CEE_19_04

Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries April 2019

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Faster. Better. Connected Seamless connectivity from the workpiece to the cloud with hardware and software!

NIS is not just a compliance exercise

Predictive maintenance: putting data to work

How to automate an existing manual valve

CONTENTS It’s time to start making more of your data

Editor Suzanne Gill suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk Sales Manager Adam Yates adam.yates@imlgroup.co.uk Production Holly Reed holly.reed@imlgroup.co.uk Classified Sales Lisa Hales lisa.hales@imlgroup.co.uk Dan Jago David May G and C Media

Group Publisher Production Manager Studio Design

Thanks to an earlier than normal Hannover Messe, this year we will be bringing you a review of the show in the May issue, instead of our traditional preview event, so do look out for this next month.

In this issue we have put the focus on a very topical subject – predictive maintenance. We have looked at this from a variety of different aspects to bring you advice on how to develop an effective condition monitoring strategy, which is often the first step on the road to effective asset management. Interestingly, it would appear that, although many are now gathering production data, few are using it to improve processes or boost productivity and yield. It looks like AI, along with analytics technology advances could be key to changing this.

Also in this issue, as part of a cyber security conversation, we take a closer look at the legal requirements of the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive, and also hear from the FDT Group about its work to enhance security with the emerging FITS standard.

Suzanne Gill Editor – Control Engineering Europe suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk

INDUSTRY REPORT 4

21 Advice on developing an effective condition monitoring strategy

Certification for industrial cyber security experts

EDITOR’S CHOICE 6

Wireless toxic gas monitor for challenging remote locations; Integrating IO-Link devices in Profinet

22 Equipment can now be monitored efficiently and serviced according to business needs, rather than schedules, thanks to the IIoT 24 Overcoming the obstacles to predictive maintenance

ETHERNET CABLES

CYBER SECURITY

26 Does single-pair Ethernet technology herald a breakthrough for Ethernet right down to sensor connection at field level? And does singlepair Ethernet have what it takes to supplant conventional field bus systems?

10 NIS: not just a compliance exercise 12 Getting FITS for a secure future

VALVES & ACTUATORS 14 Find out how to automate an existing manual valve

EDGE COMPUTING

17 Weighing up the benefits of seamless integration

28 Find out how a medical technology company was able to retrofit Industry 4.0 digital control systems onto its legacy equipment

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

FINAL WORD

WEIGHING TECHNOLOGY

18 Inverter drives are getting smarter and are now able to look after themselves, along with a range of other plant equipment 20 Putting data to work with predictive maintenance

Control Engineering Europe is a controlled circulation journal published eight times per year by IML Group plc under license from CFE Media LLC. Copyright in the contents of Control Engineering Europe is the property of the publisher.

ISSN 1741-4237 IML Group plc Blair House, High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BQ UK Tel: +44 (0) 1732 359990 Fax: +44 (0) 1732 770049

Control Engineering Europe

31 Peter Wenzel, executive director of PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, Germany, highlights the importance of standardisation for data communication technologies

Control Engineering (USA) Frank Bartos, Mark Hoske, Renee Robbins, Vance VanDoren, Peter Welander Circulation Tel: +44 (0)1732 359990 Email: subscription@imlgroup.co.uk Completed print or on line registration forms will be considered for free supply of printed issues, web site access and on line services.

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April 2019

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INDUSTRY REPORT

Certification for industrial cyber security experts TÜV Rheinland has launched a new personnel certification program to address the demand for cybersecurity expertise in the operational technology (OT) and industrial security sector.

Commenting on the move, Nigel Stanley, chief technology officer, Operational Technology and Industrial Cybersecurity at TÜV Rheinland, said: “As an engineer leading other engineers I see huge value in an externally verified certification program to help me benchmark the expertise of my team. This part of the cybersecurity market is one of the most complex to deliver in, and

anything that helps improve quality is beneficial. There are lots of emerging certifications in this sector but the TÜV Rheinland approach focuses on the key requirements of safety and cybersecurity.”

The Certified Operational Technology Cybersecurity Professional (TÜV) certification program will actively assess candidates using a combination of a professional career review, interview and technical examination.

Experts who meet the required standard will receive certification from TÜV Rheinland and this will allow them to use the title ‘Certified Operational

Technology Cybersecurity Professional (TÜV)’. Certified experts are expected to continue their professional development and must undergo a new evaluation by TÜV Rheinland every three years to retain their certification.

In such a complex area of cybersecurity, a third-party verified certification program can help companies benchmark the expertise of their teams against the demands of industrial cybersecurity.

Candidates for the new certification program should have at least 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, including five years in leadership roles.

ADLINK partners with Google Cloud to offer IoT ready solutions ADLINK Technology, a provider of Edge Computing solutions, has partnered with Google Cloud to integrate its hardware and software solutions with Google Cloud IoT offerings, providing customers with an easy path to added business value by harnessing and analysing critical operational data.

“Companies are seeking hardware solutions that are preintegrated with Google Cloud IoT,” said Mario Finocchiaro, head of GTM, Google Cloud IoT. “Partnering with ADLINK gives our customers and partners options for IoT devices and data sources ready to use out of the box.”

Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products. Customers can use insight from Google Cloud Platform (GCP) analytics tools including advanced analytics, AI and machine learning to make

informed decisions to optimse operations, enable predictive maintenance, minimise downtime, improve quality and enable the development of new business models and revenue streams.

ADLINK’s contribution of integrated hardware and software also includes ADLINK Edge services to channel operational data and enable intelligent decision-making by streaming to Google Cloud for deeper insight. With no programming necessary, ADLINK Edge can connect previously unconnected operational equipment and sensors.

By tapping into native communication protocols, data can be captured and streamed at the edge and securely between devices, databases and to GCP, enabling analysis and easy visualisation to inform business decisions and optimise operations.

Industry-first cybersecurity certification issued Emerson has received the industry’s first ISASecure System Security Assurance (SSA) Level 1 certification for cybersecurity for its latest DeltaV distributed control system (DCS).

The certification, issued by ISA Security Compliance Institute (ISCI), provides independent certification that systems are robust against network and system attacks.

DeltaV, an advanced automation system that simplifies operational complexity and lowers project risk, provides smart control capabilities for key industries in oil and gas operations,

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refineries, chemical plants, power and life science facilities.

The ISA cybersecurity certification is designed to help industry navigate the fast changing digital landscape and recognise products with enhanced cybersecurity measures. ISASecure SSA Level 1 certification covers the most critical standards of the automation industry’s leading family of standards, ANSI/ISA 62443 (IEC 62443).

“ISA developed the ISASecure cybersecurity certification to give asset owners confidence in their industrial control systems and to promote supplier

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best practices that protect automation systems and the operations they control,” said Andre Ristaino, managing director of ISCI. “Emerson is taking a leading role that we hope other vendors will follow in further protecting personnel and processes alike from today’s increasing security threats.”

Control Engineering Europe

INDUSTRY REPORT

FieldComm Group completes liaison with the Open Process Automation Forum FieldComm Group and The Open Group’s Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) have completed a liaison agreement to leverage FieldComm Group specifications within the OPAF ‘standard of standards’. FieldComm Group earlier announced the endorsement of its process automation device information model specification (PADIM), based on NAMUR requirements, by the OPC Foundation (OPCF), PROFIBUS&PROFINET International (PI).

Announced at the 2018 ARC Forum, FieldComm Group and the OPC Foundation presented their joint vision for creating a protocol independent, process automation device information model (PADIM) specification to implement requirements of the NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA).

Ted Masters, president and CEO at FieldComm Group, said: “The goal of PA-DIM, when used alongside registered products that support FieldComm Group and PI’s joint FDI technology (Field Device Integration), is to simplify field device integration to systems and clouds. The goal of OPAF is to create a new paradigm

for open automation systems that respects existing standards and technologies – in other words, a standard of standards. We look forward to working with OPAF to leverage existing FieldComm Group technologies, and to helping define the PA-DIM.” Steve Nunn, resident and CEO of The Open Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with FieldComm Group to grow our collaboration and vision of the many industries vested in automation, which are critical to vital sectors of our economy. This is also a key step in our move towards the development of a framework and a standard for process automation, which aims to deliver tangible benefits to multiple industry sectors. We are looking forward to progressing along this journey with FieldComm Group as a strong collaborative partner.”

“FieldComm Group technologies, such as Function Blocks and FDI, are important enablers of interoperability, interchangeability, and portability in the standards-based open process automation architecture envisioned

by OPAF,” said Don Bartusiak co-chair, Open Process Automation Forum.

Activities anticipated by the liaison

agreement include: • Nomination of a liaison representative to collaborate on development of the Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), in a joint collaboration with FieldComm Group, OPC Foundation, and PI currently ongoing within the FieldComm Group Working group structure.

• Nomination of a liaison representative to collaborate on development of FDI and function blocks within the FieldComm Group Working group structure.

• Technical support and best practices guidance of IEC standards for which FieldComm Group has created specifications or has otherwise had input into the standards.

• Technical support and best practices guidance on FieldComm Group Function Blocks and related specifications.

• Leverage FieldComm Group as the conformance authority for IEC standards guided by FieldComm Group, including HART, Foundation Fieldbus, and FDI, as well as for conformance with the FieldComm Group Function Blocks.

WHILE OTHERS THINK ABOUT THE IIOT … we are already there.

Networks and computers for a smarter industry.

Powerful computers designed for your needs Secure and reliable networks – anywhere, anytime Vertical intergration from SCADA to field device Moxa. In the middle. www.moxa.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Smart IR thermal imaging cameras

ASi-5 I/O modules

The Automation Technology IRSX industrial IR range of cameras, available from Stemmer Imaging, are designed to facilitate the use of thermal imaging in Industry 4.0 applications.

The compact, rugged cameras are completely self-contained with embedded data processing and they feature a number of communication protocols for interfacing to external automation and control equipment, from Profinet or Modbus TCP to OPC-UA and MQTT. They also have digital I/Os for control and alarming as well as an encoder interface for part tracking on variable speed lines.

With a choice of sensors, fields of view, frame rates and physical configurations, the camera is suited to use for autonomous thermal monitoring wherever temperature is a critical factor in the manufacture and processing of industrial products.

A web interface provides access to a range of software tools on the

ASi-5 is the latest generation of the AS-Interface standard which was created for the efficient networking of sensors and actuators at the automation base.

The latest version of the standard allows larger data quantities to be transmitted significantly faster and even intelligent sensors such as IOLink can be integrated more easily.

The first ASi-5 digital modules have recently been introduced by Bihl + Wiedemann. They include ASi-5/ASi-3 Gateways, a counter module, an ASi-5 Slave/IO-Link Master as well as digital I/O modules. The ASi-5 digital modules are currently available in three versions – with 16 inputs, with eight in- and outputs each, and with eight inputs.

With just one ASi-5 slave it is now possible for a high I/O density in the field to be realised and it is possible to collect signals from up to 16 sensors exactly where they occur in an efficient and economical way.

In some cases, the new digital I/O modules can make Ethernet I/O modules unnecessary which can help reduce costs. In addition to IP67 versions, there is an IP20 version available for each ASi-5 digital module.

embedded AT Vision World platform.

These support the integration and use of the cameras and include sensor communication libraries and standard APIs such as REST, GigE Vision, MQTT and OPC-UA as well as the growing number of application-specific apps. This enables solutions for thermal imaging applications to be created easily and efficiently without the need for a PC or specialised thermal imaging software.

