News

As a computer device designed specifically for industrial environments, Linux industrial tablets have many significant advantages, making them widely used in industrial automation, intelligent manufacturing, and other fields. This article will explore in detai...

With the rapid development of semiconductors, high-end consumer electronics, and other fields, the requirements for high-precision and high-speed data transmission in related industries have become increasingly significant. A large amount of high-precision data transmission also poses higher challenges to the performance and load capacity of CPUs.

Basler CXP-12 Image Acquisition Card

Against this background, Basler has launched the imaFlex CXP-12 Quad image acquisition card. Compared to the relatively single function image acquisition card, the CXP-12 image acquisition card integrates three major functions: image acquisition, image processing, and signal processing, providing solid technical support and strong guarantee for efficient and real-time data transmission in related applications.

Advantages of the New CXP-12 Image Capture Card

Performance improvement

·The Basler imaFlex CXP-12 Quad image acquisition card features a four channel design that supports data transfer speeds of up to 50Gbps, enabling faster transfer of large amounts of data, accelerating image acquisition and processing speeds, and improving efficiency.

·The imaFlex CXP-12 Quad image acquisition card uses the graphical development environment VisualApplets combined with FPGA processing advantages to provide real-time preprocessing results, filter 80% redundant data, reduce CPU resource consumption on the host side, and improve stability. In addition, the image processing algorithm and data processing flow can be flexibly adjusted on the Basler CXP-12 image acquisition card according to actual needs. When requirements change, the system can also be easily modified and optimized.

Real time enhancement

·The high-speed data transmission combined with low latency FPGA programming design can respond to external events faster, greatly reducing data transmission delay, ensuring that image data is quickly and accurately transmitted to the processing unit, thereby improving the real-time and accuracy of the system.

Enhanced flexibility

·The signal programming capability of imaFlex CXP-12 makes signal processing more flexible, allowing for flexible control of the camera for image acquisition by programming input signals. It can also achieve precise control of the lower computer through signal programming functions, enabling real-time transmission and processing of image data. This capability enables the imaFlex CXP-12 to be easily integrated into various complex systems, improving the operational efficiency and stability of the entire system.

Cost reduction

·The imaFlex CXP-12 image acquisition card has image preprocessing capabilities, reducing reliance on high-performance CPUs and thus lowering the hardware cost of the system. Visual Applets can be used for visual programming of FPGA, allowing for customized image processing algorithms based on actual needs, further reducing software development costs.

Basler CXP-12 Vision System Solution

The imaFlex CXP-12 can replace the traditional image processing flow of CPU+image acquisition card+coprocessor, and achieve multiple functions through a three in one functional design.

Its addition further enriches the Basler CXP-12 visual product line. A fully compatible CXP-12 vision system solution is formed by combining Basler CXP-12 area/line array cameras, trigger boards, and cables, further helping to simplify the integration process and providing a stable and reliable real-time image processing system, which can be widely used in multiple fields such as semiconductors and high-end consumer electronics.

The origin of the Loong Boat Festival can be traced back more than 2000 years ago to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. At that time, there was a patriotic poet named Qu Yuan in the State of Chu. In 278 BC, the state of Chu was conquered by the state of Qin, and Qu Yuan was filled with grief and anger. He threw himself into the Miluo River on May 5th and died.

To commemorate Qu Yuan, local people have rowed boats to find his body in the river, and put Zongzi into the river to prevent fish and shrimp from eating his body. Later, people commemorate Qu Yuan in this way every year, which is the origin of Loong Boat Festival.

The Loong Boat Festival, also known as the Loong Boat Festival, the May Festival and the Zongzi Festival, is an important traditional festival of the Chinese nation. It is not only a festival commemorating Qu Yuan, but also a festival for warding off evil and praying for good luck.

The customs of Loong Boat Festival are rich and colorful, mainly including:
 Eating Zongzi: Zongzi is a traditional food of the Loong Boat Festival, which is wrapped with glutinous rice, stuffing and zongzi leaves. The shape, size and stuffing of Zongzi are different, but they all express people's yearning for a better life.

