To date, the networking of plant components has failed due to the manufacturer-specific software and the great effort required for reprogramming. Fortiss, in collaboration with the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) and industry partners, has now unveiled a new assembly cell that operates using a manufacturer and platform independent protocol.
The demonstrator can easily be reprogrammed thanks to the communication protocol OPC UA.
fortiss
The use of automated systems is particularly challenging for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) because these systems are designed for structured, non-varying work flows and are economically viable only when producing high-volume batches. In addition, the companies require skilled personnel to be able to program the plant component. With the help of around 20 industry and VDMA partners, fortiss has developed a demonstrator which showcases the possibilities of machine-to-machine communication through the use of Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture (OPC UA).
With an OPC UA demonstrator in the form of an industrial assembly cell, the project partners were able to utilise components and systems from various manufacturers to automatically produce custom-designed toy spinning tops called "fidget spinners". "The manufacturing cell is made up of six stations with grippers, axes and a rotary indexing table that take care of the pending process steps and forward their information to the cell control system," says Kirill Dorofeev, research assistant in the Industry 4.0 field of competence at fortiss, in explaining the capabilities of the prototype. The system is controlled by a "skill-based description" of all of the plant components. If the control system "knows" what the components are capable of and how to trigger these capabilities, the command for the new work step is omitted when a new order is placed, thereby eliminating time-consuming reprogramming.
Real-time interaction observation
The manufacturing process can be monitored live, allowing the observer to see how the demonstrator components communicate and interact with each other. Observers are able to monitor the production status information in real-time via a digital instrument panel. At the end, the robot at the final station hands over the finished toy to the customer who placed the order. "OPC UA means that companies are no longer reliant on proprietary software," explains Dorofeev. Plant operators can redesign and adapt their production systems regardless of their respective manufacturers. Thanks to simple OPC UA configuration, the production system can be set up and connected in a modular fashion. A retrofit no longer requires reprogramming, and the machines can even be operated by untrained personnel.