The cameras are available in three model types to meet a wide variety of applications and installations. The ‘compact’ and ‘universal’ versions are supplied in IP67 full-metal housings and can be installed on the factory floor even in very small spaces without any need for an additional protective enclosure. The compact version is designed for use with wide field of view lenses, while the universal version is compatible with most lenses. An ‘open’ version without housing is also available.

Integrating IO-Link devices in Profinet Turck’s Simple IO-Link Device Integration (SIDI) aims to simplify the handling of IO-Link devices in Profinet engineering systems.

As the devices are already integrated in the GSDML file of the master, users can select the devices from the device library (for example in the TIA Portal) and integrate them into projects via drop-down fields as if the devices are submodules on a modular I/O system.

The user benefits from access to all device properties and parameters in plain text. Measuring ranges, switch points and pulse rates can be set directly from the engineering system – without any programming or

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additional software required.

SIDI is now integrated on all Turck IOLink masters of the TBEN-L, TBEN-S and FEN20 series. The software contains all the IO-Link devices from both Turck and Banner Engineering. IO-Link devices from other third-party manufacturers, such as valve blocks, are also included.

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Control Engineering Europe

EDITORS CHOICE

Wireless toxic gas monitor for challenging remote locations Emerson has introduced its first fully integrated WirelessHART toxic gas monitor – the Rosemount 928.

The Rosemount 928 was developed to meet a need for improved safety, offering a solution to monitor toxic hydrogen sulphide gas in wellheads, tank farms, and other remote locations were previously it would have been too expensive and difficult to monitor due to remote or difficult-to-access locations.

Due to the cost of wired devices in remote locations operators have been forced to rely on portable gas monitoring devices which provide no early warning of toxic gases.

The Rosemount 928 gas monitor integrates into a WirelessHART network, eliminating wiring and reducing installation, commissioning, and maintenance costs. Once integrated into the wireless network, personnel

simply check the status of the remote monitoring system to know if a maintenance trip is safe.

In addition, the gas monitor includes a power module and the Rosemount 628 toxic gas sensor module that are both intrinsically safe and can be replaced in the field in minutes without the need for tools. The Rosemount 628 stores calibration information within the sensor not the transmitter.

This allows users to calibrate it in a nonhazardous location and carry it into the field for quick exchanges with installed sensors.

Protecting critical industrial network media Panduit has recently added to its existing Micro Data Centre (MDC) family of products with the launch of the new NEMA 12 MDC, which is said to open the door to edge computing, enabling the deployment of compute, storage and network switching on the plant floor.

Today, networking equipment in control rooms is having to compete for footprint space, the sealed NEMA 12 MDC is said to offer greater flexibility as to where this equipment can be deployed.

The NEMA 12 MDC is optimised for size, allowing room for UPSs, servers, storage, network equipment and cooling, as well as often overlooked cable management, PDUs, grounding/ bonding, and ESD provisions.

Automated. Digitalised. Intelligent.

With u-mation, you can communicate from the sensor to the future.

Let’s connect.

The factory of the future will be able to control itself through intelligent networking and will have the flexibility to adapt to new requirements. Thanks to u-mation, this vision is a reality. The perfectly coordinated u-mation portfolio paves your way towards the IoT (Internet of Things) and beyond. The combination of modular automation hardware, innovative engineering tools and sophisticated digitalisation solutions allows for the intelligent connection of all process levels - from the sensor to the cloud.

The Machine Learning models provide the future-proof foundations for more efficient production concepts. u-mation. More than Automation. Digital Solutions. www.u-mation.com Sales: 0845 094 2006 Tech: 0845 094 2007 Email: marketing@weidmuller.co.uk www.weidmuller.co.uk

COVER STORY

Faster. Better. Connected.

How the Festo Automation Platform provides industrial intelligence for the integrated industry Industry 4.0, seamless connectivity, digitalisation, smart products or platform concepts are keywords for higher productivity. The impressive automation platform from Festo encourages customers to increase their competitiveness in the booming automation technology sector. Jörg Tertünte, head of global Electric Automation campaign at Festo explains.

Faster: Design and engineering tools speed up the engineering process of modules or an entire machine. They make you more efficient and shorten your time to market. Using Festo software tools for engineering you can design motion hardware and simulate different combinations under various conditions – for single axes or complete systems. PositioningDrives, for example, provides perfect product dimensioning of single mechanics plus servo motor and drive as a package with no over-sizing. Or the Handling Guide Online, which offers the optimum handling or gantry system for 2D or 3D motion within 15 minutes according your application requirements.

Better: With the broadest portfolio of pneumatic and electric components, Festo offers maximum scalability and solutions at all levels without restricting your flexibility – because Festo solutions are compatible with in-house standards. The automation platform contains hardware and software from end-to-end motion up to robotics – from mechanics to motion control. To ease the set-up of modules or machines, via Eplan we provide eCAD drawings and macros of single components and even more with the new Eplan Schematic Solutions you receive complete eCAD drawings of customised gantry systems or valve terminals. Rounded by the new Festo Automation Suite with its commissioning wizard for getting a servo drive package running within 5 clicks.

Connected: With connectivity solutions from Festo users benefit from smooth and seamless automation thanks to mechanical, electrical and intelligent connectivity – up to IoT and modern cloud solutions. Festo’s expertise in motion technology provides mechanics, pneumatic and an outstanding range of electric automation as well as state-of-the-art servo drive technology with unique highlights. Such as the new servo package with the compact, high-performance servo drive for demanding tasks and direct integration into leading network environments plus the new servo motor range connected via the “one-cable-plug” solution.

Faster. Better. Connected The Productivity Master demonstrates seamless connectivity from the workpiece to the cloud.

The electric automation platform from Festo inside the machine offers everything required by modern solutions – from decentralised automation in each module up to cyber-physical systems. Two key products for a seamless connectivity are the motion controller CPX-E PLC with EtherCAT master and the new family of servo drives CMMT. All motion inside is programmed in CODESYS – part of the Festo Automation Suite – and integrated in the host system either as a slave on PROFINET, EtherNet/IP or peerto-peer (Modbus). This single source solution provides first class technology in mechanics, pneumatics, electric and software – therefore seamless connectivity in automation from one source.

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Productivity Master for personalised production with batch sizes of one – outstanding Electric Automation performance in hardware and software, IoT inside, as well as digital services and cloud connection included.

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Control Engineering Europe

COVER STORY Complete servo drive package for demanding automation tasks Dynamic motion and precise positioning, whether for point to point or interpolation. The high-performance servo drive CMMT-AS can be fully integrated into any host environment with EtherNet-based protocols or directly connected to Festo’s motion controller CPX-E PLC. The appropriate, powerful servo motor EMMT-AS is connected to the CMMT-AS using the ‘one cable plug’ technology (OCP) what reduces the overall installation and saves space in machine and cabinet. Above all the parameterisation and programming of the package including corresponding mechanics can be done quick and easy by only five steps via the commissioning wizard of the Festo Automation Suite.

Festo Automation Suite as the intuitive and seamless software for commissioning provides intelligent connectivity works The software that allows configuration and programming inside one tool makes project work and machine set-up quick and easy. Because installation and control concepts in modern machine layouts influence each other and architectures must be seamlessly networked to achieve complete connectivity. The Festo Automation Suite handles hardware from mechanics to control intuitive and intelligently. And this is how configuring and parameterising a fully functional servo drive package becomes child’s play: five steps to run the servo package is all it takes using the commissioning wizard and with just two clicks the CMMT-AS is integrated into the controller program of CPX-E. And that’s not all: optionally, the CODESYS add-on enables the further programming of motion control and PLC functions of CPX-E.

Electromechanical solution for simple movements between two end positions with best in class value The unique Simplified Motion Series is an integrated drive solution and combines the simplicity of pneumatics with the advantages of electric automation. It stands for very simple motion and positioning tasks and offers the same ease of commissioning and parameterisation as pneumatics without the complex commissioning required by classic electric systems. The configuration doesn’t need any software due to the intuitive, simple and quick set-up directly on the integrated drive. Communication is made easy because of the plug and work principle with digital IO (DIO) or more flexible when using IO-Link – both are incorporated as standard. That is Faster. Better. Connected. at its best. !

Control Engineering Europe

Servo drive package with CMMT-AS and EMMT-AS connected via ‘one cable plug’ plus perfectly matched spindle axis – dimensioned in minutes via software PositioningDrives and set-up via Festo Automation Suite within five clicks.

Ready for operation faster! Festo Automation Suite is user-friendly as never before. The software is free of charge, contains the basic functionalities of Festo components as well as plug-ins, device information, manuals and application descriptions can be conveniently downloaded directly from the software.

Simplified Motion Series combines the simplicity of pneumatics with the advantages of electric automation for linear movements and rotary tasks – intelligently connected via IO-Link for connectivity right up to the cloud.

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April 2019

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CYBER SECURITY

NIS: not just a compliance exercise Phillip J Corner discusses some shortcomings of the NIS directive, arguing that, while it focuses on technology, good governance is equally vital to manage security.

I

ndustrial automation and control system (IACS) cyber security is a hot topic that has been further intensified by the Network and Information Systems (NIS) directive which places mandatory legal requirements on companies categorised as operators of essential services (OES).

The NIS Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) is an outcome oriented framework which defines four main objectives – Managing security risk; protecting against cyber attack; detecting security events; and minimising the impact of cyber security incidents.

In pursuit of greater efficiency and lower costs, companies frequently centralise or outsource technical resource and look to augment business planning with valuable industrial process data requiring wider network connectivity, sometimes described as ‘convergence’ between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT).

But, while the pace of IACS advances and their interaction with wider areas of business is certainly increasing, IT has been integral to control systems since the first introduction of computers and data networks. Perpetuating a belief in incompatible technological differences is counterproductive to effective cyber security – many of the fundamental technological principles involved are, in fact, identical. A systems-oriented approach (business and process), evaluating differences in expectations, requirements, and behaviour will promote a greater clarity and understanding of the risks and will encourage examination of IACS as a ‘system of systems’, assessing each independent sub-

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system’s effect on the whole.

Behind the times Design philosophy is the heart of the problem, IACS design emphasises long component life demanding reliable PLC operation over tens of years and control engineers have an innate understanding of these components. Computer systems for SCADA, etc, are typically not as well understood, but are equally important, which often results in a tendency to apply the same long lifeycle expectations to computers and crucially, to software components.

However, the longer software remains in use without patching, the greater the number of exploitable vulnerabilities is likely to become. These vulnerabilities are regularly discovered thanks to the hard work of security researchers and are fixed by vendor patches. Operating systems like Microsoft Windows support diverse software ecosystems typically representing the largest attack surface, that is the greatest concentration of potentially exploitable security vulnerabilities, with many different processes running and interacting. So, your SCADA software might be secure but it could be compromised through other vulnerabilities on the same computer.

Unpatched and obsolete software is common and the patching issue is not restricted to just computers. All configurable hardware will include software of some description. Even control assets are not immune, running on even the most reliable PLC will be firmware which can, and in many cases

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does, contain exploitable vulnerabilities.

This requires a shift toward decoupling of hardware and software lifecycles and managing patching.

Enterprise patch management isn’t new, Microsoft has offered Windows Server Update Services for nearly 20 years for managing patch deployment on multiple computers and more vendor agnostic alternatives are available.

However, testing of patches has always been a crucial concern for operators who are naturally averse to changes with potential to disrupt plant stability.

Virtualisation – technology which runs multiple logical operating systems on a single physical server – is the mainstay of corporate data centres and is gaining popularity in process systems too. The ability to quickly clone ‘guest’ virtual machines is ideal for software patch testing, exact duplicates can quickly be created, patched, and tested. Simple and rapid backup, duplication, and recovery options can dramatically reduce the patching risk providing change management assurance.

