AutomationML — the line description for exchange
The open format IEC 62714: equipment hierarchy, roles, interfaces and links. The line project is exported to it in full.
Exchanging engineering data
AutomationML is an open format for exchanging a production system description between engineering tools, standard IEC 62714. It replaces neither CAD nor the controller programming environment: it connects them so that the line description is not transferred by hand.
The basis of the format is CAEX: an object tree with roles, interfaces and links. Geometry and kinematics and control logic are attached to objects by references to their own open formats.
- HierarchyLine, units, modules — as a tree of objects in CAEX format.
- RolesWhat an object means: unit, module, channel.
- Interfaces and linksObject signals and who is connected to whom.
- WhyThe line description moves between engineering systems without manual re-entry.
Four concepts of the format
| Concept | What it is | Line example |
|---|---|---|
| Instance hierarchy | The object tree of a specific system | Line → zone → units → modules → channels |
| Role classes | What the object means regardless of manufacturer | ISA-88 roles: cell, unit, module |
| Interface classes | What the object communicates with others through | PackML signals: Command, Status, Admin |
| Links | Which interface is connected to which | A “writer Status → reader Command” wire |
An object’s external interfaces are what is visible from outside; internal links are the wires inside. That is how a line zone is visible to its neighbours only through its ports.
Line project export
| What is in the project | What is in AutomationML |
|---|---|
| Units and modules | ISA-88 roles |
| Unit tags | PackML signal interfaces |
| Wires on the project graph | Links between interfaces |
| Project ports | External interfaces of the zone |
| Places and hierarchy | The line object tree |
| Format | CAEX 3.0 |
One home per signal
Each project signal is described once: name, type, writer, readers, kind, period. The signal dictionary is exported into the line description.
A project is a composite block
Project ports are created on the graph frame and linked inside to unit ports. From outside only the ports are visible — these are the zone’s external links.
We do not invent our own format
Logic — SFC, states and tags — PackML, geometry — an open mechanism description, exchange — AutomationML. Each standard on its own layer.
- Roles — from the unit modelEvery unit, module and channel already stands at its ISA-88 level; the export carries the level over as a role.
- Interfaces — from tagsA unit’s Command, Status and Admin become its signal interfaces.
- Links — from wiresEvery wire on the project “Graph” is a link between interfaces in the file.
How a palletizing zone looks in the description
| Tree level | Object | Role | Interfaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line | Packaging line | Process cell | Zone ports |
| Zone | Palletizing | Process cell | Pack input, pallet output |
| Unit | Roller conveyor, palletizer, pallet wrapper | Unit | Command, Status, Admin |
| Module | Mechanism with an executor | Equipment module | — |
| Channel | Axis, presence sensor, stopper | Control module | Channel signal |
The example is illustrative — it shows how a description is built, not the file of a specific line. Links between units in the file are the same wires as on the project “Graph”.
What attaches to the line description
Geometry and kinematics
An open mechanism description: links, joints, limits, sensor points. A project cell is one description of units at their places.
Control logic
IEC 61131-3 programs; for transfer between environments — PLCopen XML, which the platform accepts on import.
Unit model
ISA-88 roles and levels are a common vocabulary through which tools from different suppliers understand the description.
AutomationML is not a programming environment and not CAD: it connects them, carrying structure, roles and links.
Each signal is described once
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Name and type | What the signal is called and what it carries |
| Writer | The unit writing the signal; a signal has one |
| Readers | The units reading it; each has its own timeout behaviour |
| Kind | Event, value or counter |
| Period | How often the writer updates the signal; the reader timeout is derived from it |
A signal is overdue — its quality is “bad”, and the unit logic itself goes to a safe state. The dictionary is not typed by hand: it is a view of the port connections declared by unit programs.
A line description that does not get stuck in one program
Integrator
Hands the customer not only the line but also its description in an open format.
Design office
Gets the line hierarchy, roles and links without manual transfer between systems.
Production
Keeps its line description in a format read by tools from different suppliers.
What is available and what is verified in the implementation
- AvailableExport of the line project to AutomationML: ISA-88 roles, PackML signal interfaces, links along the graph wires.
- Subject of the implementationImport verification in the customer’s engineering systems; compatibility with specific CAD tools is not claimed before such a check.
- Import into the platformMechanism description and STEP assembly — formats.
Questions about AutomationML
Will the file open in our system?
The format is open, CAEX 3.0. Import verification in your engineering system is part of the implementation; the result is recorded in the protocol.
What does not go into the file?
Unit programs remain IEC 61131-3 programs, the control configuration is generated from the twin. The line description is hierarchy, roles, interfaces and links.
Is the description updated when the project changes?
The description is exported from the current project: change a wire or a unit and the next export includes it. There is no second copy to keep track of.
Can only part of the line be exported?
The unit of description is the project, i.e. one line zone. From outside the zone is visible through its ports, so its description is self-contained.
Does anything need configuring for export?
No: roles come from the unit model, interfaces from their tags, links from the wires on the project graph.
Discuss an implementation
Name the engineering systems the line must exchange data with — we will check the exchange within an R&D stage.
Request accessDiscuss an implementation
Describe the unit or line — we will tell you what we will verify and in what time. Target indicators are fixed in the implementation specification.
Request access