TwinCAT MTP provides an ideal solution for cyber-physical modularity in the process industry
It’s no coincidence. As companies are working to fight fluctuations in commodities markets and other costly challenges, rigid automation systems are falling out of favor. Equipment that operates unchanged for many years is increasingly becoming obsolete in the process industries.
Too often, manufacturers of machines and production modules face project-related customer requirements for connecting to a higher-level production system. So “simply” adding a module type in different projects isn’t so simple. It typically increases integration or development work, and the time and money required for plant development balloons.
Customizable, flexible production technologies are now foundational. Cyber-physical modularization allows engineers to design and flexibly adapt process plants with minimal effort. This delivers the shortest possible time-to-market through accelerated development cycles. It also supports profitable and individualized production of even small batches.
In these situations, the Module Type Package (MTP) provides a modern solution to modularize plants in the process industries. MTP defines an interface for the simple orchestration and connection of modules to a higher-level control system. With TwinCAT MTP, Beckhoff enables MTP project planning and automatic code generation. So engineers have an integrated, efficient way to develop modules in the universal TwinCAT engineering environment.
Modularity promotes reusability
A suitable solution is the modular design of production plants and the resulting ability to reuse individual modules. The entire process is broken down into individual sub-processes and mapped by corresponding modules. Each module has a separate controller to help completely modularize the plant. The individual modules are then connected to a higher-level control system (e.g. a DCS), and that enables the orchestration and mapping of the entire process.
As a result, the development work shifts from plant engineering to module engineering. This enables flexible modification of the plant with little effort based on current requirements. Additional modules can easily be added, and existing modules can be rearranged or removed. Complete reprogramming is not required because most of the logic is implemented in the individual modules. The higher-level controller only takes care of their orchestration. It’s aptly named the Process Orchestration Layer (POL).
What is the Module Type Package?
The MTP concept is based on intelligent modules, each with its own controller. It also describes an interface between the module and a higher-level POL. In practice, the concept is implemented by a vendor-independent standard for the description of process modules: the Module Type Package defined in the VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658 standard.
The MTP itself is a module description in the form of an archive file that is exported from the module engineering and imported into the higher-level control system. The file contains all information necessary for the POL to establish communication with the modules via OPC UA. So far, the following aspects have been modeled in the MTP description of a module:
Services: A service-based architecture encapsulates the process functionality of the module; for example, reaction, filtering or dosing. The services of the different modules are orchestrated in the POL.
Service relationships: To prevent the individual services from interfering with one another, dependencies can be defined. For example, the reaction service will be prevented from starting when dosing is currently taking place.
HMI template: The P&ID (Piping and Instrumentation Diagram) of the module is stored as a structural description in the MTP, so that the POL can automatically generate the actual user interface for the system from this information with a uniform look and feel. The process values are integrated into this generated user interface via the OPC UA protocol.
The interfaces defined in the MTP standard enable plug-and-produce behavior, eliminating the overhead of reusing a module. So engineers only need to develop the module once, and they can then integrate it into different plants independent of the controller and POL.
MTP integration in TwinCAT software
TwinCAT MTP takes this novel concept and makes it familiar. With this solution, engineers can create MTP-capable modules for process plants directly in an end-to-end engineering environment integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio®. It offers all options, from the definition of the module and the import/export of an MTP to automatic code generation. The goal in developing this new TwinCAT function was to minimize the required standards expertise and enable the module developer to focus on the actual control logic.
The MTP concept is integrated into TwinCAT by the TwinCAT MTP Runtime and TwinCAT MTP Engineering packages. The TwinCAT Engineering Environment includes a project management tool into which the TwinCAT MTP Engineering integrates itself as its own project type. On the runtime side, TwinCAT MTP includes an IEC 61131-3 library, which is used by the generated source code to implement a standard-compliant interface. The function blocks described in this library ensure their MTP-compliant representation via the OPC UA interface. TwinCAT OPC UA, which is used for this purpose, thus enables data access from the POL according to the standard definition.
MTP workflow with TwinCAT MTP
A module manufacturer can start by importing an existing MTP or external data. This is especially valuable when other planning tools are used in previous steps, for example, to define the P&ID of a module. In the project management, the first step is to design the module by defining the services, HMI objects and additional information.
The complete MTP can subsequently be exported and later used by a POL to control the module. As a next step, the mentioned PLC template is generated. The programming effort for the module developer is minimized among other things by automatically implemented services and service dependencies. Thus, the developer only has to implement the process-specific functionalities in the service states.
The modular approach of TwinCAT Engineering and the integration of TwinCAT MTP provides a smooth transition between module definition and controller programming. This is especially evident in the flexibility of code generation, which is ensured by adaptable plug-ins. These plug-ins can be loaded into the TwinCAT XCAD interface and, in addition to pure PLC code, e.g. complete I/O configurations can be automatically generated.
TwinCAT MTP workflow
The MTP support in TwinCAT is characterized by an efficient workflow:
Import P&ID: With TwinCAT MTP, an MTP can be imported and used as an interface to a P&ID editor. Alternatively, the TwinCAT MTP Automation Interface can be used to connect proprietary data sources. The interface provides an API for the module manufacturer to gain programmatic access to the MTP project. Existing data from P&ID editors can thus be used, even if they do not offer an MTP export.
Define services: The services as well as other module aspects such as service dependencies can be defined conveniently.
Export MTP: The MTP can be exported directly from TwinCAT and then used by a POL to control the module.
Individualized code generation: Optionally, the TwinCAT XCAD interface offers possibilities to individualize the code generation and to further process the generated information in a targeted manner.
Generate PLC code: In the next step, TwinCAT MTP generates a PLC template. This is based on the TwinCAT MTP library and includes comprehensive logic via which the pre-configuration of all standard requirements takes place.
Programming: The pre-configured code is finally completed by the state programming of the previously defined services.
Activate: When activating the configuration, TwinCAT automatically ensures that the OPC UA communication can be established by the POL as described in the MTP.
Conclusions: advantages of Module Type Package
The Module Type Package meets the requirements of modern process technology and offers both the module manufacturer and the plant manufacturer the possibility of cost-effective module and plant engineering. The standardized interfaces of the MTP ensure that modules no longer have to meet project-specific communication requirements. Instead, the higher-level automation system can import the interface description, directly display a visualization and orchestrate the stored services.
In TwinCAT MTP, Beckhoff offers an integrated and easy-to-use solution for creating a quality MTP. The appropriate, automatically generated PLC template can be completed with little effort in the engineering environment of TwinCAT to form a standard-compliant module controller. This empowers process industry plants to move beyond rigid automation systems and remain competitive for years to come.
Ready to increase modularity and efficiency in your process automation applications with MTP? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.
Casey Taylor is a Software Product Manager for Beckhoff Automation LLC.