Operator interfaces for the lifecycle support of component based automation systems

Current manufacturing automation systems (specifically the powertrain sector) have been facing challenges with constant pressures of globalisation, environmental concerns and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) innovations. These challenges instigate new demands for shorter product lifecycles and require customised products to be manufactured as efficiently as possible. Manufacturing systems must therefore be agile to remain competitive by supporting frequent reconfigurations involving distributed engineering activities. [Continues.

Web service control of component-based agile manufacturing systems

Current global business competition has resulted in significant challenges for manufacturing and production sectors focused on shorter product lifecyc1es, more diverse and customized products as well as cost pressures from competitors and customers. To remain competitive, manufacturers, particularly in automotive industry, require the next generation of manufacturing paradigms supporting flexible and reconfigurable production systems that allow quick system changeovers for various types of products. In addition, closer integration of shop floor and business systems is required as indicated by the research efforts in investigating "Agile and Collaborative Manufacturing Systems" in supporting the production unit throughout the manufacturing lifecycles. The integration of a business enterprise with its shop-floor and lifecycle supply partners is currently only achieved through complex proprietary solutions due to differences in technology, particularly between automation and business systems. The situation is further complicated by the diverse types of automation control devices employed. Recently, the emerging technology of Service Oriented Architecture's (SOA's) and Web Services (WS) has been demonstrated and proved successful in linking business applications. The adoption of this Web Services approach at the automation level, that would enable a seamless integration of business enterprise and a shop-floor system, is an active research topic within the automotive domain. If successful, reconfigurable automation systems formed by a network of collaborative autonomous and open control platform in distributed, loosely coupled manufacturing environment can be realized through a unifying platform of WS interfaces for devices communication. The adoption of SOA- Web Services on embedded automation devices can be achieved employing Device Profile for Web Services (DPWS) protocols which encapsulate device control functionality as provided services (e.g. device I/O operation, device state notification, device discovery) and business application interfaces into physical control components of machining automation. This novel approach supports the possibility of integrating pervasive enterprise applications through unifying Web Services interfaces and neutral Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message communication between control systems and business applications over standard Ethernet-Local Area Networks (LAN's). In addition, the re-configurability of the automation system is enhanced via the utilisation of Web Services throughout an automated control, build, installation, test, maintenance and reuse system lifecycle via device self-discovery provided by the DPWS protocol...cont'd

Engineering methods and tools for cyber–physical automation systems

Much has been published about potential benefits of the adoption of cyber–physical systems (CPSs) in manufacturing industry. However, less has been said about how such automation systems might be effectively configured and supported through their lifecycles and how application modeling, visualization, and reuse of such systems might be best achieved. It is vitally important to be able to incorporate support for engineering best practice while at the same time exploiting the potential that CPS has to offer in an automation systems setting. This paper considers the industrial context for the engineering of CPS. It reviews engineering approaches that have been proposed or adopted to date including Industry 4.0 and provides examples of engineering methods and tools that are currently available. The paper then focuses on the CPS engineering toolset being developed by the Automation Systems Group (ASG) in the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K. and explains via an industrial case study how such a component-based engineering toolset can support an integrated approach to the virtual and physical engineering of automation systems through their lifecycle via a method that enables multiple vendors' equipment to be effectively integrated and provides support for the specification, validation, and use of such systems across the supply chain, e.g., between end users and system integrators

A service-oriented approach to embedded component-based manufacturing automation

This thesis is focused on the application of Component-Based (CB) technology to shop oor devices using a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Web Services (WS) for the purpose of realising future generation agile manufacturing systems. The environment of manufacturing enterprises is now characterised by frequently changing market demands, time-to-market pressure, continuously emerging new technologies and global competition. Under these circumstances, manufacturing systems need to be agile and automation systems need to support this agility. More speci cally, an open, exible automation environment with plug and play connectivity is needed. Technically, this requires the easy connectivity of hardware devices and software components from di erent vendors. Functionally, there is a need of interoperability and integration of control functions on di erent hierarchical levels ranging from eld level to various higher level applications such as process control and operations management services. [Continues.

