A warm welcome to you all,
I hope you enjoyed your summer vacation and had the opportunity to escape from work for a short while. So with renewed strength and refreshed spirit we can look forward to a productive, educational, and healthy autumn. Learn about the OPC Foundation’s activities in this issue of OPC Connect.
More than 320 experts from over 60 OPC Foundation member companies have been contributing to the OPC UA FX (Field eXchange) specifications which extend the OPC UA framework down to the field-level. The first public specification for Controller-to-Controller is expected by end of 2021 with a demo being shown at SPS in November.
A complete virtual workshop dedicated to Ethernet-APL is scheduled for October 5 and 6. You can expect 8 hours of information-packed sessions, a multi-vendor demonstration, and real use-cases. Register today.
The general range of supported functionality along with the different types of OPC products that are being certified in our Testlab have grown in scope and this increase in scope looks like it will continue. By scope we mean not only the support for multiple interface/transports, but also extensions to the base OPC UA specification, inclusion of companion specification information models, and even the use of OPC UA by other groups.
At the end of Q1 2021, Advantech launched a next generation OPC UA I/O sensing module with Modbus protocol. ADAM-6300 is an IT/OT convergence series that integrates information technology (IT) systems with operational technology (OT) —representing a leap forward in smart IoT technology for factories and utilities. Moreover, via OPC UA and built-in security IC, data is highly secured throughout OT and IT levels.
Greiner Packaging realizes the benefits of connected manufacturing by implementing PTC’s IoT solution ThingWorx Kepware Server. In cooperation with Greiner Packaging, Kepware has developed a communication standard for injection molding machines that is now also available as a EUROMAP 63 driver for other users. The EUROMAP 63 driver thus brings the machines into the OPC UA architecture and into the Industry 4.0 environment.
Sima WT chose OPC UA as the preferred protocol to achieve IT and OT interconnection in the easiest way possible. Thanks to the integrated OPC UA server in the NX and NJ series Omron Machine Controller, the bridge between IT and OT was enabled just in a few settings without purchasing additional hardware modules or licenses.
RAMPF Production Systems relies extensively on hardware and software from Beckhoff in its high-performance dispensing applications. A new operator interface built on TwinCAT HMI provides them with a universal platform. The open communication via OPC UA ensures that not just Beckhoff controllers but third-party systems can be used with it as well.
While OPC UA continues to be adopted in larger and larger numbers each year across industries, it’s also true that there is still a large installed base of OPC Classic and other data sources that remain to be migrated to OPC UA. The upcoming Cogent DataHub Version 10 takes OPC UA flexibility to the next level with support for OPC UA HDA and A&C profiles.
In the past few years, OPC UA has been growing as a major trend around the globe and becoming one of the primary solutions for industrial systems and companies. Last year, together with adapting to our new reality and transferring our workshops and events to the online format, Prosys started working on their first self-paced Introduction to OPC UA Online Course.