Machine Tools & handling Systems

Together with smart drive amplifiers, the control system – nowadays referred to as the automation controller – is the heart and soul of modern production machines. At the same time, their range of applications extends from offshore oil rigs and gas compressor stations, production facilities and robots, to application control systems used by the police and fire brigade.

At the same time, standardising programmes – often many megabytes in size – presents a particular challenge for the manufacturing industry segment, especially when it comes to the end users. Programming languages have been standardised for some time now, but the structure and data flow within the programmes and between parts of facilities was not regulated until only a few years ago, instead being largely subject to the whims of machine and robot manufacturers. In the age of networked machines and systems, this is highly ineffective. For this reason, OMAC introduced the PackML standard on behalf of all major automation manufacturers and end users (with the exception of the automotive industry). This is where the research group comes in, for example when it comes to applying the PackML standard to production machines and robots, as well as to making it accessible to small- and medium-sized machine manufacturers. An additional area of research is the integration of machine and data security (safety and security) into the PackML automation concept. What’s more, the research group also has certain knowledge and experiences in mechanics and construction at its disposal.