Systematic specification of requirements for assembly process control system in the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is one of the most strictly regulated fields in the world. Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products are juridically obliged to monitor the safety and quality of products. Any defects and manufacturing errors affecting the product are demanded to be traceable due to patient safety. Regulative bodies have set strict demands for data integrity in manufacturing records. The main objective of this thesis is to evaluate whether the proposed supervisory control and data acquisition software can adhere to current prevailing regulatory framework. The evaluation of the proposed supervisory control and data acquisition software focuses on handling of electronic records and electronic signatures. Features like user management, alarm and event management, reporting, and locally set requirements in the target company are investigated and reflected to the prevailing regulations concerning data integrity. The results showed that the proposed software is, when properly configured, compliant to prevailing regulations regarding electronic records and electronic signatures. In addition, the proposed software is capable of the requirements set by the target company.Systemaattinen vaatimusmäärittely kokoonpanoprosessin ohjausjärjestelmälle lääketeollisuudessa. Tiivistelmä. Valmistava lääketeollisuus on yksi maailman eniten säädellyin teollisuuden ala. Lääkinnällisten tuotteiden valmistaja on lainmukaisesti vastuussa tuotteidensa laadusta ja valmistuksen valvomisesta. Tuotteiden laatu- ja valmistusvirheiden vaaditaan olevan jäljitettävissä potilasturvallisuuden vuoksi. Sääntelyviranomaiset ovat asettaneet tiukat vaatimukset tuotantokoneiden elektronisille tallenteille. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on arvioida noudattaako ehdotettu ohjausjärjestelmä nykyisiä säädöksiä. Ohjausjärjestelmän arviointi keskittyy eletronisten tallenteiden ja elektronisten allekirjoitusten toteutukseen ohjelmassa. Arvioinnin perustana käytetään sääntelyviranomaisten viimeisimpiä säädöksiä. Arviointi kohdistuu ohjelmiston käyttähallintaan, hälytys- ja tapahtumahallintaan, raportointiin ja paikallisesti asetettuihin vaatimuksiin tiedon eheyden näkökulmasta. Arviointi osoitti, että oikein konfiguroituna ehdotettu ohjausjärjestelmä noudattaa nykyisiä säännöksiä elektronisten tallenteiden ja elektronisten allekirjoitusten osalta. Ohjelmisto pystyy myös vastaamaan yrityksen paikallisesti asetettuihin vaatimuksiin. Ohjelmistoa voi kuitenkin käyttää vastoin nykyisiä sääntelyviranomaisten laatimia säädöksiä ilman riittävää asiantuntevuutta

Enabling IoT in Manufacturing: from device to the cloud

Industrial automation platforms are experiencing a paradigm shift. With the new technol-ogies and strategies that are being applied to enable a synchronization of the digital and real world, including real-time access to sensorial information and advanced networking capabilities to actively cooperate and form a nervous system within the enterprise, the amount of data that can be collected from real world and processed at digital level is growing at an exponential rate. Indeed, in modern industry, a huge amount of data is coming through sensorial networks em-bedded in the production line, allowing to manage the production in real-time. This dissertation proposes a data collection framework for continuously collecting data from the device to the cloud, enabling resources at manufacturing industries shop floors to be handled seamlessly. The framework envisions to provide a robust solution that besides collecting, transforming and man-aging data through an IoT model, facilitates the detection of patterns using collected historical sensor data. Industrial usage of this framework, accomplished in the frame of the EU C2NET project, supports and automates collaborative business opportunities and real-time monitoring of the production lines

Developing Function Blocks for Collecting Data and Integrating Legacy Systems in Manufacturing and Logistics

Manufacturing enterprises have been increasingly technology-driven during recent decades. Industry 4.0 promotes smart manufacturing and intelligent systems which can seamlessly communicate with each other and enable decentralized decision-making by monitoring the factory-floor process. This calls for the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure to be effectively incorporated with the industries. Industry 4.0 presents the concept of “smart factory” in which Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS) fuses the physical systems with the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling higher levels of interoperability and Information transparency. However, manufacturing enterprises in the recent past have characterized their efficiency by how prominently and adequately they adopt and utilize their IT solutions and how feasible those solutions are to integrate with their legacy systems. Enterprise Integration, in particular, has become more challenging owing to the highly dynamic manufacturing environment. System integration has become an indispensable field to be addressed , especially when the industry adopts connected enterprise paradigm. Connected enterprise systems enable industries to leverage their technologies to collect, analyze and refine their data to help them make better business decisions. In a recent trend, IT systems in manufacturing are majorly driven towards the cloud and collaborative solutions as a result of the exponential growth of internet technologies and their ability to adapt to rapid changes in the market. Collaborative frameworks are widely preferred by the enterprises as they enable better communication, increases productivity and improve business execution. They are critical for a business to function with agility in this fast pacing and changing world. One such platform is provided by the Cloud Collaborative Manufacturing Networks (C2NET) project that optimizes the supply network of manufacturing and logistics assets. This thesis research proposes an approach to integrate heterogeneous legacy systems by showcasing an implementation which favors robust data collection. This implementation is made possible by adopting Production Logistics and Sustainability Cockpit (PLANTCockpit) Open Source solution, which functions as a viable interface for real-time data collection and data-logistics thus enhancing the process optimization of the manufacturing enterprise. PLANTCockpit OS is a modular solution which enables to build and deploy flexible loosely coupled entities known as Function Blocks (FBs) that facilitate seamless legacy system integration and robust information exchange between the systems. This thesis also fulfills the C2NET project requirement to define the possibility of effective integration of PLANTCockpit OS in the C2NET reference architecture