The dream of a digital label or nameplate has existed for some time, but in the search for a globally valid methodology, it quickly becomes apparent that there are still numerous hurdles to overcome for successful implementation.
Digital nameplate – dream or already reality?
The Digital Nameplate Vision
There are currently two standardization projects for the Digital Nameplate.
1st project: Digital Product Passport
The Digital Product Passport, called DPP. The goal is to accommodate more data in the machine-readable codes (2D barcodes or RFID) instead of printing them in human-readable characters as well.
The project was initiated by manufacturers of explosion-protected products. The reason for this is that the increasing marking requirements for explosion protection take up too much space on the type plates. In addition, this data is also required electronically.
The advantage of this variant is that data can be read offline. On the other hand, space is also limited in a 2D code. Alternative data carriers such as RFID, or the storage of such data in the product’s firmware, again require special equipment.
2nd project: product identification via URI
The Digital Nameplate as product identification is the second standardization project. The 2D code only contains an identification link (URI – Unique Resource Identifier) that refers to a product page. On this page, all information about the product and services for the various stakeholders is stored in assigned categories.
Structure of the identification link (URI)
The structure of the URI (Unique Resource Identifier) can be freely chosen, but must be unique worldwide! The “Open Industry 4.0 Alliance” recommends the URI in the following form:
<ManufacturerUrl/type/OrderNo/SerialNo>
Representation on the nameplate
The 2D code (Datamatrix or QR code) and the RFID symbol, are surrounded by a rectangle. The bottom corner on the right of the rectangle is triangular and to be filled in black. The exact parameters regarding code settings, quiet zone, line thickness, etc. are described in more detail in DIN SPEC 91406.
DIN SPEC 91406
You want to take a look at DIN SPEC 91406?
Why are Digital Nameplates needed?
Anyone involved in product labeling quickly realizes that there is never enough space on the label to satisfy all information stakeholders. This is why many labeling managers follow the minimal approach. This is limited to identification, traceability and other mandatory information.
The digital type plate does not drastically change the previous product labels either. On the other hand, all stakeholders who previously had to do without their information on the label can now be served with the digital type plate.
What do climate targets have to do with the Digital Nameplate?
Under the “European Green Deal” concept, the European Union aims to become the first climate-neutral continent and emit zero net greenhouse gases by 2050. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, new regulations will be issued in the next few years, which will also affect labeling, among other things.
One example to be mentioned here is the draft of the Ecodesign Regulation. Article 8 contains the requirements for the provision of information in connection with the digital product passport. In addition, the European Commission announced “A new Circular Economy Action Plan | For a cleaner and more competitive Europe” in its Communication of 11.03.2020.
In the communication, the EU states its intention to regulate, among other things, the carbon footprint of products, as well as the potential of digitizing product information, with solutions such as Digital Product Passports, markings and watermarks.
Industry 4.0
Most people have certainly understood the idea of Industry 4.0. But where do you start with the implementation and what preconditions do you have to create before implementation can even be thought of?
Here, the Digital Nameplate provides an important piece of the puzzle: With the standardized digitization of product data, one forms the basis for unambiguously assigning information about the product and its life cycle. With the AAS Asset Administration Shell, a concept of the “Industry 4.0” platform and other industry associations (VDMA, ZVEI), a machine-interpretable information model is to be created, as well as the realization of a digital twin of your product.
The benefits of the Digital Nameplate, with the extension of information about the product linked to a URL, may be convincing, but it is doubtful whether this value proposition is sufficient to be applied across industries. – This is exactly where the asset administration shell (AAS) comes in and adds value by providing the structure for the digital information.
The AAS can describe all information about an asset, such as characteristics, states, parameters, measurement data and functions. This information can be organized into sub-models and it is possible to manage multiple assets in a single AAS. This can be used to characterize products, with a bill of materials or an entire system with subsystems in a AAS.
The AAS model is the key technology to make products IoT capable (I4.0 component) and to realize the Digital Twin for Industry 4.0. The AAS is also included in the reference architecture model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), in the lowest layer, and thus represents the foundation of the entire reference architecture.
Structure of the Asset Administration Shell
The header of a AAS contains the manifest and the component manager to manage the Asset Administration Shell as a whole, its assets, and their subcomponents.
