Machinery TwinOPC UA
The vendor-neutral route, endpoints, security policies, and node addressing.
OPC UA connects Machinery Twin to anything exposing a UA server: Siemens S7-1500 (built-in server), Beckhoff TF6100, Rockwell, B&R, Schneider, Kepware/router gateways, and most modern SCADA/edge software.
Connection settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Endpoint URL | e.g. opc.tcp://192.168.1.10:4840 |
| Security policy | None or Basic256Sha256 |
| Security mode | None, Sign, or SignAndEncrypt |
| Authentication | Anonymous or Username (+ username/password) |
Match the server's configuration: a server allowing only signed+encrypted sessions rejects None, and vice versa some locked-down servers disable None entirely. When in doubt, check the server's endpoint list with any UA browser (UaExpert is the de-facto tool).
Addressing
Variables reference node IDs:
ns=3;s="DataBlock_1"."ConveyorSpeed" (S7-1500 UA server style)
ns=4;s=MAIN.fbFiller.Level (TwinCAT TF6100 style)
ns=2;i=1204 (numeric node id)Browse the server once with a UA client to find your namespace indexes and string forms, then copy the node IDs into your variables. See Mapping PLC tags for data types.
When to choose UA over the native driver
- The PLC is neither Siemens nor Beckhoff.
- IT policy forbids raw S7/ADS but allows the audited UA port.
- You want the same addressing across a mixed-vendor line.
Native drivers are usually lower-latency; UA is the universal fallback and the only option for third-party systems.