PLC systems are not equipped to handle IIoT applications

Data processing programs for analysis and machine learning are usually based on high-level languages such as C# or .NET. Adapting such programs to run on conventional PLC systems is simply impossible due to their physical program size. Industrial edge computing adds CPU power and RAM to peripheral devices where standard PLCs are limited but IT technology needs to move closer to the manufacturing floor. This also includes the method of containerizing software. It makes applications portable and very easy to manage throughout their lifecycle, especially in the decentralized edge devices from a remote and centralized location. This is particularly relevant when device software needs to be kept up to date with the latest security patches, enabling updates to be deployed remotely and even via the Internet.

netFIELD makes Industrial Edge manageable

Under the netFIELD brand, Hilscher offers both the edge devices on which containerized applications can run and an accompanying platform for central management. The overall system makes Industrial Edge manageable. It’s always application agnostic and the selected data paths can also be freely determined. The Hilscher platform can even be used to transfer data worldwide or to another cloud in order to combine local and remote data processing.

Different lifecycles of hardware and software

Unlike machine hardware, which is rarely modified once built and delivered, IIoT software solutions have a completely different lifecycle. New requirements can be quickly and flexibly met using software on existing hardware. However, software typically also requires frequent updates including security patches, new features, or new connections to third party systems. Changes to configurations are also often required with software solutions. There are therefore a number of new challenges facing machine builders who want to deliver Industrial IoT solutions with their machines.

How machine builders can meet these challenges

A fundamental question is how to keep IIoT software solutions up to date and how to monitor them to ensure they’re working properly. The answer is central device and application management.

• First, a system is required that can remotely manage the edge devices running IIoT applications on site. It must be possible to monitor them remotely to ensure the edge devices are working properly and the resources are being used efficiently. Operating system updates must also be considered.
• Second, the system must make it easy to reliably bring the software to the data. The machine builder must be able to control which software components run on each edge device, in which version, and in which configuration. Ideally, some kind of virtualization concept is adhered to, for example by means of software containers.
• Third, the machine builder must be able to configure which IIoT data does not leave the machines, which data the machine builder wants to and is allowed to collect centrally, and which data can be used and therefore transmitted to downstream customer applications.

Manage distributed machines with netFIELD

With netFIELD, Hilscher offers a product family that helps machine builders manage Industrial IoT solutions efficiently and securely. netFIELD Cloud is a device and container management solution that enables remote management of edge devices, installation and updating of software containers, and precise control of IIoT data streams. With the netFIELD Edge Gateway series, we also offer proven IIoT edge devices that are perfectly suited for managing distributed machines.

Create the foundation for data analysis

Valuable insights can be gained from machine and process data. The list of possible applications is long: improvements to processes and quality standards, identifying the real maintenance status and requirements of machines, increasing efficiency by controlling capacity utilization. With innovative, data-driven services relating to their machines and systems, companies can also have a new way to stand out from the competition and generate new sources of revenue.

Companies that want to evaluate Industrial IoT data for these purposes must first lay the groundwork for data analysis. This includes:

• Access to the data, preferably at the level of industrial fieldbus systems
• The ability to analyze the data as close as possible to the machines and systems (edge computing)
• The ability to distribute the IIoT data precisely to the appropriate software applications
• Managing such distributed systems consisting of edge hardware and edge software components

It is particularly important to mine the IIoT data close to the machines that are in production. This reduces the volume of the data stream and ensures that the valuable machine data does not leave the plant. Only the insights gained from the analysis, but not the raw data, are shared with other applications and storage media as needed.

Data mining with netFIELD

With the netFIELD product family, Hilscher helps companies implement an effective and efficient Industrial IoT data mining strategy. Hilscher’s netFIELD edge gateways are specifically designed for such Industrial IoT applications. Using netFIELD apps, fieldbus data can be passively read without interfering with a machine’s PLC, while the device and container management solution, netFIELD Cloud, enables remote management of all edge devices, installation of software containers and updates, and precise control of IIoT data streams.

Shifting end-of-life further into the future

Today, any existing plant can be made fit for the digital future without any intervention in the already installed automation technology. Sensors and modern IoT tools help to improve production and increase the efficiency of processes at any point, locally or even remotely. The increasing pressure to remain competitive is reduced by IoT retrofitting to the use of fewer retrofit components and the use of services.  And wouldn’t it be nice if a system could be used for another 10 years after its expected end of life?

Continue using existing interfaces via netFIELD

The key to using IoT technology in legacy systems without disrupting the system is primarily to use existing interfaces to capture data. For example, a Hilscher edge gateway can use a PLC’s programming interface to aggregate data without having to actively modify the PLC program, which can be up to 20 years old. Or it can passively tap into the automation network and record its process data in parallel with the PLC. A second option is to equip the system with autonomous edge devices from Hilscher with the possibility of directly connecting IO-Link sensor technology. These devices allow previously unused information to be collected and processed centrally via additional sensors.

New business models in production

Innovative leasing concepts for machines, for example, are on the rise. It is not the installation that is billed, but the equivalent value based on units produced or time used. Scenarios like the typical software subscription model of Office 365 or software activation as practiced by Tesla are also conceivable: a machine is always delivered fully equipped, but the software configuration can be changed later—preferably remotely. To make a machine smart, it’s easy to just add more sensors. But how do you implement the necessary AI to increase productivity, reduce maintenance, avoid production downtimes and, last but not least, to create subscription model scenarios? An ordinary PLC only performs simple control tasks. It doesn’t have room for additional resource-intensive software and is not connected to the Internet.

Data infrastructure for your smart machine with netFIELD

This is where edge technology, as offered by Hilscher, comes in: gateways installed close to the machine provide space for AI and can be managed remotely. They aggregate and process the data in a freely configurable way, map it into virtual objects as a digital twin and thus facilitate the transition to IT, the ERP system or to higher-level production logistics processes. The software lifecycle in the gateways is managed centrally. Hilscher offers a management platform to take care of this and, in conjunction with the devices, provides the communication structure that allows the machine manufacturer to respond flexibly to customer requirements even after the machine has been delivered.