Control, Instrumentation and Automation in the Process and Manufacturing Industries

April 2019

www.controlengeurope.com

Faster. Better. Connected

Seamless connectivity from the workpiece
to the cloud with hardware and software!

NIS is not just a Predictive How to automate an

maintenance: putting existing manual valve
compliance exercise data to work
 CONTENTS

It’s time to start making more of your data

Thanks to an earlier than normal Hannover Messe, this year
we will be bringing you a review of the show in the May issue,
Editor instead of our traditional preview event, so do look out for this
Suzanne Gill next month.
suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk
In this issue we have put the focus on a very topical subject –
Sales Manager predictive maintenance. We have looked at this from a variety
Adam Yates of different aspects to bring you advice on how to develop an
adam.yates@imlgroup.co.uk effective condition monitoring strategy, which is often the first
step on the road to effective asset management. Interestingly,
Production
Holly Reed it would appear that, although many are now gathering
holly.reed@imlgroup.co.uk production data, few are using it to improve processes or boost
productivity and yield. It looks like AI, along with analytics
Classified Sales technology advances could be key to changing this.
Lisa Hales
lisa.hales@imlgroup.co.uk
Also in this issue, as part of a cyber security conversation, we take a closer look at the
legal requirements of the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive, and also hear
Dan Jago Group Publisher from the FDT Group about its work to enhance security with the emerging FITS standard.
David May Production Manager
G and C Media Studio Design
Suzanne Gill
Editor – Control Engineering Europe
suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk

INDUSTRY REPORT 21 Advice on developing an effective condition

4 Certification for industrial cyber security experts monitoring strategy
22 Equipment can now be monitored efficiently and
serviced according to business needs, rather than
EDITOR’S CHOICE schedules, thanks to the IIoT
6 Wireless toxic gas monitor for challenging remote
24 Overcoming the obstacles to predictive maintenance
locations; Integrating IO-Link devices in Profinet

ETHERNET CABLES
CYBER SECURITY
26 Does single-pair Ethernet technology herald a
10 NIS: not just a compliance exercise
breakthrough for Ethernet right down to sensor
12 Getting FITS for a secure future connection at field level? And does single-
pair Ethernet have what it takes to supplant
VALVES & ACTUATORS conventional field bus systems?

14 Find out how to automate an existing manual valve

EDGE COMPUTING
WEIGHING TECHNOLOGY 28 Find out how a medical technology company was
able to retrofit Industry 4.0 digital control systems
17 Weighing up the benefits of seamless integration onto its legacy equipment

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE FINAL WORD

18 Inverter drives are getting smarter and are now 31 Peter Wenzel, executive director of PROFIBUS
able to look after themselves, along with a range & PROFINET International, Germany, highlights
of other plant equipment the importance of standardisation for data
20 Putting data to work with predictive maintenance communication technologies

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journal published eight times per year by IML Group
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Control Engineering Europe www.controlengeurope.com April 2019 3

 INDUSTRY REPORT

Certification for industrial cyber security experts

TÜV Rheinland has launched a new
personnel certification program to
address the demand for cybersecurity
expertise in the operational technology
(OT) and industrial security sector.
Commenting on the move, Nigel
Stanley, chief technology officer,
Operational Technology and Industrial
Cybersecurity at TÜV Rheinland,
said: “As an engineer leading other
engineers I see huge value in an
externally verified certification
program to help me benchmark the
expertise of my team. This part of
the cybersecurity market is one of
the most complex to deliver in, and
anything that helps improve quality is
beneficial. There are lots of emerging
certifications in this sector but the
TÜV Rheinland approach focuses on
the key requirements of safety and
cybersecurity.”
The Certified Operational
Technology Cybersecurity Professional
(TÜV) certification program will actively
assess candidates using a combination
of a professional career review,
interview and technical examination.
Experts who meet the required
standard will receive certification from
TÜV Rheinland and this will allow them
to use the title ‘Certified Operational
Technology Cybersecurity Professional
(TÜV)’. Certified experts are expected
to continue their professional
development and must undergo a new
evaluation by TÜV Rheinland every
three years to retain their certification.
In such a complex area of
cybersecurity, a third-party verified
certification program can help
companies benchmark the expertise
of their teams against the demands of
industrial cybersecurity.
Candidates for the new certification
program should have at least 10
years of experience in cybersecurity,
including five years in leadership roles.

ADLINK partners with Google Cloud to offer IoT ready solutions

ADLINK Technology, a provider of Edge Computing solutions,
has partnered with Google Cloud to integrate its hardware
and software solutions with Google Cloud IoT offerings,
providing customers with an easy path to added business
value by harnessing and analysing critical operational data.
“Companies are seeking hardware solutions that are pre-
integrated with Google Cloud IoT,” said Mario Finocchiaro,
head of GTM, Google Cloud IoT. “Partnering with ADLINK
gives our customers and partners options for IoT devices and
data sources ready to use out of the box.”
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services that
runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally
for its end-user products. Customers can use insight from
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) analytics tools including
advanced analytics, AI and machine learning to make
informed decisions to optimse operations, enable predictive
maintenance, minimise downtime, improve quality and
enable the development of new business models and
revenue streams.
ADLINK’s contribution of integrated hardware and
software also includes ADLINK Edge services to channel
operational data and enable intelligent decision-making
by streaming to Google Cloud for deeper insight. With
no programming necessary, ADLINK Edge can connect
previously unconnected operational equipment and sensors.
By tapping into native communication protocols, data
can be captured and streamed at the edge and securely
between devices, databases and to GCP, enabling analysis
and easy visualisation to inform business decisions and
optimise operations.

Industry-first cybersecurity certification issued

Emerson has received the industry’s first
ISASecure System Security Assurance (SSA)
Level 1 certification for cybersecurity for
its latest DeltaV distributed control system
(DCS).
The certification, issued by ISA Security
Compliance Institute (ISCI), provides
independent certification that systems
are robust against network and system
attacks.
DeltaV, an advanced automation
system that simplifies operational
complexity and lowers project risk,
provides smart control capabilities for
key industries in oil and gas operations,
refineries, chemical plants, power and life
science facilities.
The ISA cybersecurity certification
is designed to help industry navigate
the fast changing digital landscape
and recognise products with enhanced
cybersecurity measures. ISASecure SSA
Level 1 certification covers the most best practices that protect automation
critical standards of the automation systems and the operations they control,”
industry’s leading family of standards, said Andre Ristaino, managing director
ANSI/ISA 62443 (IEC 62443). of ISCI. “Emerson is taking a leading role
“ISA developed the ISASecure that we hope other vendors will follow
cybersecurity certification to give asset in further protecting personnel and
owners confidence in their industrial processes alike from today’s increasing
control systems and to promote supplier security threats.”

4 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering Europe

 INDUSTRY REPORT

FieldComm Group completes liaison with

the Open Process Automation Forum
FieldComm Group and The Open
Group’s Open Process Automation
Forum (OPAF) have completed
a liaison agreement to leverage
FieldComm Group specifications
within the OPAF ‘standard of
standards’. FieldComm Group
earlier announced the endorsement
of its process automation device
information model specification (PA-
DIM), based on NAMUR requirements,
by the OPC Foundation (OPCF),
PROFIBUS&PROFINET International
(PI).
Announced at the 2018 ARC
Forum, FieldComm Group and the
OPC Foundation presented their
joint vision for creating a protocol
independent, process automation
device information model (PA-
DIM) specification to implement
requirements of the NAMUR Open
Architecture (NOA).
Ted Masters, president and CEO at
FieldComm Group, said: “The goal
of PA-DIM, when used alongside
registered products that support
FieldComm Group and PI’s joint FDI
technology (Field Device Integration),
is to simplify field device integration
to systems and clouds. The goal of
OPAF is to create a new paradigm
for open automation systems that
respects existing standards and
technologies – in other words, a
standard of standards. We look
forward to working with OPAF to
leverage existing FieldComm Group
technologies, and to helping define
the PA-DIM.”
Steve Nunn, resident and CEO of The
Open Group, said: “We are delighted
to be working with FieldComm Group
to grow our collaboration and vision
of the many industries vested in
automation, which are critical to vital
sectors of our economy. This is also
a key step in our move towards the
development of a framework and
a standard for process automation,
which aims to deliver tangible benefits
to multiple industry sectors. We are
looking forward to progressing along
this journey with FieldComm Group as
a strong collaborative partner.”
“FieldComm Group technologies,
such as Function Blocks and FDI, are
important enablers of interoperability,
interchangeability, and portability
in the standards-based open process
automation architecture envisioned
by OPAF,” said Don Bartusiak co-chair,
Open Process Automation Forum.
Activities anticipated by the liaison
agreement include:
• Nomination of a liaison
representative to collaborate
on development of the Process
Automation Device Information
Model (PA-DIM), in a joint
collaboration with FieldComm
Group, OPC Foundation, and PI
currently ongoing within the
FieldComm Group Working group
structure.
• Nomination of a liaison
representative to collaborate on
development of FDI and function
blocks within the FieldComm Group
Working group structure.
• Technical support and best practices
guidance of IEC standards for which
FieldComm Group has created
specifications or has otherwise had
input into the standards.
• Technical support and best practices
guidance on FieldComm Group
Function Blocks and related
specifications.
• Leverage FieldComm Group as
the conformance authority for IEC
standards guided by FieldComm
Group, including HART, Foundation
Fieldbus, and FDI, as well as for
conformance with the FieldComm
Group Function Blocks.

WHILE OTHERS THINK

ABOUT THE IIOT
… we are already there.

Networks and computers for a smarter industry.

Powerful computers designed for your needs
Secure and reliable networks – anywhere, anytime
Vertical intergration from SCADA to field device

Moxa. In the middle.

www.moxa.com
 EDITOR’S CHOICE
Smart IR thermal imaging cameras
The Automation Technology IRSX
industrial IR range of cameras, available
from Stemmer Imaging, are designed to
facilitate the use of thermal imaging in
Industry 4.0 applications.
The compact, rugged cameras
are completely self-contained with
embedded data processing and they
feature a number of communication
protocols for interfacing to external
automation and control equipment,
from Profinet or Modbus TCP to OPC-UA
and MQTT. They also have digital I/Os
for control and alarming as well as an
encoder interface for part tracking on
variable speed lines.
With a choice of sensors, fields
of view, frame rates and physical
configurations, the camera is suited to
use for autonomous thermal monitoring
wherever temperature is a critical factor
in the manufacture and processing of
industrial products.
A web interface provides access
to a range of software tools on the
Integrating IO-Link devices in Profinet
Turck’s Simple IO-Link Device Integration
(SIDI) aims to simplify the handling of
IO-Link devices in Profinet engineering
systems.
As the devices are already integrated
in the GSDML file of the master, users
can select the devices from the device
library (for example in the TIA Portal) and
integrate them into
projects via drop-down
fields as if the devices
are submodules on a
modular I/O system.
The user benefits
from access to all
device properties and
parameters in plain
text. Measuring ranges,
switch points and pulse
rates can be set directly
from the engineering
system – without
any programming or
6 April 2019
embedded AT Vision World platform.
These support the integration and
use of the cameras and include sensor
communication libraries and standard
APIs such as REST, GigE Vision, MQTT
and OPC-UA as well as the growing
number of application-specific apps. This
enables solutions for thermal imaging
applications to be created easily and
efficiently without the need for a PC or
specialised thermal imaging software.
The cameras are available in three
model types to meet a wide variety
of applications and installations. The
‘compact’ and ‘universal’ versions are
supplied in IP67 full-metal housings
and can be installed on the factory
floor even in very small spaces without
any need for an additional protective
enclosure. The compact version is
designed for use with wide field of
view lenses, while the universal version
is compatible with most lenses. An
‘open’ version without housing is also
available.
additional software required.
SIDI is now integrated on all Turck IO-
Link masters of the TBEN-L, TBEN-S and
FEN20 series. The software contains all
the IO-Link devices from both Turck and
Banner Engineering. IO-Link devices from
other third-party manufacturers, such as
valve blocks, are also included.
www.controlengeurope.com
ASi-5 I/O modules
ASi-5 is the latest generation of
the AS-Interface standard which
was created for the efficient
networking of sensors and
actuators at the automation base.
The latest version of the standard
allows larger data quantities to be
transmitted significantly faster and
even intelligent sensors such as IO-
Link can be integrated more easily.
The first ASi-5 digital modules
have recently been introduced by
Bihl + Wiedemann. They include
ASi-5/ASi-3 Gateways, a counter
module, an ASi-5 Slave/IO-Link
Master as well as digital I/O
modules. The ASi-5 digital modules
are currently available in three
versions – with 16 inputs, with
eight in- and outputs each, and
with eight inputs.
With just one ASi-5 slave it is
now possible for a high I/O density
in the field to be realised and it
is possible to collect signals from
up to 16 sensors exactly where
they occur in an efficient and
economical way.
In some cases, the new digital
I/O modules can make Ethernet
I/O modules unnecessary which
can help reduce costs. In addition
to IP67 versions, there is an IP20
version available for each ASi-5
digital module.
Control Engineering Europe
 EDITORS CHOICE

