Challenge: Three separately manufactured machine modules are combined to form a complete system. This requires definition and implementation of the communication interfaces between the machine modules. The machine modules are each equipped with two POWERLINK and two Ethernet interfaces.
 
Obstacles to overcome:
Time-consuming: Describing and defining communication interfaces.
Complex: Building, maintaining and troubleshooting separate networks.
Cost-intensive
 
Solution: Step-by-step integration of OPC UA into the machine modules. Modules described using PackML / OPC UA companion specification. Communication between the modules is made possible by controller-to-controller communication based on the OPC UA publish/subscribe mechanism.
 
Advantages: 
Uniform descriptions of interfaces and functions with PackML
Cabling costs cut in half
Simplified maintenance and diagnostics
Reusable interfaces make it easier to scale machine variants