Smart Factory Solutions Help Bring the IoT to Manufacturers
âBeckhoff Automation will showcase its system-integrated solutions for IoT and IioT this week at Pack Expo in Chicago. In Booth 6125 (North Hall), advanced IoT hardware and software technologies from Beckhoff will combine to demonstrate practical implementation of cloud-connected Smart Factory concepts.
Visitors to the Beckhoff booth will have the opportunity to use their own smartphones to interact with PC-based control demos—including the ability to connect with an entire wall of IoT-enabled devices and a six-axis robot arm using any mobile device with a web browser. For an added level of interactivity, Beckhoff will also show an advanced augmented reality and wearable HMI proof of concept in the form of a Microsoft HoloLens connected to Beckhoff IoT demos.
While providing the flexibility to securely transmit plant floor data to cloud services, the Beckhoff approach expands on already-existing systems instead of applying complicated workarounds created with third-party developers. TwinCAT 3, the PC-based control software platform from Beckhoff, has been expanded to give users the ability to create IoT and cloud-connected automation systems in the same universal environment they program PLC, motion control, robotics, safety technology and more.
In addition, new I/O solutions have been introduced in the form of the Beckhoff IoT Bus Coupler and IoT Box. These provide a simple method to directly connect I/O systems to the cloud and securely transmit data over today’s recognized standards such as OPC-UA, AMQP and MQTT. Additional Smart Factory solutions will factor heavily throughout the Beckhoff booth, such as One Cable Automation, which integrates the previously separate power and signal lines into a single, standard 4-wire Ethernet cable.
