After an intensive preparatory work with the core group of the umati project, the draft of the umati Companion Specification is now being further developed with broad international participation in order to achieve the greatest possible acceptance. Many companies followed the announcement of the working group and the call for experts at the SPS IPS Drives in November. We could win the control manufacturers B&R Automation and Mitsubishi Electric and also the leading machine tool manufacturers in Japan such as Mazak, Makino and Okuma to join the project.
At the start of the umati OPC UA joint working group (JWG), 55 representatives from 36 companies met in Frankfurt for the official kick-off. After the opening by Dr. Alexander Broos (VDW) and the introduction of the participants, all participants with their experience and position within the group were able to get to know each other.
Afterwards Andreas Faath (VDMA) introduces the activities around OPC UA within the VDMA and with the OPC-Foundation. He pointed out that more than 17 groups within the VDMA are currently working on or have released Companion Specifications. At the same time, he explained the importance of working together to ensure interoperability.
Götz Görisch (VDW) then explained to the participants what the umati project as a whole is all about and why it is more than just drawing up a Companion Specification (CS). He pointed out that besides the working group for OPC UA there are five other working groups dealing with the topics umati Server Stack, EMO Showcase, coordination with the control manufacturers and the topics legal affairs, business model and user organization. Furthermore, he explained the topic Companion Spec for the OPC newcomers in the overall context of OPC UA. At last he presented the difference of umati CS to the already existing CS (OPC UA for CNC systems) of the VDW.
Tonja Heinemann (ISW) explained the previous and future working mode for the creation of use cases and modeling rules. Mr. Dosch (TRUMPF) then explained the ten preferred Use Cases for the CS with their respective contents and added values.
After the lunch break, Caren Dripke (ISW) presented the aims and work organization of the JWG. Besides the creation of a specification document, it is also a node set and the documentation of the work as well as a public presentation at the EMO in Hannover in September 2019.
Afterwards it was necessary to elect a chairman for the working group. Götz Görisch of the VDW was unanimously elected by all participants and will lead and coordinate the working group in the coming months.
After a short feedback round, the kick-off ended successfully. The next dates are a web conference on 6.3. and 27.3.2019 with OPC UA and presentation of the information model. The group will meet next time for a working meeting on 29. / 30.4.2019 at the ISW in Stuttgart to collect and discuss feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Further interested parties can register at any time at [email protected] in order to be integrated into the flow of information.
