Keywords

FDT 2.0, FDI, DTM, Intelligent Field Devices, OPC UA

Summary

The FDT Group recently briefed ARC Advisory Group regarding the impending release of FDT 2.0. There is a lot to like about FDT Technology and the new features of FDT 2.0. Many organizations would throttle development programs to a slower pace once achieving the wide acceptance that FDT has enjoyed in several world regions. However, it appears that the FDT Group has actually increased its work pace to be able to continue to advance the value of FDT to end users and automation suppliers alike. The impending FDT 2.0 release is intended to further improve ease of use, scalability, and versatility.

FDT Support for the Future

With increasing support from a growing number of suppliers in virtually every category of automation and field device, end users can now deploy FDT with little risk of obsolescence or stranded technology. FDT technolo-gy is suitable for all industrial segments today, including process, discrete, and hybrid manufacturing. FDT architecture should also be capable of adapting to any field communication protocol that may be needed in the future.

More than 3,000 unique devices are now supported by FDT-certified DTMs that integrate 15 of the most popular field network communication stand-ards, with more in the pipeline. New devices and standards can be added as warranted. More than 80 FDT Group member companies have delivered tens of thousands of devices with FDT capability.

The technology enables users to take advantage of more of the capabilities embedded in their installed intelligent instruments – regardless of field pro-tocol, control system, or device supplier This can help lower both operating and maintenance costs.

According to the FDT Group, the standard’s extensibility provides the flex-ibility to create new software and tools without compatibility issues with new or existing equipment. This gives end users the flexibility to adopt new enhancements at a pace appropriate for their organization with mini-mal risk from migration or obsolescence.

New FDT Developed for Lifecycle Ease-of-Use

ARC research has shown that new technologies and programs can fall out of favor in plants or factories due to difficulties at any point during the lifecycle. FDT 2.0 adds features that can help end users and suppliers manage these issues throughout the field device and FDT product lifecycle.

FDT 2.0 uses a Microsoft .NET technology platform that enables fast and easy access to data while providing a stable platform for future enhance-ments. The Microsoft .NET 4.0 platform is designed to be independent of hardware architectures and operating systems (including OS changes by Microsoft). Other FDT 2.0 enhancements include an updated style guide, pre-tested common components, distributed FDT Frame Applications shar-ing, and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that facilitates development of FDT products.

Certified FDT 2.0 DTMs contain embedded, digitally signed proof-of-conformance certifications. Additionally, frame applications can be config-ured to alert IT administrators when an updated DTM is available, easing support of an installed device. These enhancements work together to im-prove interoperability, reduce supplier and end user costs, and ensure that all FDT-compliant devices will integrate out of the box with certified FDT frame applications and DTMs.

OPC UA in the Future

The planned inclusion of an OPC UA information model to be released in the near future will provide online data exchange between automation sys-tems, asset management systems, and other plant and enterprise systems and applications. OPC UA technology uses a service-oriented architecture(SOA) that runs on Windows PCs, Linux, and other enterprise-level sys-tems. By integrating FDT and OPC, users will be able to use OPC UA applications to send data to business systems, enhancing the reliability of asset information and providing a comprehensive view of asset bottlenecks that require attention.

The FDT Group is also working with other field communication organiza-tions to develop a new FDI (field device integration) standard. The future FDI standard seeks to couple the use of electronic device descriptions (EDDs) with a graphical interface into a new industry standard.

The FDT and FDI groups are working in tandem to ensure future interop-erability. The FDT Group believes that end users adopting FDT and the impending FDT 2.0 will have a substantial lead over their peers by being able to develop new work processes now that realize the most value from FDT-enabled asset management initiatives. Additionally, because FDT is suitable for all communication protocols, including discrete and sensor buses, end users have the flexibility to include discrete automation assets as their asset management initiatives expand.

Conclusion

Understandably, automation users are risk averse, often favoring the status quo. However, many astute users have already adopted or are now adopt-ing FDT Technology to enjoy the benefits of open access to field device information based on the FDT Group’s reasonable assurances that present FDT Technology will be both backward and forward compatible.

ARC recommends that end users should:

       Learn more about FDT and its benefits, particularly if planning or de-veloping an asset management program
       Engage with their preferred automation supplier regarding FDT
       Consider supplier- and fieldbus-independent FDT-enabled asset man-agement solutions.
       “Test drive” FDT

ARC recommends that suppliers should:

       Engage with the FDT Group to develop FDT 2.0-enabled products
       Help users learn, deploy, and optimize FDT-enabled solutions to get the most out of their asset management initiatives.
       Document the ROI of FDT-enabled asset management initiatives.

For further information or to provide feedback on this article, please contact your account manager or the author at hforbes [at] arcweb [dot] com. ARC Views are pub-lished and copyrighted by ARC Advisory Group. The information is proprietary to ARC and no part of it may be reproduced without prior permission from ARC.