{"id":2397,"date":"2023-11-05T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/de\/?p=2397"},"modified":"2024-09-11T10:27:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T08:27:47","slug":"trends-safe-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/trends-safe-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIT and automation technology are a continent\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Mr Wessels, automation is in a state of transformation. What trends are you noticing? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In automa\u00adtion we talk about three essen\u00adtial core com\u00adpo\u00adnents: sensor, con\u00adtrol and actu\u00adator tech\u00adnology. In all three areas: com\u00adpo\u00adnents should be smaller, they must become more effi\u00adcient, and the quality and per\u00adfor\u00admance of the prod\u00aducts should improve. We keep an eye on these trends with each new product gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. A cur\u00adrent example from our com\u00adpany is the safety locking device PSEN\u00adm\u00adlock mini. In com\u00adpar\u00adison with its pre\u00adde\u00adcessor PSEN\u00adm\u00adlock \u2013 as the name sug\u00adgests \u2013 it takes into account the trend towards minia\u00adtur\u00adi\u00adsa\u00adtion and is approx\u00adi\u00admately 60 per cent smaller, so it is ideal for space-crit\u00adical appli\u00adca\u00adtions such as covers or flaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another trend is data com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion. It also has a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant influ\u00adence on the effi\u00adciency and per\u00adfor\u00admance of the safety tech\u00adnology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mean the trend to standardise data communication? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Exactly. The age of pro\u00adpri\u00adetary solu\u00adtions is over. Simple con\u00adnec\u00adtivity is the goal. With sensor tech\u00adnology, we rely on the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion stan\u00addard IO-Link Safety for func\u00adtional safety. It meets the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion require\u00adments for the majority of sensor tech\u00adnology. How\u00adever, when we talk about com\u00adplex, safe sensor tech\u00adnology, for imaging processes for example, then IO-Link Safety is not enough. Eth\u00adernet-based pro\u00adto\u00adcols such as PROFIsafe, CIP Safety and FSoE are an impor\u00adtant alter\u00adna\u00adtive in this case. But here too, we need a uni\u00adform stan\u00addard. Along\u00adside IO-Link Safety, future automa\u00adtion solu\u00adtions from Pilz will also sup\u00adport OPC UA FX and its facets. This is where we see the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cAlong\u00adside IO-Link Safety, our future automa\u00adtion solu\u00adtions will also sup\u00adport OPC UA FX and its facets. This is where we see the future.\u201d <\/p>\nHarald Wes\u00adsels, Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent Product Man\u00adage\u00adment at Pilz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We can use an example to illus\u00adtrate how his\u00adtory is repeating itself at this point: many years ago we spoke about fieldbus pro\u00adto\u00adcols and their respec\u00adtive advan\u00adtages and dis\u00adad\u00advan\u00adtages. Each pro\u00adtocol had its own phys\u00adical char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics, such as plug-in con\u00adnector and cable. From a mechan\u00adical engi\u00adneering per\u00adspec\u00adtive, this was really unsat\u00adis\u00adfac\u00adtory. With the intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of switched Eth\u00adernet in the IT world, for some time now we have had an estab\u00adlished trans\u00admis\u00adsion tech\u00adnology, which is extremely scal\u00adable, simple to install and future-proof. Even the user groups for the fieldbus sys\u00adtems have reg\u00adis\u00adtered this, and adapted this tech\u00adnology as an alter\u00adna\u00adtive. As a result, tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies from the IT world have been adopted in the automa\u00adtion world. In the con\u00adtext of OPC UA FX, rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives from the automa\u00adtion world are now working on spec\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions to fur\u00adther stan\u00addardise data trans\u00admis\u00adsion, taking into con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion the needs of fac\u00adtory and process automa\u00adtion. Who would be sur\u00adprised to hear that pro\u00adto\u00adcols and tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies that have been proven in the IT world for years are also being con\u00adsid\u00adered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the increasing data volume also lead to more safety sensor technology in production halls? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Let me answer the ques\u00adtion like this: Sen\u00adsors gen\u00aderate data and data is becoming increas\u00adingly impor\u00adtant. A sensor can not only supply infor\u00adma\u00adtion about the state of the process (i.e. the actual aim, in order to auto\u00admate the machine), but can pro\u00advide fur\u00adther data, such as diag\u00adnostic or oper\u00adating data for example, depending on the imple\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion. And that brings us back to net\u00adworking. In order to exploit the poten\u00adtial fur\u00adther, the data must be written and trans\u00adferred in a stan\u00addard\u00adised format, so that it is machine-read\u00adable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If data communication is standardised, where can customers distinguish between the offers available from individual suppliers? