EC: TwinCAT IoT

Software — Industrial Internet of Things connectivity: Beckhoff Automation TwinCAT IoT automation software establishes efficient integration of data and communication services in the cloud. This is a Control Engineering 2017 Engineers’ Choice Awards Finalist.

October 13, 2016

With the TwinCAT IoT solution, the TwinCAT 3 software platform from Beckhoff Automation provides a complete solution for fast and efficient implementation of Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 concepts. TwinCAT IoT supports standardized protocols for cloud communication and for sending push notifications to smart devices. The extension of conventional control tasks, through applications such as Big Data, pattern recognition or condition and power monitoring in the cloud, can result in exciting production efficiency increases.

Fast and easy to configure, TwinCAT IoT software combines with an Embedded PC or Industrial PC as the IoT controller, providing a seamless connection between the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Services. Filtering, further processing and interpretation of the collected data via the also recently introduced TwinCAT Analytics create genuine added value. Comprehensive analyses enable predictive maintenance, machine downtime reductions and control solution optimization—for example, by minimizing cycle times or energy peaks.

The upgraded software platform offers users a wide range of functions for exchanging process data via standardized communication protocols such as AMQP and MQTT, as well as accessing special data and communication services offered through cloud service providers. Corresponding services can be hosted in public cloud systems, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services, or within local networks.

The interaction of TwinCAT IoT with TwinCAT Analytics offers further benefits. Setting up a TwinCAT Analytics workbench for central analysis of data from several machines offers maximum flexibility for communication of the corresponding process data through the use of different TwinCAT 3 IoT products.

Beckhoff Automation, www.beckhoff.us