Attention!! The 2022 draft of the Stability Act provides a tax discount for the purchase of interconnected goods will be reduced from 50% to 40% from 2022 and even 20% for 2023.

To be able to still take advantage of 50% you must make orders by 31/12/2021 and proceed with payment of at least a 20%deposit, then finish the interconnection by 30/6/2022.

Only a few more days left.

At the moment, in the legislative draft, it seems that for software in Annex B, the tax discount remains 20%; but there is no certainty that it will not be amended.

So we suggest you carefully evaluate and anticipate any software orders.

In this regard, we remind you that the software provided embedded with the interconnected goods benefits from the same tax discount (50%, for now) reserved for the purchased goods. It is therefore convenient for the end user to get all the necessary software for the interconnection from the machine supplier.

We continue to argue that, in order to really push the digitisation process in Italy, a strong incentive for software projects is needed. In fact there is no interconnection without software. Interconnection is ... software. It should be at least 50%, or more. It would take a 110% Super bonus for software!

In the meantime, it is better to take advantage of at least the 20% tax discount on the purchase of software both under license and for personalisations or custom developments.

For further information on Industry 4.0, on the software or software orders, you can contact our sales staff on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

For Christmas, our offices will remain closed from 24 December 2021 to 7 January 2022.
The telephone support service is suspended for the same period.

AirGriDaCo+WD is an innovative system which, with a transmitter, transforms a simple signal tower into a low cost source of useful data to detect the efficiency of the manual assembly stations, machines and systems.

Here is a video of PATLITE relevant to the https://www.patlite.it/ondemand/detail549.html WD system.

Every wireless transmitter, other than the lights, manages a further 8 digital inputs and a RS232 port that allows acquisition of data from the barcode readers or RFID or from other devices to read, for example, a product code, a work order, an operator code or for insertion of reasons for downtime.

Ideal for manual assembly, testing, control stations, it is now also perfect for collecting machine data, without having to pass through the PLC or the integrated HMI.



AirGriDaCo+WD is exceptional for departments that frequently change production layout. Being based on wireless technology, simply move the station where you want and this is always interconnected.

Some examples of use: Efficiency (OEE) of the Machine or Line Manual Assembly Stations Assembly lines management Technical Calls Management Management of mobile devices, forklifts, milk runner trolleys Data collection from machines

AirGriDaCo makes setup of Andon information panels easy to support production and implement Escalation procedures of alarms and faults. Installs easily. The events detected are published on the corporate database or exportable on a CSV file.

Available in in various sizes and can be the starting point for customised versions that Automa can develop based on specific customer requirements. A Starter KIT is also available with a single tower.

For further information on AirGriDaCo or for free presentation, contact our sales staff on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

The freedownload/download sections of our website provides the Service Pack 2 of Super-Flash 4.6.

NWithin the optic of optimising the choice of new functionalities in version 4.7 of Super-Flash, Automa has prepared a small questionnaire intended for users of Super-Flash. The objective of this questionnaire is to have direct feedback from those developing in relation to new functionalities added in the current version 4.6. This will help us better understand in which directions to push the new functionalities of the next version 4.7.

This is the questionnaire link: https://forms.gle/xmk4AWCSU3xLRGJ16.

The online compilation only takes a few minutes and for us it is very important to know the opinion of those developing with Super-Flash.

After years of "orientation" and various political attempts, for the National Digital Transition Plan (Industry 4.0) the time is now ripe to allow companies to make the most of this unique opportunity.

The market is full of "Industry 4.0 ready" machines. So you might think that just buying one of these machines, the connection in the company network, is enough to obtain the famous "interconnection", the essential prerequisite to be able to access the tax discounts provided by the 2021 Stability Act.

Wrong!!

With a few exceptions, "Industry 4.0 Ready" machines only provide the connection mode with external information systems, but do not address the most important issues of synchronisation and data structuring.
In the best case a software project will have to be started to create the missing functionalities. And the cost of this project, often not foreseen by companies, will have the tax discount reduced by 20%.

For a machine to be interconnectable, it is necessary that:

1. natively provides the possibility of receiving from the outside all the necessary information to fully define the work to be done; and not through the simple remote control of the machine SCADA/ HMI.
2. provide the data on the actual work in progress and that just completed
3. is directly or indirectly connected to the production logistics system, including the loading and unloading of the machine

Unfortunately there are differences between end user and machine manufacturer in the way of understanding these points. While the client discusses the job order, the manufacturer of the machine is more focused on the concept of "recipe" or "configuration". The job order indicates which article you want to produce, in which quantity and for which client. The recipe defines how the machine must be adjusted so this can implement a certain item..

But this is just one of the aspects. The reality is that interconnection of the machines can be implemented correctly only by implementing a specific project that must precisely describe the objectives you intend pursuing and the technical solution most suitable to achieve them.

