OPC UA Standard Instead of Proprietary Interfaces

The OPC UA standard (IEC 62541) defined by the OPC Foundation is implemented by SIEB & MEYER as follows: basic data types, system of units and transfer protocol, access to data (DA), historical data (HA) as well as alarms and messages (AC).

The idea behind OPC UA is to represent each device in an own data model. This model is self-describing and can be published via an OPC UA server. SIEB & MEYER implemented it as follows: Each CNC control provides its own data model. The model can be enhanced with data provided by additional machine sensors. Besides the solution described above, SIEB & MEYER also offers a server-oriented interface solution which can be connected to various CNC controls to display their data.

Several standard tools for handling the data provided by an OPC UA server are available on the market. The tools can be connected directly to the OPC UA servers of our CNC controls. Knowledge of the OPC UA standard is sufficient to enable data communication with the CNCs. Thanks to the OPC UA standard libraries available in different programming languages (e.g. C#, Python, Node.js) it is easy to realize automation processes. A specific know-how of proprietary interfaces is not necessary anymore and thus, the user can fully focus on the data and its processing.

The customer can integrate his own machines in standardized infrastructures and at the same time differentiate himself from the competitors, e.g. with features such as a continuous state analysis by means of vibration and temperature data. Additionally, freely used data endpoints allow for integrating customer- and production-specific data such as order or batch numbers etc. Furthermore, it is possible to load necessary process parameters into the CNC, e.g. part programs and tool parameters. Thus, an automated data supply can be achieved assuring high process reliability at the same time.