What is secure Industrial assets are designed and tested for high reliability and long mean-timebetween-failure (MTBF), but reliability, even in high-integrity systems, is based Control Engineering Europe

plant operation. Designing this level of security is challenging – particularly in existing systems – but it does offer robust protection.

With each layer of security supporting the whole, but usually acting independently, can you have confidence in them? As with safety management, gauging cyber security effectiveness and understanding residual risk is important. Continual review and monitoring will help ensure that the security strategy reflects changing internal or external influencing factors. Monitoring technologies complement manual technical and procedural review and help improve detection security incidents.

Logs store a wealth of information, not only on firewalls but also the plethora of other system components. All of this should be collected into analysis systems which can help detect indicators of compromise (IOCs), and alert key personnel. Such systems can also be a boon for preventative maintenance strategies by monitoring adverse system health; temperature, power, etc.

Additional intrusion detection systems (IDS) work by continually monitoring network communication for IOCs and their updates for vulnerabilities are often available some time prior to patching of the vulnerability by the OEM. Again, IACS specific variants interpret industrial network protocols and can detect deviation from established normal behaviour.

Segregation

Conclusion

Segregation is a key component of the ‘defence in depth’ strategy, protecting against initial compromise and the lateral spread of a breach between assets. The IEC 62443 standards offer effective guidance, expanding the Purdue system ‘levels’ model further into logical ‘zones’ and ‘conduits’.

Assets are grouped into levels based on their type (i.e. Level 0 – Sensors and Actuators), then into zones based upon role, (e.g. safety controller zone). Finally, conduits are defined which detail the method and type of data exchanged between zones.

Industrial protocol aware security appliances, endpoint protection, and software firewalls control communication within and between each zone and level, enforcing the minimum baseline for correct

While NIS provides targets to improve understanding and identification of shortcomings, its real value comes from encouraging honest objective assessment by operators, so it is important to avoid a compliance exercise approach. It is not immediately important if an objective is not achieved, what is important is that operators assess the underlying risk that the objective addresses and work toward reducing or removing that risk. While not a panacea, the rationale, methods, and technologies discussed can help in that journey. !

Phillip J Corner is project manager – Industrial Cyber Security at Cougar Automation.

Control Engineering Europe

April 2019

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upon the quantifiable probability of random failure. Conversely cyber security incidents are socially driven and cannot be modelled to determine probability.

The requirement to exhibit real-time deterministic behaviour necessitates efficient programming dedicating resources to the primary role. Unlike computers, these devices typically lack the capacity for advanced endpoint protection such as firewalls and are not especially capable of mounting a defence against malicious interference. Common industrial network protocols such as Modbus TCP were not designed for security and generally accept valid commands from any source which is exploitable for process disruption.

Historically, it was believed that process systems were inherently secure through their ‘air gap’ isolation from other networks.

However, isolation alone offers only marginally effective militation against compromise and provides no mitigating factor to restrict the spread of any malware that does occur. Modems, wireless devices, and links to business infrastructure can often be found in OT systems where operators think they are ‘air-gapped’. As technology and the strategy of those seeking to exploit this develops, threats from social engineering, removable devices, portable engineering laptops, and supply chain weakness make air-gapping increasingly superannuated.

Also interested in really rugged, light, accurate, configurable and inexpensive pyrometer models for temperature ranges between –50 °C and +3000 °C? Or in infrared cameras? Visit www.optris.global

CYBER SECURITY

Innovative Infrared Technology

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CYBER SECURITY

GETTING FITS FOR A SECURE FUTURE

Industrial security is a complicated, multifaceted challenge that cannot be solved by simply purchasing the latest technology. Instead, managing the security of industrial control systems and networks requires improving processes, tools and ultimately balancing risk, says Glenn Schulz.

T

he advent of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has dramatically impacted the cyber threat landscape while the convergence of Informational Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) has further complicated industrial security. Some organisations in critical process industries have an air-gapped requirement prohibiting users of OT systems from direct or even indirect connection to the Internet. These organisations need to find ways to safeguard data access from the enterprise all the way down to the device level.

Integration is at the heart of any automation architecture, and the FDT Group provides a robust solution for the integrated manufacturing enterprise due, in part, to its strong security capabilities. FDT technology (IEC62453, GB/T 29618-2017 and ISA103) standardises the communication and configuration interface between field devices and host systems.

The comprehensive cyber security infrastructure of the standard addresses potential cyber-attacks on automation assets, providing protection when integrated into control system vendor applications and hosted within secure IT platforms.

In 2018, the FDT Group announced the development of an FDT IIoT Server (FITS) architecture to provide a flexible platform for deployment of IIoT-based solutions. The emerging FITS specification is set to empower the intelligent enterprise with native integration of OPC UA, as well as

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Control and Web Services for mobile applications. FITS will enable cloud, enterprise, on-premise, and singleuser desktop deployment methods to meet the needs for process, hybrid and discrete manufacturing.

The FDT Server architecture allows for integration of web-based Device Type Managers (FDT/DTMs) that are digital representations for physical devices. The FDT Server will include an online repository providing end-users with convenient access to the DTMs they need for various applications. The solution also includes an OPC UA Server, WebServer and stand-alone (local) applications. The OPC UA Server allows access to DTM data with OPC UA Clients.

The WebServer enables the use of DTM WebUIs on remotely connected, webbased clients on smart phones, tablets, and PCs. The WebServer also supports the use of apps that improve workforce productivity and plant availability.

The FDT Group is now working towards integration of the .NETCore/ Standard to allow the new FDT Serverbased architecture to be completely platform independent. This will result in an FDT Server architecture that is deployable on a Microsoft-, Linux-, or macOS-based operating system, empowering the intelligent enterprise by bridging the current installed base with next-generation solutions supporting the IIoT and Industry 4.0 era.

Enhancing security An important consideration for the emerging FITS standard is data security for the IIoT and this has gained

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importance as FDT transitions from primarily a single-user and client/ server application to a full distributive architecture that supports browserbased clients accessing an FDT Server deployed in the enterprise, on-premise or in the cloud.

FITS will help to eliminate the traditional automation pyramid. It provides a way to flatten the control architecture to eliminate barriers to plant applications in need of directly accessing lower level devices in order to acquire data for analysis and operational dashboards. This is made possible through flexible and distributed components designed to minimise potential security risks.

The FITS solution was also designed to meet both connected and air-gapped requirements, to support virtually any automation architecture, and to comply with contemporary security policies in a typical industrial operation.

Furthermore, it has the ability to authenticate client devices attempting to connect to the server.

For consistency across different operating system platforms FITS features multi-layered security and leverages vetted industry standards such as Transport Layer Security (TLS) enabling Web Sockets Secure (WSS) and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). The FITS security strategy encompasses: • Encrypted communications using TLS • Role-based user security • 509v3 certificates for authentication • On-the-wire-security for enabled industrial control protocols Control Engineering Europe

CYBER SECURITY TLS is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network. It has three basic functionalities: message encryption, detection of message alteration, and authentication between client and server, ensuring that all communication exchanges are fully encrypted. This enables the exchange of sensitive information while mitigating the risk of interception or alteration.

In addition to standard encryption and server authentication, FITS can be configured to confirm that a specific client device is authorised to communicate with the server. From an IT/OT perspective, administrators can ensure that authenticated client devices have appropriate virus protection and meet other corporate security guidelines to ensure they are not the source of contamination via connection to the server.

In prior versions of the FDT standard, there has always been a user authentication requirement that grants authorisation to users based on a rolebased security model. This approach has been effective for many years and is credited with eliminating a huge administrative burden on industrial OT organisations. Role-based security will be carried forward in the core of the distributed FITS architecture as a multilayered security approach employing a defense-in-depth strategy.

The FDT Server’s X.509 certificatebased authentication schemes are tightly integrated with TLS to not only verify the correct server, but also to confirm the client device is authorised to communicate with the server. This ‘triple handshake’ of server, client device, and end-user authentication ensures that no impersonations, man in the middle attacks or otherwise unauthorised access is permitted. The use of encryption throughout the communication architecture ensures that no one can eavesdrop on any of the communications.

The various industrial control network organisations are moving towards a more robust security model for their Control Engineering Europe

respective protocols. One such example of security-on-the-wire is the newly released Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) Security Volume 8 by the ODVA. CIP Security coupled with FITS enables a complete solution for comprehensive, end-to-end, enterprise-wide security.

The FDT Server will natively support CIP Security, linking the IT and OT security architecture with control.

Security-on-the-wire will enable the control system to defend itself from unauthorised and/or malicious access.

For instance, the layered approach within CIP secure EtherNet/IP allows users to implement EtherNet/IP with all control communications on the strongly authenticated, and optionally encrypted communications, to avert potential disruptions.

Finally, the FDT Server-based architecture can be deployed in the public or corporate cloud, allowing full replication of the server environment for instant cutover in the event of a virtual server or network failure. This improves availability, as all communications between a remote server and local control networks is conducted through a robust Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel or equivalent solution in order to obstruct intrusion attempts. The VPN establishes a secure connection from the cloud to an individual plant or factory while allowing redundant paths in the event of a cloud failure. It ensures that all communications between the remote FDT server and the physical plant(s) are carried in a hardened, encrypted VPN tunnel.

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Integrating OPC UA A critical feature of FITS is the integration of an OPC UA Server providing the information model for enterprise level data exchange. The scalable FITS architecture natively employs an OPC UA Server allowing all devices on all networks to be accessed through the FDT Server.

This requires no special configuration by the end-user. Any OPC UA Client that has the correct security profile can browse the entire plant project structure and access any information available from the FDT Server.

All of the well-accepted security mechanisms prescribed by the OPC Foundation are supported for the certified OPC UA Server built into the FDT Server architecture.

Conclusion With growing reliance on connected systems in plants and factories, and increasing amounts of data, it becomes more important for the industrial control system, its devices, and the data and points of connectivity to be inherently secure.

The FITS platform has been engineered from the ground up to provide security with flexible deployment options for the process, hybrid and discrete markets. This solution will be optimised by continued review of best practice implementations backed by FDT’s, secure-by-design approach. !

Glenn Schulz is managing director at the FDT Group.

April 2019

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VALVES & ACTUATORS

How to automate an existing manual valve Automating an existing valve instead of replacing it can save time and reduce costs. Ronnie Moore explains how.

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ometimes process requirements change and it becomes necessary to replace an existing manual process valve with an automated on/off or control valve. Instead of pulling the old valve out of service and replacing it with a new valve, users should consider automating the existing valve. If the valve is in good condition and has the means to mount an actuator, automating it can save time and money.

Safety first The preferred method is to remove the valve from the line and automate it in the maintenance shop, but that is not always possible. If you choose to automate the existing valve inline, make sure the valve is not under pressure and follow the plant’s lockout tagout (LOTO) procedures before working on the valve.

To start, identify the size, make, and model of the valve. Consult the valve manufacturer’s literature or consult with a manufacturer’s representative for the torque (rotary valves) or thrust (linear valves) requirement of the valve. Ask the manufacturer or the representative if it is recommended to automate the valve.

Figure 1: Most modern ball valves have pre-drilled mounting holes for actuation.

All images courtesy: Cross Co.

Make sure the valve has an actuator mounting pad or body bolts that can be used to mount the actuator without compromising the integrity of the valve.

Most modern ball valves have pre-drilled mounting holes for actuation (see Figure 1).

If using body bolts to mount the actuator, make sure that the bolts are long enough to engage the

bracket and valve body when they are reinstalled. Ask the valve manufacturer for its recommendations for length and grade of bolts if existing bolts need to be replaced.

