OPC UA communication
9.3 Using the S7-1500 as an OPC UA server
Communication
206 Function Manual, 11/2019, A5E03735815-AH
9.3.4.3 Using OPC UA companion specifications
Introduction
OPC UA is universally applicable: The standard itself does not, for example, specify how
PLC tags are to be named. It is also up to the individual user (application developer) to
program and name server methods that can be called over OPC UA.
Information modeling and standardization for devices and sectors
For applications of the same kind, it is worth standardizing your device or machine interface
with the "OPC UA toolkit".
Many different bodies and working groups have driven forward standardization and
developed a range of companion specifications.
These specifications define:
● The objects, methods and tags with which a typical device or machine is to be described.
● The namespace intended for the specified objects.
Machines are typically structured in functional or technological units, and these units are
then standardized.
Companion specifications offer machine and plant operators the benefits of a standardized
interface. For example, all RFID readers that comply with the AutoID specifications can be
integrated in the same way. This means that all RFID readers that comply with the AutoID
specifications can be addressed by OPC UA clients in the same way irrespective of
manufacturer.
Another example of companion specifications is the Euromap 77 Companion Specifications
from the injection molding machinery sector.
The following section uses the example of Euromap 77 to detail how to apply companion
specifications in STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and create the necessary PLC tags.
Example: Euromap 77
Euromap 77 standardizes the exchange of data between injection molding machines and the
higher-level MES (Manufacturing Execution System). This allows the MES to connect all
lower-level injection molding machines in the same way.
The standardized data interface facilitates the integration of injection molding machines into
a plant.
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