OPC UA for NDE: Integration, Challenges, and Prospects

The use of OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) represents a significant step towards improving integration and interoperability within Industry 4.0. Faced with the challenges of non-standardized interfaces, OPC UA provides a platform-independent, service-oriented structure that enables rapid implementation and adaptation to different production environments. This technology supports the transfer of metadata that enables real-time customization of production processes, contributing to comprehensive quality control. A central concern is the development of a standardized companion specification that enables a semantic description of NDE processes and promotes interoperability between different systems and actors. The need to integrate specific information and the complexity of NDE technologies into standardized models is seen as crucial for digitalization in the industry. In the long term, the development of a dedicated semantic standard for NDE aims to take full advantage of OPC UA and optimize communication between different systems. These developments are essential in order to meet the requirements of an increasingly networked and automated industry.