VDMA 40740 Interface for process air extraction and filtration system
Together with the OPC Foundation working group "Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems - PAEFS", the VDMA working group "OPC UA Air Pollution Control" has developed an OPC UA information model for process air extraction and filtration systems (PAEFS). It maps universal manufacturer-independent interfaces based on OPC UA.
In the digital production world, machines from different manufacturers must be able to communicate with each other. This requires uniform standards - so-called OPC UA Companion Specifications - in whose development the VDMA is significantly involved. The aim of the new VDMA 40740 interface is to map a standard for data exchange between process air extraction and filtration systems. Furthermore, also to upstream machines and to supporting systems, such as technical ventilation and conveyor systems. And also to higher-level manufacturing systems, such as Manufacturing Execution System (MES) in a manufacturer- and platform-independent communication network. MES describes a system in operational production management that supports production planning and control. It provides a digital image of production and enables real-time monitoring of production processes. PAEFS are significant systems that can be used in the process industry and the manufacturing industry. An elementary task of PAEFS in operational process air technology is the fulfillment of basic functions. These include supplying a process with the required air, creating an air condition necessary for operation, and detecting substances released in the process.
"With this information model, we are taking a big step toward our goal, which is interoperability for production information from the store floor to the cloud," said Benjamin Wirth, chairman of the OPC UA Air Pollution Control Working Group. "Interoperability - that is, the interaction of different systems, technologies and organizations in mechanical and plant engineering - creates the prerequisite for consistently mapping the establishment of new business models as well as production systems in their entirety." The publication of the first version (release candidate) OPC 40740 "OPC UA for Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems (PAEFS)" is available to OPC members for download and comment on the OPC Foundation homepage. The draft VDMA Specification 40740 "OPC UA for Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems (PAEFS)" or "OPC UA for Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems" will be published by Beuth Verlag for comments on February 1, 2023. The comment period ends on April 1, 2023.