SIMATIC WinCC -
Part of Totally Integrated Automation

TIA allows you to completely integrate individual automation components – ranging from controllers, distributed peripherals and drive technology through Operating & Monitoring up to the production management level. In this connection, you always benefit from the triple consistency of configuration, programming, data storage and communication. In other words: You can reduce your engineering costs for automation solutions by up to 50% – with a corresponding reduction in lifecycle and total costs.

As a part of TIA, SIMATIC WinCC uses identical configuration tools under Windows, accesses common data, and communicates consistently. This means, for example, that WinCC uses the lists of tags and messages of the SIMATIC controller and its communications parameters. This avoids time-consuming and expensive multiple inputs and the sources of errors – right from the start.

Totally Integrated Automation offers integrated diagnostics as a significant system feature. In conjunction with other SIMATIC components, SIMATIC WinCC also supports system and process diagnostics in ongoing operation:

• Entering STEP 7 hardware diagnostics directly from WinCC
• Calling STEP 7 blocks from WinCC pictures
• System diagnosis using web technology with WinCC Scope
• Diagnosing the communications connection using WinCC Channel Diagnosis
• Reliable process diagnostics with WinCC/ProAgent

You can, for example, start STEP 7 hardware diagnostics directly from the WinCC picture, which provides comprehensive fault diagnostics ranging from circuit diagrams right up to the PLC program. Just as directly, you can call STEP 7 blocks from WinCC pictures, which sets up a direct connection to the corresponding STEP 7 logic

WinCC Scope carries out diagnostics of the WinCC station and its environment across the Web. With communications in particular, faults often occur that are difficult to analyze. WinCC Channel Diagnosis helps you to quickly detect and eliminate errors.

And the process diagnostics messages from the S7-PDIAG and S7-GRAPH controller display irregularities in the case of an error using WinCC/ProAgent in WinCC – without needing any further configuration time and effort or any additional diagnostics facilities. This means that WinCC supports you in an effective way in localizing and eliminating errors, which considerably reduces machine and plant down times.