The Field Device Tool (FDT) and Device Type Manager (DTM) concept provides the 21st century open solution to supporting intelligent field devices in your process application.
As field devices become more sophisticated, offering features such as derived variables (e.g. mass gas compensation), distributed functions (e.g. PID) and predictive maintenance algorithms then the ability of the support software to allow the engineer to set-up these functions becomes significant. The potential problem then becomes evident if you look at a summary of a project in these terms:
A project may have
->More than 10 intellegent device manufaturers
->More than 100 different device types
-> More than 1000 I/O in total | Issues
->Not to be restricted to a particular device manufacturer
->Ability to select the most appropriate device for the application
->How many support engineering tools are required |
Each of these devices require
->Parametarization
->Configuration
->System Integration | Issues
->Ability to use full device features
->How many support engineering tools are required |
Using Multiple Protocols
->HART
->PROFIBUS
->FOUNDATION | Issues
->Use the most appropriate protocol for the application
->How many support engineering tools are required |
 | The Field Device Tool (FDT) and Device Type Manager (DTM) offers an OPEN solution to intellegent device support whilst providing additional benefts too. |