Two collaborations are highlighted this month, the Industrie 4.0 Asset Administration Shell Working Group and the VDW
Industrie 4.0 Asset Administration Shell (I4AAS) Working Group
After public announcement at Hannover Messe 2018, the I4AAS Working Group started work on July 19th and has since held several web conferences with 35 attendees from 25 companies. Under the moderation of the OPC Foundation, the concept of the I4AAS, until now technology-independent, will be transferred into OPC UA. The concept of the I4AAS is a result of the input from three organizations:
- Plattform Industrie 4.0 Working Group 1 “Norms, Standards and Reference Architecture”
- ZVEI Mirror Group “SG Standards and Models”
- ZVEI Sub Working Group “Administration Shell in Detail”
To ensure the interoperability of the I4AAS with OPC UA Companion Specifications (developed with the VDMA), the VDMA is being included, along with the ZVEI, as a member of the joint working group. Ultimately, the OPC Foundation aspires to define the I4AAS as a bona fide “OPC UA Companion Specification – I4AAS”.
Gunther Koschnik, Managing Director ZVEI, Automation Division says: “Industrie 4.0 is in the implementation phase. The implementation of the I4AAS in OPC UA brings the Industrie 4.0 vision, the interoperable communication of components and products (assets), a significant step forward.”
Gunthar Koschnik, ZVEI and Stefan Hoppe, OPC Foundation
VDW Shows First Results with Machines from Heller and Georgfischer
Germany’s foremost Machine Tool Builders Association, the VDW, adopted the OPC UA standard as its interoperability foundation. Upon this toolset the VDW will build its long term Industrie 4.0 strategy.
Representing over 120 mid-size machine builder enterprises, the VDW is collaborating with the OPC Foundation and leading vendors including VDW members:
- Chiron
- DMG Mori
- Emag, Grob
- Heller
- Liebherr Verzahntechnik
- United Grinding
- Trumpf
Controller suppliers including Beckhoff, Bosch Rexroth, Fanuc, Heidenhain and Siemens are also collaborating in the first ever common pursuit of establishing an open, consistent, OPC UA based method for multi-vendor and multi-generation machines to share context rich data between each other and with broader enterprise and cloud based IT infrastructures.
First results shown at the upcoming AMB trade-show Sept 18-22
International Exhibition for Metal Working
VDW Booth in Hall 10 – B01
https://www.messe-stuttgart.de/amb/en/
See two early prototypes consisting of a Heller machine equipped with a Siemens controller and a Georgfischer machine with a Beckhoff controller inside. Both machines show early results of the VDW connector based on OPC UA technology.