OPC UA integration
The standard that lets machines, control systems and office systems understand each other. Not just passing data, but what that data means.
The real work is rarely in the protocol. It is in the model behind it: agreeing what a machine says about itself, and keeping that the same everywhere.
What OPC UA is
An open standard for industrial communication, published as IEC 62541. A machine publishes not just values but a model of itself: which parts exist, which values belong to them, which methods you can call and what you can subscribe to. That way the system on the other end does not need to know that register 40012 is the temperature.
Companion specifications
More than a hundred and fifty market specific agreements set out, per industry, how a machine describes itself. Two machines from different suppliers then speak the same language without you building the translation.
Two ways of connecting
Client/server for targeted communication with guaranteed delivery: you ask, you get an answer. PubSub for many to many, where the sender does not know who is listening. You need the second one at field level, where speed matters more than acknowledgement.
Deterministic with TSN
OPC UA handles the meaning, TSN makes sure a message arrives on time. Together they are set out in IEC/IEEE 60802. For communication between controllers it is called OPC UA FX.
Security is part of the standard
Encrypted sessions, signed messages, sequencing against replay, X.509 certificates, per user permissions and an audit trail. Not something you bolt on afterwards.
Your machines are older than the standard
That is the normal situation, not the problem. A machine from 2009 speaks Modbus or PROFIBUS and will not start speaking OPC UA by itself. You do not have to replace it either. A gateway at the edge of the existing network translates what is there into OPC UA, without anything changing on the machine itself.
Where it goes wrong in practice
- Older machines have few security features, and during a retrofit security tends to get the least attention
- Configuring a gateway across different legacy systems takes knowledge that is not in every team
- Keeping the information model consistent across old machines, gateways and new devices is the work that keeps coming back
- The standard is large; supporting everything in it is not maintainable for a small company
So we introduce it in stages. One line or one machine first, with the model you actually need, then extend. You find out along the way whether the model is right, instead of after a year.
Sources
The standard and the norms this is based on.
- OPC Foundation: OPC UA · De standaard en het informatiemodel
- IEC 62541 · OPC UA als internationale norm
- OPC Foundation Field Level Communications · PubSub, TSN en IEC/IEEE 60802
- OPC UA FX · Communicatie tussen besturingen onderling
- OPC UA in bestaande fabrieken · Gateways aan de rand van een oud netwerk
Our approach
From advice to management, with one partner
The same rhythm for every project.
Advice
We start with a conversation, not with code. First clarity on what you need and what you do not.
Build
We build and integrate to measure, with technology that fits you. You own your data and your code.
Manage
We stay involved: monitoring, adjusting and growing with your business.
Want to talk about what is in your hall now?
Tell us which machines and which control system are there, and we will know quickly what is needed.
Call 085 083 5775A 30-minute intake