VDMA working on ‘trustworthy’ data sharing platform for machinery

Dusseldorf, Germany – The German mechanical engineering association VDMA is taking part in a project, funded by the German government, to create a “trustworthy, neutral platform” for data sharing to advance digitalisation in the machinery industry.

According to Thorsten Kuehmann, managing director of VDMA plastics and rubber machinery, the existing OPC UA (open platform communications united architecture) is helping create a data exchange standard for industrial communication enabling machine-to-machine or PC-to-machine communication.

However, some companies, processors in particular, are still very cautious about OPC UA applications.

“They are worried that their data will not be handled carefully and that, in the worst case, their competitors may even gain access to their data,” he explained.

Part of the problem, according to Kuemann, is that such data platforms have so far only been offered by individual companies or small consortia, which are not often trusted by users.

As a result, VDMA is taking part in a German government project, Manufacturing-X which aims to create a platform that provides data security and independent governance structure.

“It is important that we establish such a platform, because otherwise we run the risk of big data providers taking over the whole thing, which is something no one in the industry wants,” he added.

According to Kuehmann, the development of ‘a global language of production’ for rubber & plastics machinery has progressed over the recent year, paving the way for further transparency and future digital developments.

At this year’s K 2022, for instance, some 40 companies from eight countries are participating in an OPC UA demonstration project.

To do so, they have selected a total of 85 machines at their respective hall locations.
Each of these machines has an OPC UA logo and a QR code that visitors can scan with their smartphones.

They are then taken to the UMATI (universal machine technology interface) internet platform, where they can see live data from the respective machine.

“We have already come quite far in some core machine areas, such as injection moulding or extrusion,” Kuemann noted.

Now, he went on to say, the industry is moving on to particle foaming and to periphery machinery.

“So, for example, this includes temperature control units and hot runner units, or liquid silicone metering,” the VDMA official said.

This part of the development is the horizontal level which will see the machines that are next to each other in a production hall communicating with each other.

Another strand is vertical networking to the MES system that centrally processes the data of a factory.

And a third part covers the material flow, for which the new interface for “material supply system” the OPC 40086-1 will be presented at K this year.

The so-called “release candidate” means that the process is conceptually ready but can still be supplemented and adapted.

“[This] signifies that we have already established a solid foundation for OPC UA in the area of plastics and rubber machinery,” Kuemann added.

For the next step, the industry aims to “close the gaps” to include the machines that are not integrated.

In addition, Kuemann went on to say, despite the current progress, the concept needs to be further ‘internationalised’.

“The whole thing only really makes sense when as many countries as possible are involved; only then can you really communicate across manufacturers,” he concluded.