Rockwell Automation
The new Allen-Bradley Micro 870 programmable logic controller (PLC; photo) can support applications that require up to 304 I/O points, 280 kB of memory and 20,000 program instructions. The Micro870 PLC uses a flexible design concept that provides designers up to three plug-ins and eight expansion I/O modules. This capability allows them to easily customize or expand the controller to meet each machine type’s unique requirements. The controller’s memory capacity supports modular programming and the use of user-defined function blocks to help reduce design time. Additionally, machine builders can use the memory capacity to maintain a single program for all machine models that use the Micro870 PLC. The controller communicates via EtherNet/IP and has multiple embedded communications options, including a USB programming port, a non-isolated serial port and an Ethernet port. — Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, Wis.