Automation Portals
- Automatic Identification
- Design & Simulation
- Digital Factory
- Electrical & Control Panels
- Embedded Automation
- Factory Automation
- Fieldbus Networks
- Flow, Level & Process Inst.
- Fluid Power, Valves & Pumps
- HMI & Operator Interfaces
- Industrial Communications
- Industrial Computers
- Industrial I/O
- Machine Control
- Machine Safety
- Manufacturing Intelligence
- Motion Control
- OPC
- Plant Management & Maint.
- PLCopen
- Process Control
- Process Safety
- Programmable Controllers
- Robots & Robot Controllers
- SCADA & RTU
- Security
- Sensors
- Systems Integration
- Test, Measurement & LIMS
- Vision
- Wireless Connectivity
- Network Portals
- EtherCAT
- EtherNet/IP
- PROFINET
- Industry Portals
- Building Automation
- Chemical
- Food & Beverage
- Machine Tools, CNC & DNC
- Material Handling
- Oil & Gas
- Packaging
- Pharmaceutical
- Power & Energy
- Transportation (Microsite)
- Water & Wastewater
- Event Portals
- Hannover Messe
- ISA Automation Week
OPC Portal
OPC Products, News, Articles, Events & Resources
Welcome to the Automation.com portal for OPC with valuable OPC and OPC UA information for controls and automation engineers to apply in creating systems with open connectivity from plant floor to front office, for increased productivity and efficiency. OPC and OPC UA provide engineers with a flexible and efficient way to implement systems without writing custom code. OPC interface products are built once and reused many times, therefore the products undergo continuous quality control and improvement.
Subscribe to our e-Newsletter or get the latest information on OPC sent to your desktop as soon as they are published on this page.
Articles
 |
How open standards can increase OEM product sales
- 11/14/11 Automation World, November 2011 By Jack McIntyre, Open Automation Software Increasing data visibility by using OPC Systems.NET from Open Automation Software to visualize real-time data directly from the source using popular Visual Studio-capable graphics packages. |
|
Has Open Architecture Delivered?
- 10/28/11 Automation.com, October 2011 By Bill Lydon Since the 1980s, the automation industry has been adopting standards for networked industrial communications, software, and applications. Have users gained all the benefits originally envisioned? |
|
OPC UA: Entering the Practical Phase
- 10/21/11 Automation World, October 2011 By Kai Binder OPC UA has yet to invade users’ experience and products still are a scarce commodity. But that situation is about to change. |
White Papers
|
Effective OPC Security for Control Systems
- 09/26/11 September 2011 By Eric Byres and Darek Kominek By While the consequences of cyber attacks and malware are no longer in doubt, the question remains, "Exactly how can an engineer reliably secure his or her control system?" This white paper outlines a simple and cost effective answer – a security solution based on OPC technology that can be deployed in almost any industrial facility today. |
|
Redundancy for OPC
- 06/23/11 Automation.com, June 2011 By Robert McIlvride and Andew Thomas, Cogent Real-Time Systems What does redundancy look like in an OPC-based system? A typical scenario would have two OPC servers connected either to a single device or PLC, or possibly duplicate devices or PLCs. Those two OPC servers would then connect to some kind of OPC redundancy management software. |
|
Effective OPC Security for Control Systems
- 04/19/11 By Eric Byres, Byres Security, and Darek Kominek, MatrikonOPC White Paper explains the security advantages of limiting network interfaces and protocols, and recommends using OPC as a communications standard because of its ease of use and its widespread deployment. Registration required to view paper. |
Application Stories
|
Michelin Tire Automates Production Facilities to Achieve Real Time Views
- 01/06/12 Michelin Tire in Sandy Springs, SC, manufactures rubber compounds. It uses an automated system from OPC Systems.NET for HMI, trending, data logging, and alarm logging. |
|
Natural Gas Production: Enabling In-the-Field Meter Data
- 12/29/11 Automation World, December 2011 Dart Oil and Gas needed to make production data from its methane wells available to engineers in the field. Using OPC, they switched from a centralized system to a modern HIM/SCADA system that allowed Web-enable smartphone access. |
|
Flowmeters Phone Home
- 09/24/11 Control, September 2011 By Dennis Brown, Dart Oil and Gas Thanks to the web environment created by Open Automation Software products data can be pulled by a smart phone such as the iPhone, manipulated, and then pushed from the iPhone though the OPC Server to the test meters in the field. |
