A system for controlling automation includes a machine which collects data generated by performance of an operation by the machine. A user device displays a machine control interface (MCI) corresponding to the machine. The MCI displays the collected data to a touch interface of the user device, and defines at least one touch activated user interface element (UIE) for manipulating the data. The user device can be enabled as an automation human machine interface (HMI) device for controlling an operation performed by the machine, such that a touch action applied to a UIE of the MCI controls the operation. A prerequisite condition to enabling the user device as an automation HMI device can include activation of an enabling switch selectively connected to the user device. The MCI can be stored in a memory of the enabling switch and retrieved from the enabling switch by the user device.

An engineering system and method of orchestrating engineering software for a factory automation environment are disclosed. The engineering system includes a message-broker configured to access and update a knowledge base based on operation of at least one of a plurality of engineering software. The plurality of engineering software is configured to generate and/or operate using engineering-data associated with at least one of design, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the factory automation environment. The message-broker is configured to convert the engineering-data into messages recognizable by the plurality of engineering software and the knowledge base. At least one Graphical User Interface communicatively coupled to the message-broker is configured to enable access to the engineering-data via the message-broker, whereby at least one engineering software is configured to initiate actions in the factory automation environment based on the messages.

To facilitate redundancy in a distributed control system architecture used in an industrial automation environment, a user workstation is connected to multiple enterprise access switches. Separate physical connections established between an application server and the enterprise access switches are configured into a single virtual interface for the application server to provide physical media redundancy between the application server and the enterprise access switches. Redundancy switches are connected to the enterprise access switches and to a first LAN and a second LAN, and are assigned unique IP addresses but communicate using a same default gateway IP address to serve as redundant default gateways. The redundancy switches are configured with a redundancy protocol that enables transmission of duplicate data packets over the first LAN and the second LAN. Redundant industrial controllers are connected to both the first LAN and the second LAN, wherein the redundant industrial controllers utilize non-swapping IP addresses.

A method for communicating with at least one field device via an interface device, wherein each field device is connected to a channel of the interface device, where the method includes receiving a first command associated with a first field device, from an industrial device, communicating with the first field device over a first communication channel for executing the received first command, receiving at least one command associated with the at least one field device, from the industrial device, the at least one commands including at least one command associated with a second field device from the at least one field device, and caching the at least one command in a memory module prior to the execution of the first command.

A method of transmitting data from a manufacturing data originator at a manufacturing facility to a target computing system includes acquiring data indicative of an operation of the manufacturing data originator and associating the data acquired to one or more fields among a plurality of fields of a predefined message schema for a designated message type among a plurality of message types. The method further includes populating values of the fields of the predefined message schema of the designated message type based on the data associated with the fields and on message control data, where the message control data includes a facility identification, a data originator identification, a schema version identifier, or a combination thereof. The method further includes generating a message data string based on the populated fields of the predefined message schema and transmitting the message data string to the target computing system.

An interface arrangement for connecting at least one control device to a plurality of field instruments, includes: a carrier board having a plurality of signal channels, and a connector designed for electrical and mechanical connection to a second, complementary connector of a signal processing device, being arranged between a first and a second connecting device of each signal channel. Each signal channel has an electrical interface which is designed for releasable connection of respective surge protection modules, each interface electrically connected to an electrical resistor and to a surge arrester which is arranged at least partially on and/or in the carrier board and is designed for arresting surge voltages and/or surge currents which may occur.

A creation device for creating an instruction for controlling a second industrial machine with a first industrial machine to execute a predetermined operation includes processing circuitry that obtains templates corresponding to operations respectively, control display of a template corresponding to an operation selected from the operations in a creation screen, and create an instruction for the operation selected from the operations based on the operation with respect to the template displayed in the creation screen.

A server includes a processor to supply a torque command to an amplifier that controls a motor that drives a linkage; include, in the torque command, an alternating signal wave that is to test a frequency response of the motor and the linkage; receive, from the amplifier, an instantaneous torque value of the motor and an instantaneous mechanical parameter value of the linkage at each time step according to a sampling rate and over a period of time; store an aggregate of both these values; determine, for a first frequency of the alternating signal wave, a magnitude and phase shift between the aggregate of the instantaneous mechanical parameter values and the aggregate of the instantaneous torque values; and generate, using an aggregate of magnitude and phase shift data for multiple frequencies of the alternating signal wave, a fingerprint to be used in performing diagnostics of motor and linkage.

A system and method for displaying a combination of automation data collected from one or more assets and analog data collected from a system or element related to the assets can be simultaneously displayed on the display screen in a plurality of concurrently displayed cycle displays. In response to a user input to the display screen, the data display is dynamically manipulated to display varying numbers of operating cycles of the assets and the associated analog data collected in real time with the performance of the operating cycles, such that patterns and/or correlations between the analog data and automation data over a displayed timeline can be viewed and analyzed. The automation data is visually differentiated to indicate a condition state of the operating cycle and assets in real time.

A cool cluster comprises one or more transfer chambers; a plurality of process chambers connected to the one or more transfer chambers; and a computing device of the tool cluster. The computing device is to receive first measurements generated by sensors of a first process chamber during or after a process is performed within the first process chamber; determine that the first process chamber is due for maintenance based on processing the first measurements using a first trained machine learning model; after maintenance has been performed on the first process chamber, receive second measurements generated by the sensors during or after a seasoning process is performed within the first process chamber; and determine that the first process chamber is ready to be brought back into service based on processing the second measurements using a second trained machine learning model.