Posted to News on 21st Apr 2017, 00:00
Preparing machines for connection to the IIoT
Eaton has published a whitepaper entitled: ‘Preparing machines and systems for connection to the Internet of Things (IoT).’ The paper describes the basic points of Industry 4.0 architecture, such as horizontal and vertical integration, cyber physical systems and smart devices in simple terms.
The benefits and challenges for machine builders and systems integrators are discussed, while practical recommendations are provided to materialise the advantages of the new digital age. For instance, how control systems could be realised in a modular and decentralised way, rather than the historical centralised control system approach. This enables function blocks to be re-used, which shortens engineering cycles.
The white paper also explains how components can be deployed as smart devices and enabled to autonomously control function blocks within a machine based on the environmental data available. By using protocols such as OPC-UA, machines can be easily equipped with new standardised communication features. As a result, machine builders will be able to make their systems IoT-ready, enabling end users to integrate them into their digital factories of the future.