Resources & Literature
|
OPC Foundation Announces OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF) For OPC Classic
- 10/25/10 This API will enable users of OPC Classic to leverage the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology, facilitating the transfer of data securely through firewalls. |
|
ISA publishes Online ISA Directory of Automation
- 04/11/10 This valuable resource—the top purchasing guide in the automation field—is available to ISA’s members from a link on the ISA homepage. |
|
Automation, Systems, and Instrumentation Dictionary
No technical library is complete without this comprehensive dictionary covering the entire vocabulary of automation, systems, and instrumentation. This authoritative fourth edition contains the latest trends in industrial instrumentation and automation. References relevant to ISA and IEC standards are included throughout, along with illustrations to enhance the definitions of more difficult terminology. With CDROM. |
Training News
|
OPC Basic Training Webcasts
Software Toolbox offers three free one-hour recorded webcasts: Part 1: OPC Basics - learn what OPC is, the kinds of problems it can solve, and how it works at the "user" level. Part 2: OPC Data Access Applications - HMI/SCADA, Excel, Web, and More - take what you learn in Part 1 and apply it to the most common uses of OPC. Part 3: Developing custom business and manufacturing applications using OPC and Visual Studio.NET. |
Training & Seminars
Cartoons
May 03, 2011
Featured Products
Product Announcements
 |
_thumb.jpg)
|
Control See enhances U.C.ME-OPC Alarm software
- 11/28/11
Version 2012 now has an integrated built-in alarm expression builder and calculator. |
|
_thumb.jpg)
|
Software Toolbox Enhances TOP Server Software
- 10/24/11
TOP Server 5.7 delivers new drivers, enhancements to the main server and more than 19 drivers and plug-ins. |
|
_thumb(1).jpg){kind=small}
|
Kepware Technologies updates KEPServerEX Version 5.7
- 10/19/11
Enhancements in KEPServerEX version 5.7 includes Lufkin Modbus Serial, Bristol BSAP IP, Alstom Redundant Ethernet and Weatherford 8500 Serial drivers for the oil & gas and water & wastewater industries. |
Company & Organization News
|
How China is Stealing Our Secrets
- 01/22/12 PD&D, January 2012 By Michael P. Collins U.S. Intelligence agencies say that both Russia and China steal technology information over the internet as a matter of national policy. It is hard to say if China is still the red menace from the cold war, or if they have morphed into a new form of winner-take-all amoral version of capitalism. |
|
B&R opens offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin
- 01/15/12 The Milwaukee office is headed by Joel Warren. Rick Forsgren will manage the Eagan, Minnesota office. |
|
Software Toolbox TOP Server 5.7 Achieves OPC Certification
- 12/19/11 TOP Server Version 5.7 passed the OPC Server Certification tests administered by the OPC Foundation’s Independent Certification Test Lab. |
Project News
|
Softing supplies OPC Technology to monitor Wind Farms
- 08/17/11 Softing is providing OPC components to ifm electronic to support a Condition Monitoring System for wind turbines. |
|
MatrikonOPC to supply OPC servers to CNL
- 12/16/10 CNL Software will use the OPC Servers in its IPSecurityCenter – a software-based integration and management platform. |
|
MatrikonOPC to supply OPC software to Indusoft
- 11/16/10 MatrikonOPC will supply its full range of OPC Servers for the InduSoft Web Studio (IWS) v7.0 platform. |
Event News
|
Industrial Supply 2012 Showcases U.S. Industrial Subcontractors
- 12/06/11 Leaders in the subcontracting business will be presenting their latest product developments in industrial materials to a vast audience attending HANNOVER MESSE. |
|
HANNOVER MESSE 2012 focuses on sustainability
- 11/21/11 By adopting "greentelligence" as its keynote theme, HANNOVER MESSE 2012 has put the spotlight squarely on green technologies as a central growth driver for industry. |
|
China is Partner Country of HANNOVER MESSE 2012
- 06/28/11 The People's Republic of China will be honored as the official Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE 2012 (the Hannover Fair) in Hannover, Germany. |
Events
Contribute to the Automation Portals
Send your articles, white papers, application stories, resources, training and events for publication consideration to content@automation.com.