 Loong Boat Rowing: Loong Boat Race is one of the most distinctive activities of the Loong Boat Festival. The Loong Boat is dozens of meters long, shaped like a dragon, and dozens of crew members work together to paddle, which is very spectacular.

 Wormwood and calamus hanging: wormwood and calamus are the traditional anti evil plants on the Loong Boat Festival. People will hang wormwood and calamus on their doors to ward off evil spirits and avoid plague.

 Drinking realgar wine: realgar wine is a traditional drink of the Loong Boat Festival, made of realgar, Baijiu, glutinous rice, etc. People believe that realgar wine can expel insects, detoxify, and prevent diseases.

The Loong Boat Festival is the cultural treasure of the Chinese nation. It carries rich historical and cultural connotations, and embodies the patriotism, Qu Yuan spirit and the spirit of unity of the Chinese nation.

With the rapid development of digital technology, data elements have become an important force driving the transformation and upgrading of industrial manufacturing. At the 7th Digital China Construction Summit, which opened on May 24th, the theme of deep integration of data elements and industrial manufacturing received much attention, showcasing a new future of industrial manufacturing driven by data.

The theme of this summit is "Unleashing the Value of Data Elements and Developing New Quality Productivity". China Unicom has specially set up a special exhibition area on "Data Element X Industrial Manufacturing", which focuses on showcasing the application achievements and innovative trends of data in the field of industrial manufacturing.

The "5G+Beidou" spatiotemporal platform ("Xuanji") created by China Unicom Intelligent City Research Institute made its debut at the exhibition. The platform gives full play to the advantages of 5G high-quality data transmission and Beidou high-precision positioning and navigation, two important new infrastructures, and provides "specialized, refined and new" industrial applications for various industrial fields of the industrial Internet. It gives full play to the multiplier effect of spatio-temporal data elements to help enterprises improve production and operation efficiency and safety management level.

At the exhibition, the "Sany Heavy Energy Wind Turbine Manufacturing 5G+Integrated Positioning Project" created by "Xuanji" was also showcased to the audience and guests, receiving unanimous praise.

In this project, China Unicom teamed up with Sany Heavy Energy to address management pain points such as a large number of employees, AGVs, forklifts, motors, blades, and other management objects, as well as poor data synchronization and timeliness. By adding a "5G+Beidou+UWB" integrated positioning terminal, China Unicom achieved sub meter level high-precision location information collection and collection of people, vehicles, and objects in the factory area. Relying on China Unicom's 5G network, the positioning data was transmitted in real-time to the management backend, creating multiple scenario applications such as personnel workstation level work hour statistics management, production line rhythm balance optimization, and logistics dispatch scheduling, helping frontline employees improve personnel efficiency by 15%, forklifts and other bottleneck resources utilization rate increased to 95%, and the overall production efficiency of the factory area was improved. Increase by 8%. The implementation and application of this project have effectively improved the economic benefits of the enterprise, and have received widespread attention and unanimous praise from the industry. The project has won the second prize in the national finals of the 6th "Blooming Cup" 5G Application Collection Competition and the second prize in the World 5G Conference unveiling competition, and has been successfully selected as one of the top ten application cases in the World 5G Conference.

At the same time, combined with actual project cases, the core capabilities and other application effects of Xuanji's "5G+Beidou" spatiotemporal platform were comprehensively demonstrated to the exhibition guests.

Traveling far and wide, steadfastly practicing without slackening. China Unicom will thoroughly implement the national Beidou large-scale application strategy, actively implement the relevant requirements of the Group's strategic planning system's key action plan, create a more comprehensive "time-space+" digital intelligence base, continue to promote the large-scale application of Beidou in industrial fields such as the industrial Internet, give full play to the multiplier effect of time-space data elements in industrial fields, and comprehensively help enterprises improve their new quality productivity.

