Industrial Edge
PROFINET lays the foundation for modern edge concepts “At the same time, of course, companies want to offer their customers new, intelligent digital products and services. But the effort involved in processing data at the field level can be immense – not to mention issues such as scalability and security,” he added.
Key factors in vertical integration
Edge applications can use PROFINET to help better understand machine performance using the huge amount of unused data. stable. Many companies have a hard time with this, if they are honest with themselves,” said Karsten Schneider, PI Chairman.
At the same time, the path to a new technology is always a dynamic process. To present just one example here, five years ago it was considered a good solution to direct as much data as possible to the cloud, where it would then be processed. In the meantime, however, users have realized that it makes sense to process at least part of the data closer to the source – namely, on the edge of the network – due, for example, to latency or bandwidth considerations. This is where edge components come into play, serving as key factors for vertical integration. They transform additional production data into usable information. It is less important whether this involves SOURCE: PI
INDUSTRY 4.0 HAS INSPIRED MANY COMPANIES to develop their own programs, services, devices or other automation components in order to analyze and better understand their machines and systems. Today, 90 percent of the generated data remains unused because the analysis, integration or processing is too complex or impractical in conventional automation components. And yet it’s worth taking a closer look at this wealth of data. Besides the actual measured values, it’s possible to identify trends here, such as energy consumption or other long-term diagnostic values that are not typically analyzed in a controller. Due to the data volumes and algorithms, it’s also too complex to integrate diagnostic methods with the aid of artificial intelligence. And manual work is still required for connecting company-specific software into the existing automation world. “Regular updates are indispensable when it comes to making sure that software, operating systems and security measures are up to date and
SOURCE: PI
Besides a traditional controller, there is an increasing need for additional devices or applications for making optimizations. But it’s not always easy to connect quickly and also they can produce data that remains unused. Edge concepts present an interesting approach, and PROFINET technologies can support the process.
New machine concepts using edge computing and integrating PROFINET and PROFIsafe networking technology.
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in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k
07.2021
