HARTING connects installations to Industry 4.0 with management shell

The MICA-based administration shell by HARTING

Businesses across the country achieve the latest connection technology with the help of HARTING Canada. Although renowned for innovative connectors, the manufacturer also offers solutions for connecting systems to Industry 4.0. In July 2018, HARTING introduced its MICA-based management shell for this very purpose. With this unique administration shell, HARTING has found yet another way to bring corporations into the 21st Century and connect them on a global scale.

Quick, effective facility operation

Two of the fastest ways to operate production facilities and equipment more effectively are central machine monitoring and process optimization. Because many machines have lifespans ranging from 15 to 30-some years, the majority of existing equipment installations do not have the computing power or the storage capacity to capture, store, or communicate relevant information. With the MICA-based administration shell, companies connect existing systems to Industry 4.0 systems easily.

Older machines often also use data formats and protocols from the 1980s and ’90s, and modern PLCs and PCs do not use these formats. So virtualization on the controller is not economically viable, nor is it a good idea in terms of operational safety. The solution is to have a MICA-based management shell integrate injection moulding machines with Euromap 15, a protocol developed more than 30 years ago, into the HARTING production line. The machines are then used as a modern device through OPC UA. Businesses can apply this method to many other machines and systems with other protocols.

By using the MICA-based management tray according to RAMI 4.0, companies can read operating parameters, load production plans on the machine online, and continually record and store data. All of this information should then be available for process optimization, predictive maintenance, or product improvement. The modular open-source design of the MICA allows access to open-source codes, which substantially decreases development time. The use and modularity of an intermediate JSON format enables the integration of other legacy system and back-end protocols through replacement of only the protocol containers; examples include MQTT to IBM Bluemix or Microsoft Azure.

The MICA-based management shell is another great HARTING solution.

For more information, contact HARTING.

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