Model-based Engineering of modern Automation Structures with the Interdisciplinary Modeling Language (IML)

In the recent past, automation technologies have experienced significant structural and technological development. Especially Production Machines profit from this evolution, as new production paradigms are integrated into control architectures. In order to incorporate this into superior systems engineering methodologies, we have carried out a comprehensive technology review to derive requirements towards the specification of such new automation structures. Based on the Interdisciplinary Modeling Language (IML), which has been specifically developed for the system design of production machines, we integrated appropriate modeling assets into IML for engineering modern automation structures.With the intention to support a holistic engineering process of production machines, this approach shows – along the automation domain – the integration of the presented methodology into a data-consistent toolchain using IML. Based on this, we enable generating program structures in common automation development tools, derived directly from IML system models. Therefore, a data-consistent engineering toolchain will ideally support the development of the actual procedural sequence implementation based on IML system models.