The Manifest
The manifest is to be understood as a table of contents of the AAS and additionally includes:
- the identification of the Asset Administration Shell (AAS ID*)
- the identification of the asset (Asset ID*)
- the short name
The Component Manager (CM)
The CM controls the identification and addressing within the Asset Administration Shell and secures the connection to the services accessing the AAS.
The Digital Nameplate as a partial model
The “nameplate”, i.e. the digital nameplate, is a submodel of the administration shell. The information from the physical nameplate is available in digital form in this sub-model. Additional submodels (SM) for documents, services, identification and sustainability can be added. The submodels for “Namplate”, “Document” and “Identification” are always present in an Asset Administration Shell. Depending on the requirements, further partial models can be attached.
Interoperability thanks to ECLASS
In order for attributes of Asset Administration Shells to be interoperable between different systems, the attributes such as manufacturer name, article number, serial number, etc. must be given a standardized reference so that they are also interpreted correctly by all systems. Eclass is a library and contains a classification system for product groups and their attributes. Systems that understand eclass references, more precisely the IRDI (International Registration Data Identifier), of attributes are capable of exchanging data among one another.
| Eclass preferred name | IRDI |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer name | 0173-1#02-AAO677#002 |
| Product country of origin | 0173-1#02-AAO841#001 |
| Manufacturer part number | 0173-1#02-AAO676#003 |
| GTIN (Global Trade Item No.) | 0173-1#02-AAO663#003 |
Which standards will be relevant in the future?
Currently, many new standards are evolving and the standardization of submodels is progressing continuously. We have listed the most important standards for the Digital Nameplate and Asset Administration Shell for you in the table below.
| What | Standard | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Identification link | IEC 61406 | (formerly DIN SPEC 91406) |
| Administration shell | IEC 63278-1 | Draft standard in progress |
| Reference model RAMI 4.0 | IEC PAS 63088 | (formerly DIN SPEC 91345) |
Possible use cases for the Digital Nameplate
The use of the Digital Nameplate as a key to the Asset Administration Shell and the resulting possibilities are almost unlimited. Besides static data on products and machines, active information services are certainly a very promising approach to realize interoperability between machines in Industry 4.0.
But the model is not limited to machines. Think of digital patient records or applications for smart grid solutions. It’s not that you can’t implement these applications without an Asset Administration Shell (AAS), but if the concept behind all of them is the same, there are tremendous efficiencies and synergies to be gained.
The main challenges
The Digital Nameplate in connection with the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) may already convince many companies and induce such to realize first prototypes. It becomes more difficult if data is also stored in the AAS that must be protected from unauthorized access.
As soon as personal data is stored, the DSVGO must also be complied with. For Whitelabel products the full transparency of the VWS is also rather a disadvantage.
Another aspect to consider is data integrity. You can only work with the data from AAS if you have confidence in it.
In order for the VWS to become a real Industry 4.0 component and make the digital twin a reality, uniform standards for the exchange of information are required. This is the only way to achieve interoperability across system boundaries.
These challenges are currently being worked on intensively with research projects and individual initiatives. A selection of promising projects can be found here:
- Interopera Project for the standardized implementation of the Asset Administration Shell.
- GAIA-X The project deals with the security and integrity of data infrastructures.
Our conclusion on the Digital Nameplate
The digital nameplate has now become a reality. However, it is only the key to the world of IoT and Industry 4.0. This world, on the other hand, is not yet a reality, as many issues such as interoperability, data integrity and authorization have not yet been completely resolved. Nevertheless, the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) concept is convincing and can already offer essential added value for the availability of static data.
Should you deal with the Digital Nameplate?
The answer depends on whether or not you believe in the future of Industry 4.0 concepts.
The classic nameplate will not disappear. It is merely supplemented with a link to the digital world. The easier part of the task is to determine the place on the nameplate and the technology (2D code / RFID) of the identification link.
The description of the Asset Administration Shells and their contents, on the other hand, have numerous points of contact with the labeling process. Many data sources and times of description are identical. This is why it is worthwhile for those responsible for master data and labeling to work closely together, assuming that they want to ensure that the data in the Asset Administration Shell and the nameplate are identical.
We at OPAL like to support you, because we love innovative concepts even more, if they are based on current standards.
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