With Mitsubishi Electric’s MX OPC Server reaching end of production, Mitsubishi PLC users now need to reconsider their options. This article summarizes alternative options that can make use of your existing MELSEC environment.
Mitsubishi Electric ended production of MX OPC Server DA/UA on March 31, 2025*1.
For projects that used MX OPC Server, it is important to identify an alternative early in order to maintain upper-level connectivity while making use of the existing MELSEC environment.
Mitsubishi Electric lists alternative options in its end-of-production notice. Let’s look at how they differ.
| Product | Model |
|---|---|
| MELSEC iQ-R | RD81OPC96 |
| MELSEC iQ-F | FX5-OPC |
Both are official Mitsubishi Electric replacement products that support only the OPC UA standard*2. Because the OPC UA server is embedded in the equipment, these products are suited to cases where you want to complete upper-level connectivity within a single device.
| Product | Model |
|---|---|
| Professional Edition | DXPV7PR-ICN |
| Multi Edition | DXPV7ML-ICN |
| Single Edition | DXPV7SG-ICN |
DeviceXPlorer OPC Server is the only product named as a non-Mitsubishi Electric alternative in Mitsubishi Electric’s end-of-production notice*3. It is developed and offered by TAKEBISHI CORPORATION.
Manufacturing sites in India often run a mix of existing MELSEC systems, third-party PLCs, robots, machine tools, and upper-level systems. For this reason, DeviceXPlorer OPC Server, which can connect and manage equipment from multiple manufacturers on one platform, is a practical option to consider. It can also make future line expansion easier and reduce the workload for maintenance and operations.
With a maximum of 255 connected devices*3 and an unlimited number of tags*4, it far exceeds MX OPC Server, which supports a maximum of 10 connected devices and 1,000,000 tags. For manufacturing sites in India that are adding equipment or expanding lines, it can be an option designed with future scale-up in mind.
DeviceXPlorer OPC Server supports 400+ device series from 100+ manufacturers*5. It makes it easy to manage not only Mitsubishi PLCs but also other PLCs, robots, and machine tools on one platform, making it a suitable option for organizing data-integration architecture at manufacturing sites in India with mixed-vendor equipment.
A. Yes, replacement is possible. TAKEBISHI CORPORATION publishes a comparison table and migration information on its official website*6; please check it first.
A. It can be widely used as a data-integration platform for mixed lines. Third-party PLCs, robots, machine tools, and communication protocols are also listed in the supported-model list*7; please review it.
A. It supports OPC DA 3.0/2.05A, OPC AE 1.10, and OPC UA 1.04*8.
A. It covers a wide range of MELSEC series, including legacy models*9.
A. Yes. Through local authorized distributors and partners, consistent support is available from implementation through configuration and operation.
Connects with PLCs, robots, and machine tools from 100+ manufacturers and 400+ device series.
Existing control devices can stay in use, even in mixed-generation environments.
Without modifying equipment, you can use OPC server-side scripting to shape data and apply equipment recipe data.
The scripting function is available at no additional cost.
Packaged licensing* for large-scale standardization reduces the need to procure licenses when adding new sites or manage updates site by site. This supports scaling while maintaining the management framework.
With add-on options, OPC servers running at different sites can be centrally managed from the main site.
Collects oil and gas drilling data via OPC. Secure transmission across firewalls and redundancy help maintain an audit-ready data foundation over time.
All servers include diagnostic logging with log-level settings and filtering. The logs can also serve as a foundation for audit trails.