IMAS 4.0 for CNC machine interconnection: the factory connected to the ERP
A manufacturer connects CNC lathes and grinders with IMAS 4.0, collecting data from CNCs and PLCs and exchanging it in both directions with the LIGEST ERP.
The client
An Italian manufacturing company with a production fleet made up of different types of machine tools, including CNC lathes and grinders, based on different technologies and protocols.
It needed a common layer able to acquire, normalise and make use of factory data, overcoming the separation between machine data and management data.
Key results
- Centralised connection of multiple CNC machines
- Support for different industrial protocols
- Automatic data collection from CNCs and PLCs
The starting point
The project stems from the aim of increasing the integration and automation of production processes, using the information generated by machines in a structured way. It integrates the LIGEST management system with machines and production systems following Industry 4.0 principles, through the IMAS platform.
It was not just a matter of displaying machine status: an infrastructure was needed that could communicate with different CNCs and PLCs, collect functional and management data, acquire alarms, integrate information with the ERP and store it for later analysis.
Key challenges
-
01
Different industrial protocols
The machine fleet includes Siemens and FANUC systems and machines integrated via OPC-UA: supervision must communicate with different technologies.
-
02
Connecting OT and ERP
Machine data must interact with the ERP, so that production does not remain a separate information environment.
-
03
Read-only and two-way flows
Some data only needs to be acquired, while other processes require two-way exchange with the management system.
-
04
Centralised supervision
Plant status must be available from a single environment, not from separate interfaces for each machine.
-
05
Machine data as an asset
Collected information must be stored and used to analyse machine operation and production performance.
The solution
Labinf Sistemi designed the integration of the work centres with IMAS 4.0, a platform for monitoring and interconnecting production systems, which creates a centralised supervision layer between the OT network and the company information system.
IMAS offers two access modes: Human to System, through which users view and manage plant status via the web, and System to System, through which IT systems communicate automatically in the background. It is therefore not just a dashboard, but the layer through which factory and ERP exchange information.
The IMAS supervisor handles
- Machine functional data
- Production management data
- Plant operating states
- Centralised alarms
- Two-way communication with the ERP
- SCADA synoptics for each machine
- Historical storage in a Data Lake
- Browser access with user permissions
For each CNC or PLC, available data is classified as read-only information or data usable in two-way mode. Two-way integration with LIGEST, following the ERP ↔ IMAS ↔ machine pattern, is what delivers the benefits of Industry 4.0 interconnection.
One system for different protocols
For each work centre, the available industrial protocol is analysed and the corresponding interface with IMAS is set up. The project covers six machines, on which IMAS builds a common layer over different industrial languages.
- Two lathes via Siemens S7 Profinet
- Okuma lathe via FANUC FOCAS
- Doosan lathe via FANUC FOCAS
- Naxos Union grinder via OPC-UA
- Reishauer gear grinder via OPC-UA
From supervision to historical data
All data acquired from CNCs and PLCs is stored in a Data Lake and can be used in real time, to know what is happening on the machines, and ex post, to analyse their operation and performance.
The architecture thus links several layers: machines and sensors, CNC/PLC, OT network, IMAS, SCADA and Data Lake, up to the ERP, turning machine signals into data available for business processes.
The benefits
- Centralised connection of multiple CNC machines
- Support for different industrial protocols
- Automatic data collection from CNCs and PLCs
- Plant supervision through a web interface
- States and alarms in a single environment
- Two-way exchange between OT network and ERP
- Operating data stored in a Data Lake
- Real-time information and ex-post analysis
- Architecture extendable to new work centres
The gap between factory information and management information is reduced.
In short
With IMAS 4.0, machines with different technologies and protocols join a single digital ecosystem that acquires data, centralises supervision and alarms and communicates in both directions with the management system. The factory becomes an integral part of the company information system.
