Core Applications of Industrial Fanless PC in Smart Factories: An In-Depth Analysis of Data Interaction Between PLC and MES Systems
In the wave of Industry 4.0, the construction of smart factories has become the core proposition for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. As the "nerve center" of the production site, industrial fanless PC not only need to connect with PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) for equipment control but also require deep interaction with MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) to bridge the "data silos" from the equipment level to the management level. This article will analyze how to achieve efficient data interaction between PLC and MES systems through industrial fanless PC from three dimensions—technical principles, typical scenarios, and implementation paths—and provide enterprises with actionable automation upgrade solutions.
As the "control brain" in industrial settings, PLC are responsible for executing real-time operations such as equipment start-stop and parameter adjustments. For example, in an automotive welding production line, PLCs control the welding trajectories of robotic arms through I/O modules while collecting sensor data such as current and temperature. Meanwhile, MES systems undertake management functions like production scheduling and quality traceability, requiring real-time access to equipment status and production data to optimize scheduling plans. Their collaborative mechanism can be likened to the interaction between "nerve endings" and the "brain": PLCs upload equipment operation data to the MES, while the MES sends production instructions to the PLCs, forming a closed-loop control system.
An automotive parts manufacturer adopted Siemens S7-1200 PLCs and used the Wutong Bolian industrial smart gateway to convert equipment data into JSON format, sending welding parameters to the MES system every 500 milliseconds via the HTTP protocol. This solution supports RESTful API standards and can flexibly adapt to interfaces from different MES vendors, though SSL encryption configuration is required to ensure data security.
In chemical production scenarios, PLCs directly write process parameters such as temperature and pressure into the MySQL database of the MES system. Transaction processing mechanisms ensure data consistency, such as using row-level locks to prevent data conflicts caused by simultaneous writes from multiple PLCs. A petrochemical enterprise achieved data collection from over 2,000 devices using this mode, with data delays controlled within one second.
OPC UA, as a cross-platform communication standard, enables semantic-level interoperability between PLCs and MES systems. An electronics manufacturing plant used an OPC UA server to uniformly parse data models from different brands of PLCs (such as Mitsubishi and Omron), allowing the MES system to directly read standardized data points and improving development efficiency by 40%.
In a 3C product assembly line, an industrial fanless PC collects the following data from PLCs via the USR-EG628 IoT controller:
Equipment status: Running/Standby/Fault (read via Modbus protocol)
Production count: Good/defective product counts (updated every minute)
Quality parameters: Torque and pressure values (converted from 4-20mA analog signals)
After edge computing preprocessing, this data is uploaded to the MES system via a 4G network and displayed in real-time on a 4K HDMI-connected screen, showcasing key metrics such as equipment OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and production capacity achievement rates. After implementing this solution, a mobile phone manufacturer reduced equipment failure response times from 15 minutes to 2 minutes.
When the MES system detects that an injection molding machine is about to shut down due to raw material shortages, the following dynamic adjustment process is initiated:
The MES sends instructions to the industrial fanless PC (in JSON format).
The industrial fanless PC parses the instructions and forwards them to the PLC (via Modbus TCP protocol).
The PLC controls the robotic arm to transfer unfinished products to backup equipment.
The equipment status in the MES system is updated accordingly.
A home appliance enterprise achieved adaptive production line rhythm adjustments using this mechanism, reducing order switching times from 4 hours to 40 minutes.
In an automotive painting workshop, an industrial fanless PC established a three-level data traceability system:
Equipment layer: PLC record process parameters such as spray gun pressure and coating flow rate (sampled 10 times per second).
Control layer: The industrial fanless PC analyzes parameter fluctuation trends through edge AI models.
Management layer: The MES system correlates quality inspection results to generate a parameter-defect correlation matrix.
After implementing this solution, an automaker reduced paint film thickness deviations from 1.2% to 0.3%, cutting annual quality losses by 2.8 million yuan.
