An AutomationML/OPC UA-based Industry 4.0 Solution for a Manufacturing System

Abstract

Diverse customer demands are increasing the need for improved flexibility, adaptability, and transparency of production processes. This poses new challenges to modern manufacturing systems. Fortunately, advances associated with the fourth industrial revolution have provided many solutions to these challenges. In this study, an AutomationML (AML) and OPC UA-based solution is proposed for manufacturing process. By integrating AML and OPC UA, we developed a four-layer architecture dedicated to a manufacturing system referencing the Reference Architecture Model for Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0). Additionally, an experimental system was constructed to demonstrate the availability and applicability of the proposed approach. The system execution processes was also elaborated to better understand the processing of information flows across the whole system. © 2018 IEEE.