Industrial automation manufacturer Opto 22 has announced its new .NET Controller Software Development Kit (SDK) for writing custom Microsoft Windows software applications that communicate directly with Opto 22 SNAP PAC controllers. This new SDK is well suited for machine builders, original equipment manufactuers (OEMs), and others who integrate custom applications with Opto 22 control systems. The .NET Controller SDK for SNAP PAC supports modern .NET frameworks and Visual Studio environments, which reduces the time and cost of software development testing.
Developers use the .NET Controller SDK for SNAP PAC to build software applications that directly access the control program, or "strategy," running on a SNAP PAC controller. Applications can be read from and write to integer, float, and string variables and tables, as well as analog and discrete input and output points.
Steve Grudzinski, electronic systems engineer at optical components manufacturer Optiforms, uses the .NET Controller SDK in a precise plating process that must be tailored for each part. A Visual Basic software application accomplishes this by exchaging data between an inventory system, a SQL database, and a SNAP PAC control system. In the procss, individually barcoded parts are first identified using laser scanners. For each part, plating requirements and corresponding equipment settings are pulled from the SQL database. Equipment settings are then sent to the SNAP PAC control system, which adjusts the plating equipment as required.