Selecting an actuator Determine the additional safety factor you want to add to the manufacturer’s recommended torque and add it to the

Ball valves with integrated position feedback GEMÜ can offer a range of ball valves for manual operation with suitable position feedback – all are pre-assembled, preset and tested.

The pre-assembled valves save time and effort required for sourcing two separate items and results in faster and simpler installation on site.

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For use with the GEMÜ 711 and GEMÜ 740 3-piece ball valves, the GEMÜ 762 one-piece compact flange ball valve and the GEMÜ 797 high-pressure ball valve, GEMÜ is offering either the GEMÜ LSF inductive dual sensors or the GEMÜ LSC limit switch box.

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Control Engineering Europe

> p16

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VALVES & ACTUATORS

Malaysian refinery gets maintenance support

Figure 2: An actuator with a valve mounting bracket is shown. There are custom bracket manufacturers that will adapt most actuators to most valves.

manufacturer’s torque. This safety factor will ensure the valve will operate even if the air supply drops slightly or if the mounting kit binds slightly and increases the required torque. Also, as an actuator wears and air bypasses the pistons, the torque output will start to decrease.

Determine the desired function of the actuator and make sure it is the proper size. After choosing an actuator, consult with the valve manufacturer or their representative and obtain the proper mounting kit to adapt the actuator to the valve. It is important to note that there are custom bracket manufacturers that will adapt just about any brand actuator to just about any brand valve so don’t worry if the valve and the actuator are different name brands (see Figure 2).

The important thing is to make sure you are using a rotary actuator on rotary valves and linear actuators on linear valves. The actuator supplier can help obtain the correct mounting kits in most instances.

Before installing the actuator, make sure the valve position matches the actuator. If the actuator is a fail-closed actuator, make sure the valve is in the closed position. When an actuator is mounted on a rotary valve, leave the

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mounting bolts slightly loose and stroke the actuator a couple of times. This will ensure the mounting bracket is properly aligned and is not binding.

Torque the bolts to the proper tightness. After the bolts are tightened, stroke the actuator fully open and fully closed a few more times to make sure nothing is binding and the valve opens and closes smoothly. Most linear valves and actuators use a two-piece stem coupling (clamshell coupling). The linear actuator will include a yoke that attaches to the valve.

Some linear actuators require the user to add low-pressure air to slightly open the actuator before attaching the stem clamshell. This will preload thrust to hold the valve tightly in the closed position. Consult the valve and actuator manufacturer.Finally, add any controls such as solenoids, limit switches, or positioners to the assembly if they are needed. Attach it to the plant air and wiring and test one more time before returning the valve to service. !

The Hengyuan Refining Company Berhad, a refiner, manufacturer and supplier of petroleum products in Malaysia, has chosen the Rotork Client Support Programme (CSP) for the asset management of valve actuation equipment at its Port Dickson refinery.

Awarded to Rotork Malaysia, the CSP will initially run for two years, with the option to extend to four. It is designed to meet the company’s specific needs, encompassing 157 Rotork electric actuators, a Rotork Master Station and Pakscan control loop testing facility.

The Rotork CSP offers a tailor-made service designed to increase reliability and availability of valve actuator and control products via planned maintenance, predictive maintenance and asset management. The primary goal is to identify and eliminate any potential issues before they occur.

This includes equipment checks, replacement of worn components and partial or complete overhauls at specific periods. CSP clients have 24/7 access to Rotork Support Centres, with prioritised technical assistance backed by comprehensive resources and dedicated systems.

Benefits such as increased production and reduced year-on-year maintenance costs are supported by generated reports detailing cost savings and performance improvements.

Ronnie Moore is resident valve expert at US-based Cross Co. This article originally appeared on www.controleng.com

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Control Engineering Europe

UK INDUSTRY FOCUS

SPEND WISELY TO ADDRESS CYBER THREATS Brian Harrison highlights the findings of a report on cost of cyber security testing for UK manufacturers.

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n 2018, the UK manufacturing industry spent £2.12bn on security testing to keep digital assets and infrastructure safe from cybercriminals. Despite this 40% of all manufacturers registered a cyberattack in 2018. This must mean that the current processes are either not there, or not working. Industry must not only consider its own assets, but the vast and complex supply chain that involves technology, third-party suppliers and distributors.

Cybersecurity a key concern for manufacturing and process facilities but, with over three-quarters of manufacturers outsourcing their cybersecurity testing, according to research from AVORD, there appears to be a lack of in-house knowledge to tackle security threats.

Three-in-four manufacturing companies think that the cost of security testing is too expensive, and it can be hard to justify spending revenue on security testing. However, manufacturers could actually be spending more than they should as a result of companies performing the role of the middle man to

get to the expertise of testers.

Another problem for the manufacturing industry – unlike other consumer-focused industries where protecting personal data is essential – is understanding which assets they need to protect, and how. AVORD research has found that 70% of manufacturers were unable to determine the risk associated with a data breach like this, further demonstrating this worrying gap in knowledge from the industry.

Methods used by hackers to access data have not changed drastically over the past decade, but the prize has become far greater in recent years because customer information comprises a major part of digital assets. While companies may be adding metric value to an increasing share of their data and intangible assets, the problem occurs when they do not recognise who has access to this data through their supply chain.

Large manufacturers have vast and complex supply chains that are not necessarily held to the same standard of security testing as the corporation itself. While businesses may be spending

considerable sums of money on testing, volume is not synonymous with value.

When failing to have these security tests as part of a supplier agreements, companies simply offer cybercriminals additional points of entry.

Manufacturers need to take stock of their supply chain and assess where the weak links may be. If necessary, manufacturing companies will need to ask that their suppliers undertake similar rigorous security testing in order to protect themselves from cyberattacks by proxy. Only once thorough and regular testing processes are implemented across the whole chain can you be certain that valuable data is secure.

Brian Harrison is CEO at AVORD.

Apprenticeship Levy fails to deliver In a recent report the National Audit Office (NAO) stated that since funding reforms were introduced, apprenticeship starts have fallen substantially. The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy significantly changed the pattern of apprenticeship starts with a spike in April 2017, before the reforms took effect. However, the number of starts fell after this and has not recovered to previous levels.

Commenting on the report, Verity Davidge, head of education and skills policy at Make UK, said: “The report confirms what industry already knows; the apprenticeship levy is not working. Manufacturers have always been true champions of apprenticeships but the Government’s reforms have left many deeply frustrated.

Control Engineering UK

One-in-ten manufacturers is actively delaying or cancelling apprenticeships because of the Levy and 95% believe that the Apprenticeship Levy must be changed.

“While the move towards higher level apprenticeships should be applauded, we cannot ignore the fact that manufacturers need a pipeline of trained staff from shop floor to top floor. There has been an increasing shortfall in technician level roles which has continued since the introduction of the Levy which, combined with the changes in the labour market driven by Brexit, will have a hugely detrimental effect.

“Government needs to stop tweaking around the edges and use its current Review to really listen to employers and make radical change and make it quickly,” said Davidge.

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April 2019

UK1

SENSORS

ADDING MOTION TO THE IO-LINK MIX Darren Pratt explains why adding IO-Link compatibility to an encoder is a vital breakthrough on the road to Industry 4.0.

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ensors of all kinds are the ‘eyes and ears’ of machines in Industry 4.0 and the appetite for ‘smart’ and IO-Link sensors – from photoelectric cells to process sensors and distance sensors – has grown rapidly. Armed with IO-Link and the increased intelligence and processing power on ever smaller devices, it has become possible to realise many more distributed machine solutions more simply, and often more cheaply.

IO-Link provides a standard open communications gateway that enables a common architecture to be used for sensors and actuators in a machine.

Through IO-Link, devices are able to cooperate at the lowest level of the automation hierarchy, then link, through an IO field gateway, to transmit data – often with added value – via the factory ethernet network to a controller.

Grouped together in local process clusters, sensors can perform ‘smart tasks’ at the field level. IO-Link has also begun to break down traditional control hierarchies by making data visible to higher levels, as well as in the cloud.

Transparent access can even be provided to the intelligence on board the sensor.

Adding motion With an IO-Link enabled encoder motion sensing is added into the IOLink mix, opening up countless new possibilities for plant and machinery.

It could even begin to prompt new paradigms in the way we organise and configure sensing capability within machines.

The AHS36 (single turn) and AHM36 (multi-turn) IO-Link absolute encoders are new offerings from SICK which are able to achieve quick, easy and

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April 2019

economical higher-level fieldbus integration via an IO-Link Master.

Adding IO-Link compatibility to encoders has achieved cost-saving machine integration starting with a compact design: With the IO-Link master performing the higher-level Ethernet interface, the IO-Link encoder can be manufactured in a much smaller package.

The need to use a dedicated interface card on the PLC rack is also eliminated, saving time, cost and complexity.

Standard unshielded cabling can be used between the encoders and the IO-Link master, so wiring costs can also be reduced.

In addition to programming through the PLC, or with a PC, it is now also possible to store and download the encoder parameters from the IO-Link Master, so device replacement is simply ‘plug and play’.

IO-Link absolute encoders can offer high levels of diagnostic transparency.

Error warnings can be provided on a range of both application-specific and encoder-health parameters such as position, speed or temperature out of

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range. Advanced versions from SICK will be able to provide even more comprehensive provision and storage of diagnostic data such as temperature values, and operating times.

With SICK’s AHS36/AHM36 IO-Link encoders one final frontier of distributed processing can be achieved in the encoder itself. With the addition of a configurable output and input pin, a direct interface with another device can be enabled to realise ‘Smart Tasks’ in the encoder itself.

This could be something as simple as an input to the encoder to tell it when to start and stop a length measurement, resulting in a length value output to the control system via IO-Link.

Another solution is to use the length measurement value calculated within the encoder to generate a direct digital output to a cutter or sealer, thereby eliminating the need to connect the encoder to a higher-level control system. !

Darren Pratt is product manager for Encoders and Industrial Instrumentation at SICK UK. Control Engineering UK

SENSORS

IO-Link RFID read/write modules A range of IO-Link RFID read/write modules from Contrinex are said to offer fast, low-cost integration by utilising two key industry communication standards within one device: The ISO15693 RFID standard in the read/write head for communication with the transponders and ISO 61131-9 IO-Link at the connector for communication with the control system.

Simplified plug-and-play installation ensures cost-effective integration as well as giving the choice to operate either as RFID read/write devices or as stand-alone SIO sensors, where the RFID module acts as a discrete sensor providing binary switching. In the SIO mode, tag presence detection or data block comparison is used to provide a conditional output, much like a sensor.

Product testing lines will often comprise several test stations, each

performing a fixed sequence of tests.

For efficient real-time monitoring, identification systems need to integrate into the overall control system.

In a typical RFID system, part carriers are equipped with tags and every test station has a read/write module (RWM). To program the testing machine, the RWM reads from each tag the type of test required for an individual part. After each test, the RWM writes the results back into the appropriate tag memory address/location.

Test reports are automatically forwarded to the controller for product acceptance or rejection and fault correction.

HF Basic read/write modules with IO-Link allow easy system integration, making it ideal for use in this application. The ConIdent

HF Basic tags and Read/write modules are compatible with ISO/IEC 15693, have fast data transfer times; and are available with a range of interfaces. Thanks to userdefined password protection features, data security is also covered.

