The availability of documents poses a real problem in applications. In theory, all documents should be available directly at the site. However, this often isn't the case in practice. Many production facilities and machines simply lack the space to store documents centrally, or the ambient conditions (such as high humidity, sea air, rain or snow) make it impossible to keep documents available centrally at machines and production facilities. The digital nameplate together with asset administration shells (especially the Handover Documentation submodel) can provide a solution here.
The current situation:
Each manufacturer usually provides their product documentation in paper form. The documentation is enclosed in the product packaging. The included instructions are often multilingual. However, at customers' premises, the products are often unpacked directly in the Incoming Goods department, meaning that in many cases the documentation is not passed on with the product. In these cases, it is thrown away with the cardboard packaging. This is true of mass production in particular, involving parts such as sensors, terminals, isolators, etc. where each product is supplied with identical instructions.
The situation is different for machines or more complex systems. The accompanying documentation is often a fixed part of the contract for these. It is clear that the more complex a machine or system is, the more comprehensive its documentation will be. The documents accompanying a machine often span multiple files. Many companies transfer this documentation to a file archive or document system which isn't located at the system in the field.
What's more, the language variant is a broader problem. Manufacturers often don't know where their products will end up, especially if these are sold via intermediaries. This means that they aren't able to reduce the documentation to only the languages that are actually required.
Conclusion:
On the whole, documentation currently requires vast resources (paper and printer ink) which are unfortunately rarely available where they are needed or used as intended in the field.
The solution? Digital nameplates together with asset administration shells
Thanks to the digital nameplate, in future every product will have a 2D code (QR or data matrix) or a RFID tag. At the same time, the tag contains a link which includes a unique ID (generally a serial number) and makes it possible to identify the individual product (asset). By scanning the link to follow it, users gain access to a manufacturer portal which displays the asset information shell together with the associated information. The "Handover Documentation" submodel is part of the asset administration shell.
It contains all documents relevant to the product in question. This covers operating instructions, data sheets, safety notes and certificates in all available languages. Classification of the documents according to VDI 2770 means that they can also be transferred to and integrated into customers' document management systems without any hassle. This mechanism gives users direct digital access to all of the documents they need in all available languages. This saves time and space, all while protecting the environment.
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