Wireless toxic gas monitor for Protecting

challenging remote locations
Emerson has introduced its first fully
integrated WirelessHART toxic gas
monitor – the Rosemount 928.
The Rosemount 928 was developed
to meet a need for improved safety,
offering a solution to monitor toxic
hydrogen sulphide gas in wellheads,
tank farms, and other remote locations
were previously it would have been too
expensive and difficult to monitor due
to remote or difficult-to-access locations.
Due to the cost of wired devices
in remote locations operators have
been forced to rely on portable gas
monitoring devices which provide no
early warning of toxic gases.
The Rosemount 928 gas monitor
integrates into a WirelessHART network,
eliminating wiring and reducing
installation, commissioning, and
maintenance costs. Once integrated
into the wireless network, personnel
critical industrial
simply check the status of the remote network media
monitoring system to know if a
maintenance trip is safe. Panduit has recently added to its
In addition, the gas monitor includes existing Micro Data Centre (MDC)
a power module and the Rosemount family of products with the launch of
628 toxic gas sensor module that are the new NEMA 12 MDC, which is said
both intrinsically safe and can be to open the door to edge computing,
replaced in the field in minutes without enabling the deployment of compute,
the need for tools. The Rosemount storage and network switching on the
628 stores calibration plant floor.
information within the Today, networking equipment in
sensor not the transmitter. control rooms is having to compete
This allows users for footprint space, the sealed NEMA
to calibrate 12 MDC is said to offer greater
it in a non- flexibility as to where this equipment
hazardous can be deployed.
location and The NEMA 12 MDC is optimised for
carry it into the size, allowing room for UPSs, servers,
field for quick storage, network equipment and
exchanges cooling, as well as often overlooked
with installed cable management, PDUs, grounding/
sensors. bonding, and ESD provisions.

Automated. Digitalised. Intelligent.

With u-mation, you can communicate from the sensor to the future.
Let’s connect.
The factory of the future will be able to control itself through intelligent networking and will have the flexibility to adapt to new
requirements. Thanks to u-mation, this vision is a reality. The perfectly coordinated u-mation portfolio paves your way towards
the IoT (Internet of Things) and beyond. The combination of modular automation hardware, innovative engineering tools and
sophisticated digitalisation solutions allows for the intelligent connection of all process levels - from the sensor to the cloud.
The Machine Learning models provide the future-proof foundations for more efficient production concepts.

u-mation. More than Automation. Digital Solutions. www.u-mation.com

Sales: 0845 094 2006 Tech: 0845 094 2007 Email: marketing@weidmuller.co.uk www.weidmuller.co.uk
 COVER STORY

Faster. Better. Connected.

How the Festo Automation Platform provides
industrial intelligence for the integrated industry
Industry 4.0, seamless connectivity, digitalisation, smart products or platform
concepts are keywords for higher productivity. The impressive automation platform
from Festo encourages customers to increase their competitiveness in the booming
automation technology sector. Jörg Tertünte, head of global Electric Automation
campaign at Festo explains.
Faster:
Design and engineering tools speed up the engineering process of modules or an entire machine. They make you more efficient
and shorten your time to market. Using Festo software tools for engineering you can design motion hardware and simulate
different combinations under various conditions – for single axes or complete systems. PositioningDrives, for example, provides
perfect product dimensioning of single mechanics plus servo motor and drive as a package with no over-sizing. Or the Handling
Guide Online, which offers the optimum handling or gantry system for 2D or 3D motion within 15 minutes according your
application requirements.

Better:
With the broadest portfolio of pneumatic and electric components, Festo offers maximum scalability and solutions at all levels
without restricting your flexibility – because Festo solutions are compatible with in-house standards. The automation platform
contains hardware and software from end-to-end motion up to robotics – from mechanics to motion control. To ease the set-up
of modules or machines, via Eplan we provide eCAD drawings and macros of single components and even more with the new
Eplan Schematic Solutions you receive complete eCAD drawings of customised gantry systems or valve terminals. Rounded by
the new Festo Automation Suite with its commissioning wizard for getting a servo drive package running within 5 clicks.

Connected:
With connectivity solutions from Festo users benefit from smooth and seamless automation thanks to mechanical,
electrical and intelligent connectivity – up to IoT and modern cloud solutions. Festo’s expertise in motion technology
provides mechanics, pneumatic and an outstanding range of electric automation as well as state-of-the-art servo drive
technology with unique highlights. Such as the new servo package with the compact, high-performance servo drive for
demanding tasks and direct integration into leading network environments plus the new servo motor range connected via
the “one-cable-plug” solution.

Faster. Better. Connected

The Productivity Master demonstrates seamless
connectivity from the workpiece to the cloud.
The electric automation platform from Festo inside the
machine offers everything required by modern solutions
– from decentralised automation in each module up to
cyber-physical systems. Two key products for a seamless
connectivity are the motion controller CPX-E PLC with
EtherCAT master and the new family of servo drives CMMT.
All motion inside is programmed in CODESYS – part of
the Festo Automation Suite – and integrated in the host
system either as a slave on PROFINET, EtherNet/IP or peer-
to-peer (Modbus). This single source solution provides first
class technology in mechanics, pneumatics, electric and
software – therefore seamless connectivity in automation Productivity Master for personalised production with batch sizes of one –
outstanding Electric Automation performance in hardware and software,
from one source. IoT inside, as well as digital services and cloud connection included.

8 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering Europe

 COVER STORY

Complete servo drive package for demanding

automation tasks

Dynamic motion and precise positioning, whether for

point to point or interpolation. The high-performance
servo drive CMMT-AS can be fully integrated into any host
environment with EtherNet-based protocols or directly
connected to Festo’s motion controller CPX-E PLC. The
appropriate, powerful servo motor EMMT-AS is connected
to the CMMT-AS using the ‘one cable plug’ technology
(OCP) what reduces the overall installation and saves space
in machine and cabinet. Above all the parameterisation
and programming of the package including corresponding
mechanics can be done quick and easy by only five steps via
the commissioning wizard of the Festo Automation Suite.

Festo Automation Suite as the intuitive and

seamless software for commissioning provides
intelligent connectivity works

The software that allows configuration and programming

Servo drive package with CMMT-AS and EMMT-AS connected via ‘one
inside one tool makes project work and machine set-up cable plug’ plus perfectly matched spindle axis – dimensioned in minutes
quick and easy. Because installation and control concepts via software PositioningDrives and set-up via Festo Automation Suite
within five clicks.
in modern machine layouts influence each other and
architectures must be seamlessly networked to achieve
complete connectivity. The Festo Automation Suite
handles hardware from mechanics to control intuitive
and intelligently. And this is how configuring and
parameterising a fully functional servo drive package
becomes child’s play: five steps to run the servo package is
all it takes using the commissioning wizard and with just
two clicks the CMMT-AS is integrated into the controller
program of CPX-E. And that’s not all: optionally, the
CODESYS add-on enables the further programming of
motion control and PLC functions of CPX-E.

Electromechanical solution for simple

movements between two end positions with
best in class value
Ready for operation faster! Festo Automation Suite is user-friendly
as never before. The software is free of charge, contains the basic
The unique Simplified Motion Series is an integrated drive functionalities of Festo components as well as plug-ins, device information,
manuals and application descriptions can be conveniently downloaded
solution and combines the simplicity of pneumatics with the directly from the software.
advantages of electric automation. It stands for very simple
motion and positioning tasks and offers the same ease of
commissioning and parameterisation as pneumatics without
the complex commissioning required by classic electric
systems. The configuration doesn’t need any software due
to the intuitive, simple and quick set-up directly on the
integrated drive. Communication is made easy because of
the plug and work principle with digital IO (DIO) or more
flexible when using IO-Link – both are incorporated as
Simplified Motion Series combines the simplicity of pneumatics with the
standard. That is Faster. Better. Connected. at its best. !
advantages of electric automation for linear movements and rotary tasks –
intelligently connected via IO-Link for connectivity right up to the cloud.

Control Engineering Europe www.controlengeurope.com April 2019 9

 CYBER SECURITY
NIS: not just a
compliance exercise
Phillip J Corner discusses some shortcomings of the NIS directive, arguing that, while
it focuses on technology, good governance is equally vital to manage security.
I
ndustrial automation and control
system (IACS) cyber security is a
hot topic that has been further
intensified by the Network
and Information Systems (NIS)
directive which places mandatory legal
requirements on companies categorised
as operators of essential services (OES).
The NIS Cyber Assessment Framework
(CAF) is an outcome oriented framework
which defines four main objectives
– Managing security risk; protecting
against cyber attack; detecting security
events; and minimising the impact of
cyber security incidents.
In pursuit of greater efficiency and
lower costs, companies frequently
centralise or outsource technical resource
and look to augment business planning
with valuable industrial process data
requiring wider network connectivity,
sometimes described as ‘convergence’
between information technology (IT)
and operational technology (OT).
But, while the pace of IACS
advances and their interaction
with wider areas of business is
certainly increasing, IT has been
integral to control systems since
the first introduction of computers
and data networks. Perpetuating a
belief in incompatible technological
differences is counterproductive to
effective cyber security – many of the
fundamental technological principles
involved are, in fact, identical. A
systems-oriented approach (business
and process), evaluating differences
in expectations, requirements, and
behaviour will promote a greater
clarity and understanding of the
risks and will encourage examination
of IACS as a ‘system of systems’,
assessing each independent sub-
10 April 2019
system’s effect on the
whole.
Behind the times
Design philosophy is the heart
of the problem, IACS design
emphasises long component
life demanding reliable PLC
operation over tens of years
and control engineers have
an innate understanding of
these components. Computer
systems for SCADA, etc, are typically
not as well understood, but are equally
important, which often results in a
tendency to apply the same long lifeycle
expectations to computers and crucially,
to software components.
However, the longer software remains
in use without patching, the greater the
number of exploitable vulnerabilities is
likely to become. These vulnerabilities
are regularly discovered thanks to the
hard work of security researchers and
are fixed by vendor patches. Operating
systems like Microsoft Windows support
diverse software ecosystems typically
representing the largest attack surface,
that is the greatest concentration
of potentially exploitable security
vulnerabilities, with many different
processes running and interacting. So,
your SCADA software might be secure
but it could be compromised through
other vulnerabilities on the same
computer.
Unpatched and obsolete software
is common and the patching issue is
not restricted to just computers. All
configurable hardware will include
software of some description. Even
control assets are not immune, running
on even the most reliable PLC will be
firmware which can, and in many cases
www.controlengeurope.com
does, contain exploitable vulnerabilities.
This requires a shift toward
decoupling of hardware and software
lifecycles and managing patching.
Enterprise patch management isn’t new,
Microsoft has offered Windows Server
Update Services for nearly 20 years
for managing patch deployment on
multiple computers and more vendor
agnostic alternatives are available.
However, testing of patches has always
been a crucial concern for operators
who are naturally averse to changes
with potential to disrupt plant stability.
Virtualisation – technology which runs
multiple logical operating systems on a
single physical server – is the mainstay
of corporate data centres and is gaining
popularity in process systems too. The
ability to quickly clone ‘guest’ virtual
machines is ideal for software patch
testing, exact duplicates can quickly be
created, patched, and tested. Simple
and rapid backup, duplication, and
recovery options can dramatically
reduce the patching risk providing
change management assurance.
What is secure
Industrial assets are designed and tested
for high reliability and long mean-time-
between-failure (MTBF), but reliability,
even in high-integrity systems, is based
Control Engineering Europe

