A maintainer is responsible for managing multiple laser systems in a machine or a machine plant. Using the OPC UA Laser Systems interface, the maintainer can see at a glance which laser system is running, not running or is in a fault condition. If the laser system is in a fault condition or not running, one can easily identify the reason, so that in the event of an unscheduled loss of production, quick action can be taken. In addition, the maintainer can use the parameters offered on the interface to make statements about the availability and non-availability of a laser system (see chapter 7.2.2).

Using the OPC UA Laser Systems interface, a maintainer can quickly identify warnings and errors present on the laser system. With the help of these, error statistics may be generated, which can be used to identify error causes. Furthermore, the early recognition and remedying of warning causes can prevent time-consuming and cost-intensive error states (see chapter 7.3).

The OPC UA Laser Systems interface can be used to display a forecast of the next manual interventions to be performed on the laser system. With the help of this predictive information about the next pending maintenance intervention, the maintainer and his colleagues can optimize and plan their next activities on the laser systems. Consequently, time and money may be saved as down- and lead times can be taken into consideration (see chapter 7.3.1 and 7.3.2).

The OPC UA Laser Systems interface provides a digital nameplate for the laser system, displaying basic and static information. Laser systems from different manufacturers can thus be identified and maintained in a uniform manner (see chapter 7.1).

Recipe settings serve to standardize the usage of a laser system. The OPC UA interface gives access to these by listing all available recipes for a given system and offering further specifics of the recipe. This enables the user to see which recipe options are available for the laser system. The user utilizes this information to keep the laser system updated and ready for its intended usage.

Furthermore, the user can check the validity of parameters and system limits for specific recipes. Information about the recipe version supports the user in planning updates. The information about the recipe settings also provides possible solutions to error causes (see chapter 7.4.2).

The OPC UA Laser Systems interface provides high-level logging of the activities performed on the laser system. Thus, the user can track configuration changes, which is helpful in identifying possible error causes. Configurations, however, cannot be changed by the user via the interface (see chapter 7.2.5).

The OPA UA laser system interface provides data (e.g., current temperature or power consumption) in a standardized manner, which can be used for system condition monitoring. The individually chosen data may, for example, be used to analyze correlations between different variables from different sources. The interface provides the raw information and does not analyze the data. Aside from combining the parameters for condition monitoring and predictive long-term analysis, a maintainer can make use of these parameters by identifying which parameters are outside of their normal working range (see chapter 7.2.6).

The OPC UA Laser Systems interface provides details on the external media consumption data (e.g., power consumption, compressed air, cooling water). The user can quickly identify which consumables the laser system is equipped with and take measures where appropriate (see chapter 7.2.7).