See the comprehensive history on one PDF file here.
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| Microsoft operating systems dominate the industrial automation landscape. Automation vendors begin using Microsoft’s COM and DCOM in their product offerings. | 1990s | |
| 1995 | Automation vendors Fisher-Rosemount, Intellution, Opto 22 and Rockwell Software form a task force to develop a standard for data access based on COM and DCOM, and call it OPC, an abbreviation for OLE (Microsoft Object Linking & Embedding) for Process Control. | |
| The task force, established a year earlier, releases version 1.0 of a simplified OPC specification for Data Access (DA) in August. Within the first year, several other software and hardware vendors began using OPC as their mechanism for interoperability. It soon becomes clear that a more formalized organization of compliance, interoperability, certification and validation is necessary. . OPC Foundation officially incorporated on April 22, 1996. |
1996 | |
| 1998 | The OPC Foundation begins converting its existing specification to web services. | |
| OPC Alarms & Events (OPC AE) specification is released. | 1999 | |
| 2001 | OPC Historical Data Access (OPC HDA), Batch and Security specification are released. | |
| OPC Complex Data, Data eXchange and XML-DA specifications are released.
OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA), comprising of 13 separate parts, is created by the OPC Foundation. The first OPC UA working group meeting was held on November 3-7, 2003. The original OPC specification is now referred to as “Classic OPC” or OPC Classic. |
2003 | |
| 2004 | OPC Commands specification is released. | |
| OPC UA version 1.0 becomes available on July 28th, 2006. | 2006 | |
| 2007 | OPC Certification Program and Test Labs are introduced. Automation vendors begin offering the first products based on OPC UA. |
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| OPC UA version 1.01 becomes available. OPC UA for Analyzer Devices (ADI) is released as a companion specification driven by the Pharma and Chemical manufacturing industries. |
2009 | |
| 2010 | The first embedded OPC UA devices are released. OPC UA for IEC 61131 is released as a companion specification. |
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| IEC 62541 is released (UA). | 2012 | |
| 2013 | OPC UA 1.02 is released. OPC UA for ISA-95 is released. OPC UA for Devices 1.01 is released. . The OPC Foundation supports over 480 members across China, Europe, Japan and North America. |
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| OPC UA v1.03 released IEC 62541:2015 Version releasedIndustrie4.0 reference architecture Modell (RAMI4.0) is listing OPC UA for communication layer VDMA set goal to develop standardized Information models for Factory Automation with OPC UA |
2015 | |
| 2016 | OPC Lab in Europe establishedAutoId companion specification for identification devices like barcode, OCR, 2D code, RFID, NFC, RTLS, sensors and mobile computing PLC FunctionBlocks for OPC UA based controller-controller communication. . The OPC Foundation supports over 490 members across China, Europe, Japan and North America. |
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| MDIS companion specification: Oil and Gas standard for interfacing the Subsea Production Control System CNC companion specification for interfacing Computerized Numerical Control Systems FDI companion specification for host systems that manage field devices during their entire LifeCycle VDMA published “Industrie4.0 Communication Guildeline based on OPC UA” |
2017 | |
| 2018 | OPC UA v1.04 released
Total of 18 companion specifications released including specifications for Energy Automation (based on IEC61850), Tobacco industry, multiple fieldbus mappings, PackML, AutomationML About 20 working groups developing further OPC UA companion specifications for additional machines or Industries The OPC Foundation supports over 636 members across China, Europe, Japan and North America. OPCF launches Field Level Communications (FLC) initiative to extend OPC UA to the field with initial 23 members including all major automation vendors. |
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| Releases OPC 10000-100, UA for Devices, Version 1.02 OPC 40010-1, Robotics Part 1 OPC 30070-1, MTConnect Part 1 OPC 30200, Commercial Kitchen Equipment OPC 40100-1, Machine Vision Companion Specification . New Working Groups CIP Devices by ODVA Mining Machinery by VDMA Weihenstephan standards by Weihenstephan Standards, VDMA Food ISA 100 by ISA 100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) Pumps and Vacuum Pumps by VDMA Harmonization by OPC Foundation Glass Industries by VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery by VDMA Surface Technology by VDMA Woodworking Machinery by VDMA . StartOPC Hub India, Singapore/ASEAN, France . OPC Foundation membership 737 members (end 2019) |
2019 | |
| 2020 | Releases OPC 30000 – IEC 61131-3, Version 1.2 PLCOpen OPC 30260 – OpenSCS OPC 30050 – PackML OPC UA, Ellyptic Curve Cryptography OPC 40501-2, UA for MachineTools, Part 1: Base Model OPC 40001-1, UA for Machinery, Part 1: Basic Building Blocks OPC 10000-200, UA for Industrial Automation OPC 30010 – UA CS for AutoID, 1.01.07 OPC 40200, UA for Weighing Technology OPC 30081, UA for Process Automation – PADIM . New Working Groups Cranes and Hoists by VDMA Length Measuring Systems (LMS) by VDMA ISA-95 Version 2 by OPC Foundation Fibre and Yarn Testing Devices (FYTD) by VDMA Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems – PAEFS by VDMA M2X Intralogistics Communication by VDMA Compressed Air Systems by VDMA Cloud Library by CESMII, LADS – Laboratory and Analytical Device Standard by Spectaris Machinery Common Model by VDMA . OPC Foundation membership 803 members (end 2020) |
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| Releases OPC 40001-1, UA for Machinery, Part 1: Basic Build. Blocks – 1.01 OPC 30141 – PROFIenergy OPC 40084-12 – Extrusion – Calender OPC 10000-100 – OPC UA for Devices, v1.03 OPC 11031-4 – ISA-95 Job Order OPC 30261 – OpenSCS Job Orders OPC 40223 – Pumps and Vacuum Pumps OPC 40083 – PlasticsRubber – General Types OPC 30270 – UA for Asset Administration Shell (AAS) OPC 40250-1, UA for Compressed Air Systems OPC 10000-200, UA for Industrial Automation, v1.01 OPC 40600 – Weihenstephan Standards . New Working Groups ISA-95 Version 2 Fibre and Yarn Testing Devices (FYTD) Process Air Extraction and Filtration Systems – PAEFS LADS – Laboratory and Analytical Device Standard M2X Intralogistics Communication Cranes and Hoists Length Measuring Systems (LMS) Cloud Federation . OPC Foundation membership 840 members (Aug 2021) |
2021 | |
| 2022 | Releases
New Working Groups
Foundation membership |
