FOCUS ON DIGITALISATION and user-specific IT ecosystems simply, seamlessly and securely. It is supported by the VDW and VDMA and is based on OPC UA, a communication framework between devices on the shop floor. Standardised data models defined in the OPC UA Companion Specifications can be easily enhanced with customer or manufacturer-specific data.
Around 25 Companion Specifications have already been published for the mechanical engineering sector for various technologies such as robotics, measurement systems, plastics and rubber machines, woodworking, machine tools etc. Thirty more are in development. In addition, the central Companion Specification OPC UA for Machinery contains basic modules that are crucial for the entire mechanical and plant engineering sector e. g. identification, order management and energy monitoring.
The umati stand at EMO Hannover 2025.
So, umati enables the exchange of data between machines, components and systems and their integration into customer and userspecific IT ecosystems
umati at EMO Hannover 2025
Since its launch at EMO Hannover in 2019, the umati initiative has now established itself worldwide. Over the years, it has been a regular fixture at numerous trade shows in Germany and overseas.
However, an important, perhaps lesserknown fact about the initiative, is that there are now over 15 technology sectors in the mechanical and plant engineering industry which offer easy access to production data in a uniform, standardised data ecosystem. In addition to machinery in general, these include additive manufacturing; flat glass production; geometric measurement technology; assembly technology; laser systems; image processing; rubber and plastics machinery; robotics; surface technology; textile testing; weighing technology; wire harness production; woodworking and, of course, machine tools for metalworking. Accordingly, many of the OPC UA specifications( on which the interfaces are based) have therefore been successfully implemented in products.
EMO Hannover visitors this September discovered the latest technology developments at the umati booth in Hall 6. The stand focused on a wide range of aspects that help machines and software to communicate successfully with each other and thus enable standardised
Dr. Alexander Broos, Head of Research and Technology, VDW and umati project manager.
About umati
In short, umati is the overarching structure encompassing various OPC UA standards across multiple technologies in the manufacturing sector. It fosters common market awareness and visibility while ensuring interoperability among implementations and practices related to these standards.
The number of OPC UA supporting specifications under umati has been increasing in recent years. This expansion allows users to access data from a broader range of applications. Furthermore, umati is continuously upgrading its demonstration infrastructure. The current application of MQTT publish / subscribe technology enables umati devices to be utilised in real industrial environments without the need for additional work. access to data. This ultimately makes it possible to generate added value from this data( e. g. in the form of energy consumption analyses or AI applications).
At EMO Hannover 2025, umati demonstrated how open, standardised interfaces are taking networked manufacturing to a new level. Visitors experienced live how machines and systems communicate across manufacturers. Innovative solutions for production and practical live demonstrations of machine communication were presented.
Dr. Alexander Broos, Head of Research and Technology, VDW and umati project manager, commented:“ umati has been able to prove that interfaces don’ t have to be complicated. Now it’ s all about demonstrating how the data can be used to create added value.” This requires numerous, often smaller further developments or solution modules, which then combine to achieve the required result.
Energy monitoring for carbon footprint
Several sub-exhibits at the umati booth covered a common topic; the“ calculation” of energy consumption data. This is necessary, for example, to comply with reporting obligations on the carbon footprint of companies or products. At the heart of this are implementations of OPC UA 40001-4( OPC UA for Machinery Part 4: Energy Management).
One example of this is the Dutch consortium“ Factory of the Future is Now”, of the FPT- Vimag association. It presented a paperless smart manufacturing system in Hall 15 at EMO, in collaboration with umati partners Cellro, DMG Mori, Heidenhain, Mitutoyo and Schunk. The energy data from production assets was fed live into the umati dashboard. This enabled the specific energy consumption per manufactured product to be determined.
Partner, Konzeptpark GmbH from Lahnau, exhibited a solution for determining energy
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