There’s a difference between running labs in a VM and having your Stratix config hitting real hardware on a test bench. NHP’s InFocus Automation Essentials training delivered the latter, and it was a useful day.
The session was held at Rydges Mackay, run by Jason Grimshaw from NHP with support from David Green and Joe Wu, alongside Ben Muita from Rockwell Automation. Good mix of vendor and engineering knowledge in the room.
What was covered
The curriculum ran through four main areas:
- Stratix networking configuration and commissioning on physical hardware
- FactoryTalk Optix basic and advanced labs, covering the new web-based HMI platform that Rockwell is pushing hard as the successor to FactoryTalk View SE
- Studio 5000 structured instruction refresher, basic and advanced
- Integrated workflows connecting the platforms together as they’d appear in a real project
Participants got access to all lab material to take away, which is useful for reinforcing the concepts after the fact.
Who else was there
The room had a good cross-section of controls professionals from the Mackay region, people from Better Future Group Solutions, Cell Engineering, Alliance Automation, Deftec, and Drives & Controls Services. That kind of mix is as valuable as the formal content; you pick up a lot from talking to engineers who are working on different sites and different platforms day-to-day.
FactoryTalk Optix
The Optix platform is the one to watch. It runs in a browser, uses a node-based development environment, and Rockwell’s roadmap is clearly pushing it as the long-term replacement for View SE. If you’re scoping a new SCADA project and the client is a Rockwell shop, it’s worth understanding where Optix sits relative to PlantSCADA and View SE before committing to a platform.
NHP trade account
Separately, Beetle Engineering has set up an NHP trade account, which means we can supply Rockwell Automation equipment at system integrator pricing. If you’re sourcing hardware for a project and want it handled through the engineering engagement, that’s now an option.
Thanks to NHP for putting the day together.