To do so, specific skills are necessary that take into consideration the machine manufacturer's know-how with the end client's production needs.

Automa has been implementing integration projects since 1987, therefore also developed with machines already present in the company and not necessarily new, taking advantage of the relief now also planned for revamping operations. It can offer definition services of the integration specifications, project development and support for the expert who must redraft the conformity report. The service is offered both to companies who must interconnect with machines and lines, and manufacturers who must help them insert in their machines the functionalities that most facilitate interconnection by its clients.

For further information on Automa services offered for Industry 4.0 interconnection of machines and systems, you can contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

The LA6-PoE light and acoustic signal tower is an innovative product of the PATLITE network series. It can be connected to Ethernet and directly piloted in TCP/IP. It supports PoE (Power Over Ethernet), therefore it can be powered directly by the Ethernet cable and can be controlled with various protocols including ModBus TCP and HTTP, respectively standard in industrial communication and internet.

The LA6-PoE LEDS are RGB, therefore you can freely set the colours, also at runtime. The ability to create scenarios with frames that alternate in time or on triggers, allows you to define the very innovative uses of this tower. The buzzer, with 11 different sounds, can be inserted into the scenarios by configuring sound level and intermittence.

There are many applications of this tower because it can be placed anywhere on PoE ports of the Ethernet, without any need for a dedicated power supply..

It can be used both to propagate the status of other signal towers and to effectively support the escalation procedures of alarm events managed by a SCADA

The LA6-PoE tower is also supported by AirGriDaCo, the wireless data collection software for light towers developed by Automa for the PATLITE WD system.

It can be directly piloted by Super-Flash applications with SFModBus TCP driver and Windows C++ ModBus TCP libraries.

Automa also offers a specific training module for rapid and efficient learning of the configuration and communication capacities of the LA6-PoE.

You can better know the product by looking at the video where Federico Di Pietro of PATLITE illustrates the features of the La6PoE smart tower: https://www.patlite.it/ondemand/movie/IT033_210621_LA6-POE_SD.mp4

For further information on the LA6-PoE tower, on Super-Flash and on the ModBus libraries, contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

Super-Flash is the development system for SCADA/HMI applications produced by Automa. On the market since 1989, it is offered both in Royalty-Free mode, purchase of the development system and free applications, and in Runtime mode with free development system and purchase of licenses for each application.

Super-Flash is reliable, compact, flexible and inexpensive. In addition to allowing easy implementation of new SCADA/HMI applications, Super-Flash has the absolute primacy of retro-compatibility: you can even import old DOS projects and in a short time make them work on PCs with Windows 10. The ideal solution now that the digital transition plan (Industry 4.0) also provides facilities for revamping and software developments dedicated to the interconnection of all equipment and machine in production.

The new 1.4 version of StartSF, is now available, an application, with sources, which demonstrates some of the features of Super-Flash up to version 4.6. Dynamically controlled animated gifs, runtime recolourable images, SVG support, XML manipulation, interaction with external executables and much more. These are just some of the features of version 4.6 that are added to all those already present from previous versions.

StartSF is a useful application both for those who have never used Super-Flash and want to understand its functionalities, and for those who already use the product and want to check, looking at the sources, how the various features have been used.

StartSFis completely free and is downloadable from the freedownload section of our website at the following link.

Easy to download, free and easy to test.

For further information on StartSF and Super-Flash contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

We would like to inform you that our telephone support service will be suspended for the period from 07/8/2021 to 20/8/2021.
The service will start again on 23 August 2021.

AirGriDaCo is Automa software that supports the distribution, exclusively for Italy, of PATLITE, wireless products, an innovative system capable of transforming a simple light signal tower into a low cost source of useful data to detect the efficiency of machines and systems.
Here is the PATLITE video about the WD system https://www.patlite.it/ondemand/detail549.html

Version 2.3 of AirGriDaCo extends support of WD PRO by PATLITE which, other than the light tower lighting, now makes available 8 digital inputs and a RS232 serial line.

By doing so, the workstation with the wireless tower has the possibility to extend the signals collected by the field and, through the serial line, acquire data from barcode readers or RFID or other devices capable of sending data to RS232, for example to read a product code, a job order, an operator code or to enter a cause of downtime..

Ideal for manual assembly, testing and control stations, it now also becomes perfect for collecting data from machines without the difficulty of having to pass through the PLC or the integrated HMI.

AirGriDaCo+WD PRO is exceptional for departments that frequently change production layout. Being based on wireless technology, simply move the station where you want and this is always interconnected.

