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The software that works by OS and Windows of Microsoft Corporation overflows in the world. The manufacturing field is the one that not the exception but many of FA and PA systems work on Windows. OPC is a suitable standard software technology for the construction of a wide production system in this Windows environment.
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Commentor / M.Ike |
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What's OPC |
OPC(OLE for Process Control) is a common format for the communication interface between the applications of the international standard that OPC Foundation settled on. And, it is "Specification" for data exchange. Moreover, it is a specification of an interface and a logical object that defines with OPC, and is not the specifications of hardware of connected specification and the data format.
The OPC software is greatly divided roughly into two.
One processes various demands of the data exchange (data reading and write) from the application (client) by the one that is called OPC server.
Moreover, the OPC server is not "Server" of hardware, and is software that works to the last by Windows, and becomes a location the communication driver.
Another is the one that is called OPC client, and software that outputs the processing demand to the OPC server.
SCADA and the watch control software, etc. correspond to this OPC client.
If it follows and the software product is used for this OPC specification, interapplication communications can be easily done even by the same machine and a different machine.
Well, the communication driver had spread only to the number of these combinations before the age though there were a lot of PLC, DCS, and SCADA with deep relations in the FA¥PA system.
Because there was recently no model of a standard communication specification, and each vender could not help developing the driver. If one OPC server was developed now by the appearance of OPC it, each vender's driver development period remained being greatly shortened because it was possible to communicate with a variety of OPC clients such as SCADA for OPC easily.
Moreover, the degree of freedom of the system selection extends, and it comes to be able to achieve the system construction that is cheap and exists in user's purpose in SI (system integrator) flexibly by the OPC server's corresponding to a lot of PLC and DCS being offered.
Additionally, when software made of foreign countries without the communication driver of PLC used whenever the device or it is equipped and change of SCADA, and Japanese maker's PLC is used, the OPC product that is the interface of the industry-wide standard can be effectively used.
The system where the connection of two or more OPC server and OPC client simultaneously is possible, and PLC of a different vender exists together can be easily constructed.
Please examine the introduction of the OPC product that brings a big synergy effect in the FA¥PA system by all means.
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Inside MELSEC
Advanced OPC