ADI Awarded Contract to Develop Integrated Open Process Automation Testbed with Siemens at MxD
Applied Dynamics International (ADI) has been selected by MxD to lead the design and installation of an Integrated Open Process Automation (OPA) Testbed at the MxD factory floor in Chicago, Illinois. The project, scheduled to be completed in mid-2025, is a collaboration with MxD, Siemens, and the University of Michigan’s Barton Research Group. This first-of-its-kind, highly flexible testbed will showcase the advantages of open process automation and demonstrate the value that digital twin and machine learning technologies can provide for manufacturers.
“The proposed testbed represents a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of standard industrial manufacturing practices,” said Max Toothman, a Sr. AI Engineer at ADI and the principal investigator for the project. “This collaborative effort will combine a number of cutting-edge technologies into an interoperable system that can be used to test control and analysis methods from recent Industry 4.0 research.”
The vision for the Integrated OPA Testbed involves integrating two existing MxD testbeds, the Digital Twin Testbed for Process Manufacturing from Siemens and the Open Architecture Digital Twin Testbed, into a unified system that combines their individual strengths. Detailing compliance with the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS), this new testbed will utilize multiple control nodes to connect real-time edge computing capabilities, through ADI’s ADEPT platform, with state-of-the-art industrial control software, through Siemens’s SIMATIC PCS Neo platform. Local and cloud-hosted applications will allow researchers to deploy adaptive and extensible digital twins. With this digital twin technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to enable process monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance, among other capabilities.
ADEPT Plug-and-Play Industrial Computing and Connectivity Software Platform
ADEPT is an industrial edge computing and connectivity software platform built around the concept of time-deterministic “data frameworks” executing on Linux servers and operating as a single, coherent distributed resource controlled and managed via intuitive, drag-and-drop desktop tools. ADEPT is used in the largest, most demanding industrial computing and connectivity applications across the global aerospace and defense industry, but also scales down to work with low-cost computing hardware and open-source real-time Linux. The open architecture nature of ADEPT allows users to apply a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to real-time computing deployments and leverage best-in-class COTS and open-source technologies. ADEPT dramatically reduces the cost and time to deploy and operate industrial IoT and open process automation capability, providing comprehensive out-of-the-box capability built on a trusted technology platform. ADI’s ADEPT software platform can support advanced open real-time and virtual computing applications that require NIST 800-171 and CIS Security Level 2 compliance.
Siemens PCS neo
SIMATIC PCS neo is a state-of-the-art process control system designed to manage and automate industrial processes. This innovative system is designed to meet the evolving needs of the process industry, offering unparalleled flexibility, efficiency, and scalability. Unlike traditional systems, PCS neo is entirely web-based, allowing users to access and operate the system from any location using mobile devices or desktop computers. This feature ensures continuous and efficient operations, regardless of where team members are located. A key feature of SIMATIC PCS neo is its full support for the Module Type Package (MTP) standard, which allows for easier integration of plant modules, regardless of the manufacturer. This openness significantly reduces engineering efforts and enhances operational efficiency. Thus, from smaller systems to very large systems, SIMATIC PCS neo is suitable for industrial plants of all sizes.
Open Automation
The long-held practice of customizing process control using a single technology platform provided considerable benefits in previous decades. However, recent technology advances and expectations of present-day digital workers and consumers demand a shift to an open automation approach that allows hardware and software from multiple vendors to interoperate as a single, cohesive system. Seamless, intuitive incorporation of varied solutions into a common ecosystem addresses a substantial roadblock to implementing continuous improvement in process manufacturing. No longer locked into a single control platform, manufacturers will enjoy greater choice and be able to implement stepwise improvements continuously throughout the life of manufacturing assets and management systems. Open automation also benefits the broader manufacturing industry by promoting innovation and promoting competition.
Digital Twins
Digital twins are purpose-driven, dynamic, digital replicas of physical assets, processes, or products. While the benefits of digital twins are not yet fully realized in industry, research into digital twin technology is quickly developing and expanding in breadth and reach. Digital twins can be used in real time, using machine and process data to detect anomalies and predict failures before they occur. They can also be used in a virtual environment to test “what if” scenarios (without the risk of harm to people or damage to the facility) and generate insights that greatly improve quality, efficiency, and safety. When deployed on a wide scale, digital twins can provide organizations with the ability to quickly evaluate operations relative to market conditions and test assumptions for innovating and improving capabilities to improve their market position in the competitive global environment.
About MxD
MxD, the nation’s Digital Manufacturing Institute and the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing, is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with the Department of Defense, MxD equips U.S. factories with the digital tools, cybersecurity, and workforce expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, our approximately 300 partners increase their productivity, win more business, and strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Learn more at mxdusa.org and contact us about projects at projects@mxdusa.org.
About ADI
Applied Dynamics is a digital engineering and industrial digital transformation solutions company. We have been pushing the limits of simulation and real-time systems for over 60 years. Applied Dynamics flagship product, ADEPT, is the most advanced real-time, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) software platform of its kind, providing an agile, open architecture, feature-rich environment for the complete product lifecycle from development through integration, verification, validation, certification, deployment, and sustainment. ADEPT embraces an open architecture and allows its users to leverage best-in-class COTS components. The ADEPT user base includes 14 of the global top 35 A&D companies and extends into marine, power systems, oil & gas, and the automotive industry. To learn more about how ADI and the ADEPT platform can help your team, visit www.adi.com or send an email to adinfo@adi.com.
About Siemens
Siemens Corporation is a U.S subsidiary of Siemens AG, a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose, adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a global leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power. In fiscal 2023, which ended on September 30, 2023, the Siemens Group USA generated revenue of $19.9 billion and employs approximately 45,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Media Contacts:
Applied Dynamics International
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Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
Email: press@adi.com
Siemens USA
Christine Whitman
200 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington 20001
United States of America
Email: christine.whitman@siemens.com