VDW, the German machine tool builders’ association, represents the German machine tool industry. It represents its members to the public, policy makers, business associates and the academic community, both nationally and internationally. It serves as a service provider for its members regarding market and business intelligence, handling technical, commercial and legal issues, cooperation with the international machine tool industry, standardization, image building of the sector, the recruitment of talents etc. Based on in-depth sectoral knowledge, it provides information, consultancy and support in response to individual questions and problems. Permanent committees and working groups serve as a platform for knowledge exchange.
In personal union, VDW also represents the Sector Association Machine Tools and Manufacturing Systems within the VDMA (German Engineering Federation). In total, it speaks for about 290 predominantly medium sized companies, comprising in total ca. 72,500 employees. They account for approximately 90 percent of the sector’s total turnover, which most recently exceeded 16 billion euros, making the German machine tool industry rank among the five largest specialist groupings in the mechanical engineering sector. Globally, Germany is the #1 machine tool export nation and the #2 producer, providing production technology for metalworking applications in all branches of industry, thus making a crucial contribution towards innovation and enhanced productivity in the industrial sector as a whole.
VDW is also connected to the worldwide machine tool industry through frequent exchange with partnering associations, e.g. Cecimo and its member associations in Europe, AMT in USA, CMTBA in China, JMTBA in Japan, KOMMA in South Korea, etc. VDW has made them aware on the ongoing activities and will keep them informed about the further development of the OPC UA standards.
Position to OPC UA
umati, the universal machine tool interface, is based on OPC UA. Standardized data models, which are defined in OPC UA Companion Specifications, can be easily expanded by customer or manufacturer specific data. For machinery, around 25 Companion Specifications for various technologies, such as Robotics, Measurement Systems, Plastics and Rubber Machinery, Woodworking, Machine Tools, etc., have been published. 30 more are under development.
Heiko Wenzel-Schinzer, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of the measurement technology specialists Wenzel Group
The “global language of production” in a networked factory is made possible by the open interface standard OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture). OPC UA, on which the universal interface umati (Universal Machine Technology Interface) is based, guarantees the interoperability of machines and systems that can be linked and reconfigured as required using Plug & Work – regardless of platform and manufacturer.
OPC UA allows for the interoperability between a wide range of machines and systems, regardless of the manufacturer. This creates the basis for fully networked production, in which measurement results can flow directly into the process control. The advantage: Reduced sources of error, faster reaction times in the event of deviations and increased efficiency in production.
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