Machine Retrofitting
Retrofit your machines for Industry 4.0 without changing PLC programs
Challenges for retrofitting your machines
Unchangeable PLC programs
Your production machines run proven PLC programs that you cannot afford to modify or risk disrupting. Traditional IIoT solutions often require changes to control logic, creating unacceptable risk and validation effort. You need a way to tap into machine data without changing existing programs or affecting operational reliability.
Protocol complexity and diversity
Industrial environments use a wide variety of communication protocols – EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus, OPC UA, and many more. Supporting all these protocols requires deep expertise and significant development effort. You need a solution that handles protocol complexity out of the box, leveraging proven communication technology.
Security in OT networks
Connecting operational technology (OT) networks to IT systems and the cloud introduces security risks. Cyber threats targeting industrial systems are increasing, and regulations like the EU Cyber Resilience Act mandate secure infrastructure. You need edge gateways designed specifically for reliable and secure operations in OT environments.
Engineering effort and time to value
Developing custom IIoT solutions requires programming skills, protocol knowledge, and significant engineering resources. This slows down implementation and increases costs. You need a plug & play approach that allows configuration instead of coding, dramatically reducing time to value.
Our solutions for retrofitting your machines
Our edge gateways are intelligent data routers between the automation level and the information technology level. They aggregate, process or transmit additional IoT information of your production process completely autonomously—locally or via the cloud.
Start your own IoT world with our turn-key app containers. Based on Docker technology, you can easily roll them out centrally and create new business opportunities!
IIoT Data Acquisition use cases across industries
Based on our netFIELD Data Acquisition solutions, plant operators and system integrators worldwide are unlocking the value of their machine data without touching proven control logic.
Building on Hilscher's decades of expertise in industrial communication protocols and secure edge computing, you can reliably retrofit existing machines for Industry 4.0 applications. Bridging OT and IT systems is often more complex than anticipated. Accessing diverse automation protocols, ensuring secure data flows, maintaining network integrity, and avoiding disruption to production requires a proven approach. Whether you're implementing condition monitoring, energy management, OEE tracking, or connecting legacy equipment to cloud platforms, netFIELD Data Acquisition provides the foundation you need.
Our comprehensive portfolio offers no-code data acquisition apps for all major industrial protocols – from EtherCAT and PROFINET to Modbus and IO-Link. Deploy with our industry-hardened edge gateways or integrate with existing infrastructure. Just configure, don't code.
Start with a single machine and scale to entire production lines. You can rely on our multi-protocol expertise and support services throughout your digitalization journey, from pilot projects to enterprise-wide deployment.
Thanks to our plug & play approach and security-ready platform, Hilscher provides sustainable retrofitting solutions across many industries including:
- Machine Building
- Automotive Manufacturing
- Packaging Machinery
- Robotics & Material Handling
- Electronics Manufacturing
- Medical Device Manufacturing
- Metal Fabrication
- Plastics Processing
- Textile & Apparel
- Printing & Converting
- Process Industries
- Factory Automation
Find your solution
From retrofit to smart product. netFIELD turns IIoT use cases like monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote service into a stable industrial rollout.
Do you have a specific challenge and want to develop an IIoT solution? Or do you already have a concrete product idea and need the right IIoT infrastructure? No problem, get in touch with our experts to learn how netFIELD can support your project.
Let's work together to make your components fit for Industrial IoT.
Markus Hoppe
Account Manager
Mail: mhoppe@hilscher.com
Mobile: +49 (0) 172 6012005
Your benefits with netFIELD Data Acquisition at a glance:
Good to Know
netFIELD Data Acquisition supports all major industrial communication protocols including EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus, IO-Link, OPC UA, MQTT, and many others. Our edge gateways leverage Hilscher's netX technology and decades of multi-protocol expertise, ensuring comprehensive protocol coverage for virtually any industrial application.
Our plug & play approach allows you to tap into machine data without any modifications to existing control programs. The netFIELD edge gateway connects to your machine's communication network (like EtherCAT or PROFINET) and reads process data passively. Using our no-code configuration apps, you simply select which data points to collect and where to send them. No programming required, no risk to proven control logic.
Yes, security is built in from the ground up. Our edge gateways are specifically designed for operational technology (OT) environments with features like hardware-based encryption, secure boot, secure firmware updates, and integrity checks. The platform is ready for compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act, IEC 62443, and NIS-2 standards. Data flows are carefully controlled to maintain network segmentation between OT and IT/cloud systems.
netFIELD Data Acquisition focuses on collecting and forwarding machine data to cloud platforms or IT systems: it is about getting data out of machines. netFIELD Device Management focuses on managing the edge infrastructure itself: deploying software, remote access, and fleet management. Both solutions can work independently or be combined for comprehensive IIoT capabilities.
