“Many single source automation vendors offer turnkey solutions where every component needed to build a control system is bundled together under one proprietary umbrella. This all-in-one, closed approach is what I refer to as a vendor-based ecosystem,” he said. “At Weidmuller, we offer our PAC-level controller hardware in the M Series controller line. This hardware runs on our open-architected operating system called u-OS. With u-OS being open architected, you can let it operate and support the hardware while running a suite of installed applications. For example, you can use Codesys for programming and control, MQTT for IoT communications, Grafana for dashboards and visualizations, and PROCON-Connect to provide EtherNet/IP communication to your smart sensors.”
Crawford stressed the point of u-OS is to allow users to select their own “building blocks outside of our hardware and software portfolio to build your control solution. This approach liberates you from vendor lock-in,” he said. “You are free to select the best components, whether from Weidmueller or another supplier, to build a control system that precisely meets your needs.”
In terms of what this openness means for manufacturers who are likely already using closed proprietary control system technologies or those that are part of a vendor and partner ecosystem, Crawford gave an example of how an OEM can use an open control system approach to achieve a higher level of integration and simplicity.
“Users can integrate applications like combining a time-stamped historian with dashboard-like visualization, cloud-based data aggregation, SCADA-like enterprise connectivity and IEC 61131 control — with all of it running in the same software-defined box instead of needing many different boxes from different vendors to achieve the same solution,” he explained. “Many different boxes mean higher cost, higher complexity, more cabinet space and lower reliability, along with the user’s frustration caused by rising costs, obsolescence and availability.
He noted that Weidmuller’s u-OS enables manufacturers to significantly reduce their open-source adoption time by using “our open-architected platform, which allows for use of containerization or containerized applications. Users can implement their own proprietary C code or pick from hundreds of open applications and combine them to build their solution in our container-ready platforms.”
Real-world applications of u-OS
To better understand how manufacturers are using open control systems like u-OS, we asked Crawford to provide some examples of manufacturing customers that have built open system applications using u-OS and highlight the kinds of technologies they integrated with u-OS to do this.
One example he provided was of a manufacturer who wanted to use a Codesys-based PLC as their control system. “They wanted to enhance the function of their dosing skid (a device designed to correctly meter and inject chemical substances) to create a three-tiered offering: a stand-alone appliance, a connected mid-level performance skid, and a connected high-performance multi-control-loop skid. The primary distinctions between these tiers were capability, connectivity and the ability to run multiple controllers. This manufacturer wanted a scalable solution that would allow them to standardize [these three offerings] on a single controller, while expanding functionality [as needed for each tier] through open software in an open-control architecture.”
To deliver this, Crawford said a Codesys controller was used as the base model for containerization on the standalone skid offering. The connected mid-level system added data aggregation, notification, SMS texting, historization and cloud connectivity at no additional cost with the open system approach. And the high-performance system used Kubernetes to run multiple instances of the control loops, enabling the single programmable automation controller to manage up to five control loops.
“By adopting this flexible software-driven approach, the manufacturer was able to expand its product capabilities without significantly increasing hardware costs to create more competitive and more profitable skids,” said Crawford.
Another example Crawford offered was of a power company using the Weidmuller Edge Agent for remote access to their control system during downtime events. When they first approached Weidmuller, “they were in the process of commissioning a large and complex installation that frequently required remote access to reset devices, adjust parameters, receive failure notification and log events for better troubleshooting insights,” Crawford explained. “They needed a way to monitor and validate whether their system was issuing commands and receiving acknowledgments correctly, as they suspected that any failures in these processes could be early indicators of future system issues. We recommended and implemented Node-Red — an open-source visual programming tool used for IoT applications — on our open-architected edge gateway running u-OS. This enabled the power company to compare existing system behavior to real-time control responses. Any detected failures or anomalies triggered an e-mail notification with an attached report.”
He pointed out that this approach allowed the power company to enhance its system’s functionality without replacing, upgrading or adding additional hardware.
“By leveraging a widely used, off-the-shelf application with over 1,000,000 downloads, they were able to extend and optimize the capabilities of their open-architected gateway efficiently and cost effectively,” he added.
