Preplanning allows users to define the automation structure for a machine or plant during a project’s earliest stages. An example is importing an initial list of drives from mechanical engineering that contains only basic information about what is being planned for use in a conveyor system. Engineers can define the central automation structures for the machine or plant and position the drives within this structure. They can then pass on the information about sensors and actuators until they can create or derive the schematics from the information. Typical automation process procedures are also supported such as defining field instrumentation.
