With OPC UA to the smart factory
Data is the new oil. There is something to it - and yet the comparison is flawed. The value of a barrel of oil rises and falls irregularly. Forecasts are difficult. Data, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly valuable, at least in industrial automation. The digital transformation and data exchange standards such as OPC-UA are ensuring this.
Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are important building blocks of Industry 4.0, and data is the glue that holds them together. CPS only become a ‘smart factory’ when they are networked. To achieve this, they must be able to obtain all the necessary raw data or information themselves. This works through standardisation. OPC Unified Architecture is one such standard that enables secure, reliable exchange - between sensors, embedded devices, PLCs, PCs, mainframes and even the cloud. The exchanged data is not only transported but is also machine-readable thanks to a semantic description.
‘Global language of production’
The German Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association VDMA sees OPC UA as the ‘common language for all machines’, a ‘global language of production’. The standard ensures interoperability, regardless of manufacturer, operating system or programming language. Communication via the Internet no longer utilises Microsoft's DCOM technology (like its predecessor OPC). Its developers have redesigned OPC UA and based it on a service-oriented architecture (SOA). The specifications for this were developed in collaboration between users, manufacturers and various consortia. OPC UA is now an IEC standard that is being further developed in a coordinated manner by the OPC Foundation.
The advantages can already be illustrated using sensor data. Sensors that have to provide important monitoring data in critical systems have often used proprietary data exchange protocols until now. Integration into existing systems was often time-consuming, especially if buffering or analysing the data was also required. An OPC UA-capable sensor, on the other hand, can be integrated without any effort. Systems for plant control, trend monitoring or reporting, which also ‘speak’ OPC UA, can access the sensor data directly. The integrated safety is an additional argument that is particularly useful in industries such as chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
In the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, modular plant construction enables a short time to market. MTP-capable components and data communication via OPC-UA simplify the integration and automation of modules from different manufacturers.Structured sensor and machine data up to the cloud
M2M (machine-to-machine) communication also works with OPC UA. For example, 300 small water technology systems could be networked with autonomous embedded controllers. The result is decentralised intelligence in which, for example, a pump transmits information to its neighbour or queries statuses. The user, Zweckverband Wasser und Abwasser Vogtland, estimates the savings achieved by the OPC UA client/server solution instead of a proprietary solution at more than 90 per cent per device.
There are numerous other applications, such as accessing data from a plant's OPC UA server from mobile devices, for example in the context of maintenance. OPC UA also simplifies smart metering, in which consumption information is exchanged between the customer and the supplier. The first electrolyser and fuel cell manufacturers are also using OPC UA. The open, Ethernet-based standard for machine communication has already become established among numerous process engineering companies that equip the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. The next step here is MTP (Module Type Package), another standard that functionally describes process modules. It makes an additional contribution to shortening time-to-market and makes modular systems more flexible.
Outlook: MTP and Manufacturing-X
The latest development that will benefit data exchange in Industry 4.0 is Manufacturing-X. With the Manufacturing-X forum, the VDMA replaced its Industry 4.0 forum, which has been in existence for ten years, on 1 April 2024. The aim is to create a data ecosystem in which data can be exchanged confidentially between companies. At the same time, it should offer companies digital sovereignty. This promises even better utilisation of IoT, AI and machine learning, new digital business models and greater competitiveness.
