environments, allowing licensees to apply the software’s patent-pending process modeling capability to a broader range of complex industrial applications. Like all LOOP-PRO software products, Tuner Plus is uniquely suited to model oscillatory and noisy process data that is typical of process manufacturing.

Control Station first joined the Encompass Partner Program as Rockwell Automation sought a replacement for their existing PID controller tuning products. LOOP-PRO Tuner Allen-Bradley Edition was introduced in 2009 as a fully integrated tuning solution and a replacement for RSTune. In September 2011 Tuner became the only controller tuning product referenced by Rockwell Automation and available thru their distributors.

The relationship with Rockwell Automation expanded in 2010 with the addition of PlantESP to the Encompass Partner Program. PlantESP is a best-in-class monitoring and diagnostic platform that actively assesses controller performance and asset reliability on a plant-wide basis. It addresses the need among process manufacturers for improved awareness of issues that may result in lost production. PlantESP fully complements other control and condition-monitoring solutions available from Rockwell Automation.