MatriXIO Pro is a modular and scalable high-performance real-time industrial Ethernet I/O system that supports EtherCAT Profinet and other real-time industrial Ethernet buses are used in the system, which adopts a 100M high-speed backplane bus and supports hot swapping function.

The module design is compact, with a 16 point high-density design, I/O adopts PUSH-IN technology spring terminals, which distinguish the types of I/O through 6 color terminals. The response time of switch quantity IO is as high as 50 μ s, and the response time of analog quantity is also as high as 125 μ s. MatriXIO Pro can form a powerful control system with MX series controllers to meet different tasks of standalone devices or smart factories.

Product features

I/O modules support hot swappable functionality

Any module can be plugged and unplugged with power during system operation, minimizing system maintenance time.

PUSH-IN spring terminal

Make wiring simple and reliable, and can support cables with a maximum diameter of 2.5m ㎡.

The front connector can be quickly installed and replaced

The front connector with a 6-color identification system on the 18 position can be easily replaced while avoiding wiring errors.

Exquisite compact design

Compact design that conforms to ergonomics, user-friendly, and saves installation space.

Mechanically locked backplate base

The sturdy mechanical latch ensures a more stable connection between the backplate base and the DIN rail.

The module adopts a three-stage design

The three-stage design greatly improves the reliability and usability of the system.

Ultra strong scalability

A single slave station can expand up to 64 I/O modules, greatly meeting the needs of different scenarios.

High speed backplane bus

A backplane bus of up to 100Mbps enables I/O response time to meet complex system applications.

The temperature rise of the motor stator winding is positively correlated with the current. As the current increases, the temperature rise naturally also increases, and the increase is even greater. In addition to the influence of current, temperature rise is also related to other related factors, such as process fluctuations and quality control during production and processing. To avoid possible non conformities caused by process fluctuations and other factors, a certain margin should be left in product design.

The switching action of DC-DC converters may cause poor common mode and differential mode noise, creating unacceptable interference at many points in the spectrum. Front end (or power line) filters are designed to be used before DC-DC converters to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI).

1、 Production management needs and pain points in the manufacturing industry

The increasingly fierce market competition and the increasing demand for product diversification from customers have led to a shortened product lifecycle. Enterprises need to achieve cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and quality improvement through intelligent manufacturing to improve their rapid response capabilities and core competitiveness.

2、 The specific pain points in the process of production management are as follows:

1) Production progress is opaque

Enterprise management personnel are unable to understand the actual production situation in real time, and the effectiveness of the production plan issued is difficult to ensure, which leads to unpredictable delivery cycles and frequent order delays.

2) Difficulty in production cost control and accounting

The production process data is missing, problems are not discovered in a timely manner, resulting in waste, and the root cause cannot be traced; Unable to collect and calculate the costs of each production process, and unable to obtain real-time dynamic cost information; The work efficiency of workshop workers cannot be measured, and labor costs cannot be accurately grasped.

3) Difficulty in adjusting production plans

In the production process, there are factors such as order insertion, cancellation, batch changes, and delivery time changes that require quick adjustment of the production plan. Without a system, such adjustments are often difficult to respond quickly.

4) Difficulty in production scheduling and low efficiency

Due to the long time required for equipment mold replacement or other production preparation, ineffective consolidation and use can affect production efficiency.

5) Difficulty in managing and controlling complete sets of materials

In order to improve production efficiency, enterprises often do not wait until the entire product is complete before starting production. They will go to the process to complete production in advance, which puts higher requirements on materials to be delivered on time and in quantity. However, many enterprises often encounter material complete problems due to the inability to timely understand abnormal material consumption and other situations, resulting in production shutdowns.

6) Difficulty in tracing product issues

A large amount of paper is neither convenient to access nor environmentally friendly. Customers have traceability requirements, making it difficult to accurately and quickly query all relevant traceability data for each batch of products, and historical production data cannot be effectively utilized.

