OPC UA

The OPC UA is an interoperability standard for secure and reliable data traffic in industrial automation and other industries. The standard is cross-platform and enables the seamless flow of information between devices and software from different providers. The OPC Foundation is responsible for the development and maintenance of this standard.

The specifications of the OPC standard have been worked out by manufacturers, end users and software developers. They define the interface between clients and servers and between servers, including access to real-time data, monitoring of alarms and events, access to historical data and other applications.

The standard, first published in 1996, served to condense PLC-specific protocols (such as Modbus, Profibus) into a standardized interface that allows HMI/SCADA systems to network with a "middle-man" who translates generic PLC read/write requests into device-specific applications and vice versa. As a result, a whole range of products emerged, allowing end users to implement systems with best-of-breed products that interact seamlessly via OPC.

Initially, the OPC standard was geared towards the Windows operating system. This is why the acronym OPC was first known as OLE (Object Linking and Embedding). These specifications, now known as the OPC Classic, have been adopted in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, building automation, oil and gas, renewable energy and utilities.

The introduction of service-oriented architectures in manufacturing systems resulted in new challenges in terms of security and data structuring. The OPC Foundation developed the OPC UA specifications to address these needs while providing a feature-rich, open-technology, future-proof, scalable and extensible architecture.

The networking of systems and production machines with each other and with higher-level IT systems is a prerequisite for the implementation of digitized production control and corporate management. The Weihenstephan Standards (WS) simplify this networking through manufacturer-independent specifications for the uniform communication interface based on the client-server model. The Weihenstephan Standards information model is used to describe an instance of a machine profile within a WS domain. A total of over 150 different machine profiles are currently defined in all WS domains. In order to reduce the resulting complexity, the Companion Specification (CS) describes a generic meta model for all WS machine profiles. The meta model is based on the CS OPC UA for Machinery and PackML.

Bluhm Systems also uses OPC UA-capable pressure dispensing systems. Label printers and print-and-apply systems print and apply the labels to the corresponding object surfaces. Since they have to adapt to all production processes and environments, they are offered as a flexible modular system.

Bluhmware is an automation software with which complex labeling processes can be controlled transparently and easily. All important data and the hardware of the marking solutions are organized with "Cockpit". This includes graphic production statistics, batch changes, user administration that clarifies responsibilities, overviews for maintenance and service, including care instructions and inventory management for consumables. Self-created print layouts and layouts are available at any time via the central database. Bluhmware can be called up from any location via smart devices and provides information, for example, about faults.