In this first article, Joakim Wiberg, Head of Technology for the Anybus business unit at HMS, OPC UA’s main benefits, how companies are using OPC UA, and what this means for Anybus’ customers. In future articles, we will describe the benefits of OPC UA’s information model with practical examples, provide OPC UA use case examples, and explain how the OPC foundation plans on developing the technology.
OPC UA stands for Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture. It’s a platform-independent industrial communication protocol that ensures a seamless flow of information among devices from multiple vendors.
OPC UA is gaining popularity as it provides everything needed to transport and interpret data from devices or machines on the field level to higher-level systems, cloud-based solutions, or other factory systems. We’ll explain more about why that’s useful later.
OPC UA makes it easy for companies to access and interpret process data from the factory floor.
Accessing the process data is easier as OPA UA is a platform-independent standard, meaning companies no longer need to develop custom software for every third-party device or application.
Interpreting the process data is easier as OPC UA presents the data in the same standardized way, irrespective of the manufacturer, and because OPC UA’s information models provide contextualized information rather than just the raw data. OPC UA’s information models have the potential to be real-time savers as they organize the data in clear categories enabling companies to find helpful information quickly.
OPC UA information model examples:
Machine status information: This shows the current operating state of a machine, such as whether it is running, paused, or stopped, as well as information on any errors or alerts that may have been generated.
Production data: Information on the quantity and quality of products produced by a machine over a given period, as well as data on any raw materials or intermediate products used in the production process.
Environmental data: Information such as temperature, humidity, and air quality in a factory or other industrial setting.
Energy usage data: This shows data on the energy usage of machines and other equipment, including information on peak usage times and patterns.
Maintenance data: Information on a machine’s maintenance and repair history, as well as data on any scheduled or planned maintenance activities.
Companies use OPC UA to send process data from devices on the shop floor to dashboards or higher-level systems such as SCADA, MES, or ERP. As OPC UA is platform and manufacturer-independent, companies can use OPC UA to send the data to the different systems without needing to translate, map, or manipulate the data. This makes it a lot easier to bridge the gap between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), something called OT/IT convergence.
The dashboards or higher-level systems can be cloud-based, allowing companies to access and analyze the data remotely.
Figure 1. OPC UA enables companies to send process data from devices on the shop floor to dashboards or higher-level systems.
Once the data is in the dashboards or higher-level systems, companies analyze the process data and reap the benefits of IIoT, such as predictive maintenance or optimization of devices and machines. Companies analyze the data in two ways. They customize the dashboards or higher-level systems to display critical information enabling them to identify problems quickly. Or they use the data to conduct a more in-depth analysis.
The OPC Foundation’s Field Level Communications (FLC) initiative is also currently writing OPC UA Field eXchange (UAFX) specifications which will enable companies to control processes on the control and field levels. So, in the future, companies will be able to use OPC UA to access process data and OPC UA FX to control processes. We’ll explain more about OPC UA FX in a future article.
Currently, factories or plants are using OPC UA in different ways. Some factories use OPC UA on the control level, while others use OPC UA on dedicated gateways connected to the cloud.
For device and machine manufacturers, this means they should try and offer products that support OPC UA as more and more companies want OPC UA-compatible devices or machines on the shop floor. The demand for OPC UA UA-compatible devices or machines is likely to increase, so the sooner manufacturers offer compatible products, the better.
Joakim Wiberg, Head of Technology, Anybus. Joakim is also the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ODVA and a frequent lecturer on security and industrial communication.
Anybus have developed a ready-made communication interface that manufacturers can embed into their products to enable OPC UA connectivity.