7) Difficulty in establishing a quality system

Unable to conduct online testing, statistics, analysis, and presentation of product quality indicators

8) The production process is difficult to prevent errors, errors, and leaks

Faced with the production mode of multiple varieties and small batches, materials, personnel, process parameters, processing requirements, etc. are constantly changing, often resulting in quality and efficiency losses due to personnel operational errors.

9) Delayed handling of emergencies

When abnormal events such as equipment failures, material defects, production line shortages, processing abnormalities, power abnormalities (water and electricity shortages), safety accidents, etc. occur, it is difficult to quickly feedback and handle them.

10) Difficulty in outsourcing control

The production progress of outsourced factories is opaque, processing costs are difficult to verify, and the reasons for losses are difficult to track.

3、 The management scope involved in MES system:

MES is a system aimed at the execution workshop, which falls within the scope of MES from the issuance of plans in ERP to the receipt of finished products. The core elements involved in this include "human, machine, material, method, environment, measurement, and energy".

People refer to the personnel who manufacture products, including production personnel, planners, dispatchers, quality personnel, warehouse managers, equipment managers, etc. They play an important role in executing production.

Machine refers to production equipment, fixtures, underlying control systems, and tools required in production, and is the main force of production.

Materials refer to the raw materials required for production. The completeness, procurement, use, transportation, and preservation of materials are all related to the continuous operation of production.

Law refers to the methods used in the production of products, which can also be summarized as production processes.

Environment refers to the environment in which products are produced, including temperature, humidity, lighting, cleanliness, etc.

Measurement refers to whether the key points of measurement and the methods used for measurement are standard and correct.

Energy refers to the energy consumed in the production of products, such as electricity, water, etc.

4、 The core process of MES system

The process from obtaining production plans from the ERP system to the completion and receipt of final products belongs to the scope of MES, and how MES drives production through core data.

The concepts of MES and ERP:

The MES (Manufacturing Execution System) system is a manufacturing execution system located between the upper level planning management system and the direct industrial control system of the production process. It is a management information system aimed at the workshop level, which can optimize the entire workshop manufacturing process, collect real-time data from the production process and make corresponding analysis and processing. It interacts with the planning and control layers to achieve full integration of enterprise information.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is an enterprise resource planning system, which is built on the basis of information technology and provides a management platform with systematic management ideas to provide decision-making and operational means for enterprise decision-makers and employees. It is an information system that integrates enterprise management concepts, business processes, basic data, human and material resources, computer hardware and software.

The difference between MES and ERP:

1. Different management objectives

The focus of ERP is on finance, which means planning a company's resources from a financial perspective. The related modules are also centered around finance, and the final management data is centralized on financial statements. The focus of MES is on manufacturing, which aims to manage product quality, on-time delivery, equipment utilization, and process control. Because different enterprises have different management priorities, the focus is also different when choosing the composition of information systems. Group companies, commercial enterprises, logistics enterprises, etc. place more emphasis on ERP management, while manufacturing enterprises require MES management more.

2. Different management scope

The management scope of ERP is relatively large, involving planning levels such as procurement, finance, sales, production order management, shipping management, and finished product warehousing plan control. It mainly shares and utilizes enterprise resources effectively, enabling reasonable allocation and utilization of enterprise resources in various aspects such as procurement, storage, production, sales, personnel, finance, and materials, but it is not detailed and specific enough. MES management is more detailed than ERP, mainly involving workshop work order distribution, process error prevention, product lineage, SPC quality analysis, equipment data analysis, process traceability, and other execution levels. It can be more detailed to each manufacturing process, issuing tasks, controlling execution, data collection, and on-site scheduling for each process.

3. Different management functions

In addition to financial management, human resource management, customer relationship management, and other functions, the main function of ERP in manufacturing management is to prepare production plans and collect production data. In addition to refining production plans and collecting production data, MES also has batch level production control and scheduling management functions, such as batch level process flow changes, validation control of manufacturing equipment, personnel and materials, batch splitting and merging, and on-site scheduling functions such as batch production order changes.

