How to build a plantwide PLC network?

[Gurdas]

Hi!

We need to build and install a plantwide network that does the following:

1) Connect and achieve 2-way communication to PLC machines having controllers from Beckhoff, Siemens, Allen Bradley etc. Mostly Beckhoff, http://www.beckhoff.com/
2) There will be a central server room for PLC recipe storage, recipe upload to PLC and machine status monitoring
3) Most of this data has to be available for integration with SAP

My questions:

1) What NI hardware is best for such a project?
2) Which NI software to use? LabVIEW, Lookout, Datalogging and Supervisory Control, Enterprise Connectivity, Industrial Automation OPC Server ?? We are sufficiently familiar with LV and Enterprise Connectivity.
3) What are the essentials to achieve the objectives? Do I need to demand some kind of drivers from the PLC manufacturer? Or check with 3rd party providers?
4) Since most PLCs are from Beckhoff, do you think their software TwinCAT will help? TwinCAT homepage is at http://www.beckhoff.com/english/default.htm?twincat/default.htm

Have I missed anything obvious?

Thanks in advance!

- Gurdas

[unclebump]

I would look at an opc server program called Kepware. www.kepware.com. You will need drivers for each type of plc protocol that you need to communicate with. Once kepware can talk to each plc family, the interface between Labview and Kepware will be the same between each plc.