The Advanced Process Functions (APF) specially developed for the chemical and food & beverages industries expand the functional scope of the SIMATIC PCS 7 system components.

They rationalize the configuration and operation of small and medium-sized automation systems with easier material processing which is characterized by dosing, mixing and agitating processes.

Subdivided into modules for material management, parameter management, storage location management, order management and archive management, they support automation of the production process which starts with the raw materials intake and ends with release for filling and packing.

Batch processes can be automated using simple recipe structures (lists or parameter recipes) by means of the APF editors and function blocks. Clear information about materials and storage locations make a valuable contribution towards production optimization.

The function blocks that can be connected in CFC diagrams represent items such as materials, parameter records or subsystem-specific tasks. When coupled with so-called user archives, they allow master data to be managed and results data to be archived and evaluated via predefined OS displays on the SIMATIC PCS 7 operator station.