upon the quantifiable probability of random
failure. Conversely cyber security incidents
are socially driven and cannot be modelled
to determine probability.
The requirement to exhibit real-time
deterministic behaviour necessitates
efficient programming dedicating resources
to the primary role. Unlike computers,
these devices typically lack the capacity
for advanced endpoint protection such as
firewalls and are not especially capable
of mounting a defence against malicious
interference. Common industrial network
protocols such as Modbus TCP were not
designed for security and generally accept
valid commands from any source which is
exploitable for process disruption.
Historically, it was believed that process
systems were inherently secure through
their ‘air gap’ isolation from other networks.
However, isolation alone offers only
marginally effective militation against
compromise and provides no mitigating
factor to restrict the spread of any malware
that does occur. Modems, wireless devices,
and links to business infrastructure can often
be found in OT systems where operators
think they are ‘air-gapped’. As technology
and the strategy of those seeking to
exploit this develops, threats from social
engineering, removable devices, portable
engineering laptops, and supply chain
weakness make air-gapping increasingly
superannuated.
Segregation
Segregation is a key component of the
‘defence in depth’ strategy, protecting
against initial compromise and the lateral
spread of a breach between assets. The IEC
62443 standards offer effective guidance,
expanding the Purdue system ‘levels’ model
further into logical ‘zones’ and ‘conduits’.
Assets are grouped into levels based on their
type (i.e. Level 0 – Sensors and Actuators),
then into zones based upon role, (e.g. safety
controller zone). Finally, conduits are defined
which detail the method and type of data
exchanged between zones.
Industrial protocol aware security
appliances, endpoint protection, and
software firewalls control communication
within and between each zone and level,
enforcing the minimum baseline for correct
Control Engineering Europe
CYBER SECURITY
–50 °C and +3000 °C? Or in infrared cameras? Visit www.optris.global
Also interested in really rugged, light, accurate, configurable and
inexpensive pyrometer models for temperature ranges between
plant operation. Designing this level of
security is challenging – particularly in
Fast.
existing systems – but it does offer robust
protection.
With each layer of security supporting the
whole, but usually acting independently,
can you have confidence in them? As
with safety management, gauging cyber
security effectiveness and understanding
residual risk is important. Continual review
and monitoring will help ensure that the
security strategy reflects changing internal
or external influencing factors. Monitoring
technologies complement manual technical
and procedural review and help improve
detection security incidents.
Logs store a wealth of information, not
only on firewalls but also the plethora of
other system components. All of this should
be collected into analysis systems which can
our non-contact infrared thermometers
help detect indicators of compromise (IOCs),
take up to 1000 readings per second.
and alert key personnel. Such systems can
also be a boon for preventative maintenance
There’s no two ways about it:
strategies by monitoring adverse system
health; temperature, power, etc.
Additional intrusion detection systems
(IDS) work by continually monitoring
network communication for IOCs and
their updates for vulnerabilities are often
available some time prior to patching of
the vulnerability by the OEM. Again, IACS
specific variants interpret industrial network
protocols and can detect deviation from
established normal behaviour.
Conclusion
While NIS provides targets to improve
understanding and identification of
shortcomings, its real value comes from
encouraging honest objective assessment
225 €
from
by operators, so it is important to avoid
a compliance exercise approach. It is not
immediately important if an objective is
not achieved, what is important is that
operators assess the underlying risk that
the objective addresses and work toward
reducing or removing that risk. While not
a panacea, the rationale, methods, and
technologies discussed can help in that
journey. !
Phillip J Corner is project manager –
Industrial Cyber Security at Cougar Innovative Infrared
Automation. Technology
April 2019 11
 CYBER SECURITY
GETTING FITS FOR A
SECURE FUTURE
Industrial security is a complicated, multifaceted challenge that cannot be solved by
simply purchasing the latest technology. Instead, managing the security of industrial
control systems and networks requires improving processes, tools and ultimately
balancing risk, says Glenn Schulz.
T
he advent of the Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT)
has dramatically impacted
the cyber threat landscape
while the convergence of
Informational Technology (IT) and
Operational Technology (OT) has further
complicated industrial security. Some
organisations in critical process industries
have an air-gapped requirement
prohibiting users of OT systems from
direct or even indirect connection to the
Internet. These organisations need to
find ways to safeguard data access from
the enterprise all the way down to the
device level.
Integration is at the heart of any
automation architecture, and the
FDT Group provides a robust solution
for the integrated manufacturing
enterprise due, in part, to its strong
security capabilities. FDT technology
(IEC62453, GB/T 29618-2017 and ISA103)
standardises the communication and
configuration interface between
field devices and host systems.
The comprehensive cyber security
infrastructure of the standard addresses
potential cyber-attacks on automation
assets, providing protection when
integrated into control system vendor
applications and hosted within secure IT
platforms.
In 2018, the FDT Group announced
the development of an FDT IIoT
Server (FITS) architecture to provide a
flexible platform for deployment of
IIoT-based solutions. The emerging
FITS specification is set to empower
the intelligent enterprise with native
integration of OPC UA, as well as
12 April 2019
Control and Web Services for mobile
applications. FITS will enable cloud,
enterprise, on-premise, and single-
user desktop deployment methods to
meet the needs for process, hybrid and
discrete manufacturing.
The FDT Server architecture allows
for integration of web-based Device
Type Managers (FDT/DTMs) that are
digital representations for physical
devices. The FDT Server will include an
online repository providing end-users
with convenient access to the DTMs
they need for various applications. The
solution also includes an OPC UA Server,
WebServer and stand-alone (local)
applications. The OPC UA Server allows
access to DTM data with OPC UA Clients.
The WebServer enables the use of DTM
WebUIs on remotely connected, web-
based clients on smart phones, tablets,
and PCs. The WebServer also supports
the use of apps that improve workforce
productivity and plant availability.
The FDT Group is now working
towards integration of the .NETCore/
Standard to allow the new FDT Server-
based architecture to be completely
platform independent. This will result
in an FDT Server architecture that is
deployable on a Microsoft-, Linux-,
or macOS-based operating system,
empowering the intelligent enterprise
by bridging the current installed
base with next-generation solutions
supporting the IIoT and Industry 4.0 era.
Enhancing security
An important consideration for the
emerging FITS standard is data security
for the IIoT and this has gained
www.controlengeurope.com
importance as FDT transitions from
primarily a single-user and client/
server application to a full distributive
architecture that supports browser-
based clients accessing an FDT Server
deployed in the enterprise, on-premise
or in the cloud.
FITS will help to eliminate the
traditional automation pyramid. It
provides a way to flatten the control
architecture to eliminate barriers to
plant applications in need of directly
accessing lower level devices in order
to acquire data for analysis and
operational dashboards. This is made
possible through flexible and distributed
components designed to minimise
potential security risks.
The FITS solution was also designed
to meet both connected and air-gapped
requirements, to support virtually
any automation architecture, and to
comply with contemporary security
policies in a typical industrial operation.
Furthermore, it has the ability to
authenticate client devices attempting
to connect to the server.
For consistency across different
operating system platforms FITS
features multi-layered security and
leverages vetted industry standards
such as Transport Layer Security (TLS)
enabling Web Sockets Secure (WSS)
and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure
(HTTPS). The FITS security strategy
encompasses:
• Encrypted communications using TLS
• Role-based user security
• 509v3 certificates for authentication
• On-the-wire-security for enabled
industrial control protocols
Control Engineering Europe

TLS is a cryptographic protocol
designed to provide communications
security over a computer network. It
has three basic functionalities: message
encryption, detection of message
alteration, and authentication between
client and server, ensuring that all
communication exchanges are fully
encrypted. This enables the exchange of
sensitive information while mitigating
the risk of interception or alteration.
In addition to standard encryption
and server authentication, FITS can
be configured to confirm that a
specific client device is authorised to
communicate with the server. From an
IT/OT perspective, administrators can
ensure that authenticated client devices
have appropriate virus protection and
meet other corporate security guidelines
to ensure they are not the source of
contamination via connection to the
server.
In prior versions of the FDT
standard, there has always been a user
authentication requirement that grants
authorisation to users based on a role-
based security model. This approach
has been effective for many years and
is credited with eliminating a huge
administrative burden on industrial OT
organisations. Role-based security will
be carried forward in the core of the
distributed FITS architecture as a multi-
layered security approach employing a
defense-in-depth strategy.
The FDT Server’s X.509 certificate-
based authentication schemes are
tightly integrated with TLS to not only
verify the correct server, but also to
confirm the client device is authorised
to communicate with the server. This
‘triple handshake’ of server, client
device, and end-user authentication
ensures that no impersonations, man
in the middle attacks or otherwise
unauthorised access is permitted. The
use of encryption throughout the
communication architecture ensures
that no one can eavesdrop on any of the
communications.
The various industrial control network
organisations are moving towards a
more robust security model for their
Control Engineering Europe
respective protocols. One such example
of security-on-the-wire is the newly
released Common Industrial Protocol
(CIP) Security Volume 8 by the ODVA.
CIP Security coupled with FITS enables
a complete solution for comprehensive,
end-to-end, enterprise-wide security.
The FDT Server will natively support
CIP Security, linking the IT and OT
security architecture with control.
Security-on-the-wire will enable the
control system to defend itself from
unauthorised and/or malicious access.
For instance, the layered approach
within CIP secure EtherNet/IP allows
users to implement EtherNet/IP with all
control communications on the strongly
authenticated, and optionally encrypted
communications, to avert potential
disruptions.
Finally, the FDT Server-based
architecture can be deployed in the
public or corporate cloud, allowing full
replication of the server environment for
instant cutover in the event of a virtual
server or network failure. This improves
availability, as all communications
between a remote server and local
control networks is conducted through
a robust Virtual Private Network (VPN)
tunnel or equivalent solution in order
to obstruct intrusion attempts. The VPN
establishes a secure connection from the
cloud to an individual plant or factory
while allowing redundant paths in the
event of a cloud failure. It ensures that
all communications between the remote
FDT server and the physical plant(s)
are carried in a hardened, encrypted
VPN tunnel.
www.controlengeurope.com
CYBER SECURITY
Integrating OPC UA
A critical feature of FITS is the integration
of an OPC UA Server providing the
information model for enterprise
level data exchange. The scalable FITS
architecture natively employs an OPC UA
Server allowing all devices on all networks
to be accessed through the FDT Server.
This requires no special configuration by
the end-user. Any OPC UA Client that has
the correct security profile can browse
the entire plant project structure and
access any information available from the
FDT Server.
All of the well-accepted security
mechanisms prescribed by the OPC
Foundation are supported for the
certified OPC UA Server built into the
FDT Server architecture.
Conclusion
With growing reliance on connected
systems in plants and factories, and
increasing amounts of data, it becomes
more important for the industrial
control system, its devices, and the
data and points of connectivity to be
inherently secure.
The FITS platform has been
engineered from the ground up
to provide security with flexible
deployment options for the process,
hybrid and discrete markets. This
solution will be optimised by continued
review of best practice implementations
backed by FDT’s, secure-by-design
approach. !
Glenn Schulz is managing director at
the FDT Group.
April 2019 13
 VALVES & ACTUATORS

How to automate an
existing manual valve
Automating an existing valve instead of replacing it can save time and
reduce costs. Ronnie Moore explains how.

S
ometimes process
requirements change and it
becomes necessary to replace
an existing manual process
valve with an automated
on/off or control valve. Instead of
pulling the old valve out of service
and replacing it with a new valve,
users should consider automating the
existing valve. If the valve is in good
condition and has the means to mount
an actuator, automating it can save time
and money.

Safety first
The preferred method is to remove
the valve from the line and automate
it in the maintenance shop, but that is
not always possible. If you choose to
automate the existing valve inline, make
sure the valve is not under pressure
and follow the plant’s lockout tagout
(LOTO) procedures before working on
the valve.
To start, identify the size, make, and
model of the valve. Consult the valve
manufacturer’s literature or consult with
a manufacturer’s representative for the
torque (rotary valves) or thrust (linear
valves) requirement of the valve. Ask
the manufacturer or the representative
if it is recommended to automate the
valve.
Figure 1: Most modern ball valves have pre-drilled mounting holes for actuation.
All images courtesy: Cross Co.
Make sure the valve has an actuator
mounting pad or body bolts that can
be used to mount the actuator without
compromising the integrity of the valve.
Most modern ball valves have pre-drilled
mounting holes for actuation (see
Figure 1).
If using body bolts to mount the
actuator, make sure that the bolts
are long enough to engage the
bracket and valve body when they are
reinstalled. Ask the valve manufacturer
for its recommendations for length
and grade of bolts if existing bolts
need to be replaced.
Selecting an actuator
Determine the additional safety factor
you want to add to the manufacturer’s
recommended torque and add it to the > p16

Ball valves with integrated position feedback

GEMÜ can offer a range of ball
valves for manual operation with
suitable position feedback – all are
pre-assembled, preset and tested.
The pre-assembled valves save time
and effort required for sourcing two
separate items and results in faster
and simpler installation on site.
For use with the GEMÜ 711 and
GEMÜ 740 3-piece ball valves, the
GEMÜ 762 one-piece compact
flange ball valve and the GEMÜ
797 high-pressure ball valve, GEMÜ
is offering either the GEMÜ LSF
inductive dual sensors or the GEMÜ
LSC limit switch box.

