There are numerous efficiency and regulatory standards that design engineers must follow without asking any questions. Efficient and reliable systems are necessary for maximum productivity. In order to guarantee this, engineers must make sure all common motor/VFD specifications issues have been resolved.
Motion control applications utilize a plethora of servomotors and machine actuators. Proper selection and integration are necessary for top-level accuracy and profitability. There are some factors that must be considered during and after the design process to ensure that the system works at peak efficiency and accuracy. The type of load, duty cycle and mechanical transmission all effect the accuracy of the system.
Robots aren’t plug & play devices, especially not in an industrial setting. They require considerable prep-work, ranging from the initial design stage, to implementation, to regressive testing & troubleshooting. Things can get even more complicated when you are trying to achieve a great degree of automation through robots that work in conjunction, not just from the technical point of view, but from the financial side as well.
There is a common misconception among industrial circles regarding network security, that since their OT networks are isolated from the internet. They are never exposed to the same types of malware, which otherwise wreak havoc through IT systems. This may have been true decades ago, when plant floors were truly isolated in all aspects, but with increased digitization and onset of IoT technologies, companies can’t rely on “isolation” alone as a protection mechanism.
It can be stated without a doubt that economic efficiency serves as the prime motivator for adopting automation technologies. Directly, or indirectly, operational efficiency also leads to a reduction in waste products and allows companies to minimize their energy needs. The US Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly recognized these benefits and encouraged shift-over to automated electronic reporting and advanced monitoring technologies.
Motors form the backbone of almost all major industrial operations, irrespective of the industry chosen. Motor failure can lead to unscheduled downtime and increases in costs from replacement and/or maintenance.
Robotic material removal processes are capable of instilling considerable economical and operational benefits within plant floors. Compared to manual processes, robotic grinding is more robust, streamlined and manageable.
Maintenance of electrical motors and related equipment is one of the most mission-critical tasks for an industrial plant, and for good reason. Motors are the primary source of productivity and form the backbone of all operations within a plant, driving virtually every major equipment from pumps to conveyors. If an interruption arises then it can greatly affect the productivity and with that the economic efficiency of the plant.
The infamous Stuxnet worm made headlines in 2009 when it penetrated Iranian Nuclear Facilities, resulting in the destruction of their centrifuges. The debate regarding the origin of the worm spanned political boundaries, but nonetheless it uncovered the next generation of zero-day attacks that could disrupt industrial processes relying on inter-connected components.
The age of Industrial IoT is upon us and HMI/SCADA systems face new challenges pertaining to their integration with modern technological marvels such as Big Data, Cloud, IoT, predictive analytics and 4G/LTE, etc.
The HMI software market has been hit hard by the advent of IoT, shaping its very development and resultant features. For some, SCADA systems are bound to become obsolete as edge computing takes over, with the intelligence become distributed rather than recouping in a central location. These thoughts are backed by the rise in AI engines, cloud computing capabilities and digital twins, disrupting conventional industrial schemes.
First, one should know that there is a very clear (yet forgotten) difference between HMI and SCADA, with the former being a closer counterpart of an individual operator and latter acting as a central control for an entire plant. Even though SCADA provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring, control, automation and reporting, several vendors sell HMIs, historian software, reporting tools and alarm software along with higher-level applications, e.g. MESs, analytics, etc. This means there’s a redundancy in the market regarding the functions and features of SCADA systems.
With new technologies such as IoT coming into play, HMI/SCADA software is becoming more mission-critical. The room for errors is decreasing as even a minute mistake can have a big impact over the plant floor. IoT devices, as one may call them, give users access to lots of useful data along with a higher refresh rate. This seems beneficial from a business standpoint but is sometimes hard to implement from the technical point of view. The next generation of HMI/SCADA hardware and software aim to address such technical challenges.
As digitization continues, availability of energy-efficient Ethernet and Wi-Fi networks becomes a reality. This allows equipment to be distributed further across the factory floor, and even be made “mobile” for added flexibility. As stated earlier, edge-located IoT devices are becoming the norm, spurring issues for traditional connectivity schemes. In a typical factory arrangement, data follows a path similar to this:
On the other hand, HMI/SCADA systems of the future will flatten out such a tall hierarchy, leaving only three pieces behind:
The hierarchy stated above can take advantage of modern open-source hardware and software platforms that don’t tie factory managers to a specific standard. Specialized elements can be superseded with standard building blocks.
Moreover, the development of edge technologies mean that newer platforms are embedded with sufficient connectivity and processing power, eliminating the need for layers of PLC servers and PCs. When we say, “edge component”, we mean an entity that borrows features from a PLC, PC and HMI, functioning as an industrial controller.
Each edge component possesses the ability to act as a bridge for other intelligent devices all the way up to the cloud. From thereon, they can form the core of the new architecture on top of which HMI and SCADA is built.
Hardware alone isn’t enough to bridge the gap between IoT devices and HMI/SCADA systems. Instead, developers would have to rely on numerous open-source and built-in software technologies, namely:
Windows continues to be a popular choice for HMI and SCADA manufacturers, but in recent years it has faced stiff competition from the open-source alternative Linux that promises greater security and stability. Much of the development taking place on IoT and smart devices is based on Linux, Ubuntu being a popular distro.
OPC UA drivers are built into many components shipped out today, facilitating native communications between edge devices and popular PLCs. This allows the power of IoT devices to be reaped out to the fullest level. Finally, security is being made firmer through technologies such as MQTT that allows secure inbound/outbound communications to take place. It can operate seamlessly over typical business IT systems, avoiding complex and stiff network configurations. MQTT is often used in conjunction with Sparkplug that effectively delivers industrial-type messages throughout the plant.
The future is exciting to say the least and is already here; technologies such as those mentioned above have already started shifting the traditional route of HMI/SCADA development, something that will only pick up pace with the passage of time.
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