Central Configuration
Central configuration and management of all gateways, assets, templates and users through one Control Center – a single place for operations and governance.
An Overview of the Technical Architecture of AC4DC Connectivity
This page outlines the technical architecture of AC4DC Connectivity—from machine and system integration through data contextualization to the secure delivery of production data for MES, ERP, SAP Digital Manufacturing, analytics, and AI applications.
AC4DC and AC4DC Connectivity: AC4DC is the Industrial Data Management Platform. It connects and contextualizes data across multiple systems. AC4DC Connectivity is the capability within this platform that connects machines, assets, and IT systems and translates their signals into a unified event model. Connectivity is thus a component of AC4DC, not the platform itself.
The Core Capabilities of AC4DC
Multi Deployment
Flexible deployment models from the industrial micro-PC through IPC and Kubernetes clusters to the data center or private cloud.
Data Integration Layer
Data from different sources is integrated and made available consistently for different applications. This includes:
- Asset connectivity
- System integration
- Protocol integration
- Event generation
Semantic Layer
Heterogeneous raw data is unified, contextualized and converted into a consistent data structure. This includes:
- Standardized event model
- Data contextualization
- Interpreted data for industrial apps and analytics
Data Distribution
Data can be delivered to multiple target systems and applications simultaneously. This includes:
- Multi-consumer publishing
- Decoupling of producers and consumers
- OPC UA server
- MQTT
- NATS
Governance & Lifecycle
Changes to data models, configurations and logic become controllable, reproducible and scalable across plants. This includes:
- Versionierung
- Prototyping
- Rollout & rollback
- Library management
Secure & Scalable by Design
Security by Design
- End-to-end encrypted data flows
- Central authentication and certificate management
- Reduced dependencies and minimal attack surface
Reliability by Architecture
- Kubernetes-based deployment
- Automated restart and recovery
- Failover
- Load balancing
- Local data buffering
Flexible Deployment
AC4DC supports different deployment stages:
- Edge micro-PC
- IPC
- IPC cluster
- Data center
- Private cloud
Technical Overview of AC4DC Connectivity:
From Machine Signals to Usable Production Data
1. Acquire signals
Gateways connect machines and assets via a range of industrial protocols, including OPC UA, Siemens S7, Modbus TCP, Euromap 63, IO controllers, as well as interfaces for special-purpose and legacy assets.
2. Interpret signals
Raw signals are contextualized and processed. For example:
- Machine status derived from raw signals
- Physical units annotated and converted
- Quantity and quality information assigned
- Machine data linked to order data
3. Integrate data
The processed data is made available to different consumers, including MES FLEX, SAP DM, ERP, AI and other third-party applications. Data can be delivered to multiple consumers in parallel.
Centrally orchestrated
A central Control Center governs configurations, templates, versions, certificates, users and assets. Gateways handle connectivity on the shopfloor. This turns data integration into a controlled and repeatable operation.
Technical Overview of AC4DC Connectivity:
Open for Heterogeneous Machine and System Landscapes
Southbound Connectivity
Supported connections include, among others:
- OPC UA
- Modbus TCP
- Siemens S7
- IO controllers
- Euromap 63
- Universal interfaces for custom and legacy assets
Northbound Integration
Data can be made available via technologies including:
- MQTT
- NATS
- OPC UA
Further publishing methods are added based on market demand and the product roadmap.
Performance
Example figures from reference configurations:
Standard server hardware:
- Up to 9,000 signals/second
- Up to 3,400 events/second
RevPi Connect 4:
- 900 signals/second
Experience AC4DC in Your System Landscape
See in a technical demo how AC4DC connects your machines, contextualizes data and integrates it into your existing IT/OT landscape.
You are currently seeing a placeholder content of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. To access the actual content, click on the button below. Please note that data will be passed on to third-party providers.
More information