Smart use of machine data with NOA
Interview with Uwe Huber about the new IIoT platform from KEB Automation
With NOA – Next Open Automation – KEB has developed a new IIoT and edge platform that enables plant and machine manufacturers and operators to utilise their generated data. Container-based apps can be integrated into NOA in no time at all. The launch of the complete IIoT solution is planned for 2024, but Uwe Huber, Head of HMI and IIoT at KEB, already provides detailed insights into how NOA works and talks about the benefits that the platform offers users in their everyday lives in this interview.
Why was an IIoT solution like NOA added to KEB's portfolio?
Uwe Huber: The aim of IIoT is to improve industrial processes by utilising data obtained from intelligent sensors and actuators, for example. That's why we at KEB have considered how we can create added value and increase efficiency through smart data utilisation. For example, the drive controllers generate a lot of data during operation and users can collect, store, visualise, analyse and transport this data with the corresponding apps in order to improve processes and identify problems at an early stage based on this data. The apps required for this need a “home”, namely NOA. And we also make this platform available to our customers as an open automation platform.
How can the structure of the platform be described?
NOA is made up of two main components. We have an edge side, which provides the infrastructure for installing, operating and updating apps on the edge. We also have an optional cloud platform on the other side, which can be used to centrally manage the edge and visualise and analyse data. NOA Core on the Edge is central to NOA. This core is the basis for the service-orientated, open architecture on the edge. The app management provides the functions for installing and updating the general services on the edge. The communication and data layer enables individual apps to communicate with each other independently. Optionally, the edge can be connected to the cloud platform to deliver information to the cloud, be managed centrally or offer remote service support.
What hardware do users need to be able to use NOA?
The new C6 Compact 3 embedded controller from KEB is an example of hardware that can run NOA. It is a cost-effective controller for the automation of applications with low to medium complexity, whose control concept is based on the Linux operating system. NOA basically requires Linux and Docker. The hardware can come from KEB, but does not have to.
That sounds like a very open approach...
That's right, the openness of the platform is one of the main features of NOA and marks a clear difference to other solutions. The very name of NOA – Next Open Automation – emphasises precisely this approach. In concrete terms, openness means that NOA can be extended by the customer at almost any point, or that only certain parts of NOA can be used. All according to individual requirements. As mentioned, NOA can also be installed on third-party hardware, which gives the customer maximum freedom. In addition to being hardware-independent, users can integrate their own apps into the system and, as NOA itself has a service-orientated architecture, customers can easily integrate their own services into the platform. These points were important to us during development. Today, it is more important than ever that we can integrate our products and solutions into a heterogeneous environment in the best possible way.
Get to know your machines anew: Do you want to reduce downtime or, ideally, avoid it altogether and save costs in the process? With NOA, you reduce development costs and dependency on one product. This gives you more options for flexibly integrating your own functions into the systems. This is exactly where the new, service-orientated platform from KEB comes in:
Really Open. Truly Flexible. Future Proof.
How exactly can your own services be integrated into NOA?
This works through the edge platform, which is based on Linux and containers. This allows customers to easily integrate their own containers and logic into NOA. These are either loaded directly into the system or the customer makes the apps available centrally via the cloud. The data bus is based on an open source message broker solution that can be accessed very easily using any programming language. If customers have developed their own logics, they can adapt the programme environment to their specific expertise and requirements.
What kind of apps can be installed in NOA?
The apps can be assigned to the Connectivity, Storage, Visualisation and Analysis groups. For example, we offer analysis apps that use AI methods to analyse engine vibrations or perform monitoring functions. To access data, we offer communication modules that can be used to establish connections to various communication interfaces. An important app that is not limited to NOA, but can also be installed natively on Linux or Windows, is HELIO. This is our innovative visualisation system for industrial applications. With HELIO, our customers can create web-based HMI or SCADA applications quickly and easily - without any programming knowledge. Another advantage is the flexible display on different target devices.