Abstract:
Communication protocols drive the flow of information from machine to machine. However, with the
requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and machines set to become more mobile, flexible
and intelligent, greater communication practices are required to fully incorporate this revolution.
Machines are required less to be able to communicate in fixed networks with numerical representation,
but rather to have the ability to communicate with machines swopping in and out of manufacturing
lines and networks, all while adhering to real-time communication regulations. Furthermore, with
machines swapping in and out, a greater need is placed on this communication protocol to operate in
a purely decentralised manner, something not available on the market today. All these requirements
aid each other. While machines are able to become decentralised and
self-efficient, they rely on more crucial information, which is used to create intelligent decisions and
execute them with timely precision. This dissertation entails an extensive research in communication
protocols and their use in the manufacturing scene. From this, a newly developed communication
protocol is designed with a heavy focus placed on real-time execution in a decentralised manner. The
communication protocol is tested in a constructed water bottling plant to gauge its effectiveness and
performance. Finally, conclusions are drawn from these results, detailing and elaborating the use of
the communication protocol and the practices it ensues.
