TwinCAT 3 Directly Integrates OPC UA Pub/Sub

    Jan. 21, 2022
    Beckhoff provides real-time-capable data communication via OPC UA with the new TF6105 function in its universal automation software.
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    Beckhoff supports the extension of OPC UA with a new TwinCAT 3 software function that includes real-time publisher/subscriber communication.
    Beckhoff supports the extension of OPC UA with a new TwinCAT 3 software function that includes real-time publisher/subscriber communication.

    With the new TF6105 function, Beckhoff now offers direct integration of OPC UA Pub/Sub communication into the TwinCAT 3 runtime. This new capability establishes straightforward and secure machine-to-machine (M2M) and device-to-cloud (D2C) scenarios based on the OPC UA Pub/Sub specification.

     With a new extension of the OPC UA specification, which Beckhoff played a prominent role in helping develop, the publisher/subscriber principle is being introduced into the established and standardized OPC UA communication protocol. Two different transport paths are defined in the specification for data transmission: UDP and MQTT. UDP enables efficient and real-time-capable data exchange in a local network between machines or machine components. Transport via an MQTT message broker primarily, but not exclusively, supports cloud scenarios. 

     As an early adopter of the technology, Beckhoff implemented an initial prototype implementation of the UDP transport path back in 2016. Now, the implementation of MQTT adds a second transport path. With the new TwinCAT 3 function OPC UA Pub/Sub (TF6105), Beckhoff provides a complete package to configure and connect via OPC UA Pub/Sub UDP and MQTT Publisher and Subscriber directly in TwinCAT 3 software.

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