IT meets Automation with OPC UA

By Bill Lydon, Editor
OPC Day Europe 2014 was host by FESTO in Esslingen, Germany on May 14-15. An educational session about the basics of OPC-UA technology preceded the event. Stefan Hoppe, OPC President Europe, opened the conference, welcoming 191 attendees from 15 different countries. Tom Burke, Worldwide President and Executive Director of the OPC Foundation, then introduced the conference theme - IT meets Automation. FESTO’s Helmut Deichert, Head of Product Management Business Unit Electrical Automation, welcomed attendees and described the company’s commitment to OPC UA. FESTO implements OPC UA in their products, including the CPX controllers.
Industry 4.0 Needs OPC UA
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlef Zuehlke, Director Innovative Factory Systems IFS German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, DFKI GmbH and Chairman Executive Board SmartFactoryKL e.V., described the new production paradigm based on standards. Prof. Zuehlke emphasized that Industry 4.0 needs OPC-UA. Zuehlke noted that the Internet of Things vision, which includes connecting people and services, leverages open communications and embedded-to-enterprise computing. Referring to the Gartner hype cycle model (http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp), he suggested that Industry 4.0 is close to the peak of inflated expectations as seen with many evolving technologies. Prof. Zuehlke went on to say that Industry 4.0 is evolving to satisfy real customer needs. He believes it is leading to expanded adoption of smart automation in the 2015 time frame.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlef Zuehlke, Director Innovative Factory Systems IFS German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, DFKI GmbH and Chairman Executive Board SmartFactoryKL e.V., described how the new production paradigm requires open standards like OPC UA.
Technological change is required for manufacturers to compete internationally and achieve shorter product life cycles and higher quality. This can be accomplished by creating smart flexible manufacturing using the latest information and communications technology. Prof. Zuehlke described a future with a highly distributed architecture. Smart machine modules and field devices will incorporate micro web servers and create cyber physical systems. He noted that standards are available to accomplish this vision, including electromechanical, Ethernet, wireless, OPC UA, EDDL, and Web Services. The new system vision encompasses the entire lifecycle, from initial product concept to end of useful life. Prof. Zuehlke summarized Industry 4.0 as a vision for the production of the future based on global standards.
OPC UA Update
Matthias Damm, OPC Technical Advisory Council Member, presented an update on the impressive OPC UA developments. He reviewed the major benefits of OPC UA. OPC UA provides a secure cross platform protocol and generic services for multivendor interoperability. OPC UA is an enabler for Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things. The next version of the OPC UA specification (1.3) is planned for later in 2014. It includes a number of new features Network Discovery and Application Authentication. One major strength of the standard is it provides a framework and transport for various industry groups to leverage OPC UA for a wide range of applications.
Damm then provided an overview of the industry cooperations with the OPC Foundation, as follows:
Analyzer Device Integration (ADI) - Information model for process analyzers driven by vendors implementing the model.
Field Device Integration (FDI) - FDI on final step to IEC Standard. FDI Server represents Device Types and Device Instances as OPC UA Information Model.
PLCopen OPC UA Function Blocks - IEC 61131-3 Software Model mapped to OPC UA Information Model. OPC UA Communication Function Blocks simplify connections with automation applications.
Auto ID (AIM) - Auto ID (RFID, etc.) is becoming an intregal part of production. The industry association AIM and OPC UA have initiated a Smart Devices Working Group to leverage information models.
ISA 95 OPC UA Object Model - OPC UA mapping ISA 95 Resources Models.
BACnet for Building Automation - There is a release candidate specification for OPC UA to BACnet objects, BACnet events to OPC UA alarms, BACnet logging to OPC UA HA, BACnet structure to OPC UA structures, BACnet units to OPC UA units.
MCS-DCS Interface Standardization(MDIS) - MDIS selected OPC UA as the Master Control System (MCS) and Distributed Control System (DCS) protocol standard to simplify implementation of data communication links for offshore oil and gas production. This provides secure and reliable data transfer. OPC UA is being used for communication between Subsea Production and DCS Systems.
ISA 95, OPC UA for AutoID (AIM) - Simplifying enterprise to control system integration. OPC UA for ISA 95 Common Object Model, Version 1.0, was released in October 2013.
MTConnect - In September of 2010, MTConnect Institute and OPC Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) resulting in a working group. OPC UA provides secure, reliable, high-speed communications of MTConnect models for interoperability between manufacturing equipment, devices, and software applications. A release candidate is available.
IT Meets Automation
Rüdiger Fritz, Product Owner of SAP Plant Connectivity, disucssed the value of OPC UA to provide seamless visablity in the manufacturing industry. Fritz discussed how OPC UA is reshaping the automation pyramid, eliminating software layers between controllers and SAP manufacturing execution solutions. Benefits include:
- No double maintenance of master data
- Reduction of set-up times
- Higher flexibility regarding lot-size and product variants
- Maintain all automation-relevant data within the ERP and SAP ME
Thoughts & Observations
It is impressive that a wide range of industry users, associations, and experts understand the barriers to creating new production models. They recognize the value of OPC UA as an integral part of this new vision.
Related Articles
- Manufacturing Internet of Things (MIoT)
- Simplifying Automation System Heirarchies
- OPC UA Redefines Automation Architectures

Check out our free e-newsletters
to read more great articles.
- Posted in:
- Article
- Related Portals:
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Software, Manufacturing Operations Management, OPC & OPC UA Interoperability
MORE ARTICLES
-
Inside the Advantages of Sensorless Closed Loop Control
By Mark Checkley, KEB Automation
While feedback devices may be the usual choice for control of motors, sensorless closed loop control can provide... -
Manufacturing Automation - Inside Universal Robots Efforts to Empower the Small/Medium Enterprise
By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com
Collaborative robots are re-defining the way manufacturers operate today. To help further that process is... -
Predicting the Future of Industrial Maintenance
By Gernut van Laak, Group Automation Solutions Leader, ABB Food and Beverage
The need for factory maintenance often goes unnoticed. This article... -
Integrators Talk about Collaborative Robots: A Roundtable Discussion
By Jeff Burnstein, A3
The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) reached out to several large automation integrators to get their input on the... -
Lean Manufacturing and the Global Digital Process Automation Market
By Thomas R. Cutler
Digital Visual Management on the manufacturing plant floor is secure by creating virtual meeting rooms for real-time, 24/7,...
RELATED
-
Carnegie Mellon research aims at identifying causes for defects in 3D Printing
New research published today in Science, led by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Argonne National Laboratory, has identified how and...
-
Maplesoft and Sigmetrix announce direct operations in China
The two Cybernet Group companies now have an office in Shanghai that is staffed by local experts to provide products and solutions to their...
-
Mobile Safety in Hazardous Areas
By Pepperl+Fuchs
Mobile devices can solve many challenges in hazardous industrial environments. But a device that lacks the proper protection... -
Phoenix Contact announces Benton Central Jr./Sr. High School as winner of Nanoline Contest
For designing and building an automated Paint Brush Cleaner, this is the second consecutive win and third overall for a Benton Central team
-
Valve Manufacturers Association of America (VMA) announces 2019 Annual Valve Industry Knowledge...
The 2nd Annual Valve Industry Knowledge Forum will be held April 9-11, 2019 at the Doubletree Hotel at Perimeter Park in Birmingham, AL.