Communication in and between machines is becoming increasingly extensive. In production lines, machines need to coordinate more with each other and users want to extract more data and signals from them. Machine builders therefore have many questions. Based on this practical experience, itsme has developed a training course for network communication, in which frequently used protocols and techniques are discussed. B&S immediately benefited from it. “In a project I was working on, I did not yet have much knowledge of the customer's wish for an MRP ring (Media Redundancy Protocol, ed.). That subject was included in the training at the time.”
B&S in Hengelo (OV) provides special machine construction, industrial maintenance, service and maintenance management with approximately 100 employees. With the acquisition of WiTechs Wire Technologies, it has had a machine builder for the wire industry in-house since 2020. From B&S, Henk-Jan Scherphof works for WiTechs most of his time. “Traditionally, their machines were wired for a start and stop signal and a reset signal, but that was about it. Nowadays, these machines also work in a line and must be able to communicate with the other machines in that line. More communication is also needed within the machine itself in order to be able to control the process properly. In addition, customers want to be able to extract more signals and other data from the machine than before.”
Delivery, streamlining and training
Network communication was therefore a subject in which Scherphof, who started as a mechatronics technician at B&S and is now a software engineer, wanted to receive further training. The company has relied on itsme for many years to supply industrial automation and streamline processes. For example, itsme Connected Business carried out a project with WiTechs for the on-demand delivery of kits with the necessary components for the machines that are scheduled. B&S now also purchases training courses. In the field of network communication, itsme has a wide range of products, says Quinten Waegeman, product specialist and trainer at itsme Industrial Automation. This concerns both the design of communication networks and the implementation of the hardware – such as PLCs and industrial switches – and the software.
“The OPC UA standard for data exchange is a major enabler for Industry 4.0”
Many questions from potential students and their employers are about OPC UA, says Waegeman. OPC UA (Open Platform Communications – Unified Architecture) is a standard for data exchange between industrial automation systems. “Many companies still lack knowledge about this standard, which is considered one of the major enablers for Industry 4.0. It is a well-standardized technique for sharing all kinds of data in and with machines, independent of suppliers, manufacturers and components. From small sensors in the field to large data management systems running on servers, they can all communicate with each other according to the same standard.”
Ethernet based
The training that Scherphof followed covered three consecutive days at itsme in Raamsdonksveer. “Everything is Ethernet-based in the training,” says Waegeman. “We no longer talk about bus systems, although they are of course still there. The focus is on Ethernet-based technologies, such as PROFINET, TCP/IP, Modbus/TCP and OPC UA, each with their advantages and disadvantages and areas of application. That is the first part of the training, while in the second part we focus on structures in networks. For example, how can you create a ring in your network to achieve higher availability or make your network more fault-tolerant? Or how do you divide a logically connected network into separate cells to better guarantee security or make data flows more predictable? For example, you can use VLAN technology for this, to create a virtual local area network. You make that look like one LAN network, while you set it up under the hood with separate components.”
“I now use all this knowledge from the course in my daily work”
Scherphof calls it an educational training. “It has helped me a lot in my work. At that time I was working on a project for a Chinese customer. They had requirements, including an MRP ring (Media Redundancy Protocol, ed.), which I did not yet have all the knowledge about. I had not yet included a manageable switch in the design that supported MRP. Fortunately, the Siemens PLC in the design did have ports that supported MRP. I also learned how to let a PLC function as an I/O device for another PLC within a Siemens control system. I also gained knowledge of Modbus. Schneider Electric uses that, for example, for the communication of its components for monitoring that we work with. I now use all this knowledge in my daily work. The course folder was very clear and is now behind me in the cupboard. I can immediately refer to it: how did this work again?”
Not finished learning
Scherphof will not be finished learning for the time being. “I find motion control and industrial networks interesting subjects. So I might still follow a training in motion control and a follow-up for network communication.” “That is not yet available,” Waegeman reports. “I am working on expansions and the training might be split into two parts later. There is more demand for retrieving data via the internet and for ever new ways to collect and analyse data. For that you need these types of networks for industrial communication. Cybersecurity is therefore an important subject. I would like to add that.”
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