TÜV SÜD Certifies OPC UA Safety Test Tool
The OPC UA Safety Test Tool (UASCTT) has been officially certified by TÜV SÜD for its conformity in testing OPC UA Safety over Client/Server communication. This certification represents an important milestone in ensuring consistent, reliable, and interoperable safety communication across industrial automation systems. Developed under the leadership of IFAK in Magdeburg/ Germany, the UASCTT plays a central role in validating vendor implementations of OPC UA Safety. By confirming that devices meet the stringent requirements of functional safety, the tool supports manufacturers in delivering interoperable solutions aligned with the OPC UA Safety standard. OPC UA Safety – published as Part 10000-015 – is the result of joint development by the OPC Foundation and Profibus & Profinet International (PI) within the Safety Joint Working Group (JWG). The certification provides a recognized, high-quality test suite, further reinforcing the robustness of the “black channel” concept that enables safety communication independently of underlying transport layers. Looking ahead, the UASCTT will be expanded to support OPC UA PubSub and OPC UA FX (Field eXchange), both essential elements for future communication architectures within the OPC UA ecosystem.
SPS 2025: Technical Highlights on OPC UA FX
At SPS 2025 in Nuremberg, several demonstrations and sessions focused on the current implementation status of OPC UA FX (Field eXchange) and its applicability in multi-vendor industrial environments. The demonstrations and discussions highlighted active work on interoperability, performance characteristics, and engineering tooling as key factors for broader industrial adoption. 
The new “Enabling OPC UA FX” demonstrator showed OPC UA FX stacks running on multiple hardware architectures and operating systems connected to an OPC UA FX controller and an edge application for real-time data collection, monitoring and anomaly detection. The setup illustrated deployment readiness for field devices and allowed detailed discussions about the unique value propositions of OPC UA FX versus conventional fieldbuses. 
The very well attended OPC UA FX IN ACTION Learn@Lunch event on the second day of the show provided technical updates on the OPC UA FX specification set and its transition toward practical deployment. Key discussion points included modern service-based software architectures based on OPC UA FX, and the impact of cyber threats and the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) on OT security.
At the show, a joint demo by B&R, Moxa, and Schneider Electric showcased OPC UA FX C2C interoperability in a coordinated multi-axis cable robot scenario. The setup demonstrated cross-vendor synchronization, motion coordination, and real-time communication behavior using the OPC UA FX C2C communication model.
Call for Participation – OPC UA FX C2D Prototyping and Multi-Vendor Demo
The OPC Foundation (OPCF) invites all OPCF members to actively participate in the OPC UA FX C2D prototyping and support a multi-vendor demonstration that will showcase the interoperability and scalability of OPC UA FX extending to the Controller-to-Device (C2D) use case. The demo will feature a wide range of OPC UA FX device prototypes – including motion devices, remote I/Os, field instruments and gateways to fieldbuses – working seamlessly together with OPC UA FX controllers and OPC UA FX edge gateways.
This collaborative showcase will debut at the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg/Germany in November 2026, providing the community with a unique opportunity to highlight progress and strengthen engagement in shaping the future of industrial communication.
This initiative is designed to bring together the OPC UA FX ecosystem of vendors, developers, and technology providers to accelerate adoption and guarantee robust interoperability across platforms and performance levels. Furthermore, the demo prototypes support the validation of the OPC UA FX specification extensions for the use cases Controller-to-Device (C2D) and Device-to-Device (D2D), ensuring reliable cross-vendor implementations and a solid basis for market adoption.
Contact for interested OPCF members:
Peter Lutz, Director FLC, peter.lutz@opcfoundation.org