PLCs (controllers) and I/Os - intelligent automation

Find the appropriate PLCs (controllers) and I/Os with IP20 and IP65/IP67 degrees of protection, whether as a system or as a remote I/O station for a wide range of different Ethernet networks. Program in IEC 61131-3 or high-level languages, and ensure your system is secure for the future. For example, with PLCnext Technology you can already implement the latest trends like artificial intelligence or transform sustainable solutions in the solar industry into smart solutions.

Open to the future

The world of automation is changing. The digitalization, networking, and globalization of business and technical systems are generating new market requirements. Manufacturers of future-oriented automation systems must be ready to provide their customers with the ability to meet the standards of modern IoT applications. Phoenix Contact therefore provides future-oriented PLCs, I/O systems, and PLC software. From components through to the complete system, for the control cabinet and field installation. Professional automation for your systems: from decentral water supply to highly complex painting lines in the automotive industry.

PLCnext Control

PLCnext Control are the hardware for the PLCnext Technology ecosystem, combining the reliability and security of the classic PLC world with the openness and flexibility of smart devices.

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PLCnext Store

Solution apps, software modules, runtime systems, and function extensions are available in the PLCnext Store and save time and costs during your application development. You can also become a developer and sell your own app.

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PLCnext Community

Through simple cloud integration, the option to use open source software, and the constantly growing expertise of the PLCnext Community, you will benefit from new forms of collaboration.

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PLCnext Engineer

PLCnext Technology includes a new development environment with HTML5 visualization and seamless integration of high-level languages. Accelerate your application development with the free basic version of PLCnext Engineer.

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Controller for building automation

Building IoT – easy automation

The powerful ILC 2050 BI controller is specially designed for automation tasks in buildings. In particular, these include controlling and monitoring the building infrastructure and the energy management.

The extension with a large number of I/O components from the Inline system ensures the easy setup of a modular automation station for practically all tasks in the building infrastructure environment. The corresponding software makes the automated building IoT-capable – effortlessly.

Your advantages

Easy programming with the graphical build-up of control functions from a large library of ready-to-use blocks
Support for all of the main communication protocols in the field of building infrastructure automation technology
Possibility of live engineering without interrupting ongoing operation
Safeguard cost-efficient operation with remote access for programming, monitoring, software updates, and functional extensions
Secure operation with consistent encryption in the network, digital signaling, and authentication based on various user roles

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Limitless integration of trades and a flexible licensing model

The controller is based on the powerful Niagara framework. The key advantage here is the unified connection of various bus systems and protocols on the field level through data standardization. For this, there are numerous communication drivers for classic systems such as Modbus/RTU, BACnet MS/TP, and LON TP/FT10, as well as support for IP-based protocols such as Modbus/TCP, BACnet/IP, and KNXnet/IP. Naturally, building-specific protocols such as DALI, M-Bus, SMI, and others are also supported. The integrated network function ensures that all data points are very easily available anywhere within an overall system comprised of several controllers. External data exchange is possible using IoT protocols such as MQTT and OPC UA, among others.

A license is required for each controller. The basic version includes 100 data points and the support of numerous protocols. With extended licenses, the number of data points can be increased to up to 10,000. Driver licenses are available to extend the functional scope of the controller to include additional protocols. We recommend maintenance licenses to ensure that you benefit from software updates and new functions. These licenses are available with a runtime of one, three, or five years. A new release is issued twice per year.
On request, we will be happy to advise you on selecting the license suitable for your project.

Supervisor and workbench

A supervisor is a server-based automation station for superordinate tasks in a network, comprised of several type ILC 2050 BI controllers. With this, the central logging and aggregation of data points and a central alarm management and scheduling system are possible.
The supervisor realizes complex visualizations and simplifies integration into superordinate systems. It takes over central administration tasks such as rolling out software updates, as well as user and certificate management in the network. Moreover, it can independently implement control tasks with data points that are made available via TCP/IP-based protocols.

The workbench is the uniform software interface for the programming and administration of all controllers and supervisor stations in an overall network.
In the workbench, the control functions are developed in a graphic editor through linking and configuring function blocks. Changes are introduced without interrupting ongoing operation. The values of all data points are displayed in real time. If the data is temporarily overwritten, it is possible to view the histories. The use of self-created templates for more complex tasks facilitates effective workflows, even in large projects.