Production Line Data into PackML Driven Simulation

Project description

The digitalization of industry leads to a vast increase of data that is collected from machines and production processes. The collected data is processed and displayed to the personnel on the production floor, so that they can monitor, manage, and analyze the production processes and operations. Or the collected data are used for optimalisation of the process and better efficiency.

The biggest challenge of using this data is its heterogeneity because there are little or no standards for data formats in the process industry. For instance, two machines from different manufacturers provide entirely different data. Or two stations from the same production line send different messages although the intended information is the same.

The goal of the project is to create a standardized process for transporting data from production lines to simulations/digital twins. In this instance we are focusing on creating an application, converting raw PLC data into a PackML model(data format) and then simulating the inner states of the production line via an Enterprise Dynamics simulation using the above mentioned model.

Context

The project is considered to be in the 'Industry 4.0' domain. It is being developed by Fontys ICT students, currently enrolled in the 'Smart Industry and IoT' specialization. It is part of the NXTGEN family and is assigned by Omron as a client company.

Results

PackML Conversion App
An important outcome of the project is the improved code architecture and modularity of the PackML conversion application compared to the PoC. This allows the app to be extended with ease and possibly tested on a broader scale of PLC's and production lines. The current design was tailored by the iterative collaboration with the engineers from Omron and the application has a good fit over the data received from their hardware, but it has a good potential to become a more general "PLC data to PackML" conversion application when an additional level of abstraction is added.

Data infrastructure
The data pipeline infrastructure incorporating different industry and non-industry standards was put to the test in this scenario of the Project. Different problems were identified, fixed or still under investigation.

Simulation
To test the usability/suitability of the PackML data format, a real time simulation is being developed (Enterprise Dynamics).

Overall Level:
Implementation and test prototype (personal estimation)