Siemens, with its new V3 firmware release, has announced that its Simatic RF600 RFID system now supports the OPC UA open interface. The new firmware allows devices to be connected to the MindSphere cloud-based open Internet of Things operating system—for instance, via the Ruggedcom RX1400 industrial IoT gateway with MindConnect or with the MindConnect Nano cloud gateway.
Simatic RF600 acts as a link between the real and digital world, the company reports. Its platform-independent interface enables communication with products and software that support OPC UA. Project engineering takes place via a Web interface in a browser. Fields of application include production, logistics and asset management.
Linking the Simatic RF600 RFID system to the cloud opens up a new scope for the use of data captured from RFID transponders, the company explains, such as the registration and tracking of containers, pallets or products fitted with an RFID transponder. The captured data can be analyzed and made available worldwide due to the Web-based concept, creating transparency in terms of key performance indicators (KPIs), such as plant availability, asset utilization and energy savings.
Using the MindSphere app concept, customers can receive access to a range of information, such as RFID-based KPIs. This allows the targeted optimization of production processes and supply chains, with a view toward improving efficiency and quality in production, logistics, asset management and other areas.