Welcome to 2022. With larger and larger amounts of manufacturing data being used at enterprise IT levels, the challenge of easily accessing, collecting, and processing that data is growing. To tackle this challenge, the power of information models has become clear and will be a focus for PI over the coming year.
The goal of extended work occurring on information models is to provide machine-interpretable semantic descriptions for all data provided by products using PI technologies. A white paper is planned to elaborate on the approach using so-called facets.
Sustainability is a topic many companies are engaging with in a major way right now. One key pillar being considered is the efficient use of equipment and resources. Tracking technology for the localization of production parts, tools and mobile machines can greatly contribute to their being used more efficiently.
Despite being unable to meet in person at this year's SPS fair, I am proud to share some exciting news here. Highlights include Module Type Package (MTP) being added to the PI technology portfolio, and the PROFINET Community Stack. There's also news about Security, TSN, and the Standard Robot Interface. Thanks for reading.
Module Type Package (MTP) reduces the time and effort required for the planning, configuration and commissioning of a factory. The modularization of a production plant makes it possible to use standardized plant parts. MTP was created by NAMUR and ZVEI. In PI, both organizations have found a solid partner for the further development, quality assurance and international distribution of MTP.
Signing of the GSD file is an important part of implementing Security Class 1. With a signed GSD, it can be ensured that the GSD has not been changed, either unintentionally or intentionally. For PROFINET users, this is crucial support for the secure operation of their plant.
Intralogistics is becoming dominated by automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). omlox enables vendor-independent location tracking of all moving objects. VDA 5050 standardizes the interface between AGVs/AMRs and fleet management software. Together, omlox and VDA 5050 ensure interoperability between AGVs/AMRs and fleet controllers.
The core of PROFINET communication is being provided in a joint C-language library in a community project as a common protocol stack. The objective is to simplify the integration of TSN functions as well as existing and future PROFINET functions, accelerating implementation of the technology and reducing the expenditure of individual manufacturers.