14 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering Europe

 Product reliability that’s
best in class.*

* When it comes to reliability, variable speed drive technology from Mitsubishi Electric has a
reputation to be envied. Renowned for exceptional quality and reliability and designed to
deliver unparalleled precision, speed control and versatility, Mitsubishi Electric has developed
the next generation of drive technology: the remarkable FR-800 Series. Featuring an
integrated high level PLC, USB port for programming and parameter copying, easy-to-read
control panel, optimum power usage & energy saving functions, improved system safety
and three expansion slots. For a range of supported network interfaces they are sure to
get any manufacturer’s stamp of approval.
■ Fast torque response
To find out more about our reliable drive solutions email: automation@meuk.mee.com ■ Sensorless vector control
or call 01707 276100. ■ Unparalleled drive precision
gb3a.mitsubishielectric.com ■ Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
■ Increased security with IP filtering
■ Designed to meet the needs of
@meukautomation mitsubishielectric-automationsystemsuk Industry 4.0
 VALVES & ACTUATORS
Figure 2: An actuator with a valve mounting bracket is shown. There are custom bracket
manufacturers that will adapt most actuators to most valves.
manufacturer’s torque. This safety factor
will ensure the valve will operate even
if the air supply drops slightly or if the
mounting kit binds slightly and increases
the required torque. Also, as an actuator
wears and air bypasses the pistons, the
torque output will start to decrease.
Determine the desired function of
the actuator and make sure it is the
proper size. After choosing an actuator,
consult with the valve manufacturer
or their representative and obtain
the proper mounting kit to adapt the
actuator to the valve. It is important
to note that there are custom bracket
manufacturers that will adapt just
about any brand actuator to just about
any brand valve so don’t worry if the
valve and the actuator are different
name brands (see Figure 2).
The important thing is to make sure
you are using a rotary actuator on
rotary valves and linear actuators on
linear valves. The actuator supplier can
help obtain the correct mounting kits in
most instances.
Before installing the actuator, make
sure the valve position matches the
actuator. If the actuator is a fail-closed
actuator, make sure the valve is in the
closed position. When an actuator is
mounted on a rotary valve, leave the
16 April 2019
mounting bolts slightly loose and stroke
the actuator a couple of times. This will
ensure the mounting bracket is properly
aligned and is not binding.
Torque the bolts to the proper
tightness. After the bolts are tightened,
stroke the actuator fully open and
fully closed a few more times to make
sure nothing is binding and the valve
opens and closes smoothly. Most linear
valves and actuators use a two-piece
stem coupling (clamshell coupling). The
linear actuator will include a yoke that
attaches to the valve.
Some linear actuators require the
user to add low-pressure air to slightly
open the actuator before attaching the
stem clamshell. This will preload thrust
to hold the valve tightly in the closed
position. Consult the valve and actuator
manufacturer.Finally, add any controls
such as solenoids, limit switches, or
positioners to the assembly if they are
needed. Attach it to the plant air and
wiring and test one more time before
returning the valve to service. !
Ronnie Moore is resident valve expert
at US-based Cross Co.
This article originally appeared on
www.controleng.com
www.controlengeurope.com
Malaysian
refinery gets
maintenance
support
The Hengyuan Refining Company
Berhad, a refiner, manufacturer and
supplier of petroleum products in
Malaysia, has chosen the Rotork Client
Support Programme (CSP) for the
asset management of valve actuation
equipment at its Port Dickson refinery.
Awarded to Rotork Malaysia, the CSP
will initially run for two years, with the
option to extend to four. It is designed
to meet the company’s specific needs,
encompassing 157 Rotork electric
actuators, a Rotork Master Station and
Pakscan control loop testing facility.
The Rotork CSP offers a tailor-made
service designed to increase reliability
and availability of valve actuator
and control products via planned
maintenance, predictive maintenance
and asset management. The primary
goal is to identify and eliminate any
potential issues before they occur.
This includes equipment checks,
replacement of worn components
and partial or complete overhauls at
specific periods. CSP clients have 24/7
access to Rotork Support Centres, with
prioritised technical assistance backed by
comprehensive resources and dedicated
systems.
Benefits such as increased production
and reduced year-on-year maintenance
costs are supported by generated
reports detailing cost savings and
performance improvements.
Control Engineering Europe
 UK INDUSTRY FOCUS

SPEND WISELY TO
ADDRESS CYBER THREATS
Brian Harrison highlights the findings of a report on cost of cyber security testing
for UK manufacturers.

I
n 2018, the UK manufacturing
industry spent £2.12bn on security
testing to keep digital assets
and infrastructure safe from
cybercriminals. Despite this 40% of all
manufacturers registered a cyberattack
in 2018. This must mean that the current
processes are either not there, or not
working. Industry must not only consider
its own assets, but the vast and complex
supply chain that involves technology,
third-party suppliers and distributors.
Cybersecurity a key concern for
manufacturing and process facilities
but, with over three-quarters of
manufacturers outsourcing their
cybersecurity testing, according to
research from AVORD, there appears to
be a lack of in-house knowledge to tackle
security threats.
Three-in-four manufacturing
companies think that the cost of security
testing is too expensive, and it can be
hard to justify spending revenue on
security testing. However, manufacturers
could actually be spending more than
they should as a result of companies
performing the role of the middle man to
get to the expertise of testers.
Another problem for the
manufacturing industry – unlike other
consumer-focused industries where
protecting personal data is essential – is
understanding which assets they need to
protect, and how. AVORD research has
found that 70% of manufacturers were
unable to determine the risk associated
with a data breach like this, further
demonstrating this worrying gap in
knowledge from the industry.
Methods used by hackers to access data
have not changed drastically over the
past decade, but the prize has become far
greater in recent years because customer
information comprises a major part of
digital assets. While companies may be
adding metric value to an increasing
share of their data and intangible assets,
the problem occurs when they do not
recognise who has access to this data
through their supply chain.
Large manufacturers have vast and
complex supply chains that are not
necessarily held to the same standard
of security testing as the corporation
itself. While businesses may be spending
considerable sums of money on testing,
volume is not synonymous with value.
When failing to have these security
tests as part of a supplier agreements,
companies simply offer cybercriminals
additional points of entry.
Manufacturers need to take stock
of their supply chain and assess where
the weak links may be. If necessary,
manufacturing companies will need to
ask that their suppliers undertake similar
rigorous security testing in order to
protect themselves from cyberattacks by
proxy. Only once thorough and regular
testing processes are implemented across
the whole chain can you be certain that
valuable data is secure.
Brian Harrison is CEO at AVORD.

Apprenticeship Levy fails to deliver

In a recent report the National Audit Office (NAO)
stated that since funding reforms were introduced,
apprenticeship starts have fallen substantially. The
introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy significantly
changed the pattern of apprenticeship starts with a spike
in April 2017, before the reforms took effect. However, the
number of starts fell after this and has not recovered to
previous levels.
Commenting on the report, Verity Davidge, head
of education and skills policy at Make UK, said: “The
report confirms what industry already knows; the
apprenticeship levy is not working. Manufacturers have
always been true champions of apprenticeships but the
Government’s reforms have left many deeply frustrated.
One-in-ten manufacturers is actively delaying or cancelling
apprenticeships because of the Levy and 95% believe that
the Apprenticeship Levy must be changed.
“While the move towards higher level apprenticeships
should be applauded, we cannot ignore the fact that
manufacturers need a pipeline of trained staff from shop
floor to top floor. There has been an increasing shortfall
in technician level roles which has continued since the
introduction of the Levy which, combined with the
changes in the labour market driven by Brexit, will have a
hugely detrimental effect.
“Government needs to stop tweaking around the edges
and use its current Review to really listen to employers and
make radical change and make it quickly,” said Davidge.

Control Engineering UK www.controlengeurope.com April 2019 UK1

 SENSORS

ADDING MOTION
TO THE IO-LINK MIX
Darren Pratt explains why adding IO-Link compatibility to an encoder is a vital
breakthrough on the road to Industry 4.0.

S
ensors of all kinds are the
‘eyes and ears’ of machines in
Industry 4.0 and the appetite
for ‘smart’ and IO-Link sensors
– from photoelectric cells to
process sensors and distance sensors – has
grown rapidly. Armed with IO-Link and
the increased intelligence and processing
power on ever smaller devices, it has
become possible to realise many more
distributed machine solutions more
simply, and often more cheaply.
IO-Link provides a standard open
communications gateway that enables
a common architecture to be used for
sensors and actuators in a machine.
Through IO-Link, devices are able to
cooperate at the lowest level of the
automation hierarchy, then link, through
an IO field gateway, to transmit data –
often with added value – via the factory
ethernet network to a controller.
Grouped together in local process
clusters, sensors can perform ‘smart
tasks’ at the field level. IO-Link has also
begun to break down traditional control
hierarchies by making data visible to
higher levels, as well as in the cloud.
Transparent access can even be provided
to the intelligence on board the sensor.
Adding motion
With an IO-Link enabled encoder
motion sensing is added into the IO-
Link mix, opening up countless new
possibilities for plant and machinery.
It could even begin to prompt new
paradigms in the way we organise and
configure sensing capability within
machines.
The AHS36 (single turn) and AHM36
(multi-turn) IO-Link absolute encoders
are new offerings from SICK which
are able to achieve quick, easy and
economical higher-level fieldbus
integration via an IO-Link Master.
Adding IO-Link compatibility to
encoders has achieved cost-saving
machine integration starting with a
compact design: With the IO-Link master
performing the higher-level Ethernet
interface, the IO-Link encoder can be
manufactured in a much smaller package.
The need to use a dedicated interface
card on the PLC rack is also eliminated,
saving time, cost and complexity.
Standard unshielded cabling can be
used between the encoders and the
IO-Link master, so wiring costs can also be
reduced.
In addition to programming through
the PLC, or with a PC, it is now also
possible to store and download the
encoder parameters from the IO-Link
Master, so device replacement is simply
‘plug and play’.
IO-Link absolute encoders can offer
high levels of diagnostic transparency.
Error warnings can be provided on a
range of both application-specific and
encoder-health parameters such as
position, speed or temperature out of
range. Advanced versions from SICK
will be able to provide even more
comprehensive provision and storage
of diagnostic data such as temperature
values, and operating times.
With SICK’s AHS36/AHM36 IO-Link
encoders one final frontier of distributed
processing can be achieved in the encoder
itself. With the addition of a configurable
output and input pin, a direct interface
with another device can be enabled to
realise ‘Smart Tasks’ in the encoder itself.
This could be something as simple as an
input to the encoder to tell it when to
start and stop a length measurement,
resulting in a length value output to the
control system via IO-Link.
Another solution is to use the length
measurement value calculated within
the encoder to generate a direct digital
output to a cutter or sealer, thereby
eliminating the need to connect the
encoder to a higher-level control
system. !
Darren Pratt is product manager for
Encoders and Industrial Instrumentation
at SICK UK.

