Glossary · IIoT, data and AI
Machine data acquisition
Also known as: MDE, Machine data collection
German: Maschinendatenerfassung (MDE)
In manufacturing, machine data acquisition is the automatic collection of data from machines and controllers, such as operating states, counts, cycle times, alarms and process values, for production monitoring, OEE calculation and maintenance. It is the machine-related counterpart to operational data acquisition.
- IIoT
In one sentence
Machine data acquisition automatically collects states, counts, cycle times and alarms from machines for monitoring, OEE and maintenance.
Example
The MES reads the running, idle and fault states of each injection molding machine via OPC UA and calculates availability per shift.
How it applies
- Engineering: Define a consistent state model across machines, for example running, idle, setup, fault and planned stop, and the signals that indicate each state. Standards such as OPC UA companion specifications help.
- Operation: Automatic acquisition removes manual effort but not interpretation: unexplained stops still need reason codes from operators via Operational data acquisition.
- Documentation: Document which signals are read, their meaning, update rates and how states are derived. The machine documentation should describe the data interface offered to customers.
Machine data acquisition vs. operational data acquisition
Machine data acquisition (German MDE) captures what the machine does, automatically. Operational data acquisition (German BDE) captures order- and person-related data, often with manual bookings. OEE and production reports need both.