Last June HARTING found the MICA.network user community together with the initial users of the mini-computer, which had garnered the HERMES AWARD at the Hannover Messe 2016 trade show two month before. Now, four companies from the network – akquinet AG, nemetris, SALT AND PEPPER and SDI Project Automation – will present their solutions which incorporate the MICA at HARTING’s stand in Hall 10.
akquinet will present individual Industry 4.0 software solutions. The solutions are based on open source technologies and standards in M2M communication and demonstrate the interplay of the different technologies and the integration of the MICA. akquinet will use one example to show how information is exchanged between sensors, servers and mobile devices. The company will be taking the opportunity to demonstrate how Industry 4.0 projects in the fields of PPS and MES, as well as predictive maintenance, can be implemented by employing methods such as machine learning and data analytics.
By combining the smart industry apps from nemetris and the MICA, standard MES and production IT functions can be executed directly on the shop floor. The apps collect, process and visualise e.g. data on operations, machines and processes, energy, traceability and maintenance.
The condition monitoring system from SALT AND PEPPER, based on the MICA platform, offers new possibilities for the monitoring of existing facilities. As a retrofit solution, this system is integrated into existing equipment and makes it possible to assess the availability and performance factor for overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
The company SDI Project Automation will be featuring its expertise in the field of machinery optimisation based on intelligent machine networking over a distributed MICA network.
MICA as SoftPLC with IP67 protection
logi.cals (Hall 6, Stand 230), with its logi.CAD 3, provides a free SoftPLC base software which is used to program the digital inputs and outputs of the MICA per IEC 61131-3. Optional fieldbus modules can also be integrated into the PLC program via the Anybus technology. Modbus-TCP and MQTT are available for communication with controllers from other manufacturers or with higher-level systems.
Long Range wireless technology with the MICA
Comtac AG (Hall 7, Stand 581), the newest partner in the MICA.network, uses the MICA platform as a gateway to LoRa networks. LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a wireless network protocol developed for IoT applications that can transmit small data packets through buildings and over long distances up to 40 km. Comtac provides products and customer-specific development and production of LoRa nodes and LoRa bridges, and holistically supports the IoT process.
Energy management with MICA and IBM Watson
HARTING itself will also demonstrate two applications which use the MICA. A concept for intelligent energy management is slated to be presented in cooperation with IBM. Here, energy measurement data are collected locally at the trade fair as well as from a remote production site. MICA transmits the data to the IBM Cloud where it is analysed by IBM's cognitive solution named Watson. The results will be visualised live at the show on a tablet.
An MICA equipped as an RFID reader will be used in HARTING's own Smart Factory demonstrator at the stand in Hall 10 to identify workpiece carriers. In addition, an application for quality testing is also executed in the MICA in the last manufacturing cell of the Smart Factory.
Detailed descriptions of the companies and the applications can be found on the network’s new website, www.mica.network.