UK2 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering UK

 SENSORS

IO-Link RFID read/write modules

A range of IO-Link RFID read/write
modules from Contrinex are said to offer
fast, low-cost integration by utilising two
key industry communication standards
within one device: The ISO15693 RFID
standard in the read/write head for
communication with the transponders
and ISO 61131-9 IO-Link at the connector
for communication with the control
system.
Simplified plug-and-play installation
ensures cost-effective integration as well
as giving the choice to operate either as
RFID read/write devices or as stand-alone
SIO sensors, where the RFID module acts
as a discrete sensor providing binary
switching. In the SIO mode, tag presence
detection or data block comparison is
used to provide a conditional output,
much like a sensor.
Product testing lines will often
comprise several test stations, each
performing a fixed sequence of tests. HF Basic tags and Read/write modules
For efficient real-time monitoring, are compatible with ISO/IEC 15693, have
identification systems need to integrate fast data transfer times; and are available
into the overall control system. with a range of interfaces. Thanks to user-
In a typical RFID system, part carriers defined password protection features,
are equipped with tags and every test data security is also covered.
station has a read/write module
(RWM). To program the testing
machine, the RWM reads from
each tag the type of test required
for an individual part. After
each test, the RWM writes the
results back into the appropriate
tag memory address/location.
Test reports are automatically
forwarded to the controller for
product acceptance or rejection
and fault correction.
HF Basic read/write modules
with IO-Link allow easy system
integration, making it ideal for use
in this application. The ConIdent

RESISTANT, SMART, COMPACT: ENCODERS FOR HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

The AHS/AHM36 IO-Link Inox absolute encoders set standards in resistance to environmental influences and for IO-Link
communication. With an enclosure rating IP69, the encoders are suitable for use in very harsh ambient conditions. With a
housing diameter of only 36mm and a variety of mounting options, the AHS/AHM36 IO-Link Inox absolute encoders fit into
nearly every application. The IO-Link interface enables economical encoder integration into Ethernet and fieldbus networks
and simple configuration. We think that’s intelligent. www.sick.co.uk
 NEW PRODUCTS

Retrofittable
Raspberry Pi-based CODESYS 3 HMI/PLC
communication modules Turck Banner can offer CODESYS 3
RS Components has introduced USB, Ethernet and HDMI connections programming as an addition to its
KUNBUS to its supplier portfolio and are based around the Raspberry TX HMI/PLC series.
– a developer of intelligent Pi Compute module, making them Compared to the established TX500
communications modules, including compatible with the Raspberry Pi models, two central modifications
fieldbus- and industrial Ethernet- model 3 or Raspberry Pi B+. have been added: The TX700 devices
based devices for a range of Depending on application operate with multicore processors at
automation markets. requirements, these base modules can an operating frequency of 800 MHz
The KUNBUS products now be expanded seamlessly using digital and use a modern Linux platform. This
shipping from RS include 14 new lines or analogue I/O modules, as well as makes it possible to implement more
including industrial computers, PLCs fieldbus gateways to connect them to complex control tasks and visualisations.
and data acquisition and human- an industrial network. The glass display of the units, with
machine interface a capacitive touch function, enables
(HMI) devices. A key intuitive operation with the gesture
series from KUNBUS control typically used with smartphones.
is the Revolution Pi With their range of interfaces,
series of open- the TX700 units offer versatile use
source and modular straight from the factory, such as
industrial PCs, based master operation in Profinet, Ethernet/
on the well- IP, Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU and
established CANopen. Use as a slave (server) is also
Raspberry Pi possible in both Modbus networks.
platform, a modular This is said to considerably reduce the
system which meets number of device variants required
the EN61131-2 in stock. An integrated OPC UA
international server allows the parallel transfer
standard for PLCs, of monitoring data to higher-level
offers a series of systems
central processing Thanks to three separate Ethernet
units including the ports, users are able to physically
RevPi Connect, separate communication to cloud or
RevPi Core and office IT networks from the machine
RevPi Core 3. controller, helping ensure reliable
Installed in DIN-rail PLC operation and enabling switch
housings, all the functions to be implemented for
products come with creating line topologies.

Hazardous area inspection software

Boulting has introduced cloud-based
inspection software that enables plant
engineers to ensure control equipment
in hazardous areas is compliant with the
latest technical standard, BS EN 60079:17,
which sets clear guidelines around zone
classification, electrical installation and
equipment protection in explosive
atmospheres.
The app provides clear visibility
of hazardous area inspections and
incorporates radio frequency identity tags
that make it easy to recall information
for each device. The system integrates
documents required to form an Explosive
Protection Document (EPD) for an
unlimited number of items, including
all area classification documents, risk
assessments, equipment certificates
and details of all equipment requiring
inspection, frequency of inspection and
associated drawings. All information is
stored securely in the cloud, with client
read only access available.

UK4 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering UK


WEIGHING UP THE BENEFITS
OF SEAMLESS INTEGRATION
Matt Morrissey explains how an integrated automation solution has helped a brick
manufacturer to gain greater visibility of its processes as part of a upgrade and
production expansion exercise.
W
hen a Canadian
manufacturer of bricks
set out to increase
production of its
heritage brick range its
first requirement was a high-efficiency,
automated production facility.
The first step of the brick making
production process is to crush the shale
and clay products. These ingredients
are then mixed together and blended
using equipment supplied by J. McCoy
Equipment. Oshawa Bearing provides
the plant automation components,
integrating electrical and mechanical
equipment into control systems, and
it relies on Siemens automation and
weighing technology for this.
The mixing and blending operation
uses continuous weighing systems
installed on conveyors that feed the
mixer. Water is added to the blend in the
mixer and the resulting slurry is formed
into the rectangular brick shape with
a 400hp extruder. After the extrusion
significant automation is applied to cut,
condition, stack and bake, and finally
package the bricks.
Oshawa has been using Siemens
automation technology for many years,
since a Siemens PLC was specified by a
customer many years ago. Since then
the company has adopted Siemens as its
automation supplier to provide multi-
vendor integration of motor drives,
weighing technology, instrumentation,
and PLCs within the Totally Integrated
Automation (TIA) portal programming
interface.
The TIA Portal has allowed Oshawa
Bearing to seamlessly integrate the
following technology into the brick-
Control Engineering Europe
making process: SIMATIC S7-1200 and S7-
1500 PLCs; SIWAREX weighing modules
Siemens Milltronics MUS belt scales, along
with a variety of third-party devices.
The SIWAREX WP241 weighing module
for weigh belt applications integrates
onto the bus of the SIMATIC S7-1200
PLC. This gives operators easy access to
weighing information and calibration
settings within the automation
programming.
For the physical measurement of the
material on the belt a Siemens Milltronics
MUS belt scale with a modular design
was chosen. This scale has a modular
design which can mount to any width
of conveyor up to 1.5m. With corrosion-
resistant nickel-plated alloy steel load
cells, the scale is said to provide operators
with an accuracy of ±0.5%.
Time savings
With the SIWAREX weighing module
capabilities and integration into the
automation system, operators also save
on calibration effort when compared to
the use of previous systems that included
analogue input cards, specialised displays
and which required manual adjustment.
With SIWAREX and a little
programming operators no longer need
to physically zero and calibrate the scale.
Instead they can diagnose issues and
calibrate the scale from the control room
or a local user panel.
In addition, usable information such as
instrument diagnostics and plant status,
is now quickly and easily accessible to
operators. Drive performance, conveyor
belt speed, material flow rates, and a
host of other crucial information can be
observed in the control room.
www.controlengeurope.com
WEIGHING TECHNOLOGY
If a problem occurs, operators are
instantly alerted so are able to more
quickly address issues before they impact
plant performance.
Commenting on the use of Siemens
automation technology in its control
solution, Barry Thompson, president at
Oshawa Bearing Service, said: “Siemens
Totally Integrated Automation has
provided us and our customers with
a flexible solution. The time savings
are substantial with the integration
of SIWAREX WP241, and weighing
applications have become a breeze and
have added significant value to our
customers.”
The biggest impact of projects such
as this are the resulting operational
efficiencies enjoyed by end-users with
the simple calibration process and
availability of information throughout
the plant. The brick production facility,
for example, is now benefitting
from a full and instant view of its
manufacturing process which gives it
confidence in its processes. !
Matt Morrissey is product manager at
Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments
in Canada.
April 2019 17
 PREDICTIVE MAINTENACE

THE DRIVE TOWARDS

REDUCED DOWNTIMES
Inverter drives are getting smarter and are now able to look after themselves, along
with a range of other plant equipment such as fans, pumps, motors and conveyors.
Wayne Turtill explains how this is being achieved.

V
ariable speed drives (VSDs)
have always been able to
monitor motor current
and output torque to
provide an early warning
of impending problems with rotating
plant equipment and machinery.
Today’s information-rich VSD displays
and connectivity to Human Machine
Interfaces (HMIs) means that error
codes are presented with meaningful
troubleshooting information, so
engineers no longer have to look
through paper manuals to diagnose and
rectify a fault.
Going beyond routine fault codes
today’s technology can offer significant
advances in plant monitoring and Mitsubishi Electric’s variable speed drives provide all the tools that are needed to reduce unplanned
downtime. [Source: Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V]
diagnostics, taking the uncertainty
out of maintenance and reducing that then halt the whole production relationship between speed and
unscheduled downtimes. In particular line can be devastating. However, torque can be indicative of impending
VSDs now play a key role in moving many of the typical problems that will problems. These characteristics start to
from a regime of preventative halt a conveyor line are easy to detect trend away from the norm due to wear
maintenance to one of more cost- from within the drive. Common issues as a component approaches the end of
effective predictive maintenance. such as worn bearings, for example, its service life. It can also reveal problems
cause friction and can be detected by a such as blocked filters and pipes. Again,
Reducing unplanned higher output current that is needed to warnings about issues before they
downtime overcome the increased load. Conversely, impact on efficiency of operation gives
The intelligent functionality of modern a decrease in load – suggestive of wear engineers the best possible opportunity
VSDs offers all the tools needed to in drive belts – can also be detected. to schedule maintenance at the most
reduce unplanned downtime, detect Such diagnostics are simple to set convenient time.
problems in bearings, motors, pumps, up, requiring minimal adjustment
fans and conveyors – as well as in to parameters. Different levels of Monitoring efficiency
the drives themselves – before they monitoring and alarms can be defined Some VSDs use sophisticated algorithms
cause a failure. With early warnings to meet individual requirements, with to monitor fan efficiency, pump curves
of impending failure and pro-active local display on the drive itself or an and performance, offering dedicated
requests for servicing, it is possible for HMI, or remote monitoring over a diagnostics functions for the likes of fan
engineering teams to make informed network. In the conveyor example, all and pump applications. The Mitsubishi
decisions about when to schedule that needs to be defined are upper and Electric FR-F800 series, for example,
maintenance. lower limits for motor output current offers a ‘cleaning function’ (de-ragging),
Consider, for example, a drive and the maintenance team will receive which provides warning of the build-
controlling the motor on a conveyor line. timely warnings of bearing or belt wear. up of dirt and foreign matter on the
Unscheduled stoppages on conveyors In fan and pump applications, the impellers of fans and pumps. Left

