Page 2 - Industrial Technology March 2020 issue

Seamless connectivity from

the workpiece to the cloud

Warren Harvard, Product Manager at Festo, looks at

how improving connectivity supports machine builders.

he 4th Industrial Revolution is redefining Design and commissioning becomes easier and faster
manufacturing business models, supplier / allowing machine builders and end users to
customer relationships, value chains and concentrate more effectively on their tasks.
even the classic automation control
Tpyramid. One area that is developing Automation architecture
rapidly and offering users improved automation The automation control hierarchy typically used in
efficiency, is connectivity – networking and machines and production systems is based on the
communication within a system. classic automation pyramid (shown opposite) whereby
individual products and automation components are
Networking with Industry 4.0 assigned to individual levels (actuator, field and
The Industry 4.0 roadmap defines standards to make it control).
far easier to connect networked, flexible production,
creating modular structures and hierarchies by utilising On every level, the machine builder must consider the
intelligent products with embedded smart functions. As multiple interfaces. For example, the design of the
a result, the classic machine architecture with its mechanical system for the automation of motion must
central control system is increasingly moving towards match the configuration of the servo drive system. This
more versatile, distributed automation subsystems. in turn needs to be integrated optimally into the control
These are decentralised and closely communicating environment. Software tools for design, configuration
with each other. This approach brings greater flexibility and commissioning play a key role here.
in production processes enabling more variation in
machine architecture concepts, ideal to meet the No single communication standard can be applied Servo drives with controller CMMT-AS and
increased requirements of global production. across all levels. In most cases stand-alone solutions
motor EMMT-AS integrated directly in
handle subtasks, but these do not always allow a
Ethernet-based control solutions (see side
The increasingly networked components require a high seamless approach. This causes many challenges for
bar)
level of compatibility and integration across all system integrators: for example, where linear mechanical
participants. Unobstructed data exchange facilitates systems and servo drive technology need to be
smoother processes, but it depends on all components combined quickly and easily from different thousands of manufacturers for mechanical axis and
being aligned to the application, whilst at the same time manufacturers. control systems, all with their own interfaces, hardware
perfectly matching one another. Effective networking solutions, programming languages, software systems
and communications between components and the At the same time, it creates opportunities to increase and communication protocols. This means that
production systems ultimately depends on their efficiency and offers huge potential for improving the machine builders spend a lot of time researching,
connectivity. machine development process. combining and integrating them into their machines. A
typical question is “how can I easily combine a
Connectivity explained Meeting machine builders’ needs mechanical axis, a servo motor and a servo drive so
Essentially, connectivity is the ability to connect and link An almost overwhelming number of products, that they perfectly complement each other without over
up individual participants i.e. eliminating the interfaces components and solutions are available from specifying or spending?”
between devices. Connectivity describes the ability of
the component or a subsystem to be integrated within
The advantages of seamless connectivity
peer, or higher-level architecture structures, as well as
their optimal coordination within the system. Simply
Seamless connectivity makes engineering processes faster and simpler, creating reliability from the outset
translated to industrial applications, this means
and reducing the time and effort required. Automation concepts become more flexible and more efficient.
individual components work together better.
1. Seamlessly coordinated mechanical and electrical connectivity permits flexible adaptation to the
For seamless connectivity, the mechanical, electrical
application and provides an ideal platform for more modular, standardised approaches.
and the intelligent interfaces all need to be considered,
across all components. Connectivity in automation 2. Intelligent connectivity enables flexible and modular control concepts e.g. the direct connection of a
technology must be carefully considered from the servo drive to a variety of different manufacturers’ controllers.
workpiece to the cloud.
3. A uniform software platform guarantees seamless and reliable data transfer throughout the entire
The objective of seamless connectivity is to make the development and production process, from conceptualisation to design, and from programming to
interfaces as simple and easy to handle as possible, so commissioning.
that using the devices is more reliable and faster.