Optimization of a blasting process through a service-oriented architecture

The paper describes the optimization of a blasting process through a three-layered service-oriented industrial architecture. The goals of the optimization are: a minimized manufacturing time, the automated usage of the production plans, and flexibility and reusability. To obtain a minimized processing time, a mixed-inter programming (MIP) model is developed, which is solved with a linear programming library. To ensure both short- and long-term flexibility, as well as reusability, the model has been rendered as generic as possible. Besides the detailed description of the MIP model, other important implementation details are presented: the OPC unified architecture (UA) address space structure, the complex service used for monitoring and controlling the application, and the generic control graph implemented inside the programmable logic controllers. The results show that the workload is distributed evenly between the work stations and over 99% of the total time is dedicated to the actual manufacturing process.