Here at Opto 22, we keep our ear to the ground on all things automation. When we heard the industry’s demand for a versatile I/O package, we responded—thus, groov RIO was born. Since then, we’ve upped the ante with tools for onboard control (enter: Node-Red and Python) and more communication methodologies (hey there, MQTT, OPC UA, and Ignition).
And with our latest advancement, we’ve really done it: added a sophisticated real-time engine.
Day in and day out, I work alongside machine builders who share a common problem: Once equipment has been shipped to a customer site, it is quite difficult to ensure that it is running properly and being adequately maintained.
I once heard the phrase, "even a Cadillac will fail prematurely if you drive it into a brick wall." Premature failure of the machinery (regardless of whose fault) can tarnish the image of the manufacturer, lead to increased warranty costs, and create tension between OEMs and end users.
But how do I (the machine builder) get access to the control system if it is operating inside a customer’s firewall?
Topics: Remote monitoring, Machine builder, OEM, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Node-RED, Data acquisition, MQTT, EPIC