Together with the Baumüller Group (Hall 7/A28), we will be showing how flexibly machine builders and users will be able to work with PLC platforms, the digital twin and smart drive functions in the future at the Hannover Messe.
Samuel Greising gives a brief insight into the solutions in the video:
“Industrial Transformation – Making the difference” – in keeping with the core theme of the Hannover Messe, Flecs Technologies, Schubert System Elektronik, MapleSoft, IniNet Solutions and Baumüller will be showing how digital marketplaces can support mechanical engineering in the future. Using the example of a 3-axis application, the partner companies will show how associated simulation models and software solutions can be installed on a wide variety of platforms in record time.
Use Case: Drive-based energy monitoring from the cloud
The first use case is about adding further functionalities to an existing application. If, for example, a user wants to use the “Smart Energy Monitoring” function in his machine, a license for this can be purchased via the FLECS Marketplace and activated on the drives in the machine via Baumüller’s ProDrive parameterization software. ProDrive serves as an interface between the online marketplace and the servo drive. The advantage: new functions can be added at a later date.
With “Smart Energy Monitoring”, the energy consumption of individual axes or the entire machine can be recorded and reported for the individual machine cycle. Users can, for example, determine and optimize the product carbon footprint (PCF) for their products.
Use Case: Hardware-independent edge platforms for new business models
ProDataX from Baumüller enables data exchange via OPC UA between the drives in the machine and Edge PC or Cloud. Regardless of the fieldbus used in the machine, existing data such as power, current, torque, speed or position from the drive can be used, for example, to display them in a dashboard or to carry out further analyses. ProDataX publishes the data for this in the FLECS Service Mesh.
ProDataX is available for download in the FLECS Marketplace. The advantage: ProDataX is compatible with a wide range of control and IoT platforms, i.e. systems supported by FLECS. Flecs enables interoperability between a wide range of apps. On the demonstrator, data from the Baumüller drive is displayed in a dashboard via the IniNet app. The server, originally designed for Baumüller controllers, becomes executable on a Prime Box Pico PC from Schubert System Elektronik through Flecs. In this way, automation software can be used independently of hardware in the future. This is a great advantage for mechanical engineering. In the future, the optimal control/ IPC hardware can be combined with functionalities from different manufacturers according to the “best of breed approach” in order to best meet the requirements of the respective application.
Use Case: Digital twin independent of the engineering tool
With ProSimulation, Baumüller offers software for the simulation of electrical drive systems. The package includes mechanical and controller models for virtual commissioning, which realistically simulate the control behaviour of Baumüller drives, for example.
Via the FLECS Marketplace, users can download controller models for drive simulation in the FMI standard (Functional Mock-up Interface). These can be used with various simulation tools, such as MapleSim. With the help of these models, it is possible to build the digital twin of a machine drive train and put it into operation virtually. This saves time in the development process.
Conclusion
All use cases show how open systems increase flexibility in the area of drives, controls and drive simulation. This allows machine manufacturers and users undreamt-of combination possibilities of automation components and software and opens up numerous new areas of application. For the selection of the use cases, the focus was on a possible application with a functioning licensing mechanism.
Live demo at the fair
Have you become curious? Then come and see us at Baumüller booth in Hall 7, Stand A28. You can find all information about FLECS at the Hannover Messe here.