18 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering Europe


unchecked, this build up will eventually
stop the fan or pump motor completely
and will need an engineer to access the
equipment to clean it, however, the
drive is capable of running routines that
solve the problem, not just highlight it.
With the cleaning function, this build-
up of dirt can be removed by repeating
forward/reverse rotation and stopping
the motor, eliminating extended
downtime. The function can be enabled
manually on the display of an alarm or
can be started automatically when an
overload is detected. If the process clears
the problem, the load characteristics
return to normal and operation can
continue. If the problem isn’t cleared,
an alarm can be triggered to alert the
maintenance team, again giving them
time to deal with the issue as and when
is convenient, before equipment failure.
It is possible to extend those
diagnostics capabilities further, bringing
predictive maintenance in line with the
digitisation of manufacturing, aligning it
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with the goals of Industry 4.0. Mitsubishi
Electric has integrated its Smart
Condition Monitoring (SCM) technology
into its inverters.
The pre-configured, plug-and-play
solution includes the FAG SmartCheck
vibration sensor from e-F@ctory Alliance
partner Schaeffler and combines it
with the PLC functionality integrated
within the drive to provide a complete
drive-based solution for predictive
maintenance.
This integrated approach to
monitoring the health of individual
assets combines local traffic-light
indication of the asset through red,
amber and green status lights on the
installed SmartCheck sensor with more
detailed analysis performed by the drive.
Within the VSD, operating temperature
and vibration feedback from the
SmartCheck sensor is combined with
the monitoring of a full range of other
external parameters, including speed,
voltage and current information, with
PREDICTIVE MAINTENACE
detailed diagnoses highlighted on the
drive’s integrated display.
In the event of a change of state that
indicates a deterioration of operating
conditions or a likely impending
failure, the system will display practical
recommended measures to take locally
via clear text messages or by forwarding
them to higher-level systems. This
means that maintenance personnel
do not always need special experience
or diagnostics expertise to be able to
identify faults directly, take the necessary
measures and schedule maintenance
work as required.
As a result, downtime is minimised
and system availability maximised –
which in turn leads to further cost
reductions. The net result is that system
maintenance for critical assets can be
planned in advance, resulting in a longer
service life. !
Wayne Turtill is product manager for
Drives and Servos at Mitsubishi Electric.
Sven-Philipp Abraham,
Product Management –
Product Center
Ident + Vision
 PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
PUTTING DATA TO WORK WITH
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
Today around two-thirds of manufacturers are gathering data from their production
environments, yet relatively few are using it to improve processes or boost
productivity and yield, argues Dr Simon Kampa.
O
ne of the areas that big
data and analytics has
the greatest potential to
transform manufacturing
environments is in the
world of predictive maintenance. The
potential of data science to improve
how machines are monitored and
maintained has long been recognised,
with the roots of today’s data-driven
approaches to condition monitoring
being formed in the aerospace and
defence sectors over 30 years ago.
However, the labour intensive
nature of analysing and forecasting
machine health has limited its use to
heavily regulated sectors and the most
critical production assets only. It has,
traditionally, relied on experts to gather
and spot the crucial signs that a known
fault might occur again in the future.
Although expensive and time-
consuming, this approach did enable
organisations to understand when a
component or machine was getting
close to failure and even to predict
when it would no longer be able to
perform its intended function. The
discipline, called prognostics, improved
maintenance by enabling engineers
to apply the right intervention before
failures could occur.
Recent advances in Artificial
Intelligence (AI), automation and
analytics, has automated prognostic
analysis and it can now be achieved by
a computer and deployed affordably at
scale in more down to earth settings.
It is now possible to collect and analyse
a range of data sets from most machines
which contains the clues to spot early
signs of wear and tear. Software can
be introduced to analyse data collected
from machines automatically, using
20 April 2019
smart, self-learning algorithms to
diagnose and predict failures.
A transformative approach
This automated approach to predictive
maintenance is transformative for how
manufacturers manage and invest in
machinery. Factories can now undertake
condition monitoring automatically
across thousands of machines,
minimising downtime by ensuring
machines are scheduled for maintenance
ahead of failure without dedicating
hundreds of human hours to gathering
and analysing specific information.
Simple alerts can be set up to provide
information about matching failure
models and the remaining useful life of
each piece of machinery. An automated
approach to condition monitoring and
predictive maintenance should offer
an accessible way to reduce machine
downtime and increase the overall
efficiency and performance of their
production environment.
Preparing for action
Before introducing predictive
maintenance or condition monitoring,
manufacturers first have to understand
exactly what they want to achieve.
Qualifying the goal is key to working out
the validity of condition monitoring.
Cost is one of the best ways to
quantify potential savings and justify
the use of condition monitoring but this
isn’t always a straightforward process as
downtime can have many hidden costs
beyond simply the loss of production,
including the price of spare parts, labour
and scrap product.
The gains from condition monitoring
must clearly outweigh the cost, but there
is more to consider than the cost of
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implementation and downtime avoided.
Businesses should determine the total
potential savings, including prices of
assets with a longer lifespan as part of
their return on investment figures. The
initial financial gains will increase over
time due to continuous improvement.
Conclusion
While an automated approach to
prognostics and condition monitoring
represents a new way of working for
many, the benefits more than justify
the change. Organisations that have
already embraced this approach have
reduced maintenance costs by 40%,
halved their levels of machine downtime
and delivered dramatic improvements in
throughput, quality and margin.
While predictive maintenance
has been practised for 30 years, it is
only in recent years that advances in
prognostics and automation allow such
sophisticated approaches to condition
monitoring to be applied factory-wide.
Given the financial and operational
benefits of introducing predictive
maintenance at scale are now much
greater than the cost of implementing
and managing such programmes, it
is hard to conceive any large scale
manufacturer not using them. !
Dr Simon Kampa is CEO at Senseye.
Control Engineering Europe

DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE
CONDITION MONITORING STRATEGY
David Manning-Ohren offers advice on how to implement condition
monitoring, regardless of budget.
C
ondition monitoring is often
the first step on the road to
effective asset management.
Having a strategy in place
makes it possible to identify
any potential asset failures and plan for
repairs or swap-outs in a way that does
not impact production. Identifying issues
in their early stages also means that they
can be rectified before failure occurs.
Suggested tips for an efficient condition
monitoring strategy include:
Take a holistic view: Before
implementing any form of condition
monitoring, analyse th e process,
equipment and the needs of the process.
Look methodically at each part of the
production line and establish an idea
of how everything works together and
think about applying the technology
specifically to the failure mode. If certain
areas of the production line are not your
particular area of expertise, draft in an
expert to review it for you.
Be realistic: Ideally, each application
across the production line would have
a condition monitoring system for
collecting and analysing data. However,
considering the costs and the downtime
involved in this undertaking, it cannot
be seen as a realistic objective.
Focus instead on small, achievable
Control Engineering Europe
goals within a single application.
Expand the condition monitoring
capabilities gradually, learning from
each implementation. Identify KPIs, set
objectives or map-out ideal scenarios.
Flexibility is key: The fact that
individual businesses have different
needs and processes means that
there is no one-size-fits all when it
comes to condition monitoring. Be
prepared to consider, and invest in, a
number of different solutions, such
as thermographic survey equipment,
vibration analysis, oil analysis or
ultrasound emissions.
Don’t let budget constraints dictate
the choice of strategy, either. The
cheapest solution is rarely the most
effective, and analysis capabilities and
results may be compromised. Always
prioritise performance over price as this
will yield cost savings in the long run.
Focus on known failures: Have any
parts of the production line failed in the
past five or ten years? If so it may be
possible to identify patterns, or common
denominators, across these failures.
Identifying problematic areas,
particularly those that are having a
demonstrable impact on production
and efficiency, will help identify which
condition monitoring equipment will
www.controlengeurope.com
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
provide the best return on investment.
It will also help identify a root cause,
allowing the actual problem, and not
just its symptoms, to be addressed.
Effective data handling: The data
collected by condition monitoring
equipment can be a valuable tool to
help enhance production, processes and
profitability, but only if they are used
correctly. A data management strategy
is a prerequisite to a successful condition
monitoring strategy and needs to be a
consideration from the very beginning.
Today condition monitoring systems
are available that gather all the
information needed to provide insight
into crucial assets. Features could
include everything from data logging
and periodic text reports, to continual
monitoring of device states with alerts,
to trending with threshold-triggered
alerts, diagnostics with local algorithms,
and prognosis using high-end analytical
techniques.
Effective condition monitoring has a
key role to play in asset management as
it is impossible to take care of an asset
unless you know what you have and
what condition the asset is in. !
David Manning-Ohren is business
development manager at ERIKS UK.
March 2019 21
 PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
Condition monitoring
for the many
Today, equipment can be monitored efficiently and serviced according to business
needs, rather than schedules, thanks to the Industrial Internet of Things,
says Mohamed Zied Ouertani.
T
raditional maintenance work,
using time-based schedules, is
focused mainly on equipment
that already works well. This is
time consuming and results in
equipment that is working perfectly well
being adjusted or even replaced.
Most mechanical failures are not
related to the age of the equipment, but
most maintenance teams act as if the
opposite were the case, working their
way through a list of time-based actions.
More effective maintenance can be
achieved by addressing issues based
on level of priority, business needs and
actual conditions. This can be done using
the monitoring technologies that have
become available thanks to the Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT).
According to calculations made by
ABB, with more effective monitoring,
the cost of maintenance can be reduced
Smart sensors can analyse machine data.
22 April 2019
by between 15 and 40%. The number
of failures during operation can be cut
by over 90% and contribute 2 to 3%
to plant availability. Even fractional
improvements in plant uptime is a big
contributor to improved earnings.
Today equipment degradation can be
detected before faults occur, reducing
downtime, cutting costs and improving
safety. With all the relevant data held
in cloud repositories, equipment can be
analysed with big data technologies,
helping to map failure patterns, failure
modes and equipment performance.
A structured approach
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
is a structured way of approaching
equipment failures and their possible
causes. Maintenance experts across
a range of industries have used this
methodology for many decades, usually
www.controlengeurope.com
with pen and paper. This process has now
been packaged into software and the
analysis is carried out by computers.
All processes and pieces of equipment
are represented by digital twins in the
software. Causes of failure for each piece
of equipment are identified – including
failure modes that cannot be observed
by sensors. All available information, such
as data, feedback and expert opinions
are used to build these models. They are
continuously improved using data and
customer feedback.
Once the structured FMEA model is in
place, the expected time from the first
indication of a fault to actual failure,
is calculated. When the first indication
appears, for instance bearing vibration,
it is possible to work out the remaining
time to failure – in this case, bearing
failure. With sufficient field data this
interval can be calculated with a high
Control Engineering Europe