RESISTANT, SMART, COMPACT: ENCODERS FOR HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

The AHS/AHM36 IO-Link Inox absolute encoders set standards in resistance to environmental influences and for IO-Link communication. With an enclosure rating IP69, the encoders are suitable for use in very harsh ambient conditions. With a housing diameter of only 36mm and a variety of mounting options, the AHS/AHM36 IO-Link Inox absolute encoders fit into nearly every application. The IO-Link interface enables economical encoder integration into Ethernet and fieldbus networks and simple configuration. We think that’s intelligent. www.sick.co.uk

NEW PRODUCTS

Raspberry Pi-based communication modules RS Components has introduced KUNBUS to its supplier portfolio – a developer of intelligent communications modules, including fieldbus- and industrial Ethernetbased devices for a range of automation markets.

The KUNBUS products now shipping from RS include 14 new lines including industrial computers, PLCs and data acquisition and humanmachine interface (HMI) devices. A key series from KUNBUS is the Revolution Pi series of opensource and modular industrial PCs, based on the wellestablished Raspberry Pi platform, a modular system which meets the EN61131-2 international standard for PLCs, offers a series of central processing units including the RevPi Connect, RevPi Core and RevPi Core 3.

Installed in DIN-rail housings, all the products come with

USB, Ethernet and HDMI connections and are based around the Raspberry Pi Compute module, making them compatible with the Raspberry Pi model 3 or Raspberry Pi B+.

Depending on application requirements, these base modules can be expanded seamlessly using digital or analogue I/O modules, as well as fieldbus gateways to connect them to an industrial network.

Retrofittable CODESYS 3 HMI/PLC Turck Banner can offer CODESYS 3 programming as an addition to its TX HMI/PLC series.

Compared to the established TX500 models, two central modifications have been added: The TX700 devices operate with multicore processors at an operating frequency of 800 MHz and use a modern Linux platform. This makes it possible to implement more complex control tasks and visualisations.

The glass display of the units, with a capacitive touch function, enables intuitive operation with the gesture control typically used with smartphones.

With their range of interfaces, the TX700 units offer versatile use straight from the factory, such as master operation in Profinet, Ethernet/ IP, Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU and CANopen. Use as a slave (server) is also possible in both Modbus networks.

This is said to considerably reduce the number of device variants required in stock. An integrated OPC UA server allows the parallel transfer of monitoring data to higher-level systems Thanks to three separate Ethernet ports, users are able to physically separate communication to cloud or office IT networks from the machine controller, helping ensure reliable PLC operation and enabling switch functions to be implemented for creating line topologies.

Hazardous area inspection software Boulting has introduced cloud-based inspection software that enables plant engineers to ensure control equipment in hazardous areas is compliant with the latest technical standard, BS EN 60079:17, which sets clear guidelines around zone classification, electrical installation and equipment protection in explosive atmospheres.

The app provides clear visibility of hazardous area inspections and incorporates radio frequency identity tags

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April 2019

that make it easy to recall information for each device. The system integrates documents required to form an Explosive Protection Document (EPD) for an unlimited number of items, including all area classification documents, risk assessments, equipment certificates and details of all equipment requiring inspection, frequency of inspection and associated drawings. All information is stored securely in the cloud, with client read only access available.

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Control Engineering UK

WEIGHING TECHNOLOGY

WEIGHING UP THE BENEFITS OF SEAMLESS INTEGRATION Matt Morrissey explains how an integrated automation solution has helped a brick manufacturer to gain greater visibility of its processes as part of a upgrade and production expansion exercise.

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hen a Canadian manufacturer of bricks set out to increase production of its heritage brick range its first requirement was a high-efficiency, automated production facility.

The first step of the brick making production process is to crush the shale and clay products. These ingredients are then mixed together and blended using equipment supplied by J. McCoy Equipment. Oshawa Bearing provides the plant automation components, integrating electrical and mechanical equipment into control systems, and it relies on Siemens automation and weighing technology for this.

The mixing and blending operation uses continuous weighing systems installed on conveyors that feed the mixer. Water is added to the blend in the mixer and the resulting slurry is formed into the rectangular brick shape with a 400hp extruder. After the extrusion significant automation is applied to cut, condition, stack and bake, and finally package the bricks.

Oshawa has been using Siemens automation technology for many years, since a Siemens PLC was specified by a customer many years ago. Since then the company has adopted Siemens as its automation supplier to provide multivendor integration of motor drives, weighing technology, instrumentation, and PLCs within the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portal programming interface.

The TIA Portal has allowed Oshawa Bearing to seamlessly integrate the following technology into the brickControl Engineering Europe

making process: SIMATIC S7-1200 and S71500 PLCs; SIWAREX weighing modules Siemens Milltronics MUS belt scales, along with a variety of third-party devices.

The SIWAREX WP241 weighing module for weigh belt applications integrates onto the bus of the SIMATIC S7-1200 PLC. This gives operators easy access to weighing information and calibration settings within the automation programming.

For the physical measurement of the material on the belt a Siemens Milltronics MUS belt scale with a modular design was chosen. This scale has a modular design which can mount to any width of conveyor up to 1.5m. With corrosionresistant nickel-plated alloy steel load cells, the scale is said to provide operators with an accuracy of ±0.5%.

Time savings With the SIWAREX weighing module capabilities and integration into the automation system, operators also save on calibration effort when compared to the use of previous systems that included analogue input cards, specialised displays and which required manual adjustment.

With SIWAREX and a little programming operators no longer need to physically zero and calibrate the scale.

Instead they can diagnose issues and calibrate the scale from the control room or a local user panel.

In addition, usable information such as instrument diagnostics and plant status, is now quickly and easily accessible to operators. Drive performance, conveyor belt speed, material flow rates, and a host of other crucial information can be observed in the control room.

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If a problem occurs, operators are instantly alerted so are able to more quickly address issues before they impact plant performance.

Commenting on the use of Siemens automation technology in its control solution, Barry Thompson, president at Oshawa Bearing Service, said: “Siemens Totally Integrated Automation has provided us and our customers with a flexible solution. The time savings are substantial with the integration of SIWAREX WP241, and weighing applications have become a breeze and have added significant value to our customers.”

The biggest impact of projects such as this are the resulting operational efficiencies enjoyed by end-users with the simple calibration process and availability of information throughout the plant. The brick production facility, for example, is now benefitting from a full and instant view of its manufacturing process which gives it confidence in its processes. !

Matt Morrissey is product manager at Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments in Canada.

April 2019

17

PREDICTIVE MAINTENACE

THE DRIVE TOWARDS REDUCED DOWNTIMES Inverter drives are getting smarter and are now able to look after themselves, along with a range of other plant equipment such as fans, pumps, motors and conveyors.

Wayne Turtill explains how this is being achieved.

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ariable speed drives (VSDs) have always been able to monitor motor current and output torque to provide an early warning of impending problems with rotating plant equipment and machinery.

Today’s information-rich VSD displays and connectivity to Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) means that error codes are presented with meaningful troubleshooting information, so engineers no longer have to look through paper manuals to diagnose and rectify a fault.

Going beyond routine fault codes today’s technology can offer significant advances in plant monitoring and diagnostics, taking the uncertainty out of maintenance and reducing unscheduled downtimes. In particular VSDs now play a key role in moving from a regime of preventative maintenance to one of more costeffective predictive maintenance.

Reducing unplanned downtime The intelligent functionality of modern VSDs offers all the tools needed to reduce unplanned downtime, detect problems in bearings, motors, pumps, fans and conveyors – as well as in the drives themselves – before they cause a failure. With early warnings of impending failure and pro-active requests for servicing, it is possible for engineering teams to make informed decisions about when to schedule maintenance.

Consider, for example, a drive controlling the motor on a conveyor line.

Unscheduled stoppages on conveyors

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Mitsubishi Electric’s variable speed drives provide all the tools that are needed to reduce unplanned downtime. [Source: Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V]

that then halt the whole production line can be devastating. However, many of the typical problems that will halt a conveyor line are easy to detect from within the drive. Common issues such as worn bearings, for example, cause friction and can be detected by a higher output current that is needed to overcome the increased load. Conversely, a decrease in load – suggestive of wear in drive belts – can also be detected.

Such diagnostics are simple to set up, requiring minimal adjustment to parameters. Different levels of monitoring and alarms can be defined to meet individual requirements, with local display on the drive itself or an HMI, or remote monitoring over a network. In the conveyor example, all that needs to be defined are upper and lower limits for motor output current and the maintenance team will receive timely warnings of bearing or belt wear.

In fan and pump applications, the

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relationship between speed and torque can be indicative of impending problems. These characteristics start to trend away from the norm due to wear as a component approaches the end of its service life. It can also reveal problems such as blocked filters and pipes. Again, warnings about issues before they impact on efficiency of operation gives engineers the best possible opportunity to schedule maintenance at the most convenient time.

Monitoring efficiency Some VSDs use sophisticated algorithms to monitor fan efficiency, pump curves and performance, offering dedicated diagnostics functions for the likes of fan and pump applications. The Mitsubishi Electric FR-F800 series, for example, offers a ‘cleaning function’ (de-ragging), which provides warning of the buildup of dirt and foreign matter on the impellers of fans and pumps. Left Control Engineering Europe

PREDICTIVE MAINTENACE unchecked, this build up will eventually stop the fan or pump motor completely and will need an engineer to access the equipment to clean it, however, the drive is capable of running routines that solve the problem, not just highlight it.

With the cleaning function, this buildup of dirt can be removed by repeating forward/reverse rotation and stopping the motor, eliminating extended downtime. The function can be enabled manually on the display of an alarm or can be started automatically when an overload is detected. If the process clears the problem, the load characteristics return to normal and operation can continue. If the problem isn’t cleared, an alarm can be triggered to alert the maintenance team, again giving them time to deal with the issue as and when is convenient, before equipment failure.

It is possible to extend those diagnostics capabilities further, bringing predictive maintenance in line with the digitisation of manufacturing, aligning it

with the goals of Industry 4.0. Mitsubishi Electric has integrated its Smart Condition Monitoring (SCM) technology into its inverters.

The pre-configured, plug-and-play solution includes the FAG SmartCheck vibration sensor from e-F@ctory Alliance partner Schaeffler and combines it with the PLC functionality integrated within the drive to provide a complete drive-based solution for predictive maintenance.

This integrated approach to monitoring the health of individual assets combines local traffic-light indication of the asset through red, amber and green status lights on the installed SmartCheck sensor with more detailed analysis performed by the drive.

Within the VSD, operating temperature and vibration feedback from the SmartCheck sensor is combined with the monitoring of a full range of other external parameters, including speed, voltage and current information, with

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detailed diagnoses highlighted on the drive’s integrated display.

In the event of a change of state that indicates a deterioration of operating conditions or a likely impending failure, the system will display practical recommended measures to take locally via clear text messages or by forwarding them to higher-level systems. This means that maintenance personnel do not always need special experience or diagnostics expertise to be able to identify faults directly, take the necessary measures and schedule maintenance work as required.

As a result, downtime is minimised and system availability maximised – which in turn leads to further cost reductions. The net result is that system maintenance for critical assets can be planned in advance, resulting in a longer service life. !

Wayne Turtill is product manager for Drives and Servos at Mitsubishi Electric.

Sven-Philipp Abraham, Product Management – Product Center Ident + Vision

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

PUTTING DATA TO WORK WITH PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE Today around two-thirds of manufacturers are gathering data from their production environments, yet relatively few are using it to improve processes or boost productivity and yield, argues Dr Simon Kampa.

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ne of the areas that big data and analytics has the greatest potential to transform manufacturing environments is in the world of predictive maintenance. The potential of data science to improve how machines are monitored and maintained has long been recognised, with the roots of today’s data-driven approaches to condition monitoring being formed in the aerospace and defence sectors over 30 years ago.

However, the labour intensive nature of analysing and forecasting machine health has limited its use to heavily regulated sectors and the most critical production assets only. It has, traditionally, relied on experts to gather and spot the crucial signs that a known fault might occur again in the future.

