Lindsey Clark is a Systems Integration Engineer with Innovative Controls – a Cross Company Integrated Systems Group. Lindsey has been working in System Integration for the past four years, after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Virginia Tech with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Lindsey has gained experience among multiple controls platforms and HMI packages, but specializes in Siemens PCS7. Lindsey has been trained in PCS7 System Engineering I & II and PCS7 SIMATIC Batch. In 2011, she became certified in PCS7 Best Practices methods.
Below is an excerpt from Lindsey Clark’s whitepaper, “Setting up PCS7 with Import Export Assistant.”
What is Import/Export Assistant (IEA)?
The Import/Export Assistant tool in PCS 7 is used to deploy and populate multiple continuous function charts (CFCs), called process tags, from a standardtemplate CFC, called a process tag type, by using a user-defined import file.
Why Would This Tool Benefit My Application?
Some advantages of using this tool:
- Create consistency among control modules of the same type
- Provide for efficient, bulk creation
- Allow for one-time approval of a type template
- Accommodate bulk modifications of process tag charts
The alternative to using the IEA tool is to manually create each and every control module. This method would undoubtedly require more engineering time, while creating more room for error, and a lack of consistency. While using IEA will take more upfront planning and consideration, it saves time in creating, testing, and modifying the individual charts.
