MES4
MES4 is a didactic structured Manufacturing Execution System (MES), which is designed for Industry 4.0 learning platforms. Special importance is placed on the topics of production control and management. The MES4 can directly communicate with the PLC via open communication interfaces. As a result, the communication architecture can easily be understood without any interconnection to the main computer. Work instructions for manual workplaces can be created or adapted at any time. The individual controllers communicate with the MES4 via TCP/IP.
Highlights:
• No main PLC and data redundancy – Each PLC is able to communicate with the MES in real-time, and thereby, every station can receive data from the MES at any time.
• Order entry from ERP system – The open database of MES4 can be externally accessed via SQL commands (e.g. order entry from ERP system).
• Process monitoring and order traceability – The clear overview of each station in MES4 enables clearly structured process monitoring and order traceability by means of Ident based operation.
Learning content for project works:
• Define order flows and process plans
• Read orders and update status
• Sort the order positions
• Assignment of the goods carrier to the order
• Create article master, including graphic representation of the workpieces
• Creation of machines, including costs and energy consumption
• Define plant layouts by Icons
• Automatic routing according to work plan and machine capabilities
• Report generation OEE, PLC and faults, including graphical representation
• Import or export of data as * .csv file

The data of the system is stored in a MySQL database, which can be easily accessed via a preinstalled user interface. All data can be exported in different formats (e.g., CSV).