Although expensive and timeconsuming, this approach did enable organisations to understand when a component or machine was getting close to failure and even to predict when it would no longer be able to perform its intended function. The discipline, called prognostics, improved maintenance by enabling engineers to apply the right intervention before failures could occur.

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and analytics, has automated prognostic analysis and it can now be achieved by a computer and deployed affordably at scale in more down to earth settings.

It is now possible to collect and analyse a range of data sets from most machines which contains the clues to spot early signs of wear and tear. Software can be introduced to analyse data collected from machines automatically, using

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smart, self-learning algorithms to diagnose and predict failures.

A transformative approach This automated approach to predictive maintenance is transformative for how manufacturers manage and invest in machinery. Factories can now undertake condition monitoring automatically across thousands of machines, minimising downtime by ensuring machines are scheduled for maintenance ahead of failure without dedicating hundreds of human hours to gathering and analysing specific information.

Simple alerts can be set up to provide information about matching failure models and the remaining useful life of each piece of machinery. An automated approach to condition monitoring and predictive maintenance should offer an accessible way to reduce machine downtime and increase the overall efficiency and performance of their production environment.

Preparing for action Before introducing predictive maintenance or condition monitoring, manufacturers first have to understand exactly what they want to achieve.

Qualifying the goal is key to working out the validity of condition monitoring.

Cost is one of the best ways to quantify potential savings and justify the use of condition monitoring but this isn’t always a straightforward process as downtime can have many hidden costs beyond simply the loss of production, including the price of spare parts, labour and scrap product.

The gains from condition monitoring must clearly outweigh the cost, but there is more to consider than the cost of

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implementation and downtime avoided.

Businesses should determine the total potential savings, including prices of assets with a longer lifespan as part of their return on investment figures. The initial financial gains will increase over time due to continuous improvement.

Conclusion While an automated approach to prognostics and condition monitoring represents a new way of working for many, the benefits more than justify the change. Organisations that have already embraced this approach have reduced maintenance costs by 40%, halved their levels of machine downtime and delivered dramatic improvements in throughput, quality and margin.

While predictive maintenance has been practised for 30 years, it is only in recent years that advances in prognostics and automation allow such sophisticated approaches to condition monitoring to be applied factory-wide.

Given the financial and operational benefits of introducing predictive maintenance at scale are now much greater than the cost of implementing and managing such programmes, it is hard to conceive any large scale manufacturer not using them. !

Dr Simon Kampa is CEO at Senseye.

Control Engineering Europe

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE CONDITION MONITORING STRATEGY David Manning-Ohren offers advice on how to implement condition monitoring, regardless of budget.

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ondition monitoring is often the first step on the road to effective asset management.

Having a strategy in place makes it possible to identify any potential asset failures and plan for repairs or swap-outs in a way that does not impact production. Identifying issues in their early stages also means that they can be rectified before failure occurs.

Suggested tips for an efficient condition monitoring strategy include: Take a holistic view: Before implementing any form of condition monitoring, analyse th e process, equipment and the needs of the process.

Look methodically at each part of the production line and establish an idea of how everything works together and think about applying the technology specifically to the failure mode. If certain areas of the production line are not your particular area of expertise, draft in an expert to review it for you.

Be realistic: Ideally, each application across the production line would have a condition monitoring system for collecting and analysing data. However, considering the costs and the downtime involved in this undertaking, it cannot be seen as a realistic objective.

Focus instead on small, achievable

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goals within a single application.

Expand the condition monitoring capabilities gradually, learning from each implementation. Identify KPIs, set objectives or map-out ideal scenarios.

Flexibility is key: The fact that individual businesses have different needs and processes means that there is no one-size-fits all when it comes to condition monitoring. Be prepared to consider, and invest in, a number of different solutions, such as thermographic survey equipment, vibration analysis, oil analysis or ultrasound emissions.

Don’t let budget constraints dictate the choice of strategy, either. The cheapest solution is rarely the most effective, and analysis capabilities and results may be compromised. Always prioritise performance over price as this will yield cost savings in the long run.

Focus on known failures: Have any parts of the production line failed in the past five or ten years? If so it may be possible to identify patterns, or common denominators, across these failures.

Identifying problematic areas, particularly those that are having a demonstrable impact on production and efficiency, will help identify which condition monitoring equipment will

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provide the best return on investment.

It will also help identify a root cause, allowing the actual problem, and not just its symptoms, to be addressed.

Effective data handling: The data collected by condition monitoring equipment can be a valuable tool to help enhance production, processes and profitability, but only if they are used correctly. A data management strategy is a prerequisite to a successful condition monitoring strategy and needs to be a consideration from the very beginning.

Today condition monitoring systems are available that gather all the information needed to provide insight into crucial assets. Features could include everything from data logging and periodic text reports, to continual monitoring of device states with alerts, to trending with threshold-triggered alerts, diagnostics with local algorithms, and prognosis using high-end analytical techniques.

Effective condition monitoring has a key role to play in asset management as it is impossible to take care of an asset unless you know what you have and what condition the asset is in. !

David Manning-Ohren is business development manager at ERIKS UK.

March 2019

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Condition monitoring for the many

Today, equipment can be monitored efficiently and serviced according to business needs, rather than schedules, thanks to the Industrial Internet of Things, says Mohamed Zied Ouertani.

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raditional maintenance work, using time-based schedules, is focused mainly on equipment that already works well. This is time consuming and results in equipment that is working perfectly well being adjusted or even replaced.

Most mechanical failures are not related to the age of the equipment, but most maintenance teams act as if the opposite were the case, working their way through a list of time-based actions.

More effective maintenance can be achieved by addressing issues based on level of priority, business needs and actual conditions. This can be done using the monitoring technologies that have become available thanks to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

According to calculations made by ABB, with more effective monitoring, the cost of maintenance can be reduced

by between 15 and 40%. The number of failures during operation can be cut by over 90% and contribute 2 to 3% to plant availability. Even fractional improvements in plant uptime is a big contributor to improved earnings.

Today equipment degradation can be detected before faults occur, reducing downtime, cutting costs and improving safety. With all the relevant data held in cloud repositories, equipment can be analysed with big data technologies, helping to map failure patterns, failure modes and equipment performance.

A structured approach Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a structured way of approaching equipment failures and their possible causes. Maintenance experts across a range of industries have used this methodology for many decades, usually

with pen and paper. This process has now been packaged into software and the analysis is carried out by computers.

All processes and pieces of equipment are represented by digital twins in the software. Causes of failure for each piece of equipment are identified – including failure modes that cannot be observed by sensors. All available information, such as data, feedback and expert opinions are used to build these models. They are continuously improved using data and customer feedback.

Once the structured FMEA model is in place, the expected time from the first indication of a fault to actual failure, is calculated. When the first indication appears, for instance bearing vibration, it is possible to work out the remaining time to failure – in this case, bearing failure. With sufficient field data this interval can be calculated with a high

Smart sensors can analyse machine data.

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Control Engineering Europe

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE degree of accuracy.

This provides a robust basis for the planning of maintenance activities.

Knowing, for example, that you have three weeks to replace the bearing enables preparations to be made.

Processes can be shifted to redundant equipment or the load can be reduced until maintenance can be carried out.

Handling the data When expanding monitoring to cover a greater number of machines, the sheer volume of data can become an issue.

The challenge, until now, has been that hardwiring is costly and wireless communication is not continuous, as wireless sensors provide readings on a periodic basis to save battery power.

Hardwiring can only be justified for the most critical pieces of equipment, normally about 5% of all machinery.

Wireless is not suitable for all types of equipment and conditions – usually, it can only cover about 15% of the equipment.

Now, the remaining 80% can be monitored using edge computing, a concept that involves processing the data locally, in peripheral devices, with only the most relevant information being sent to a plant or enterprise asset management sy-stem.

Several years ago, a world leading Chemical giant started several programs aiming to improve profitability and opera-tions by using leading-edge technologies.

At its main site in Germany, the company has hundreds of different production facilities with thousands of rotating assets. In the past only a fraction of these would be monitored.

Monitoring thousands of assets is a huge undertaking, bearing in mind the volumes of data that would need to be collected, transferred, processed and analysed. Together with ABB, the company set out to find ways to address these issues.

Sending raw readings to a high-level system is suitable and efficient when monitoring dozens of assets, but not thousands. The amount of raw data increases as quickly as the number of Control Engineering Europe

With edge computing data is processed locally, in peripheral devices, with only the most relevant information being sent to a plant or enterprise asset management system.

monitored assets, generating high traffic in the wireless communication infrastructure and requiring a large amount of data storage and processing power.

Every wireless sensor can generate up to 250 megabytes of raw data per day and frequently more than 99% of this data is irrelevant for understating the trends in the machine health. To solve this challenge, a new approach was needed. The solution was found with Edge computing – a method of optimising applications by moving a portion of the application to one of its peripheral parts, such as a field installed sensor.

By processing the data locally, inside the sensor attached to the machine, the volume of data sent to a higherlevel monitoring system can be reduced from hundreds of megabytes to a few kilobytes. The work started in Germany has resulted in a range of smart, IIoTenabled sensors being available.

Having analysed the data, the peripheral asset is not only able to tell the higher-level system what the symptoms are – such vibration or temperature readings – but also what it thinks the problem is. This is a huge benefit to maintenance teams, who no longer need to go out to examine the issue before addressing it. Instead, they can start with a work order that lists the parts needed and the tools required to do the job. The task can

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then be completed in just one visit, instead of multiple trips.

It is also possible to involve artificial intelligence (AI) which can help outline machine condition in a quantitative way.

As well as addressing problems in order of priority and cutting out unnecessary maintenance work, IIoT technologies can help eliminate any unplanned shutdown due to equipment malfunction, failure or maintenance actions gone wrong.

It also becomes easier to share information between daily operations and the maintenance department, as both have access to the same data since they use the same system. For some manufacturers this kind of collaboration between departments is nothing short of revolutionary and can go a long way to improving the bottom-line performance of the facility on a daily basis.

The next step in optimising asset management is to integrate the computerised maintenance management system. This will enable the maintenance department to plan its activities, track spare parts inventory and even order external contractors in the same system that is aggregating condition monitoring data across the enterprise. !

Mohamed Zied Ouertani is digital lead & technology manager Chemicals & Refining at ABB. April 2019

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OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES TO PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE Jos Martin examines the key barriers to implementation of predictive maintenance technologies, and how these can be alleviated.

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redictive maintenance makes a lot of promises including reduced downtime and eliminating unnecessary maintenance. However it is important to keep engineering and business challenges from getting in the way. Common obstacles and arguments to implementation include: • We do not have enough data to create a predictive maintenance system: Many predictive maintenance approaches rely on machine learning algorithms, so there needs to be enough data to create an accurate model. For predictive maintenance, this data usually originates from sensors on machinery. If the sensors are new or the way readings are logged limits the information, you will need to think about the best way to access enough data to build your models.

Take a close look at your list of data sources – You might find that your department does not collect enough data to power a predictive maintenance system. Consider whether other departments collect data as well.

Depending on where you are in the supply chain, it is also worth looking at agreements with your suppliers or customers. Cooperating to prolong the health and efficiency of equipment components may put you in a winwin situation that fosters data access between business entities.

Some systems operate in a feast or famine mode where data isn’t collected until a fault occurs. Others only log event codes and time stamps: engineers are notified that an event occurred, but not the sensor values at the time

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of the failure. Although this data may be useful for diagnostics, it is likely insufficient for developing models that can predict failures. Consider changing the data logging options to record more data, perhaps on a test fleet if production data is not available.

