As more devices become connected to networks, the performance of overarching control systems is critical. San Williams looks at how Weidmüller converges IT and OT to offer peak efficiency and lower downtime.

Control systems are the heart of industrial automation, whether in manufacturing, transport, water treatment or energy.

Control systems fitted with cutting-edge information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) are crucial in maintaining optimal conditions and ensuring the smooth operation of industrial processes. Despite these bringing efficiency to task handling, they rarely see eye-to-eye.

Weidmüller’s new modular u-control M3000 and M4000 lead the way by merging control systems and OT into one.

Responsible for the hardware and physical interfacing of automation, the OT of a control system oversees the monitoring and controlling of physical devices in various fields while the IT handles the software side of operations, focusing on data collection, storage, security, access and processing.

The control system for a water treatment plant, for instance, will regulate water flows through the filters, determine how much cleaning chemicals are added, constantly check the water quality, ensure it meets all the safety standards and, if something goes wrong, the system can quickly adjust the filters or chemicals to fix the problem.

The u-control M3000 and M4000 are control systems that allow for efficient data pre-processing and precise control directly to the machine, facilitating seamless integration of complex automation solutions and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications.

Weidmüller ANZ product manager Robert Klicek says these control systems come with an overarching mission to increase value to the client.

“Weidmüller has built its reputation as a leader in connectivity solutions, traditionally with core items such as terminal blocks and, in recent years, our expertise in connectivity has also expanded into the digital realm, offering hardware and software solutions for machine connectivity, IIoT and cloud platforms,” Robert says.

“The industry is inevitably moving towards open and interoperable solutions driven by end users rather than manufacturers, and we are leading this trend.”

Founded in 1850, the family-owned Weidmüller has contributed to the Australian electrical engineering industry since 1972 with local operations with R&D, production and assembled solutions, sales and marketing. Today, the company is paving the way in connectivity solutions for power, signal and data in manufacturing, process control and new and existing energy industries.

Automation technologies such as IIoT, condition monitoring, analytics and ‘Sensor to the Cloud’ connectivity are fast becoming core contributors to the continued development of the industries it serves, and the u-control M3000 and M4000 stand as prime answers to this.

Unsecured physical devices are common targets of cyber-attacks and are a safety and quality issue for any system, confirming that IT will only ever be as good as the OT. Central to the core of these control systems, Weidmüller’s u-OS serves as the backbone for application management, security and access control, bridging the gap between IT and OT.

By incorporating industry-standard container solutions such as Docker, u-OS ensures secure integration of applications into the device while providing the flexibility to deploy user-generated applications using APIs. The control systems also include an integrated development environment CODESYS for its proven capabilities and compatibility with various fieldbus technologies, and open-source software like Node-Red is supported to enable quick connections to industrial IIoT and cloud services.

Only the convergence of IT and OT enables users to exploit the advantages of the IIoT. It can lead to gaining new business insights and opening digital business opportunities, overall optimising international competitiveness.

“We strive to be vendor-agnostic, and the u-control M3000 and M4000 provide users the freedom to connect our products to a wide range of devices,” Roberts says.

“We believe in working with all stakeholders in the industry and our active collaboration with other suppliers, system integrators and end-users brings about innovation and strength as an industry as a whole.”

The M3000 features a dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 architecture, while the M4000 boasts a quad-core configuration, both running at 1.2GHz. Each model includes 16GB of flash memory for the unrestricted installation of numerous applications and comes with two or 4GB of DDR4 RAM and NVRAM for storing PLC variables.

I/O expandability is supported to the right side using Weidmüller u-remote I/O modules, and future left-side expansion to accommodate SSD storage, 4G-LTE and more. Designed for fanless operation in ambient temperatures up to 70°C, they are perfectly suited for implementing future-proof automation and IIoT applications.

The systems can be optimally extended with additional interfaces, including fieldbuses, WiFi and GSM, thus letting users create customised solutions with a high degree of future security.

Integrating IT and OT can be challenging yet vital to a manufacturing venture’s success. The u-control M3000 and M4000 have come at an optimal time ensuring increasingly technical automation continues functioning and performing at its peak.

For more information about Weidmüller’s u-control M3000 and M4000 email: sales@weidmuller.com.au