4. Different implementation methods

ERP mainly adopts the methods of filling out forms and form transfer to achieve management. The manufacturing tasks received on site are communicated through forms, and on-site manufacturing data is also collected by filling out forms. MES adopts an event based approach for management, monitoring changes in production orders and on-site manufacturing conditions. Through the built-in WIP (Work in Process) engine in MES, relevant events are immediately triggered, requiring relevant personnel or equipment to take corresponding actions. Therefore, MES can reduce data input work, achieve on-site command issuance and data collection through information systems, reduce errors, and improve timeliness.

5. Different time periods

It is precisely because MES adopts the WIP (Work in Process) engine to drive management, which can achieve real-time on-site management: superior production plans and scheduling can be immediately reflected in the job interface of the manufacturing site, and on-site production data and abnormal situations can also be real-time reflected in the supervision interface of the management position, providing a two-way production information flow between the upper and lower levels of the enterprise, making timely scheduling possible. The form format of ERP inevitably has an input cycle, and the managed data is based on weekly and daily time cycles, making it difficult to effectively control on-site execution in real-time. This so-called "information black hole" exists in the manufacturing process, which has an increasingly unfavorable impact on the management and control of the manufacturing process.

6. Different technical requirements

ERP mainly processes plan data, with a small amount of data that does not require interaction with underlying hardware, making it easy to manage in a centralized manner. During implementation, the plan process is relatively fixed. The data granularity of MES is small, the data volume is large, and it is closely related to the process, workshop management process, and automation level of the factory. There are significant differences in implementation among different enterprises, and it is necessary to continuously adapt to the changes in workshop management mode. In addition, MES systems directly record production process data, which requires higher reliability and stability than ERP systems.

The selection of MES and ERP

For enterprises that do not have the conditions for integrating MES and ERP, the choice of MES or ERP depends on the business priorities and development stages of different enterprises. If the enterprise's business grows, the main focus is on continuously optimizing processes. MES, which manages manufacturing processes such as inventory, production, and scheduling, is the most suitable.

Adding other additional modules to the combination requires paying a higher ERP price, and ultimately establishing a system focused on business finance and record keeping rather than production is meaningless. At the same time, the complexity of an ERP system requires enterprises to have IT resources that can support it.

ERP is more suitable for large and medium-sized enterprises that have already been commercialized and have their own IT teams. Continuous business growth is no longer the most critical factor. For smaller and constantly developing enterprises, especially manufacturing oriented enterprises, the role of most ERP systems in production planning and control is very limited.

What is MQTT

MQTT is an agreement proposed by members of IBM and Eurotech in 1999. In MQTT communication, the sender can temporarily save the data to be sent in the data area without waiting for the receiver to complete processing, and can immediately transfer to the next processing.

Due to minimizing the demand for network bandwidth and device resources while ensuring a certain level of reliability, this communication method has attracted much attention in the field of IoT.

The characteristics of MQTT protocol

Simple protocol

Due to its minimum header size of 2Byte, it is a very compact and lightweight protocol that can be used in devices with strict memory and running speed limitations, as well as in communication environments with narrow bandwidth.

Scalable

Due to the limited resources required to implement a communication environment, it can be implemented on various devices ranging from small IoT devices to high-performance terminals, thereby achieving highly flexible system construction.

reliability

In MQTT, a mechanism can be implemented to communicate based on levels in unstable communication environments, such as reducing the time required for IoT devices to reconnect and setting the reachability of communication.

The Security of MQTT Protocol

Protecting the system from various attacks and threats is a crucial element when building IoT systems using MQTT. It is recommended to use SSL certificates and passwords to implement ID, authentication, and licensing between the client and proxy.

New support for BACnet communication

The CONPROSYS IoT gateway is equipped with new BACnet server, client, and router functions, making it possible to achieve IoT of building equipment.

Equipped with BACnet communication function

BACnet is a communication protocol standard for networks used in intelligent buildings. In various fields such as air conditioning equipment, lighting systems, electrical equipment, security and disaster prevention equipment, and elevators, it is possible to build a system that can connect and monitor all equipment through a common interface, even products from different manufacturers. The CONPROSYS M2M Gateway supports the BACnet IP protocol and is equipped with server communication and client communication capabilities.