degree of accuracy.
This provides a robust basis for the
planning of maintenance activities.
Knowing, for example, that you have
three weeks to replace the bearing
enables preparations to be made.
Processes can be shifted to redundant
equipment or the load can be reduced
until maintenance can be carried out.
Handling the data
When expanding monitoring to cover a
greater number of machines, the sheer
volume of data can become an issue.
The challenge, until now, has been
that hardwiring is costly and wireless
communication is not continuous, as
wireless sensors provide readings on a
periodic basis to save battery power.
Hardwiring can only be justified for
the most critical pieces of equipment,
normally about 5% of all machinery.
Wireless is not suitable for all types of
equipment and conditions – usually, it can
only cover about 15% of the equipment.
Now, the remaining 80% can be
monitored using edge computing, a
concept that involves processing the
data locally, in peripheral devices, with
only the most relevant information
being sent to a plant or enterprise asset
management sy-stem.
Several years ago, a world leading
Chemical giant started several programs
aiming to improve profitability and
opera-tions by using leading-edge
technologies.
At its main site in Germany, the
company has hundreds of different
production facilities with thousands
of rotating assets. In the past only a
fraction of these would be monitored.
Monitoring thousands of assets is a
huge undertaking, bearing in mind
the volumes of data that would need
to be collected, transferred, processed
and analysed. Together with ABB, the
company set out to find ways to address
these issues.
Sending raw readings to a high-level
system is suitable and efficient when
monitoring dozens of assets, but not
thousands. The amount of raw data
increases as quickly as the number of
Control Engineering Europe
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
With edge computing data is processed locally, in peripheral devices, with only the most relevant
information being sent to a plant or enterprise asset management system.
monitored assets, generating high
traffic in the wireless communication
infrastructure and requiring a large
amount of data storage and processing
power.
Every wireless sensor can generate
up to 250 megabytes of raw data per
day and frequently more than 99% of
this data is irrelevant for understating
the trends in the machine health. To
solve this challenge, a new approach
was needed. The solution was found
with Edge computing – a method of
optimising applications by moving a
portion of the application to one of its
peripheral parts, such as a field installed
sensor.
By processing the data locally, inside
the sensor attached to the machine,
the volume of data sent to a higher-
level monitoring system can be reduced
from hundreds of megabytes to a few
kilobytes. The work started in Germany
has resulted in a range of smart, IIoT-
enabled sensors being available.
Having analysed the data, the
peripheral asset is not only able to
tell the higher-level system what the
symptoms are – such vibration or
temperature readings – but also what
it thinks the problem is. This is a huge
benefit to maintenance teams, who
no longer need to go out to examine
the issue before addressing it. Instead,
they can start with a work order that
lists the parts needed and the tools
required to do the job. The task can
www.controlengeurope.com
then be completed in just one visit,
instead of multiple trips.
It is also possible to involve artificial
intelligence (AI) which can help outline
machine condition in a quantitative way.
As well as addressing problems
in order of priority and cutting out
unnecessary maintenance work, IIoT
technologies can help eliminate any
unplanned shutdown due to equipment
malfunction, failure or maintenance
actions gone wrong.
It also becomes easier to share
information between daily operations
and the maintenance department, as
both have access to the same data since
they use the same system. For some
manufacturers this kind of collaboration
between departments is nothing short
of revolutionary and can go a long
way to improving the bottom-line
performance of the facility on a daily
basis.
The next step in optimising
asset management is to integrate
the computerised maintenance
management system. This will enable
the maintenance department to plan
its activities, track spare parts inventory
and even order external contractors in
the same system that is aggregating
condition monitoring data across the
enterprise. !
Mohamed Zied Ouertani is digital lead
& technology manager Chemicals &
Refining at ABB.
April 2019 23
 PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
OVERCOMING THE
OBSTACLES TO PREDICTIVE
MAINTENANCE
Jos Martin examines the key barriers to implementation of predictive
maintenance technologies, and how these can be alleviated.
P
redictive maintenance makes
a lot of promises including
reduced downtime and
eliminating unnecessary
maintenance. However it is
important to keep engineering and
business challenges from getting in the
way. Common obstacles and arguments
to implementation include:
• We do not have enough data
to create a predictive maintenance
system: Many predictive maintenance
approaches rely on machine learning
algorithms, so there needs to be
enough data to create an accurate
model. For predictive maintenance, this
data usually originates from sensors
on machinery. If the sensors are new
or the way readings are logged limits
the information, you will need to think
about the best way to access enough
data to build your models.
Take a close look at your list of
data sources – You might find that
your department does not collect
enough data to power a predictive
maintenance system. Consider whether
other departments collect data as well.
Depending on where you are in the
supply chain, it is also worth looking
at agreements with your suppliers or
customers. Cooperating to prolong the
health and efficiency of equipment
components may put you in a win-
win situation that fosters data access
between business entities.
Some systems operate in a feast or
famine mode where data isn’t collected
until a fault occurs. Others only log
event codes and time stamps: engineers
are notified that an event occurred,
but not the sensor values at the time
24 April 2019
of the failure. Although this data may
be useful for diagnostics, it is likely
insufficient for developing models
that can predict failures. Consider
changing the data logging options to
record more data, perhaps on a test
fleet if production data is not available.
Depending on the load on existing
embedded devices, it may be possible
to reconfigure them to collect and
transmit sensor data, or external data
loggers may be necessary to get started.
Use simulation tools to synthesise
data – Generate test data using
simulation tools and combine that
data with what sensor data is available
to build and validate predictive
maintenance algorithms. This is done
by creating models that cover the
mechanical, electrical, or other physical
system to be monitored. Synthesise
sample data and validate this against
measured data to ensure the model is
well-calibrated. This can be done at the
component level first, then later at the
system level for complex systems.
When considering data for a
predictive maintenance system, begin
to analyse it early to understand which
features are important and which may
be redundant. It can be costly to keep
data that is not going to be used.
• We lack the failure data needed
for accurate results: Failure data is a
crucial part of teaching algorithms to
recognise the warning signs to trigger
just-in-time maintenance. Failure
data may not exist if maintenance is
performed so often that no failures
have occurred, or the system is safety
critical and cannot be left to fail.
To stop this from becoming a fatal
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deficiency, you can simulate failure data
and learn how to recognise warning
signs.
An engineer with deep system
knowledge of how the physical
components work will be able to
generate sample failure data with
the right tools. Tools such as failure
mode effects analysis (FMEA) provide
useful starting points for determining
which failures to simulate. An engineer
with sufficient domain knowledge
can incorporate these behaviours into
the model in a variety of scenarios,
which simulate failures by adjusting
temperatures, flow rates, or vibrations
or adding a sudden fault. These
scenarios can then be simulated, and
the resulting failure data is labeled and
stored for further analysis.
While failure data might not be
present, operations data might show
trends about how a machine degrades
over time. Statistical techniques such
as principal component analysis (PCA)
can provide valuable insight into
how equipment operates over time,
transforming raw sensor data into
something which can be visualised and
analysed more easily.
• We understand the failures, but we
cannot predict them: Understanding
the cause of a failure is important, but
there is a significant difference between
identifying what went wrong and
knowing how to predict it. Root cause
analysis is an integral part of domain
knowledge that, paired with predictive
maintenance algorithms, creates an
effective predictive maintenance
program. If the algorithm part of the
equation is a new and intimidating
Control Engineering Europe

undertaking, you can take these steps
to reduce the learning curve.
Define goals – It is important to
define your goals upfront. You should
then think about how the predictive
maintenance algorithm will affect
these goals. Building a framework that
can test an algorithm and estimate its
performance relative to your goals will
enable faster design iterations.
Start small – If you already know the
causes behind failures, then the domain
knowledge is there. Choose a project
using a deeply understood system to
practice on. Make sure you understand
the features and factors that affect the
performance of the system, and build
a predictive maintenance algorithm. As
the simplest starting point, consider if
thresholding a feature is a significant
maintenance indicator (typically done
via control charts). Once you and your
team are comfortable with building
the algorithms for a simple problem,
you can apply that knowledge to more
complex systems.
Gain confidence – When predictive
maintenance algorithms begin to show
promising your domain knowledge
to tune models to predict different
outcomes based on the cost/severity
of those outcomes. To further validate
models, add generated failure data
similar to known historical conditions
and test the system. This will build
confidence that the process is working.
• We do not know how to do
predictive maintenance: Every new
technology requires investment that
must be justified. If machine learning
has only recently been introduced, it
is only natural to see what might be
considered an advanced application
of it as a risk. However, you can take
steps to minimise that risk and get up
and running with a working predictive
maintenance model as quickly as
possible.
Instead of trying to introduce a
new technology and technique, take
advantage of new capabilities in the
software already in place and focus on
the new techniques. Some tools already
have specific predictive maintenance
Control Engineering Europe
capabilities, enabling engineers to
continue working in an environment
they know.
Data can be gathered from
multiple sources, such as databases,
spreadsheets, or web archives. Make
sure the data is in the right format
including date and time stamps.
Pain points are often around how
to organise the data for analysis. If
you don’t have enough data, you can
generate this from a physical model
of the machine to supplement normal
usage, varying parameter values,
different system dynamics, or signal
faults.
If data has come from different
sources, it will also need to be
combined. If you remove anomalies,
think about whether you want to
replace them with approximate values
or work with a smaller data set.
Instead of feeding sensor data
directly into machine learning models,
it is common to extract features
from the sensor data. These features
capture higher-level information in
the sensor data, for example moving
averages or frequency content. The
use of familiar tools to perform
feature extraction techniques
simplifies this step. An iterative
approach—in which features are
added, new models are trained, and
their performance is compared—
can work well to determine the
www.controlengeurope.com
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
effectiveness of different features on
the results.
To train the model you must classify
data as healthy/faulty, set thresholds
and estimate remaining useful life
for components. You will need to
create a list of failure scenarios to
predict, choose classification methods,
and simulate models. Apps provide
graphical interfaces for applying
machine learning that make it easy to
get started and compare the results
of training many different types of
models.
Models may be deployed to
embedded devices by converting them
to a low-level language such as C, or
they may be integrated with other
applications in an IT environment.
The pain here is often around lack of
familiarity with code generation and
IT integration. There are tools that can
automatically package models to run in
a production environment.
Conclusion
Predictive maintenance is an achievable
goal with the right tools, guidance, and
motivation. Find the features, models,
and methods that work for your
business and iterate until you get it
right—and remember you do not have
to do it alone. !
Jos Martin is senior engineering
manager at MathWorks.
April 2019 25
 ETHERNET CABLES
MEETING STANDARDS FOR
THE NEXT GENERATION
Uwe Widmann asks whether single-pair Ethernet (SPE) technology heralds a
breakthrough for Ethernet right down to sensor connection at field level? And, does
single-pair Ethernet have what it takes to supplant conventional fieldbus systems?
D
igitalisation is continuing to
gain pace and is expected
to have implications across
a wide range of application
areas.
One element of digitalisation is the
creation of a cyber-physical system
(CPS) which enables information
and software to be linked together
with electromechanical components.
Implementing a CPS requires a powerful
and robust data infrastructure and this
can be built using Ethernet technology
in accordance with the
IEEE 802.3 standard.
The IEEE 802.3 working group
has pushed Ethernet technology
forward at a tremendous pace since
the introduction of the first Ethernet
10BASE-T standard in the 1990s. The
first Ethernet CAT 5 cable, based on
TIA-568 A/B, and with a transfer rate
of 10 Mbps, was unveiled as early as
1995, followed by publication of the
1000BASE-T standard in 1999. Today
CAT 6A cables for 10GBASE-T are
standard products.
Running alongside the technical
development of the Ethernet
technology – driven principally by
the IEEE 802.3 (Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers) and the
TIA (Telecommunications Industry
Association) – the IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission) and the
affiliated national committees have
worked on compiling uniform standards
for cables and connectors. Examples of
successful efforts in this area are the
IEC 60603-7 series of standards for the
RJ45 detail specification for shielded
8-pin connectors up to 2,000 MHz and
the ISO/IEC TR 11801-9901 guideline
26 April 2019
for balanced cabling to support
transmission speeds of at least 40 Gbps.
To fulfill the stringent environmental
and IP-protection requirements
demanded for industrial environments,
D-coded M12 data connectors for
Fast Ethernet with two pairs of wires
were included in the IEC 71076-2-101
standard for circular connectors in
2008. For higher data speeds up to 500
MHz, an X-coded 4-pair M12 standard
conforming to IEC 61076-2-109 was
published in 2014.
The Profibus & Profinet International
(PI) user organisation included
these standards, and its Profinet
specification in its Profinet cabling and
Interconnection Technology guideline.
Time Sensitive Networking
More recently Time Sensitive
Networking (TSN), in accordance with
IEEE 802.1 and IEEE 802.3, enables
urgent and business-critical messages
to be transmitted parallel to other data
traffic. This permits defined response
times – which is a prerequisite for use in
industrial environments.
In order to implement end-to-end
Ethernet technology from the cloud
right through to the sensor, and to
replace existing field bus systems
such as Profibus at process level, new
technologies with cost-effective,
miniaturised and standardised
components are needed.
The new single-pair Ethernet cables
from Belden have a role to play in
transmission technology. As well as
being compact and light, these single-
pair cables are cheaper to manufacture.
SPE cables are suitable for use in
offices as well as harsh and dirty
www.controlengeurope.com
industrial environments – as permanent
or flexible connections. Belden’s LSZH
(low smoke zero halogen) cables
provide enhanced safety in case of fire
and comply with the requirements
laid down in the EU Regulation No.
305/2011. SPE cables with a PUR sheath
are available for industrial applications.
Thanks to its 80% shield coverage,
Belden’s shielded SPE cable is said
to be suited to use in applications
where there is severe electromagnetic
interference.
The combination of foil shielding
and braid shielding brings a significant
increase in overall shielding quality and
ensures that the cable can withstand
the stresses and strains encountered in
industrial environments.
To reconcile the opposing
requirements of high data speed and
the long transmission links specified
by IEEE 802.3, new cable standards are
needed. The IEC subcommittee SC 46C
is currently working on 4 new standards
for SPE cables (IEC 61156-11/-12/-13/-14)
for permanent and flexible installation.
These include:
• Balanced shielded SPE cables with
transmission properties of up to 600
MHz at a transmission distance of up
to 40m; suitable for the IEEE 802.3bp
standard:
– Permanent installation: IEC 61156-
11 CDV; scheduled publication: July
2019.
– Flexible installation: IEC 61156-12
CD; scheduled publication: December
2020.
• Balanced shielded SPE cables with
transmission properties of up to 20
MHz at a transmission distance of
up to 1000m; suitable for the IEEE
Control Engineering Europe

