Plant automation has been undergoing rapid transformation for years. Weidmüller has always addressed and driven forward the requirements resulting from such change, with the development of smart components like IoT Gateway 30, for example. The multifunction gateway is the logical addition to the portfolio. On the one hand, it establishes the much-required connection from the sensor to the cloud. On the other hand, by acquiring and pre-processing machine data, it ensures that operating costs are kept low, since every message that is sent costs money. If data is aggregated or only sent on an event-driven basis, this minimises the effort required to exchange information.
Thanks to mobile connectivity, the gateway can be used anywhere, regardless of the existing infrastructure. Weidmüller uses the future-proof 4G LTE standard for this.
Data pre-processing is carried out using the open IoT standard Node-RED, which is already integrated in the IoT Gateway 30. This allows the user to implement their own application programming or to fall back on the many predefined functions of the community.
Field devices and controls are accessed via common interfaces and protocols, such as Modbus RTU, TCP, OPC UA, MQTT or RFC1006, which facilitates the connection to existing systems. In most cases, no changes are necessary to the control system used for this purpose. For further use, the data is sent to the in-house IT or to cloud systems such as Azure, AWS or IBM.
The Weidmüller u-link Remote Access Service is also already integrated. This guarantees rapid and secure access to machines and plant. In addition, process data can be historically stored in u-link and individual dashboards and alarms can be generated. The intuitive interface can be configured quickly and easily without expert knowledge, and adjusted in line with internal process structures. Weidmüller therefore combines IoT and remote access options in one portal.
For use outside the panel, the Weidmüller IoT Gateway 30 can be easily and securely integrated into a FieldPower® box. In the panel, the IoT Gateway 30 impresses with its particularly small form factor, despite the many integrated interfaces.
With the comprehensive, cutting-edge and coordinated IoT-capable portfolio from Weidmüller, the way to Industrial IoT is successful – "from data to value". For both greenfield and brownfield applications, the solutions include data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis. The route towards the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. This is also demonstrated by the new IoT Gateway 30, which offers users a customized IoT solution from the sensor to the cloud.