Some examples of use: Efficiency (OEE) of the Machine or Line Manual Assembly Stations Assembly lines management Technical Calls Management Management of mobile devices, forklifts, milk runner trolleys, etc. Data collection from machines Department synoptics for machines/lines status

AirGriDaCo makes setup of Andon information panels easy to support production and implement Escalation procedures of alarms and faults detected.

AirGriDaCo Installs quickly. It allows configuration of a name on each tower, each light, each status of each light for a log. Therefore, the events log is self-explanatory. The events are published on the corporate database or exportable on a CSV file.

AirGriDaCo is available in various sizes and can be the starting point for customised versions that Automa can develop based on specific customer requirements. A SDK for development and a starter kit composed of a receiver, tower, keypad and software licence are also available.

For further information on products AirGriDaCo or for free presentation, contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

With the Stability Act 2021, the possibility of taking advantage of tax discounts was also introduced for the revamping of machines and systems.

For old SCADA/HMI applications created using Super-Flash (maybe still working in DOS), the operation of porting to version 4.6 is possible and does not require too expensive tasks. You thereby quickly obtain a low cost application that keeps the original graphical interface, able to work in Windows from XP up to W10 inclusive. A substantially non-existent possibility with other SCADA.

The maintenance of the same graphical interface allows operators to continue to use the HMI in the same identical way, without inconvenience due to the change of operation.

The savings could allow you to upgrade the architecture of the automation system, for example by bringing into Ethernet all the communications on the HMI, using serial servers, Ethernet gateways or Ethernet drivers that Automa offers for a direct connection with the PLC Ethernet port. Architecture upgrades that generally do not require changes to the PLC and that make the system more efficient, easier to manage and evolve.

Finally, it will be possible to modify the updated application to interconnect it to the end customer's information system, using one of the various interconnection drivers available.

For those unfamiliar with Super-Flash Automa, it offers full support both for the porting of old applications and for the development of the interconnection part with MES or other software layers of the customer's information system.

Even for licenses and software developments you can benefit from a tax discount that, for 2021, has been increased to 20%.

For further information on Super-Flash, on the possibility of porting and development of interconnection projects, contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

Since the UA version was announced, OPC protocol has always been more used in an industrial environment. After overcoming the technological compatibility issues of the Classic OPC, the possibilities offered by platform independence make OPC-UA an absolute protagonist of industrial communication.

Automa makes available two different communication drivers OPC-UA:

SF OPC-UAC	Driver for applications developed with SCADA Super-Flash
CT OPC-UAC	Driver (DLL for Windows) of the Communication Tools line, for software developers using C/C++, C#, VB or other languages capable of interfacing a DLL

Using the configuration tool, you can browse the servers and the items available online and make them available to your software.

The OPC-UAC drivers allow: connection with an unlimited number of OPC UA servers connection mode: Transport; UA-TCP UA-SC UA-Binary Security policy: None, Basic256, Aes128-Sha256-RsaOaep, Basic256Sha256, Aes256-Sha256-RsaPss user Token: Anonymous self-signed certificate management reading and writing the following value types: boolean, Byte, SByte, UInt16, Int16, UInt32, Int32, Float and Double, in singel and array mode string and ByteString in single mode Reading of accessory information: reading of data, server timestamp and source timestamp writing management in "SafeWrite" mode data change monitor (DataChange Subscriber)

The drivers are available in the freedownload section of our website.

As for the other drivers, you can download it for free and use it. It is fully functional. Without activating a licence, it allows 15-minute continuous operation to allow functionality testing before proceeding with licence purchase.

For further information on OPC-UAC drivers, contact our sales staff directly +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.

Ethernet is increasingly being used for automation, and the 100 Mbit of simple Fast Ethernet is no longer enough. Often however, the Gigabit switches are too expensive and too big.

ATOP, the specialist in industrial networking, has clearly identified this need and has made available an excellent solution at low cost, with limited dimensions.

These are EHG3305 and EHG3005 5-port Ethernet Gigabit switches, respectively with metal or plastic casing and different temperature range.

EHG3305: 5 x 10/100/1000 Base-T(X) RJ45 Supports 10K Jumbo frames Support 802.3zx Energy Efficient Ethernet for energy savings Double power supply (2 x 12-24VDC) Working temperature from -40 °C to 70 °C Assembly on DIN guide Compact, 23x94x72 mm, with casing in steel SPCC EHG3005: 5 x 10/100/1000 Base-T(X) RJ45 Supports 10K Jumbo frames Support 802.3zx Energy Efficient Ethernet for energy savings Double power supply (2 x 12-24VDC) Working temperature from 0 °C to 60 °C Assembly on DIN guide Compact, 23x94x72 mm, with casing in plastic

These switches are certified CE, FCC and UL/IEC.

For further information or a quote on ATOP Ethernet industrial gigabit switches, you can contact our sales staff directly on +39.035.32.33.911 or via e-mail at sales@automa.it.