Open Data Interface Allows for Digitalization to Take Root

The integration and evaluation of live and historic machine information is becoming increasingly important in metalworking companies. Companies moving towards digitalization expect machines to be integrated into their established ERP or MES systems. Messer Cutting Systems offers both standardized and customer-specific approaches.

Customers want to monitor and analyze their systems immediately. This applies to productions with numerous process steps and versatile systems such as cutting systems, punching systems, press brakes, etc.

We have been seeing significant demand to integrate open data interfaces with Messer machines.  We already offered live machine data monitoring through our cloud based interface OmniFab Machine Insight, however with open data interfaces we can now allow customers to pull live data from their Messer machine and manage it entirely on their own. This is as opposed to using our predefined Machine Insight dashboard. We now offer both OPC UA and REST APIs to accomplish this. It is particularly important for customers with many machines from different manufacturers to integrate and standardize various data sources – with a high degree of freedom.

OPC UA and REST APIs are two different technology or communication standards.  The aim is to permanently and immediately recognize which job a system is currently carrying out within a shift, which process is being carried out on which machine, whether machines are at a standstill, undergoing maintenance, or have a fault, and whether the utilization of the machines is high enough.

OPC UA and REST APIs are two different technology or communication standards.  The aim is to permanently and immediately recognize which job a system is currently carrying out within a shift, which process is being carried out on which machine, whether machines are at a standstill, undergoing maintenance or have a fault, and whether the utilization of the machines is high enough.

OPC UA is an industry standard that allows communication between machines from different manufacturers, for example by providing standardized data models and security standards. REST APIs offer lightweight integration and enable data to be queried directly from the machines.

Open data inferfaces help to increase efficiency by simplifying data transfer and machine integration. Both standards help to keep data consistent and maintain security standards in communication between machines and systems. Companies can utilize machine data in real time and provide deep insights into the status of machines, process details and error information that form the basis for process optimization.

With open interfaces, data is no longer tied solely to machine control systems and HMIs. They allow different departments to use the data and analyze it from different perspectives, which leads to a more complete process evaluation.

The use of open interfaces makes Messer machines ready for integration into Industry 4.0, for example with our modularized OmniFab software suite. OmniFab utilizes ready-made, easy-to-integrate solutions from quotation creation to feedback of machine data from production.

Published By: Metal Center News, Cutting Edge Special Edition, Fall 2024