Cross-sector interfaces for machines and components in the form of the OPC UA standard “OPC UA for Machinery” are being developed on the basis of available sector-specific OPC UA standards for mechanical engineering as well as those under development. As part of this, it is important that the requirements of the manufacturing industry and indeed of the entire industrial value-creation net-work are taken into account and that players both within and outside mechanical engineering are involved.
The “Interoperable Interfaces for Intelligent Production“ project focuses on ensuring interoperability across the mechanical engineering sector, especially with a view to meeting the needs of the manufacturing industry. Extensive transfer activities are therefore planned to increase interoperability in production. In this way, the results of the project will provide a central building block for Industrie 4.0, both nationally and internationally.The Interoperable Interfaces for Intelligent Production project, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWI), aims to promote the development of cross-sector OPC UA standards and the publication thereof.
The “II4IP: OPC UA project by VDMA” has specific aims:
- Identifying key components or machines in order to achieve comprehensive interoperable communication in production
- Developing cross-sector standards for the entire mechanical engineering industry in the form of the OPC UA for Machinery
- Aligning the needs of Industrie 4.0 and the manufacturing industry
- Ensuring the consistency of sector-specific OPC UA Companion Specifications
- National and international transfer and cooperation
- Establishing the OPC UA interface standards among politics, the scientific community and the manufacturing industry
The development of a cross-sector interface standard “OPC UA for Machinery” comprises four fields of activity:
- Determining the requirements of different interest groups as well as cross-sector needs
- Analyzing available standards – OPC UA Companion Specifications and relevant standards – and identifying cross-sector characteristics
- Developing cross-sector interfaces in the form of the standard “OPC UA for Machinery” series
- Drawing up a concept for continuing the OPC UA Companion Specifications through versioning and revision guidelines
