Seamless Connectivity for Rapid Industrial Automation
Published on : Thursday 04-08-2022
Seamless Connectivity to empower enterprises for rapid Industrial Automation, says Jasbir Singh.
Easy and seamless connectivity of industrial automation equipment through a secure network of major protocols is critical for improving operational efficiency. The regular increase in system complexity, rising cost and bandwidth required for retrieving industrial stored data, without some proper interpretation has initiated a business need for a single, secure tool by which enterprises can promptly connect all their assets used in their production lines.
Seamless automation is a system that provides end-to-end seamless project automation solutions. These solutions lower the repetitive work carried by field operators/employees and it in turn increases the productivity of the complete value chain. Automated workflows are the steering factors guided within business processes. Companies need to ensure that businesses that work within a new environment, as fully digitalised systems, are unavoidable to become a reality. Users need seamless connectivity from the product/item to the cloud, across the whole envelope of the business line and it should be independent of the technology limitation. It might not be possible to digitally connect the entire requirement of a machine builder seamlessly, but at least to begin with it should connect together electrically, mechanically, digitally and bus integration, which can process and connect by feedback loop operationally.
Companies want to ensure their product shall work seamlessly together within their systems. It is the need of the hour for its product to work seamlessly with all the major networks available in the world and also it can integrate with various new machine architectures. All the automation products/components/hardware manufactured by the companies shall seamlessly connect to various major networks having the possibility of non-constrained data flow without any limitation. For users it is the requirement of reduction in complexity while implementation to the multiple architecture and large applications. All automation companies need to incorporate regular up-to-date hardware/software electronics and made available to the market that have already incorporated multiprotocol functionality and improved performance within the framework. Cross-instrument data flow and seamless integration for processing are essential to reduce the manual steps for achieving high productivity.
Role of multiprotocol enabled products
The Multiprotocol drive/instruments should have an FPGA (Free Programmable Gate Array) feature for fast connectivity and to reduce processing time for all the real time-critical processes. The performance gains of the available new drives will improve. No company can afford to keep unlimited inventory which affects the price for storage at the same cost, and extend advantage to the customers. Machine builders can hold drives and instruments in stock irrespective of the communication network protocol. It can configure the drive and instrument connected to the available network whenever needed. This provides the advantage of keeping a few spares against multiple installations and its maintenance.
The digital environments and interconnected operational shop floor network tools are enabling the factories to become increasingly connected, remotely controlled, and highly energy-efficient. Workflow automation and electronic data communication are important in good manufacturing within regulated environments to ensure complete data integrity and improved functionality. The system should offer a potential solution for error free operation and reduce data redundancy. This also reduces the large storage need of unproductive data.
Easy connectivity tool for rapid development
Industrial solution providers need to develop a single point-of-access solution, which can be implemented easily and fast to empower industrial enterprises as they would like to improve operational processes, improved efficiencies, better KPI outcome and large RoI on improvement. The improvements in shop floor automation need a tool/driver for easy connectivity through major network protocols having advanced security features. Developers need to focus on a new device connectivity tool/driver for use as the most open, interoperable software driver which can connect to the different instruments/devices through multiple protocols once loaded on the available new electronic products/system. These drivers/tools shall increase connectivity applications that can seamlessly integrate with all assets required in machine automation. The easy integration through these software tools must enable enterprises to reduce time and effort spent on application software implementation for the projects in the manufacturing industry.
Presented here are two examples from solution providers.
A. Seamless software tools developed by Festo
Seamless connectivity should not only be limited to hardware. Selecting and integrating products should also be a seamless journey for users. Festo has developed a new simple sizing tool allowing engineers to input a few parameters for their application, either connected to a linear actuator, or the motor standalone in a rotary application. The user then immediately receives the most optimum solution and offers immediate motor curves, motion curves; immediate transfer to its online basket and even with full commissioning files, pre-calculated for download. Seamless connectivity does not just apply to Servo Drives from Festo. The remote IO system from Festo allows users to use exactly the same decentralised digital and analogue blocks, IO link masters and valve terminals, irrespective of the industrial network selected.
B. Seamless software tool OPC UA over TSN/OPC UA FA by OPC Foundation
OPC UA over TSN is another standardised, deterministic industrial Ethernet, interoperable across the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The Ethernet standard on which most of the communication solution is presently working is further extended to include Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). The TSN addition on OPC guarantees deterministic transmission in extensive convergent networks that bridge between IT and OT systems. As understood by protocol it is fast, centralised, and intelligent and distributed, drive solutions that can be adapted to the application more easily by the OPC UA over TSN compared to any other solutions available in the market. The result expected is to boost productivity and product quality in operation. OPC UA over TSN enabled products offer significantly higher bandwidths with its enhanced physical layer capability. It ensures a seamless link from the field level devices to the cloud computation helps in predictive maintenance and condition monitoring to boost system availability and prevent untimely failures. The communication standard OPC UA over TSN allows components from different suppliers to be combined promptly. Replacing multiple protocols OPC UA over TSN communication protocol makes machine development easier and agile.
OPC Field Level Communications (FLC) connects down to the field and extends the existing OPC UA framework to meet all the requirements of industrial automation and to develop one extended solution for industrial interoperability in factory automation and process automation.
OPC UA (IEC62541) technology
OPC UA is claimed to be much more than a protocol – it’s a framework given to define and exchange standardised data with included (built in by design) end-to-end security over multiple protocols.
OPC UA FA (Factory Automation) includes:
i. The definition is a base model with standardised system behaviours and functionalities that are common to all controllers (e.g., DCS, PLC and Motion Control) and all field devices, such as servo drives, distributed I/Os and process instruments.
ii. The harmonisation and standardisation of application profiles such as IO, motion control, functional safety, system redundancy
iii. The standardisation of OPC UA information models for field-level devices in online and offline scenarios, e.g., device description, diagnostics, etc.
iv. The integration of OPC UA companion models
v. Support of Ethernet TSN for deterministic communication and IT/OT convergence
vi. Definition of facets, profiles and conformance units that can be tested to guarantee interoperability across vendors, and
vii. Definition of certification procedures.
Challenges for futuristic machines
Challenges are still there to connect the drives, sensors, control components, actuators in discrete assembly line operations and continuous process line for digital connectivity required to exchange data that can seamlessly integrate with all assets for process applications.
To combat the cyber risk of IP theft, system down, and secure operation for the plant safety, among other threats these drivers are required to be upgraded on a regular basis as the cybersecurity risks continue to become more sophisticated in the recent past.
Jasbir Singh is an Automation Expert having long experience in Factory Automation, Line Automation, Implementation Strategist, Business Coach, Regular writer on automation, Artificial Intelligence, Robots/Cobots, Digital Technology, Network Communication, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Wireless Communication, Block Chain and use of advance digital technologies. He has established a long association with Business Houses/large production houses to improve factory automation in their production lines as well as productivity improvement in factories in India and overseas; and in advising and designing the units to transform into digital platforms by use of Artificial Intelligence. Email: [email protected]