Depending on the load on existing embedded devices, it may be possible to reconfigure them to collect and transmit sensor data, or external data loggers may be necessary to get started.

Use simulation tools to synthesise data – Generate test data using simulation tools and combine that data with what sensor data is available to build and validate predictive maintenance algorithms. This is done by creating models that cover the mechanical, electrical, or other physical system to be monitored. Synthesise sample data and validate this against measured data to ensure the model is well-calibrated. This can be done at the component level first, then later at the system level for complex systems.

When considering data for a predictive maintenance system, begin to analyse it early to understand which features are important and which may be redundant. It can be costly to keep data that is not going to be used.

• We lack the failure data needed for accurate results: Failure data is a crucial part of teaching algorithms to recognise the warning signs to trigger just-in-time maintenance. Failure data may not exist if maintenance is performed so often that no failures have occurred, or the system is safety critical and cannot be left to fail.

To stop this from becoming a fatal

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deficiency, you can simulate failure data and learn how to recognise warning signs.

An engineer with deep system knowledge of how the physical components work will be able to generate sample failure data with the right tools. Tools such as failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) provide useful starting points for determining which failures to simulate. An engineer with sufficient domain knowledge can incorporate these behaviours into the model in a variety of scenarios, which simulate failures by adjusting temperatures, flow rates, or vibrations or adding a sudden fault. These scenarios can then be simulated, and the resulting failure data is labeled and stored for further analysis.

While failure data might not be present, operations data might show trends about how a machine degrades over time. Statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) can provide valuable insight into how equipment operates over time, transforming raw sensor data into something which can be visualised and analysed more easily.

• We understand the failures, but we cannot predict them: Understanding the cause of a failure is important, but there is a significant difference between identifying what went wrong and knowing how to predict it. Root cause analysis is an integral part of domain knowledge that, paired with predictive maintenance algorithms, creates an effective predictive maintenance program. If the algorithm part of the equation is a new and intimidating Control Engineering Europe

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

undertaking, you can take these steps to reduce the learning curve.

Define goals – It is important to define your goals upfront. You should then think about how the predictive maintenance algorithm will affect these goals. Building a framework that can test an algorithm and estimate its performance relative to your goals will enable faster design iterations.

Start small – If you already know the causes behind failures, then the domain knowledge is there. Choose a project using a deeply understood system to practice on. Make sure you understand the features and factors that affect the performance of the system, and build a predictive maintenance algorithm. As the simplest starting point, consider if thresholding a feature is a significant maintenance indicator (typically done via control charts). Once you and your team are comfortable with building the algorithms for a simple problem, you can apply that knowledge to more complex systems.

Gain confidence – When predictive maintenance algorithms begin to show promising your domain knowledge to tune models to predict different outcomes based on the cost/severity of those outcomes. To further validate models, add generated failure data similar to known historical conditions and test the system. This will build confidence that the process is working.

• We do not know how to do predictive maintenance: Every new technology requires investment that must be justified. If machine learning has only recently been introduced, it is only natural to see what might be considered an advanced application of it as a risk. However, you can take steps to minimise that risk and get up and running with a working predictive maintenance model as quickly as possible.

Instead of trying to introduce a new technology and technique, take advantage of new capabilities in the software already in place and focus on the new techniques. Some tools already have specific predictive maintenance Control Engineering Europe

capabilities, enabling engineers to continue working in an environment they know.

Data can be gathered from multiple sources, such as databases, spreadsheets, or web archives. Make sure the data is in the right format including date and time stamps.

Pain points are often around how to organise the data for analysis. If you don’t have enough data, you can generate this from a physical model of the machine to supplement normal usage, varying parameter values, different system dynamics, or signal faults.

If data has come from different sources, it will also need to be combined. If you remove anomalies, think about whether you want to replace them with approximate values or work with a smaller data set.

Instead of feeding sensor data directly into machine learning models, it is common to extract features from the sensor data. These features capture higher-level information in the sensor data, for example moving averages or frequency content. The use of familiar tools to perform feature extraction techniques simplifies this step. An iterative approach—in which features are added, new models are trained, and their performance is compared— can work well to determine the

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effectiveness of different features on the results.

To train the model you must classify data as healthy/faulty, set thresholds and estimate remaining useful life for components. You will need to create a list of failure scenarios to predict, choose classification methods, and simulate models. Apps provide graphical interfaces for applying machine learning that make it easy to get started and compare the results of training many different types of models.

Models may be deployed to embedded devices by converting them to a low-level language such as C, or they may be integrated with other applications in an IT environment.

The pain here is often around lack of familiarity with code generation and IT integration. There are tools that can automatically package models to run in a production environment.

Conclusion Predictive maintenance is an achievable goal with the right tools, guidance, and motivation. Find the features, models, and methods that work for your business and iterate until you get it right—and remember you do not have to do it alone. !

Jos Martin is senior engineering manager at MathWorks.

April 2019

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ETHERNET CABLES

MEETING STANDARDS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION Uwe Widmann asks whether single-pair Ethernet (SPE) technology heralds a breakthrough for Ethernet right down to sensor connection at field level? And, does single-pair Ethernet have what it takes to supplant conventional fieldbus systems?

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igitalisation is continuing to gain pace and is expected to have implications across a wide range of application areas.

One element of digitalisation is the creation of a cyber-physical system (CPS) which enables information and software to be linked together with electromechanical components.

Implementing a CPS requires a powerful and robust data infrastructure and this can be built using Ethernet technology in accordance with the IEEE 802.3 standard.

The IEEE 802.3 working group has pushed Ethernet technology forward at a tremendous pace since the introduction of the first Ethernet 10BASE-T standard in the 1990s. The first Ethernet CAT 5 cable, based on TIA-568 A/B, and with a transfer rate of 10 Mbps, was unveiled as early as 1995, followed by publication of the 1000BASE-T standard in 1999. Today CAT 6A cables for 10GBASE-T are standard products.

Running alongside the technical development of the Ethernet technology – driven principally by the IEEE 802.3 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) – the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and the affiliated national committees have worked on compiling uniform standards for cables and connectors. Examples of successful efforts in this area are the IEC 60603-7 series of standards for the RJ45 detail specification for shielded 8-pin connectors up to 2,000 MHz and the ISO/IEC TR 11801-9901 guideline

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for balanced cabling to support transmission speeds of at least 40 Gbps.

To fulfill the stringent environmental and IP-protection requirements demanded for industrial environments, D-coded M12 data connectors for Fast Ethernet with two pairs of wires were included in the IEC 71076-2-101 standard for circular connectors in 2008. For higher data speeds up to 500 MHz, an X-coded 4-pair M12 standard conforming to IEC 61076-2-109 was published in 2014.

The Profibus & Profinet International (PI) user organisation included these standards, and its Profinet specification in its Profinet cabling and Interconnection Technology guideline.

Time Sensitive Networking More recently Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), in accordance with IEEE 802.1 and IEEE 802.3, enables urgent and business-critical messages to be transmitted parallel to other data traffic. This permits defined response times – which is a prerequisite for use in industrial environments.

In order to implement end-to-end Ethernet technology from the cloud right through to the sensor, and to replace existing field bus systems such as Profibus at process level, new technologies with cost-effective, miniaturised and standardised components are needed.

The new single-pair Ethernet cables from Belden have a role to play in transmission technology. As well as being compact and light, these singlepair cables are cheaper to manufacture.

SPE cables are suitable for use in offices as well as harsh and dirty

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industrial environments – as permanent or flexible connections. Belden’s LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) cables provide enhanced safety in case of fire and comply with the requirements laid down in the EU Regulation No. 305/2011. SPE cables with a PUR sheath are available for industrial applications.

Thanks to its 80% shield coverage, Belden’s shielded SPE cable is said to be suited to use in applications where there is severe electromagnetic interference.

The combination of foil shielding and braid shielding brings a significant increase in overall shielding quality and ensures that the cable can withstand the stresses and strains encountered in industrial environments.

To reconcile the opposing requirements of high data speed and the long transmission links specified

by IEEE 802.3, new cable standards are needed. The IEC subcommittee SC 46C is currently working on 4 new standards for SPE cables (IEC 61156-11/-12/-13/-14) for permanent and flexible installation.

These include: • Balanced shielded SPE cables with transmission properties of up to 600 MHz at a transmission distance of up to 40m; suitable for the IEEE 802.3bp standard: – Permanent installation: IEC 6115611 CDV; scheduled publication: July 2019.

– Flexible installation: IEC 61156-12 CD; scheduled publication: December 2020.

• Balanced shielded SPE cables with transmission properties of up to 20 MHz at a transmission distance of up to 1000m; suitable for the IEEE Control Engineering Europe

ETHERNET CABLES

A Belden connector with SPE cable

802.3cg standard: – Permanent installation: IEC 6115613 NP; scheduled publication: July 2020.

– Flexible installation: IEC 61156-14; currently being drawn up.

Coupled with ISO/TR 11801-9906, the requirements defined in the SPE cable standards place high demands on the quality and construction of single-pair Ethernet cables. SPE cables conforming to the IEC 61156-11/-12 standard require wire diameters of between 0.4 and 1.0mm. SPE cables conforming to IEC 61156-13 must have wire diameters of between 0.64 and 1.7mm. The cables are suitable for use in temperature ranges between -20 and +60°C.

Connecting cables to devices Single-pair Ethernet connectors are needed to connect SPE cables to devices. IEEE 802.3 has instructed ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25 WG 3 to come up with proposals and standards for such connectors. The selection process must take the different requirements in office and industrial environments into account, with connector types appropriate to the environmental classifications specified in ISO IEC Control Engineering Europe

TR 29106 for M1I1C1E1 (IP 20) and M2I2C2E2 / M3I3C3E3 (IP 67).

Due to the importance of SPE technology for a whole range of application areas, a large number of manufacturers are participating in the selection process. The IEC SC 48B – PT 63171 project team is working on the specifications for connector variants 1 to 6.

In addition to pure single-pair cabling configurations, it is also possible to set up a four-pair structure in order to simultaneously integrate four singlepair channels into one single cable.

This enables simpler cabling, particularly in industrial environments where large numbers of sensors are frequently located in small spaces.

Tried and tested in industrial environments, the design of the M8 and M12 connectors, described in variant 3; IEC 48B/2653/NP – IEC 63171-5, enables the implementation of this type of cable structure.

All SPE connector variants need to comply with the fundamental singlepair Ethernet specifications defined in the SPE connector basic standard IEC 63171 ‘General Requirements and Test’.

Manufacturers of connectors and

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cables are working together in national and international standardisation bodies to meet the market’s demands for standardised components. Belden collaborates closely with other experts within these projects, and late in 2018 the company was able to present SPE cables conforming to the IEC 61156-11 and IEC 61156-13 standard at electronica and SPS/IPC/Drives.

However, more standardisation work is still needed. In the context of Industry 4.0, the need for higher data speeds and for robust and cost-effective connectors and cables demands further development and standardisation efforts. In IEEE P802.3ch, a working group titled the Multi-Gig Automotive Ethernet PHY Task Force was set up to refine the IEEE 802.3 standard for speeds greater than 1 Gbps for Automotive Ethernet.

Combined with a simple connection technology, the advantages of SPE technology with regard to miniaturisation and weight reduction now make it attractive across many industry sectors. !

Uwe Widmann is a technology & standardisation expert for Belden Deutschland.

April 2019

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EDGE COMPUTING

RETROFITTING INDUSTRY 4.0 Find out how medical technology company, Ypsomed, was able to retrofit Industry 4.0 digital control systems onto its legacy plastic injection moulding machines.