Yes, you can test the software. All our applications run in a trial mode for 30 minutes. If you need support for you evaluation, please contact us.
Thanks to the no-code configuration approach, implementation is dramatically faster than traditional development projects. Typical deployments can be configured in hours or days rather than weeks or months. You don't need programming expertise. Engineers familiar with the machine and its communication protocols can configure data acquisition directly using our intuitive tools. Get in touch with us for further assistance.
Related Links
An overview of our Managed Industrial IoT platform: netFIELD is your IIoT edge infrastructure for implementing Industry 4.0 solutions. It enables you to make your machine data accessible and the necessary software and hardware centrally manageable.
The IIoT startup iDOO uses Hilscher's netFIELD edge management platform to digitally network machines of extrusion specialist iBA. This makes production data available in real time, allowing processes to be analyzed and optimized in a traceable manner. The result is greater transparency, reduced effort, and stable system operation. Read more in our success story.
Hilscher’s Flagship Store for the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance (OI4) Community brings the ease of app stores to the industrial world. Powered by Wibu-Systems' CodeMeter licensing, the store gives users access to a library of apps and solutions for their shop floor automation needs.
Surface solution specialist Oerlikon Metco AG uses netFIELD to enable real-time data collection from industrial applications, such as thermal spray painting machines, from around the world.
Industrial systems specialist Güdel uses netFIELD to implement advanced IIoT solutions, ranging from monitoring specific wear points to a more holistic Industry 4.0 approach.
Emerson, a world leading provider of automation technology and software, has enabled integrated OPC UA in their AVENTICS™ valve systems, simplifying IIoT integration and analysis capabilities with netX 90.
MULTIVAC, the leading manufacturer of integrated packaging solutions, develops customer-oriented services with netFIELD, enabling higher machine availability
Hattersheim, 15. Jan. 2025 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH has released a new app for connecting PROFINET networks to IIoT applications, the netFIELD App PROFINET Device. The app enables users to equip almost any PROFINET network with a device (e.g. an edge gateway) that acts as a PROFINET IO device participant and can simultaneously forward data to an MQTT broker.
Nuremberg, 21. Nov. 2024 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH expects security mechanisms in production plants and factories worldwide to become massively more important over the next five years. This was announced by the company at the press conference at this year's Smart Production Solutions (SPS) trade fair in Nuremberg. Read more about this topic in our news!
Nuremberg, 13. Nov. 2024 – New and powerful gigabit technologies that enable faster data transmission than conventional 100Mbit industrial Ethernet will not come onto the market without cyber security mechanisms. This was predicted by Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH at the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) 2024 automation trade fair in Nuremberg.
Nuremberg, 13. Nov. 2024 – As the convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) continues to accelerate, non-digitalized systems are at a considerable disadvantage in terms of efficiency and competitiveness compared to digitalized systems. This was predicted by Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH at the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) 2024 automation trade fair on Wednesday.
Hattersheim, 06. Feb. 2024 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH has released sensorEDGE FIELD and sensorEDGE, two new Edge IO-Link master devices. These IP67-rated devices combine computing power, a centralized edge management platform and standardized sensor connectivity. Read more in our news!
IDC Studie: 70% der Industrieunternehmen planen die Implementierung von IIoT-Lösungen
Hattersheim, 22. Jun. 2023 – The Edge Gateway netFIELD Compact X8M of the Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH is now listed in the official Azure certified device catalog. Microsoft thus certifies the successful connectivity between the runtime Azure IoT Edge and the cloud connector Azure IoT Hub.
Hattersheim, 31. May 2023 – Hilscher is constantly working on optimizing and expanding its managed industrial IoT product portfolio under the brand of netFIELD. The release of netFIELD OS 2.4, Hilscher's runtime environment for edge devices, is another building block for this.
Hattersheim, 30. Mar. 2023 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH is expanding its IoT portfolio with the containerized application netFIELD App PROFINET Tap. The application acts as a software gateway, taps process data from a PROFINET network independently of the PLC and converts it into the MQTT protocol.
Hattersheim, 30. Mar. 2023 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH is expanding its IoT portfolio with the containerized application netFIELD App EtherCAT Tap. The application acts as a software gateway, taps process data from a EtherCAT network independently of the PLC and converts it into the MQTT protocol.