A Belden connector with SPE
cable
802.3cg standard:
– Permanent installation: IEC 61156-
13 NP; scheduled publication: July
2020.
– Flexible installation: IEC 61156-14;
currently being drawn up.
Coupled with ISO/TR 11801-9906, the
requirements defined in the SPE cable
standards place high demands on the
quality and construction of single-pair
Ethernet cables. SPE cables conforming
to the IEC 61156-11/-12 standard
require wire diameters of between 0.4
and 1.0mm. SPE cables conforming to
IEC 61156-13 must have wire diameters
of between 0.64 and 1.7mm. The cables
are suitable for use in temperature
ranges between -20 and +60°C.
Connecting cables to devices
Single-pair Ethernet connectors are
needed to connect SPE cables to
devices. IEEE 802.3 has instructed
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25 WG 3 to come
up with proposals and standards for
such connectors. The selection process
must take the different requirements
in office and industrial environments
into account, with connector types
appropriate to the environmental
classifications specified in ISO IEC
Control Engineering Europe
TR 29106 for M1I1C1E1 (IP 20) and
M2I2C2E2 / M3I3C3E3 (IP 67).
Due to the importance of SPE
technology for a whole range of
application areas, a large number of
manufacturers are participating in the
selection process. The IEC SC 48B – PT
63171 project team is working on the
specifications for connector variants
1 to 6.
In addition to pure single-pair cabling
configurations, it is also possible to
set up a four-pair structure in order to
simultaneously integrate four single-
pair channels into one single cable.
This enables simpler cabling,
particularly in industrial environments
where large numbers of sensors are
frequently located in small spaces.
Tried and tested in industrial
environments, the design of the M8 and
M12 connectors, described in variant
3; IEC 48B/2653/NP – IEC 63171-5,
enables the implementation of this type
of cable structure.
All SPE connector variants need to
comply with the fundamental single-
pair Ethernet specifications defined in
the SPE connector basic standard
IEC 63171 ‘General Requirements
and Test’.
Manufacturers of connectors and
www.controlengeurope.com
ETHERNET CABLES
cables are working together in national
and international standardisation
bodies to meet the market’s demands
for standardised components. Belden
collaborates closely with other experts
within these projects, and late in 2018
the company was able to present SPE
cables conforming to the IEC 61156-11
and IEC 61156-13 standard at
electronica and SPS/IPC/Drives.
However, more standardisation
work is still needed. In the context of
Industry 4.0, the need for higher data
speeds and for robust and cost-effective
connectors and cables demands further
development and standardisation
efforts. In IEEE P802.3ch, a working
group titled the Multi-Gig Automotive
Ethernet PHY Task Force was set up
to refine the IEEE 802.3 standard
for speeds greater than 1 Gbps for
Automotive Ethernet.
Combined with a simple connection
technology, the advantages of
SPE technology with regard to
miniaturisation and weight reduction
now make it attractive across many
industry sectors. !
Uwe Widmann is a technology &
standardisation expert for Belden
Deutschland.
April 2019 27
 EDGE COMPUTING
RETROFITTING INDUSTRY 4.0
Find out how medical technology company, Ypsomed, was able to retrofit Industry
4.0 digital control systems onto its legacy plastic injection moulding machines.
Y
psomed Group, a
medical technology
company specialising in
the development and
manufacture of injection
and infusion systems for the self-
injection of liquid medicines, selected
HARTING to be a collaborative partner in
a development project to retrofit legacy
protocol plastic injection moulding
machines with an integrated Industry 4.0
digital control system that is also linked
with its factory-wide MES/ERP system.
This approach offers the company simple
and minimal physical integration with an
existing production line for a low level
of investment, with long-term benefits
including improved productivity, cost
savings and extended machine lifetimes.
An important element of Industry
4.0 is the ability to apply digitisation to
the production environment by adding
more intelligence to existing processes.
Taking a digital retrofit approach makes
it possible to ‘smarten’ up existing
processes for minimal cost over a short
period of time, resulting in a fast
return on investment and immediate
productivity gains.
Digital retrofit provides four different
ways to improve production processes,
increase cost savings and extend the
lifetime of different types of machinery:
• Legacy machine protocol conversion.
• Condition monitoring (including
energy measurement).
• Asset management.
• Predictive maintenance..
Central machine monitoring and
process optimisation offers a good
way to ensure that production lines
and their associated constituent parts
operate effectively and economically.
Many machines in established
production lines, which can be up to
30 years old, but are still performing
their main functional tasks successfully.
28 April 2019
However, they probably do so much
less efficiently than their modern-day
counterparts. For example, they do
not have the same level of computing
power, enough memory capacity to
record and store relevant data, or
the ability to communicate with their
modern equivalents. In many cases,
these machines also use data formats
and communications protocols from the
1980s and 1990s, which are no longer
used by today’s controllers.
Legacy protocols
One example of a production
environment that accommodates
mixed protocol legacy machines is a
plastics injection moulding machine
(PIMM) line. Such machines, when well
maintained, can attain as much as a
30-year operational life. However, some
of the older software protocol operating
languages (such as EUROMAP 15) cannot
be directly connected to a modern
factory Manufacturing Execution System
(MES) without expensive annual custom
software licensing charges. In many
factories these machines still require
individual programming by an operator,
which can be very time-consuming
in larger installations – potentially
requiring input from multiple personnel.
An interesting solution to these
challenges from by HARTING’s comes in
the form of MICA (Modular Industrial
Computing Architecture): a rugged
edge computing device in the form of
a digitally retrofittable IP67 package
with Linux-based open-source software.
This modular software and hardware
architectural design platform permits
the user to choose the programming
language and development environment
they are most familiar with.
For the plastic moulding
manufacturing environment, HARTING
has developed the MICA EUROMAP
www.controlengeurope.com
15 and MICA EUROMAP 63 Gateway
variants, which convert the legacy
EUROMAP 15/63 TCP/IP machine
operating communications protocol
into OPC UA, for example, via an
intermediate JSON software format.
This approach also offers the potential
to provide IIoT web enablement and
access to Cloud services for Big Data
analysis or virtualisation, via an optional
downloadable MQTT container. All
operational software is housed in
separate sandbox containers, ensuring
that the MICA EUROMAP 15/63 Gateway
provides a secure, fully configurable
interface to the plant MES/ERP,
eliminating expensive custom MES access
software licencing charges that may
have previously applied.
Ypsomed saw the immediate
potential benefits of applying this
Industry 4.0 digital retrofit approach
in its manufacturing operation. Due
to the high proportion of individual
plastic components in its products, the
company possesses a large number of
plastic injection moulding machines in its
production plants.
In order to improve existing levels of
plant productivity, Ypsomed has chosen
to implement Industry 4.0 process
improvements through digitisation at
an early stage. It chose HARTING as a
collaborative partner for the project to
connect legacy protocol machines to its
factory-wide MES/ERP system through a
digital retrofit approach.
In 2017, one of the first tasks was
to make data from a legacy injection
moulding machine available for
analysis. The machine in question
only offered the old EUROMAP 15
protocol, and HARTING suggested the
use of MICA, which was installed and
programmed within two days as the
protocol translator. Selected production
data could then be collected and
Control Engineering Europe
 EDGE COMPUTING

written to a database for offline

analysis.
The next goal is to connect several
different types of machines to the IT
system at Ypsomed’s internal testing
and validation centre and present
critical operational data remotely at a
centralised factory control station. The
machines are connected to the MES
system via the MICA, which handles the
protocol translation between the MES
system and the shop floor. Here, the
configuration data record belonging
to a production order from the ERP
system, is retrieved from a database
and automatically transferred directly
to the machine via the MICA, without
requiring intervention by a machine
operator. Machine process parameters
can now be modified more quickly,
reducing downtime and enabling
manpower to be more effectively
employed. During manufacturing,
production and process data are
temporarily stored on the MICA and
fed back to a database or ERP system
for ongoing quality improvement or
record storage purposes. Machine
operators can even monitor and affect
the process of the production line from
Ypsomed has made data from its legacy injection moulding machine available for analysisby
off-site, via a smartphone or suitable installing a MICA edge computer to act as the protocol translator from the machine’s
tablet device. EUROMAP 15 protocol.
The new production plant in Schwerin
is planned to start operations this machine fitted sensors is achieved via a pump and associated check valves.
summer, with automated control of simple Ethernet switch and interlinked As wear increases, this can result in a
production orders being implemented active I/O blocks. significant number of rejected parts and
by 2020. expensive financial losses. This situation
Asset management can be resolved by monitoring the
Condition monitoring For asset management, A MICA RFID changes in the operating power curve
Additional real-time condition variant converts the MICA device into a characteristics of the screw pump and
monitoring of key operating specific RFID reader, which, when used the pressure loading at the check valves.
processes can help to reduce in conjunction with passive UHF read/ Integration of a MICA Energy
downtime and extend lifetime, write transponders that are fitted to variant provides RS485 Modbus TCP/IP
achieving manufacturing productivity key replaceable mould tools, allows compatible I/O interfaces for linking to
improvements. This can be accomplished maintenance records to be written and the appropriate functional I/O blocks
by digitally retrofitting additional stored onto that particular tool. This on a machine that access this specific
stand-alone MICA devices to store, can ensure the optimum refurbishment operating data. By pre-setting critical
analyse and process data from existing scheduling of high-value mould tools. safe operational limits, the MICA
or extra retrofitted sensors. As a result, Energy can set up alarm conditions
tasks such as monitoring pressure, Predictive maintenance for when these limits are breached,
temperature and flow rates becomes Critical operating parts of a plastic allowing machine operators to carry
easy, whilst allowing remote centralised injection moulding machine which out corrective maintenance as part of
process control adjustment via the MES are subject to continuous wear and the important predictive maintenance
network. Communication with the tear include the plasticising screw process. !

Control Engineering Europe www.controlengeurope.com April 2019 29

 PRODUCT FORUM • CYBER SECURITY

GET A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT BRÜEL & KJÆR’S SOON-TO-LAUNCH Radiflow prioritises OT security
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More information is automation networks, has added dynamic vulnerability
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detection solution.
Version 5.3 of iSID industrial threat detection solution includes
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mapping and assessment processes.
As industrial control systems grow in complexity, they become
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security has emerged as the top priority among industrial IT
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using these scores. These insights help security analysts and risk
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Contact Lisa Hales of the organization.

“From our discussions with our EU customers, the first steps
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plan can be aligned with their business priorities.”
Telephone : +1 (302) 547-6839
Email : sales_NA@radiflow.com
Web : www.radiflow.com

30 April 2019 www.controlengeurope.com Control Engineering Europe


The importance of
standardisation
Peter Wenzel, executive director of PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, Germany,
highlights the importance of standardisation for data communication technologies.
F
or those that integrate them,
the modern continuous
development of standardised
technologies guarantees
long-term economic success.
PROFIBUS & PROFINET International
(PI) has always consistently lived this
principle, which accounts for almost
30 years of success that continues
today as PI members increasingly rely
on PROFINET. However, in order to
make this technology viable for the
future, PI’s dedicated Working Groups
have recently integrated a set of basic
TSN functions into the PROFINET
specification and have specified
semantics for device description.
In order to guarantee maximum
global success however, the second step
will be to introduce and enforce the
specified mechanisms in the relevant
international standards. Many PI
experts are therefore active in national
and international standardisation
organisations and have taken on
strategically important management
functions there.
In addition to an Industry 4.0-focused
development of PROFINET, these
innovations mainly concern the
unconditional support for the
coexistence of OPC UA in PROFINET
networks; open semantics and
information models; and security.
The foundation for PROFINET remains
the standard unmodified Ethernet
standards of the IEEE and several
relevant projects are underway in the
IEC. On the one hand, based on the
IEEE’s standardised TSN with real-time
characteristics, a TSN profile is being
developed in a joint IEEE/IEC working
group which is optimised for use in
Control Engineering Europe
FINAL WORD
industrial automation
applications –
IEC / IEEE 60802 (TSN).
In addition, the IEC
61158, IEC 61784-1 and
IEC 61184-2 standards,
upon which PROFINET
is anchored, are being
continuously enhanced
with the aim of introducing
new features for PROFINET.
In the area of semantics,
the IEC 61804 (EDDL) and
IEC 62769 (FDI) standards,
which are firmly established
in process automation for
standardising PROFINET
device descriptions, are within this standard and this will help
also being continuously updated. In to ensure that PROFINET meets all
addition, the IEC 61987 (CDD) standard the essential requirements of Industry
will be extended, to establish relevant 4.0-style production systems – such
semantic identifiers – which are among as the distributed and synchronised
the basic tenets of Industry 4.0. It production of parts as well as flexible
is important that all PI technology production of individualised products
features become completely mapped down to batch sizes of one. !
More about TSN
TSN (Time-sensitive Networking) is a set of IEEE 802 Ethernet sub-standards
that are defined by the IEEE TSN task group and which enable deterministic
real-time communication over Ethernet. They combine the bandwidth of
IT (information technology) networks with the latency of OT (operational
technology) networks.
By defining queues based on time, TSN ensures a bounded maximum latency
for scheduled traffic through switched networks. This means that in a TSN
network, latency of critical scheduled communication is guaranteed.
In control applications with strict deterministic requirements it offers a way to
send time-critical traffic over a standard Ethernet infrastructure. This enables
the convergence of all traffic classes and multiple applications in a single
network.
www.controlengeurope.com April 2019 31