The MTConnect Institute, the standards development organization that maintains the MTConnect standard, announces the release of MTConnect Version 2.0. The Institute previously submitted MTConnect Version 1.8 to ANSI. The 2.0 version of the free, open, model-based standard that supports semantics for discrete manufacturing is a significant advancement from previous versions.
Starting with Version 2.0, the MTConnect information model is provided in SysML using an XMI Model Interchange (XMI) file rather than text documents. Benefits of a model-based standard over a text-based standard include:
–Information can be cross-referenced to reduce duplication and increase usability
–Integrated relations and searches across all sections
–The machine-readable model allows direct and automated interpretation by software systems
–The SysML model can represent all constraints and relationships and verify information using automated tools
–The release package includes the following:
–The normative canonical MTConnect data model as XMI
–SysML web portal with searchable index
–Schema files as XML and JSON
–PDF text documents generated from the normative XMI
Version 2.0 also includes the following additional components and data items:
–Maintenance
–Parts and processes
–Operational modes for various systems and components
–Support for recipes in heat-treat and other PLC-based equipment
–Initial support for fixtures
–Part counts
The MTConnect standard is produced and maintained by volunteers from industry via the MTConnect Institute Standards Committee (SC) and its working groups. In addition to new data items, Version 2.0 saw the first normative SysML model with XML Model Interchange (XMI) available for integration into applications and development workflows.
The MTConnect Institute also made significant enhancements to the MTConnect Agent for this release. The Agent is a rewrite of the previous version, using a modern HTTP server and pluggable architecture. The new Agent features are as follows:
–Support for TLS and certificates for encryption and authentication
–Extensible plug-in architecture for incoming and outgoing protocols and data transformations
–Third-party plug-ins include: OPC UA MTConnect Companion Spec, NC-Link, Kafka, Influx-Db, and OPC UA and MQTT data sources
–Embedded mruby scripting engine for dynamic transformation
–Agent-to-agent replication and aggregation
–Full-featured HTTPS server for static files with compression
—Digital-twin three.js-based visualization demo included
MTConnect Institute President Doug Woods said, “This is a huge accomplishment for our SC members, as this is the first of its kind in our global manufacturing technology industry! Keeping pace with the rate of current tech advancement is critical and will continue to accelerate MTConnect development cycles and better support industrial scalability by optimizing standards harmonization.”
View and download MTConnect Version 2.0 at https://model.mtconnect.
Download the Version 2.0 MTConnect C++ Agent at https://github.com/
Download documents for Version 2.0 and previous MTConnect releases at https://docs.mtconnect.org/
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