As a new-generation IoT control hub, the USR-EG628 offers the following features:
Protocol compatibility: Built-in support for over 20 industrial protocols, including Modbus, OPC UA, and MQTT, with script parsing capabilities for non-standard protocols.
Edge computing capabilities: 1 TOPS AI computing power enables data cleaning, anomaly detection, and other edge intelligence functions.
Deployment flexibility: Supports HDMI local configuration, 4G/Wi-Fi multi-network redundancy, and operates in a wide temperature range of -40°C to 70°C.
In a packaging machinery plant renovation project, the USR-EG628 achieved rapid deployment through the following steps:
Equipment profiling: Completed communication interface surveys for 32 devices within 2 hours.
Hardware networking: Completed RS485/Ethernet hybrid networking within 4 hours.
Software configuration: Configured data collection, storage, and alarm rules within 6 hours.
Joint debugging and verification: Completed full-process testing within 2 hours, reducing the system launch cycle to 14 hours.
It is recommended to adopt a three-tier architecture consisting of "edge layer-platform layer-application layer":
Edge layer: The USR-EG628 runs the WukongEdge edge platform for data preprocessing and protocol conversion.
Platform layer: Deploy the Youren Cloud Industrial Internet Platform to provide equipment management and data analysis services.
Application layer: The MES system obtains standardized data via APIs to generate production reports and dashboards.
A steel enterprise achieved data collection from over 500 devices using this architecture, with system availability reaching 99.95%.
To address industrial data security risks, the following measures should be implemented:
Transmission security: Use TLS 1.3 encrypted communication and configure VPN tunnels.
Access control: Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and whitelist mechanisms.
Data security: Apply field-level database encryption and retain audit logs for 180 days.
An energy enterprise achieved Level 3 certification under the Cybersecurity Classification Protection 2.0 standard using this solution, reducing annual security incidents by 76%.
Demand assessment: Fill out the "Smart Factory Data Interaction Diagnostic Form" to clarify the following parameters:Equipment types (e.g., injection molding machines, CNC machine tools)
Communication interfaces (e.g., RS485, Ethernet)
Data frequency (e.g., per second/per minute)
Real-time requirements (e.g., millisecond/second-level)
Current situation analysis: Use the USR-EG628's protocol scanning function to automatically generate an "Equipment Communication Matrix Diagram" and identify the following issues:Protocol silos (e.g., different brands of PLCs using proprietary protocols)
Data redundancy (e.g., multiple systems collecting the same parameter)
Performance bottlenecks (e.g., network bandwidth utilization exceeding 80%)
Solution customization: Based on diagnostic results, provide the following options:Hardware configuration: USR-EG628 Basic/Enhanced versions
Software modules: Edge computing, AI inference, digital twin
Deployment methods: On-premises/private cloud/hybrid cloud
Effect verification: Deploy pilot projects and validate value through the following metrics:Data collection completeness rate (target ≥ 99.9%)
Instruction response delay (target ≤ 500ms)
System availability (target ≥ 99.95%)
Scan the QR code below and submit basic information such as equipment lists and production scenario descriptions to receive:
Visit our official website and fill out the requirement form. Our technical experts will contact you within 24 working hours.
Prototype testing services: Submit application requirements to obtain sample testing opportunities and verify equipment performance in real environments.
Resource packages: Includes the "Industrial Protocol White Paper" and "USR-EG628 Test Report."
Priority access: Expedited prototype testing services (ordinary project cycle: 15 days; expedited: shortened to 5 days).
Data Flow Creates Industrial Value
In the construction of smart factories, data interaction between PLCs and MES systems has evolved from a technical option to a strategic necessity. Empowered by new-generation industrial fanless PCs like the USR-EG628, enterprises can not only achieve equipment networking and data interoperability but also build a digital nervous system covering all production elements. Act now to make every bit of data a core driver of manufacturing upgrades!