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In the user soft\u00adware. This will be the key dis\u00adtin\u00adguishing fea\u00adture in the future. How easy is it to use? How do I get to the machine data for fur\u00adther eval\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtions? How easy is it to con\u00adfigure devices or set their para\u00adme\u00adters? Sim\u00adplicity, that\u2019s the key\u00adword in automa\u00adtion at this point. Demo\u00adgraphic change comes into play here too, specif\u00adi\u00adcally the asso\u00adci\u00adated skills shortage. In future, the ability to design, engi\u00adneer and operate a machine must not be lim\u00adited to highly qual\u00adi\u00adfied spe\u00adcial\u00adists only. That means graphic ele\u00adments must be used to gen\u00aderate appli\u00adca\u00adtions or codes, for example. So we have quickly arrived at the trend for Arti\u00adfi\u00adcial Intel\u00adli\u00adgence (AI). This trend will cer\u00adtainly influ\u00adence automa\u00adtion in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cSoft\u00adware will be the dis\u00adtin\u00adguishing fea\u00adture of the future.\u201d <\/p>\nHarald Wes\u00adsels, Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent Product Man\u00adage\u00adment at Pilz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your opinion, what influence will Artificial Intelligence have on functional safety? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

We are looking very care\u00adfully at what we can use from the field of Arti\u00adfi\u00adcial Intel\u00adli\u00adgence, for us and our prod\u00aducts. How\u00adever, many func\u00adtions are not trans\u00adfer\u00adable 1:1 to safety tech\u00adnology. It will take a few more years before we can reli\u00adably use AI in the very sen\u00adsi\u00adtive area of func\u00adtional safety. How\u00adever, the direc\u00adtion is clear: the IT world and its solu\u00adtions will increas\u00adingly influ\u00adence what hap\u00adpens in automa\u00adtion tech\u00adnology. As I said ear\u00adlier, some tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies that also rep\u00adre\u00adsent added value for the automa\u00adtion of plant and machinery have already been adopted. You cannot view infor\u00adma\u00adtion tech\u00adnology and automa\u00adtion tech\u00adnology as sep\u00ada\u00adrate islands. It is a con\u00adti\u00adnent that links coun\u00adtries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the position for Safety and Security? What\u2019s happening here?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n

Safety & Indus\u00adtrial Secu\u00adrity on the Pilz Web\u00adsite<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The same applies: func\u00adtional safety and secu\u00adrity, both belong together. The new Machinery Reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion makes that clear. Indus\u00adtrial Secu\u00adrity<\/a> on plant and machinery becomes manda\u00adtory in 2027 at the latest. This is another sub\u00adject from the IT sector that is now becoming an OT issue. At the time of fieldbus tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies, nobody was inter\u00adested in cyber attacks or manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion from out\u00adside, because the pro\u00adto\u00adcols were so indi\u00advidual \u2013 and there\u00adfore of no interest to hackers. Now, how\u00adever, we have to look more and more at how we reli\u00adably pro\u00adtect our stan\u00addard\u00adised data com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion and our increas\u00adingly net\u00adworked plants from attacks. Wher\u00adever data is gen\u00ader\u00adated, there is always someone saying: \u201cI\u2019d love to have that data\u201d. So it is a secu\u00adrity issue. And in a net\u00adworked fac\u00adtory, it\u2019s true to say that: without secu\u00adrity, safety can also no longer be guar\u00adan\u00adteed. That\u2019s why it will cer\u00adtainly remain a sub\u00adject to which we at Pilz will remain com\u00admitted, in the inter\u00adests of our cus\u00adtomers \u2013 with our new Indus\u00adtrial Secu\u00adrity Con\u00adsulting Ser\u00advice, for example.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harald Wes\u00adsels, Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent Product Man\u00adage\u00adment at Pilz, takes a look into the future of safe automa\u00adtion. What hap\u00adpens if IT and automa\u00adtion tech\u00adnology become fur\u00adther entwined? In an inter\u00adview, he talks about the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties and threats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":2400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,17,45,22,24,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence","category-insights","category-issue-3-2023","category-openness","category-pilz-talking","category-trends"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2995,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397\/revisions\/2995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}