Server communication function

This is the function of providing internal information of IoT gateway to BACnet clients by using BACnet object types. It can integrate devices and sensors that do not support BACnet into building management systems that support BACnet communication.

Client communication function

This is a function of collecting building equipment (BACnet server) information, converting it into different communication protocols such as MQTT, and providing information to the higher-level system. It can build a system that integrates dispersed building equipment information through the cloud and remotely monitors it. In addition, it can also convert building equipment that supports BACnet to other communication protocols such as OPC UA or MTConnect, and integrate with factory equipment systems.

What is BACnet

BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) is a communication protocol standard used for building networks. It is used to control the air conditioning, lighting, electricity, security, disaster prevention, elevators, etc. inside the building. In 1987, various groups related to the BA (Building Automation) system established guidelines at a meeting, based on the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135-1995 developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers in 1995. BACnet was used as a protocol for the BA system in 2003 and was specified in the international standard specification ISO16484-5.

The Electrical Equipment Society of Japan has developed Japanese standards (IEIEJp, IEIEJp-A) that have been extended to Japanese specifications. Therefore, there are three protocols, including ASHRAE BACnet, which includes standard specifications.

BACnet includes the "BACnet IP" protocol for communicating BACnet services over Ethernet, as well as the "BACnet MS/TP" protocol using EIA-485 (RS-485) as the physical layer for data transmission.

What is OPC UA

OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture) is an open international standard specification developed for the exchange of safe and reliable data in industrial automation and other fields such as production factories and plant equipment. The OPC Foundation was published in 2008 and has since been internationally standardized as IEC 62541.

In addition, it is highly integrated with the international standard IEC61131-3 of PLC, and can be easily connected while maintaining the reliability between manufacturing site (FA) information and higher-level monitoring and control systems (SCADA) and production management systems (MES). Therefore, it has been adopted in many industries such as the communication standard specification PackML (ANSI/ISA-TR88) for packaging machines, EUROMAP for injection molding machines, and umati for machine tools. The German Mechanical Industry Alliance (VDMA) is developing a communication standard called "OPC UA for Machinery", which integrates specifications developed for different industries and aims to become the foundation for all mechanical devices.

The characteristics of OPC UA

Scalability

By using OPC UA, unified and scalable configuration of the system can be achieved from embedded systems to mainframes.

Interconnection

Traditionally, industrial equipment and control devices typically use communication standards unique to manufacturers, making it difficult for the entire system to work together. OPC UA can seamlessly connect from the controllers used for control in the factory to monitoring systems, production management systems, etc.

Security

Recently, safety measures for factory areas and equipment have become a topic of discussion. OPC UA ensures the security of messages between OPC UA Server and Client by using Secure Channel, making it easy to achieve secure communication between devices.

What is MTConnect

MTConnect is a standard communication protocol for machine tools developed by the MTConnect Association. The development of this protocol aims to enhance the data acquisition capabilities of devices and applications, and reduce integration costs. Centered around the United States, many large manufacturers have adopted this standard and it is highly regarded as a future standard specification.

The characteristics of MTConnect

Open Protocol

Traditionally, when using machine tools from multiple companies, it is necessary to develop software that meets the unique standards of each company. However, since MTConnect is an open protocol that uses standard Internet technologies such as HTTP and XML, the software for conversion can be installed relatively easily.

No usage fee

As MTConnect has no usage fees, there is no need to pay licensing fees to the MTConnect Association. In addition, companies that agree to the license agreement for MTConnect can also integrate MTConnect into their own company's products.

Generalization of data structures

MTConnect specifies the data structure for various types of data obtained from machine tools, such as spindle load, shaft speed, alarms, etc., according to their respective data types. User enterprises can easily compare and analyze the same type of data without worrying about data structure issues when connecting devices from different machine tool manufacturers.