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psomed Group, a medical technology company specialising in the development and manufacture of injection and infusion systems for the selfinjection of liquid medicines, selected HARTING to be a collaborative partner in a development project to retrofit legacy protocol plastic injection moulding machines with an integrated Industry 4.0 digital control system that is also linked with its factory-wide MES/ERP system.

This approach offers the company simple and minimal physical integration with an existing production line for a low level of investment, with long-term benefits including improved productivity, cost savings and extended machine lifetimes.

An important element of Industry 4.0 is the ability to apply digitisation to the production environment by adding more intelligence to existing processes.

Taking a digital retrofit approach makes it possible to ‘smarten’ up existing processes for minimal cost over a short period of time, resulting in a fast return on investment and immediate productivity gains.

Digital retrofit provides four different ways to improve production processes, increase cost savings and extend the lifetime of different types of machinery: • Legacy machine protocol conversion.

• Condition monitoring (including energy measurement).

• Asset management.

• Predictive maintenance..

Central machine monitoring and process optimisation offers a good way to ensure that production lines and their associated constituent parts operate effectively and economically.

Many machines in established production lines, which can be up to 30 years old, but are still performing their main functional tasks successfully.

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However, they probably do so much less efficiently than their modern-day counterparts. For example, they do not have the same level of computing power, enough memory capacity to record and store relevant data, or the ability to communicate with their modern equivalents. In many cases, these machines also use data formats and communications protocols from the 1980s and 1990s, which are no longer used by today’s controllers.

Legacy protocols One example of a production environment that accommodates mixed protocol legacy machines is a plastics injection moulding machine (PIMM) line. Such machines, when well maintained, can attain as much as a 30-year operational life. However, some of the older software protocol operating languages (such as EUROMAP 15) cannot be directly connected to a modern factory Manufacturing Execution System (MES) without expensive annual custom software licensing charges. In many factories these machines still require individual programming by an operator, which can be very time-consuming in larger installations – potentially requiring input from multiple personnel.

An interesting solution to these challenges from by HARTING’s comes in the form of MICA (Modular Industrial Computing Architecture): a rugged edge computing device in the form of a digitally retrofittable IP67 package with Linux-based open-source software.

This modular software and hardware architectural design platform permits the user to choose the programming language and development environment they are most familiar with.

For the plastic moulding manufacturing environment, HARTING has developed the MICA EUROMAP

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15 and MICA EUROMAP 63 Gateway variants, which convert the legacy EUROMAP 15/63 TCP/IP machine operating communications protocol into OPC UA, for example, via an intermediate JSON software format.

This approach also offers the potential to provide IIoT web enablement and access to Cloud services for Big Data analysis or virtualisation, via an optional downloadable MQTT container. All operational software is housed in separate sandbox containers, ensuring that the MICA EUROMAP 15/63 Gateway provides a secure, fully configurable interface to the plant MES/ERP, eliminating expensive custom MES access software licencing charges that may have previously applied.

Ypsomed saw the immediate potential benefits of applying this Industry 4.0 digital retrofit approach in its manufacturing operation. Due to the high proportion of individual plastic components in its products, the company possesses a large number of plastic injection moulding machines in its production plants.

In order to improve existing levels of plant productivity, Ypsomed has chosen to implement Industry 4.0 process improvements through digitisation at an early stage. It chose HARTING as a collaborative partner for the project to connect legacy protocol machines to its factory-wide MES/ERP system through a digital retrofit approach.

In 2017, one of the first tasks was to make data from a legacy injection moulding machine available for analysis. The machine in question only offered the old EUROMAP 15 protocol, and HARTING suggested the use of MICA, which was installed and programmed within two days as the protocol translator. Selected production data could then be collected and Control Engineering Europe

EDGE COMPUTING

written to a database for offline analysis.

The next goal is to connect several different types of machines to the IT system at Ypsomed’s internal testing and validation centre and present critical operational data remotely at a centralised factory control station. The machines are connected to the MES system via the MICA, which handles the protocol translation between the MES system and the shop floor. Here, the configuration data record belonging to a production order from the ERP system, is retrieved from a database and automatically transferred directly to the machine via the MICA, without requiring intervention by a machine operator. Machine process parameters can now be modified more quickly, reducing downtime and enabling manpower to be more effectively employed. During manufacturing, production and process data are temporarily stored on the MICA and fed back to a database or ERP system for ongoing quality improvement or record storage purposes. Machine operators can even monitor and affect the process of the production line from off-site, via a smartphone or suitable tablet device.

The new production plant in Schwerin is planned to start operations this summer, with automated control of production orders being implemented by 2020.

Condition monitoring Additional real-time condition monitoring of key operating processes can help to reduce downtime and extend lifetime, achieving manufacturing productivity improvements. This can be accomplished by digitally retrofitting additional stand-alone MICA devices to store, analyse and process data from existing or extra retrofitted sensors. As a result, tasks such as monitoring pressure, temperature and flow rates becomes easy, whilst allowing remote centralised process control adjustment via the MES network. Communication with the Control Engineering Europe

Ypsomed has made data from its legacy injection moulding machine available for analysisby installing a MICA edge computer to act as the protocol translator from the machine’s EUROMAP 15 protocol.

machine fitted sensors is achieved via a simple Ethernet switch and interlinked active I/O blocks.

Asset management For asset management, A MICA RFID variant converts the MICA device into a specific RFID reader, which, when used in conjunction with passive UHF read/ write transponders that are fitted to key replaceable mould tools, allows maintenance records to be written and stored onto that particular tool. This can ensure the optimum refurbishment scheduling of high-value mould tools.

Predictive maintenance Critical operating parts of a plastic injection moulding machine which are subject to continuous wear and tear include the plasticising screw

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pump and associated check valves.

As wear increases, this can result in a significant number of rejected parts and expensive financial losses. This situation can be resolved by monitoring the changes in the operating power curve characteristics of the screw pump and the pressure loading at the check valves.

Integration of a MICA Energy variant provides RS485 Modbus TCP/IP compatible I/O interfaces for linking to the appropriate functional I/O blocks on a machine that access this specific operating data. By pre-setting critical safe operational limits, the MICA Energy can set up alarm conditions for when these limits are breached, allowing machine operators to carry out corrective maintenance as part of the important predictive maintenance process. !

April 2019

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PRODUCT FORUM •

CYBER SECURITY

GET A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT BRÜEL & KJÆR’S SOON-TO-LAUNCH SOUND LEVEL METER Local authorities and environmental consultants, looking to upgrade their measurement tools, can get a head start by registering their interest in Brüel & Kjær’s new sound level meter on the company’s website.

Launching soon, the company’s 2245 class 1 sound level meter provides users with easy-to-use applications and functionality, giving them absolute confidence and control over their noise measurement tasks.

The meter can be tailored for specific jobs across a wide range of industries and users, from simple noise complaint investigations by local authorities to more specialised tasks, such as exhaust noise testing, occupational health monitoring or product noise analysis.

More information is available on Brüel & Kjær’s website: www.bksv.com/ComingSoon

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE PRODUCT FORUM SECTION

Contact Lisa Hales on 01732 359990 or email lisa.hales@imlgroup.co.uk

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April 2019

Radiflow prioritises OT security through dynamic vulnerability assessment scoring

Radiflow, a provider of cyber security solutions for industrial automation networks, has added dynamic vulnerability assessment scoring capabilities to its iSID industrial threat detection solution.

Version 5.3 of iSID industrial threat detection solution includes a dedicated risk analytics module that automates vulnerability mapping and assessment processes.

As industrial control systems grow in complexity, they become increasingly vulnerable to security attacks. As a result, OT/ICS security has emerged as the top priority among industrial IT managers. In fact, a recent Kaspersky survey finds that 77% of the participants view OT/ICS security as a priority.

Though awareness about security has grown, very few companies have deployed security patches and remediation in their OT networks. This is because any changes in the system design, including that of security enhancements, require long testing procedures. Majority of companies still rely on laborintensive evaluations and unstructured risk assessments, leading to undependable results.

The new risk analytics module from Radiflow addresses this dilemma. It has the ability to dynamically evaluate vulnerabilities according to the classification of attacker profiles and prepare defense strategies for protecting specific functionalities and operational processes.

Based on the attacker models and defined defense strategies, iSID assigns a risk and exploitability score for each device on the OT network and identifies the most critical attack vectors using these scores. These insights help security analysts and risk managers prioritize workloads based on the specific context of their OT networks and their impact on the business operations of the organization.

“From our discussions with our EU customers, the first steps in the process for compliance with NIS Directives are conducting an assessment of assets and creating an improvement plan,” said IlanBarda, CEO of Radiflow. “The new features in our new version enable operators of OT networks to prioritize the risks that are mapped in the assessment process with the correct correlation to their business processes so that the improvement plan can be aligned with their business priorities.”

Telephone : +1 (302) 547-6839 Email : sales_NA@radiflow.com Web : www.radiflow.com

www.controlengeurope.com

Control Engineering Europe

FINAL WORD

The importance of standardisation

Peter Wenzel, executive director of PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, Germany, highlights the importance of standardisation for data communication technologies.

F

or those that integrate them, the modern continuous development of standardised technologies guarantees long-term economic success.

PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) has always consistently lived this principle, which accounts for almost 30 years of success that continues today as PI members increasingly rely on PROFINET. However, in order to make this technology viable for the future, PI’s dedicated Working Groups have recently integrated a set of basic TSN functions into the PROFINET specification and have specified semantics for device description.

In order to guarantee maximum global success however, the second step will be to introduce and enforce the specified mechanisms in the relevant international standards. Many PI experts are therefore active in national and international standardisation organisations and have taken on strategically important management functions there.

In addition to an Industry 4.0-focused development of PROFINET, these innovations mainly concern the unconditional support for the coexistence of OPC UA in PROFINET networks; open semantics and information models; and security.

The foundation for PROFINET remains the standard unmodified Ethernet standards of the IEEE and several relevant projects are underway in the IEC. On the one hand, based on the IEEE’s standardised TSN with real-time characteristics, a TSN profile is being developed in a joint IEEE/IEC working group which is optimised for use in Control Engineering Europe

industrial automation applications – IEC / IEEE 60802 (TSN).

In addition, the IEC 61158, IEC 61784-1 and IEC 61184-2 standards, upon which PROFINET is anchored, are being continuously enhanced with the aim of introducing new features for PROFINET. In the area of semantics, the IEC 61804 (EDDL) and IEC 62769 (FDI) standards, which are firmly established in process automation for standardising PROFINET device descriptions, are also being continuously updated. In addition, the IEC 61987 (CDD) standard will be extended, to establish relevant semantic identifiers – which are among the basic tenets of Industry 4.0. It is important that all PI technology features become completely mapped

within this standard and this will help to ensure that PROFINET meets all the essential requirements of Industry 4.0-style production systems – such as the distributed and synchronised production of parts as well as flexible production of individualised products down to batch sizes of one. !

More about TSN TSN (Time-sensitive Networking) is a set of IEEE 802 Ethernet sub-standards that are defined by the IEEE TSN task group and which enable deterministic real-time communication over Ethernet. They combine the bandwidth of IT (information technology) networks with the latency of OT (operational technology) networks.

By defining queues based on time, TSN ensures a bounded maximum latency for scheduled traffic through switched networks. This means that in a TSN network, latency of critical scheduled communication is guaranteed.

In control applications with strict deterministic requirements it offers a way to send time-critical traffic over a standard Ethernet infrastructure. This enables the convergence of all traffic classes and multiple applications in a single network.

www.controlengeurope.com

April 2019

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